Zeus: King of the Greek Gods
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Jimmu CruzZeus: King of the Greek Gods
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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 clearly comes from 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 ancient Greek myth, Zeus was the sixth child of Cronus and Rhea. Cronus
had attempted to swallow Zeus as a baby, because a prophecy said that Cronus would
be overthrown by one of his own children, just as he had overthrown his father Uranus.
The baby Zeus was saved by his mother, who instead gave Cronus a rock wrapped in
swaddling clothes to eat, and Zeus was raised by nymphs. When he reached manhood,
he was able to save his five siblings by overthrowing his father, and he also freed
the Cyclopes, who gave Zeus his thunderbolt out of gratitude.
Following this, Zeus then led the Olympians in a war against the Titans, which lasted for
ten years and was known as the Titanomachy. Zeus and the Olympians were eventually
able to defeat the Titans, and they were banished to Tartarus. Zeus then became king of
the cosmos.
Zeus faced several challenges during his rule as king of the gods, including giants
and monsters. There are also some stories in the Ancient Greek religion that depict
infighting between the gods, but some of these stories contradict each other.
Zeus fills a similar role to Jupiter in the Ancient Roman pantheon of gods, and the two
are considered equitable. Zeus is also occasionally conflated with the Hellenic sun
god Helios, due to the connection that both gods have to the sun. The sun is sometimes
referred to as the 'eye of Zeus'.
Two other gods that are somewhat equitable to Zeus are Poseidon and Hades, brothers
of Zeus. Poseidon was the god of the seas, and Hades was the god of the underworld.
Both of these gods had similar power to Zeus, but of them Zeus was ultimately the
strongest. However, the three kept a balance of power to ensure that there would be no
infighting among the gods.
After the fall of the Titan-gods, Zeus and his brothers drew lots to divide rule of the
cosmos - Zeus won the heavens, Poseidon the sea and Haides the underworld.
