Zeus King of Heaven
Name:
Zeus King of Kings
Pantheon:
Greek
Gender:
Male
Known
Aliases: King of Kings, The Father, King of Heaven
Associated:
Lightening, sky, weather
Classification:
Patron God
Period
of Worship: 3500 B.C.E-Current
Discipline:
E Particle
Height:
unconfirmed
Weight:
unconfirmed
Hair:
Brown (variable)
Eyes:
Green
Unusual
Features:
Occupation:
Ruler
Martial
Status: Married
Known
Affiliations: The Greek Gods
Known
Relatives: Kronos (father), Hera (wife), Herkules (son)
Strength
Class: 10
Weapons:
the thunderbolt
Accessories
History:
in ancient Greek religion, chief deity of the pantheon, a sky and weather god
who was identical with the Roman god Jupiter (q.v.). Zeus was regarded as the
sender of thunder and lightning, rain, and winds, and his traditional weapon
was the thunderbolt. He was called the father (i.e., the ruler and protector)
of both gods and men.
According
to a Cretan myth that was later adopted by the Greeks, Cronus, king of the
Titans, upon learning that one of his children was fated to dethrone him,
swallowed his children as soon as they were born. But Rhea, his wife, saved the
infant Zeus by substituting a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes for Cronus to
swallow and hiding Zeus in a cave on
As
ruler of heaven Zeus led the gods to victory against the Giants (offspring of
Gaea and Tartarus) and successfully crushed several revolts against him by his
fellow gods. According to the Greek poet Homer, heaven was located on the
summit of Olympus, the highest mountain in
Zeus
was well known for his amorousness—a source of perpetual discord with his wife,
Hera—and he had many love affairs with both mortal and immortal women. In order
to achieve his amorous designs, Zeus frequently assumed animal forms, such as
that of a cuckoo when he ravished Hera, a swan when he ravished Leda, or a bull
when he carried off Europa. Notable among his offspring were the twins Apollo
and Artemis, by the Titaness Leto; Helen and the Dioscuri, by Leda of Sparta;
Persephone, by the goddess Demeter; Athena, born from his head after he had
swallowed the Titaness Metis; Hephaestus, Hebe, Ares, and Eileithyia, by his
wife, Hera; Dionysus, by the goddess Semele; and many others.
Though
regarded by Greek religionists everywhere as omnipotent and the head of the
pantheon, Zeus's very universality tended to reduce his importance compared to
that of powerful local divinities like Athena and Hera. Although statues of
Zeus Herkeios (Guardian of the House) and altars of Zeus Xenios (Hospitable)
graced the forecourts of houses, and though his mountaintop shrines were
visited by pilgrims, Zeus did not have a temple at
In
art Zeus was represented as a bearded, dignified, and mature man of stalwart
build; his most prominent symbols were the thunderbolt and the eagle.
