Zeus, in ancient Greek religion, chief deity of the pantheon, a sky and weather god who was

identical with the Roman god Jupiter. His name may be related to that of the sky god Dyaus
of the ancient Hindu Rigveda. 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 Crete.
There he was nursed by the nymph (or female goat) Amalthaea and guarded by the Curetes
(young warriors), who clashed their weapons to disguise the baby’s cries. After Zeus grew to
manhood he led a revolt against the Titans and succeeded in dethroning Cronus, perhaps
with the assistance of his brothers Hades and Poseidon, with whom he then divided
dominion over the world.
Britannica Quiz

Gods, Goddesses, and Greek Mythology

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 Greece and the logical home for a weather god. The other members of the
pantheon resided there with Zeus and were subject to his will. From his exalted position atop
Mount Olympus Zeus was thought to omnisciently observe the affairs of men, seeing
everything, governing all, and rewarding good conduct and punishing evil. Besides
dispensing justice—he had a strong connection with his daughter Dike (Justice)—Zeus was
the protector of cities, the home, property, strangers, guests, and supplicants.