Zeus Story: The King of Olympus

Who is Zeus, the King of Olympus and of all the Gods?

Zeus (Jupiter for the Romans) is the Chief of the Olympic gods. He is the king of the gods, the ruler of heaven and chief divinity of the Greek pantheon. Zeus is the lord of lightning and energy, the most powerful of all his companions. His name means god.

The Childhood of Zeus 1635 by Jacob Jordaens (Museum: Department of Paintings of the Louvre)
The Childhood of Zeus 1635 by Jacob Jordaens (Museum: Department of Paintings of the Louvre)

How was the Birth of Zeus?

Zeus was the last of the sons of the Titans Rhea and Crono. Crono was the most powerful of all the Titans and lord of the universe. An ancient prophecy indicated that a son of his would dethrone him and take control of the world. As Crono suspected all his children, he decided to devour them as they were born.

 

Rea lived with anguish each new pregnancy because she knew what the fate of her children would be. Rhea hatched a plan for when she was pregnant with Zeus, convinced that her child was destined to save her brothers.

She then asked her parents for help, who were Gaia, the earth, and Uranus, the sky. She was taken to the island of Crete where Gaia created a new cave, known as the Dicte’s cave, where Zeus was born and remained hidden.

 

When Cronus came to devour Zeus, Rhea gave him a swaddled stone called an omphalus, which Cronus swallowed without wasting time.

 

ANTOINE COYPEL - JUPITER (ZEUS) AND JUNO ON MOUNT IDA - 1700
ANTOINE COYPEL – JUPITER (ZEUS) AND JUNO ON MOUNT IDA – 1700

 

How was Zeus’s childhood?

Zeus was transferred to Mount Ida, on the island of Crete. His mother Rhea left him in the care of the Titaness Themis and the nymphs Adrastea and Ida, who fed him with the nutritious milk of the Amalthea goat.

 

tsa prohibited liquids

 

In other stories Amalthea was not a goat but she was the nymph that owned the goat. Almathea hung Zeus from a tree, accommodated in a cradle, because since he was neither in heaven nor on earth, his father Cronus could not find him and devour him.

The nymphs asked the Curetes, who were nine warrior brothers, to train with their spears and shields near the cave. The noise that the weapons made when colliding with each other would hide Zeus’s crying, going unnoticed by his father.

Playing with Amalthea, Zeus broke one of her horns. To comfort the goat, Zeus gave it magical powers, which turned into a cornucopia or horn of plenty. Since then the cornucopia has been a symbol of wealth and fullness.

 

Zeus Story: The King of Olympus
Zeus Story: The King of Olympus

 

How did Zeus become King of Olympus?

Zeus grew up and when he became an adult, his mother Rhea told him what his fate was. End Crono’s reign of terror.

 

Samsung Frame TV - The Triumph of Venus) - François Boucher
Samsung Frame TV – The Triumph of Venus) – François Boucher

 

The young Zeus, assisted by Metis, hatched the plan to overthrow the Chrono from him. Metis prepared a powerful concoction and mixed it with Chrono’s favorite wine. Disguised as a cupbearer, Zeus offered the drink to the Titan, who soon became ill. Cronos was vomiting his children, beginning with the omphalus that he swallowed thinking it was Zeus. Then, exhausted, he went to sleep. The six brothers fled and prepared for the fight.

The Titanomachy, which is what the war for power on Olympus was called, lasted 10 years. The world was never the same again: the era of the Titans had ended and that of the Olympic gods began. The young Zeus established himself as supreme monarch and lord of the sky. From then on, he would rule everyone from Mount Olympus.

 

Zeus Story: The King of Olympus
Zeus Story: The King of Olympus

 

Who were the wives of Zeus?

and his wives make up most of the mythological stories. Zeus was an uncontrollable seducer, capable of anything to achieve his goal. When it is said that Zeus is the father of gods and men it is because he literally is.

 

  • Metis
  • Themis
  • Eurynome
  • Demeter
  • Mnemosyne
  • Leto
  • Hera

 

 

Religion and Mythology of the Ancient Greeks

 

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