CAPTIVATING FACTS ABOUT ZEUS: KING OF OLYMPUS

ZEUS FATHERED HERACLES, THE MOST FAMOUS

MYTHICAL HERO OF ALL TIME, BY DECEPTION.

HE DISGUISED HIMSELF AS AMPHITRYON,

ALCMENE’S HUSBAND, IN ORDER TO HAVE

SEX WITH HER

VERY FEW ARE AWARE THAT BEFORE ZEUS

MARRIED HERA, HE HAD ALREADY BEEN MARRIED

TWICE. AFTER THE VICTORIOUS WAR AGAINST

HIS FATHER, ZEUS MARRIED METIS, THE

TITANESS OF WISDOM AND DAUGHTER OF

OKEANOS AND TETHYS. AFTER HIS MARRIAGE

TO METIS, ZEUS MARRIED THEMIS, THE

TITANESS OF JUSTICE. WITH HER HE HAD

THE MOIRAE (THE FATES), THE HORAE

(THE HOURS), AND ASTRAEA

ACCORDING TO WORKS AND DAYS BY HESIOD, ZEUS

WAS A CAREFREE GOD WHO LOVED TO LAUGH

OUT LOUD. HE WAS REGARDED AS WISE, FAIR,

MERCIFUL AND PRUDENT. HE WAS ALSO

UNPREDICTABLE, NOBODY WAS ABLE TO GUESS

THE DECISIONS HE WOULD MAKE

ZEUS WAS ALSO KNOWN FOR HIS BAD TEMPER;

HE WAS EASILY ANGERED, WHICH COULD BE

VERY DESTRUCTIVE. WHEN ANGRY HE WOULD

HURL LIGHTNING BOLTS AND CAUSE VIOLENT

STORMS THAT WREAKED HAVOC ON EARTH

MAYBE THAT EXPLAINS WHY HIS SERVANTS

WERE NAMED FORCE AND VIOLENCE.

ZEUS’S PUNISHMENTS COULD BE REALLY SEVERE.

FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN PROMETHEUS STOLE

FIRE FROM HIM AND GAVE IT TO HUMANS, HE

CONDEMNED PROMETHEUS TO HAVING HIS

LIVER EATEN DAILY BY A GIANT EAGLE

ATHENA WAS SAID TO HAVE SPRUNG FROM ZEUS’S

HEAD. SHE WAS HIS FAVOURITE CHILD, WITH

WHOM HE SHARED THE THUNDERBOLT AND AEGIS

(HIS SHIELD)

THE TEMPLE OF OLYMPIAN ZEUS IS A COLOSSAL

RUINED TEMPLE IN THE CENTRE OF ATHENS

THAT WAS DEDICATED TO ZEUS. CONSTRUCTION

BEGAN IN THE SIXTH CENTURY BCE DURING

THE RULE OF THE ATHENIAN TYRANTS, WHO

ENVISAGED BUILDING THE GREATEST TEMPLE

IN THE ANCIENT WORLD. WHEN IT WAS

COMPLETED UNDER THE REIGN OF THE ROMAN

EMPEROR HADRIAN IN THE SECOND CENTURY CE,

IT WAS RENOWNED AS THE LARGEST TEMPLE IN

GREECE AND HOUSED ONE OF THE LARGEST CULT

STATUES IN THE ANCIENT WORLD