Download The Greek God Zeus

Rylee Oathout
4th hour
12/6/13
The Greek God Zeus
Do you believe in Gods? Thousands of years ago many people believed in a god named
Zeus. He was considered to be the god of the sky and weather. His image appeared on most
Greek coins. The people of Greece worshipped this idol as their god. Zeus became one of the
Seven Wonders of the World. Greek mythology is weird and confusing.
Zeus was the king of heavens, Earth, and all of the Olympian gods. “It is not possible
either to trick or escape the mind of Zeus.” Hesiod (http://www.brainyquote.com) His thrown
was atop of the Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. He had shoulder length grey
hair, with a longish grey beard and he wore a white toga. His symbols were the eagles, the oak
trees, the royal scepter, and the thunder bolt. “The dice of Zeus always fall luckily.” Sophocles
(http://www.brainyquote.com) Zeus was the son of the great god Cronus and Rhea.Cronus was
the titian god of time and ages. Especially time were regarded as destructive and all devouring.
Rhea is the mother of goodness.
Zeus was born after the castration of Ouranos by Cronus. He was the youngest of 6
children. He was hidden from Cronus (his father) in a cave. Rhea fed Cronus a stone in place of
Zeus, and gave him a drink of honeyed wine, which is piousness. Zeus gathered his siblings, the
cylopes and the Hectonchieres and over threw the titans. That is how he began the reign of the
Olympian gods. “Bear up, my child, bear up; Zeus who oversees and directs all things is still
mighty in heaven.” Sophocles (http://www.brainyquote.com)
Today there is a Statue of Zeus, there is also a museum that has plenty of Information and
pictures of the Greek Gods, including Zeus. The statue is at the Olympia. It is 13m (43ft) tall. It
was made by the Greek sculptor Phidias. At one point and time it was the most famous statue in
accent world. The frame of the statue was made of wood. The statue required special care
because the Olympia was a very damp place and the humanity could damage the statue. The
statue was once damaged by an earthquake but it was repaired. The museum is in New York. It is
called Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was made in the 1870. The museum has many drawings
of Greek gods. It was one of the largest museums in the world.
Zeus was mighty, glorious, and wise, but unlike other gods he did show a certain degree
of surprising foolishness when it came to hiding his love affairs. “Open your mouth and shut
your eyes and see what Zeus will send you.” Aristophanes (http://www.brainyquote.com) Some
historians attribute this less than noble behavior of the "noblest one of all" to the fact that Zeus
was most likely a compilation of many "supreme gods" from different areas. When his worship
spread to an area which already worshipped another god, some of that god’s qualities as well as
his wife or lover was transferred to Zeus. Aside from the endless affairs Zeus was different from
other gods in that he did not participate in the arguments and the resulting petty scheming that
made up the daily activities of other gods. Being this wise ruler, he also demanded just and
righteous action from men. Zeus was however vengeful, as can be seen in the creation of man by
Prometheus, but only rightly so.
Hera was Zeus’ wife. She was brought up by the Titans Ocean and Tethys, despite the
nickname "cow-faced" which seems to have stuck with her through the ages, she was very
beautiful, and in fact she was one of the three contestants in the Judgment of Paris which led to
the Trojan War but her personality was not as attractive, she was petty and cruel and is most
often shown administering some sort of revenge on one of Zeus’ lovers. In one, and only one,
myth is shown as a noble and gracious protector of heroes and inspirer of heroic deeds, the Quest
of the Golden Fleece.
Zeus was anything but a faithful husband, so Hera, in her turn was not a loyal wife. Once
she even convinced the other gods to join in a revolt against Zeus. Her part was to drug Zeus,
and in this she was successful. The gods then bound the sleeping Zeus to a couch taking care to
tie many strong knots. They had not, however, planned what to do next and began to quarrel over
who would take Zeus’ place. Briareus overheard the arguments, still full of gratitude to Zeus; he
came to his help and was able to quickly untie the many knots. Zeus sprang from the couch and
grabbed his thunderbolt. As the gods fell to their knees begging and pleading for mercy, he
seized Hera and hung her from the sky with gold chains. “An ancient dictum says that when Zeus
wanted to destroy someone, he would first drive him mad.” Jean-Marie Le
Pen.(http://www.brainyquote.com) She wept in pain all night but, none of the others dared to
help her. The weeping kept Zeus up and the next morning he agreed to release her if she would
swear never to go against him. She had little choice but, to agree. While she never again rebelled,
she often intrigued against Zeus's plans and she was often able to outwit him.
It’s hard to believe that thousands of years ago there was a god names Zeus, because
there are some interesting and weird facts about Greek Mythology and a little bit confusing.
Some stuff is hard to believe, but learning about Greek Mythology.