Zeus family. The gods of ancient Greece a list and description of what the sons of Zeus were. Zeus statue in Olympia

God Zeus(in Roman mythology - god Jupiter), as the ruler of gods and mortals, physically represented that vital force that pervaded everything in the universe.

In moral terms, the god Zeus (Jupiter) represented the link that binds humanity, was the guardian of contracts and oaths, the patron of the poor and those who ask, and all those who had no other shelter than heaven.

“Do you see,” says the ancient Greek playwright Euripides, “this immense majestic infinity surrounding the earth from all sides: this is Zeus, the supreme god.” And the ancient Roman writer Varro, who cites these words in his essay, adds: “That is why temples without roofs are erected to Jupiter in order to better see the sky, or God himself, and they say that Jupiter should be called to witness only in the open sky.”

Zeus as the personification of the firmament

All the temples dedicated to Zeus were without roofs, and only the temples in honor of the gods of the earth were closed. Since the god Zeus personified the vault of heaven, the ancient Greeks believed that in a closed place God could not see them. The ancient Greek comedian Aristophanes, in his comedy The Birds, ridicules this belief in folk mythology. At Aristophanes, wanting to take part in a conspiracy against Zeus, he comes up with the following trick so that Zeus cannot see him: “Be quiet,” says Prometheus, “do not say my name here; I am lost if Zeus sees me here; but if you want me to tell you about what is happening on Olympus, take this umbrella and hold it open over my head; then the gods will not see me.”

It was difficult for the art of antiquity to convey in human forms the personification of the sky by the god Zeus-Jupiter. However, one antique cameo has survived, depicting Zeus-Jupiter sitting on a throne, set on a sail blown by the wind. The sail holds above his head (Neptune), the god of water, hinting that Zeus soars above the surface of the waters. The vault of heaven, which should personify the god Zeus-Jupiter, is represented on this cameo by zodiac signs located around the figures of the gods.

Thunderous arrows of the god Zeus (Jupiter)

In art, the ancient god Zeus-Jupiter is almost always depicted as a strong and beautiful man in the prime of his life with a beard.

The distinctive symbols of Zeus are an eagle, a scepter and thunder arrows (peruns).

The long hair of the god Zeus is parted at the forehead, the upper body is naked, the chest is wide, but not athletic.

The god Zeus (Jupiter) in the myths of Ancient Greece had different nicknames-names that corresponded to the various properties of his deity, and therefore is depicted with different attributes.

The peoples of antiquity could not imagine a more terrible force in nature than thunder. Thunderous arrows (peruns), which the god Zeus (Jupiter) holds in his hand, are a symbol of the power and irresistible power of this god. Everyone who entered into a fight with Zeus, whether it was a god or a mere mortal, was all struck by these arrows. The cult of Zeus the Thunderer was very common in ancient Greece. The Romans erected a temple in the Capitol in honor of Jupiter the Thunderer, traces of which have survived to this day.

Very often, the god Zeus (Jupiter) holds the goddess of victory Nike on his hand, as a sign that Zeus patronizes those who compete and grants victory. Then he is called Zeus the Victorious, or Nikephorian.

Goddess Nike

There is no separate myth about the Greek goddess of victory, Nike, but the goddess Nike is often depicted on art monuments, especially on ancient coins.

The goddess Nike is usually depicted as winged and holding a laurel wreath or branch in her hands. The artists of the new time almost did not change this type: on the monuments the ancient Greek goddess of victory continues to be depicted even now in the form of a young winged girl with a laurel wreath in her hands.

Eagle of Zeus and the myth of Ganymede

According to the ancient Greeks, the eagle flies higher than all birds and can soar high above everyone in space, and therefore is most suitable for the god Zeus.

The eagle is almost always depicted at the feet of Zeus or on his scepter. Sometimes the eagle holds in its mighty claws thunder arrows of Zeus (peruns). The eagle fulfills many orders of the gods. So, for example, an eagle brings nectar (divine drink) to Zeus the child, with which the nymphs drink Zeus on the island of Crete.

The abduction of Ganymede. Rembrandt, 1635

According to the myths of ancient Greece, the eagle, at the behest of Zeus, kidnaps Ganymede, who then acts as cupbearer of the gods on Olympus.

The beautiful young man Ganymede was the son of the king of Troy. God Zeus (Jupiter), admiring the beauty of Ganymede, ordered the eagle to kidnap him, finding that the earth is an unworthy place for Ganymede.

An ancient statue depicts Ganymede as a handsome young man with a Phrygian cap on his head, with a shepherd's crook in his hand. Ganymede was tending his father's herds when an eagle, seizing him in his mighty claws, carried him to Olympus. Upon learning of the kidnapping of his son, Ganymede's father gave way to despair, but Zeus (Jupiter) comforted him by showing him his son, ranked among the host of the gods. Zeus placed Ganymede also in the number of zodiac constellations under the sign of Aquarius.

A beautiful antique statue has been preserved, a repetition of the statue of the famous ancient Greek sculptor Leoxapa, depicting the abduction of Ganymede by an eagle.

The myth of the abduction of Ganymede was very popular among artists. Many cameos, statues and paintings have survived. Rubens and Correggio painted pictures on this mythological theme, but none enjoys such fame as the painting by Rembrandt (in the Dresden Gallery). The great Dutch artist depicted a fat crying child; the eagle holds Ganymede by the shirt. Despite his fear, the child Ganymede does not let go of the grape brush that Rembrandt put into his hand, hinting at his future position as cupbearer. But one must assume that if Ganymede had such rudely real forms, Zeus-Jupiter, the god of the ancient Greeks and Romans, would hardly have found that the earth was unworthy of him.

Zeus the Hospitaller: The Myth of Philemon and Baucis

God Zeus (Jupiter) is considered the patron saint of hospitality. Zeus often travels the earth, wanting to see how hospitable people are.

Arriving one day in Phrygia with the god Hermes (Mercury), who untied his wings so as not to be recognized, Zeus (Jupiter) knocked in vain on many houses, asking for shelter: they were denied everywhere.

Finally, Zeus and Hermes came to a small thatched hut, whose owners, Philemon and Baucis, welcome them cordially. Despite poverty and deprivation, the husband and wife, already old, managed to preserve compassion and other virtues. Having let the guests into the hut, Philemon and Baucis began to prepare a meager meal. Fearing that the guests would not find it plentiful, Philemon and Baucis decided to sacrifice their only goose, but the bird, pursued throughout the hut by Baucis, found refuge at the feet of Zeus, who did not allow it to be slaughtered.

What was the surprise of the hosts when they noticed that the food on the table and the wine in the goblet, instead of decreasing, increased. Frightened, Philemon and Baucis turned to their guests, asking them to tell them who they were and apologizing for their miserable dinner. Zeus told them who he and his companion were, and ordered Philemon and Baucis to follow them to the top of one mountain, allowing them to express any desire, promising to fulfill it. Loving each other dearly, they both wished to die at the same time.

Arriving on the mountain, Philemon and Baucis saw that the whole area and all the houses surrounding their hut were covered with water, and their hut had turned into a majestic temple. Zeus appointed them guardians of this temple. Philemon and Baucis lived there to a ripe old age, not knowing sickness and decrepitude.

Once, sitting in front of each other on the steps of the temple, Philemon and Baucis noticed how their bodies began to turn into tree trunks. Realizing that their last hour was coming, Philemon and Baucis tenderly parted and fell silent forever. Two beautiful trees remained on the sides of the temple to guard the entrance to it.

Olympic Games and Zeus Phidias

In honor of Olympian Zeus, festivities were established in Olympia, in Elis, known as the Olympic Games.

These were public games in which the Greeks of all tribes and all lands took part. In the very temple of Olympian Zeus there was a famous statue of the ancient Greek sculptor Phidias, all of gold and ivory.

The statue of Phidias depicted Zeus in a sitting position, but was of such size that it touched the ceiling. Zeus Phidias held in one hand the goddess Nike, and in the other - a scepter decorated with precious metals with an eagle on top.

The myth of the abduction of Europa

The island of Crete was considered the birthplace of the god Zeus, who is also called Zeus of Crete. On the same island, according to ancient myth, Zeus brought the Europe he had stolen.

Europe riding a bull.

According to the myths of ancient Greece, Europa was the daughter of the king of the city of Tyre in Phoenicia and was famous for her extraordinary beauty. Zeus, seeing Europa, was so seduced by her that he decided to kidnap her. The god Zes turns into a white bull and joins the herds of the Tyrian king. Europe, together with her friends, admires the beauty of the bull, which allows them to approach him and pet him.

Young girls decorated the horns of the bull-Zeus with wreaths. Finally, Europe, frolicking, sat on it. Then the bull-Zeus rushed with Europa to run to the sea, swam across it and brought his captive to the island of Crete, whose king was subsequently the son of Europa and Zeus Minos.

The myth of the abduction of Europa by Zeus served as a favorite subject for the artists of antiquity. In particular, the myth of Europe was often depicted on carved stones and cameos.

Paolo Veronese painted a picture on this mythological plot and, as usual, dressed the characters in luxurious, contemporary costumes. The Madrid Museum houses a painting by Rubens on the same subject. The Dutchman Bergheim conveyed this poetic myth in his own way: he painted a huge bull and a fat peasant woman sitting on it, which the ancient Greeks, admirers of beauty and beautiful forms, would hardly agree to recognize as a goddess.

The myth of the transformation of King Lycaon into a wolf

The Arcadians in their myths contested the honor of the homeland of Zeus from Crete.

The inhabitants of Arcadia claimed that the god Zeus was born on the top of Lykeon. The Arcadian king Lycaon erected a temple there to Zeus and, according to myth, sacrificed one of his hostages to him. Angered by Zeus, King Lycaon turned into a wolf for such cruelty.

This Greek myth is interesting because it points to the cessation of human sacrifices, which until that time were very often offered to Zeus.

Dodona oracle of Zeus

The oldest Greek oracle, dedicated to the god Zeus (Jupiter), was located in Dodona, in Epirus.

The inhabitants of Dodona said that two black doves flew out of Egypt: one flew to Dodona, sat on an oak tree and ordered in a human voice to build an oracle here in honor of the god Zeus, and the other dove descended to Libya, and there arose, in Ammon, among the sands, an oracle Zeus of Ammon.

In the center of the sacred grove in Dodona stood oaks, the rustling of the leaves of which was interpreted by the priestesses, but the oak trunks of Dodona also had a prophetic gift. When they went to get the golden fleece, they cut down the masts for their ship in the sacred grove of Dodona, and the masts predicted the future for the Argonauts.

The meaning of the myth about the victory of Zeus over the Titans and Giants

Battle with the Titans. Gustave Dore, 1866

All the myths about Zeus (Jupiter) and about the struggle of Zeus with the Titans and giants (Giants) personified the ideas of the ancient Greeks and Romans about how little by little order, moral laws, conscious and mental life prevailed over the terrible forces of nature. Titans and giants (Giants) plunge into Tartarus, because there is no place on earth for lawless and causeless power. The victory of Zeus over the giants was the victory of the awakening clear consciousness of the mind and spirit.

Zeus, as the highest god of the ancient pantheon, personified the idea of ​​the spiritual and mental essence of man. Zeus is in the myths of the ancient Greeks and Romans not a god who creates the universe, but a god-arranger. Zeus-Jupiter is the guardian of order, the creator of society and public institutions and laws.

The cult of Zeus-Jupiter ceased only with the introduction of Christianity, although the teachings of philosophers had already greatly shaken faith in him. The ancient Greek author Lucian describes in one of his satires how the temples of Zeus were emptied and how meager the sacrifices offered to him. Lucian asks where the power of this god has gone, why Zeus, the owner of thunder arrows, will not hit all those who no longer believe in his power and strength.

ZAUMNIK.RU, Egor A. Polikarpov - scientific editing, scientific proofreading, design, selection of illustrations, additions, explanations, translations from ancient Greek and Latin; all rights reserved.

The gods of Olympus were revered in the same way as Jesus is now. The myths of Ancient Greece about Zeus describe him as the ruler of heaven, the thunderer, the lord of lightning. The legends about the gods Olympians are preserved in the poems of Hesiod and Homer ("Theogony" or "The Origin of the Gods" and "Iliad"), as well as in the "Metamorphoses" (or "Transformations") of Ovdias. There are different translations and interpretations of the myths and legends of Ancient Greece, and all of them only complement and clarify the portrait of the most powerful and influential of the Gods of Olympus - Zeus. What was his power and splendor, and was it easy to be the owner of such talents.

Titans and Olympians

After the creation of the world, the Earth (Gaia) and Heaven (Uranus) had twelve daughters and sons. Together with the titans, three cyclops giants and the same number of hundred-armed and fifty-headed giants appeared - hekatonkheires, whose elemental strength knew no bounds. Hating his giant children, Uranus imprisoned them in the bowels of Gaia and forbade them to be born. Suffering from a terrible burden, Gaia tried to convince the titans to punish Uranus for such injustice, but everyone was afraid to confront her father. All except Kronos (or the God of time), who by cunning overthrew Uranus. He became the ruler of the titans, who were cruel and incredibly stupid. It was Kronos who was the father of the Olympian gods.

The Legend of the Appearance of Zeus

The myth of the birth of Zeus briefly describes the circumstances due to which the titan Kronos, who overthrew his father, was very worried about maintaining his own power. Therefore, he ordered his wife Rhea to give him every child that was born, which he swallowed. However, the titans and their children are immortal. The babies did not die, but were cut off from the whole world in the stomach of Kronos. Such a fate befell the five children of Rhea (Hades, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera, Hestia). She did not want to watch the imprisonment of her children and, on the edification of Uranus and Gaia, fled to the island of Crete, where she gave birth to Zeus. Upon her return, Rhea gave Kronos a stone, after wrapping it in swaddling clothes. The titan swallowed it, unaware of the forgery. So little Zeus ended up in a cave on the island, which the Greeks in myths and legends described as "the end of the world."

Life of Zeus before the collision with Kronos

One of the myths about Zeus describes the life of an Olympian on the island of Crete until adulthood. He grew up in the company of the nymphs Adrastea and Idea, who fed him the milk of the goat Amalthea and the honey of bees. If the baby burst into tears, the Kurets (inhabitants of the island) struck at the shields near the entrance. So Kronos could not hear the voice of his son. The myth of Zeus briefly describes the stage of growing up of the Thunderer. Through training, gaining wisdom and strength, becoming a man, Zeus gradually formed the main goal of his life: to become the sole ruler of the world and overthrow Kronos.

Assistants of Zeus in the struggle for power

The son of Kronos was aware that he alone could not cope with the Titans. So he started looking for allies. To begin with, he imperceptibly poured poison into a goblet of nectar, after drinking which Kronos threw out a stone (which replaced a child in diapers), and then five brothers and sisters of Zeus. Together they began the fight against the titans. Some of them fought on the side of Zeus: Oceanus and his daughter Styx. The prudent Thunderer enlisted the support of the giant Cyclopes, they forged thunder and lightning for him, with the blows of which he crushed the titans.

Struggle for power over the world

Terrible and merciless was the war of the titans with the Olympians. The first battle of the Thunderer with Kronos, as indicated in the myth of Zeus, took place on the plains of Thessaly. Possessing powerful weapons and magnificent warriors, Zeus entered the battle with Kronos. Thousands of lightning hit the army of titans. Zeus called for the help of hundred-armed and fifty-headed giants - hekatoncheirs, whom he promised to treat with respect. The children of Gaia came out of the bowels and began to throw mountain peaks and huge blocks - rocks - at the titans. Heaven and Earth trembled with thunder and lightning. The battle turned into an apocalypse, the echoes of which shook Tartarus. The Titans faltered, but it was too early for Zeus to celebrate his victory. The Thunderer bound them and sent them to Tartarus full of eternal darkness. And at the gate he placed the hecatoncheirs on guard. The reign of the titans is over. Gaia, angry at the Thunderer for deceiving her children (giants-cyclops, and hekatoncheirs, whom Zeus left in the bowels of the earth), released the most terrible monster from Tartarus.

Battle with Typhon

The ancient myth of Zeus describes in detail the monster with whom the son of Kronos, Typhon, fought. He was of such size that a hundred of his heads rested against the sky, and his arms outstretched to the sides reached the edge of the horizon. Hot stones flew from each of the snake's mouths, and hellish fire spewed from its eyes. In a terrible roar, the cries of a man, a bull and a lion were heard simultaneously, the howling of dogs and a sharp whistle echoing. The giant had a human body and legs - snakes with incredible strength. His body was covered with feathers.

Zeus fearlessly began the fight with Typhon. The echoes of the struggle terrified the inhabitants of Tartarus. By cunning, Typhon deprived Zeus of the tendons of his legs, thereby depriving him of the ability to move. The Thunderer was thrown into the cave, and the sinews were hidden. But the most cunning and enterprising of the gods, the son of Zeus Hermes managed to get them and return them to his father. The battle resumed with renewed vigor. From the approach of Typhon, the seas boiled. Zeus burned his heads with lightning and thunder. Both the air and the clouds burned in the fire. Typhon collapsed with incinerated heads on the ground, and everything around him melted from the heat. Zeus threw the defeated opponent back into Tartarus. But even there the giant did not calm down, causing storms and volcanic eruptions. The name of Typhon became the prototype for the name of such a cataclysm as a typhoon.

After defeating Typhon, Zeus gained absolute power over the world. The myth of Zeus (Grade 5) describes a situation in which, after a while, he has a formidable enemy.

Zeus' wife Metis

The gods, like people, are not without a certain amount of adventurism. The Thunderer could take the form of an eagle, bull or swan in order to attract the attention of mortal women. Zeus passionately fell in love with the young goddess Metis (Wisdom) and took her as his wife. But then the wheel of Fortune turned in the opposite direction and the happiness of the loving gods was overshadowed by a prediction: Zeus will be deprived of power by a child who will give birth to the goddess Metis. The prophecy about the overthrow of the Thunderer by his own son haunted him. Vowing that history with his father would never happen again, Zeus swallows Metis. Having become a prisoner of the Thunderer, the goddess gave him some of her abilities: wisdom, cunning, knowledge. So, once again, the lust for power won over love.

Zeus and Hera

The new wife of the Thunderer was the powerful goddess of Olympus Hera, whose jealous nature played a cruel joke with her newly-made husband. The love of God is described in various myths about Zeus. In the end, Hera's patience was overflowing. She was not satisfied with such humiliations in front of other Gods. Hera becomes the instigator of a conspiracy against Zeus. Her words that the Thunderer is no better than any of the gods, but equal to them, inspired the Olympians and they chained Zeus while he was sleeping. This conspiracy was the most unimaginable conflict in which one could lose both power and the opportunity to remain under the sun.

Rescued the Thunderer of the Hecatoncheira. They, having learned about what was happening, hurried to the aid of Zeus. The giants broke the chains with which he was bound, after which the gods of Olympus, fearing the wrath of the lord, fled.

Having recovered from the shock, Zeus began to punish the instigators of the coup. Hera was suspended on golden chains between heaven and earth. And Apollo and Poseidon erected the walls of Troy as punishment.

Different interpretations

The myth of Zeus, especially on the islands of Crete, Sicily, is slightly modified in order to attract tourists. You can hear different interpretations from the guides. The myth of the birth of Zeus in the 5th grade is studied in brief, it is compiled according to the sources of ancient Greek storytellers (Hesiod, Homer, Ovdias). Many facts from legends and myths are confirmed in archaeological research. It is believed that the power of Zeus ended with the advent of a new religion - Christianity and the only God, Jesus. No one can say for sure how such a powerful character went into oblivion today. It is not possible to establish the truth also because the myths and legends about Zeus are written down only by some storytellers, and the Bible and the New Testament were rewritten and revised many times before being reproduced in the largest circulation on planet Earth.

Researchers have noticed that there are quite a few similarities between the Zeus myths and the Old Testament. This mystery remains unsolved to this day.

Myths about the gods and their struggle with giants and titans are set out mainly in Hesiod's poem "Theogony" (The Origin of the Gods). Some legends are also borrowed from the poems of Homer "Iliad" and "Odyssey" and the poem of the Roman poet Ovid "Metamorphoses" (Transformations).

In the beginning, there was only eternal, boundless, dark Chaos. In it was the source of the life of the world. Everything arose from the boundless Chaos - the whole world and the immortal gods. From Chaos came the goddess Earth - Gaia. It spread wide, mighty, giving life to everything that lives and grows on it. Far under the Earth, as far as the vast, bright sky is from us, in the immeasurable depth, the gloomy Tartarus was born - a terrible abyss, full of eternal darkness. From Chaos, the source of life, a mighty force was born, all animating Love - Eros. The world began to form. Boundless Chaos gave birth to the Eternal Darkness - Erebus and the dark Night - Nyukta. And from Night and Darkness came the eternal Light - Ether and the joyful bright Day - Hemera. Light spread over the world, and night and day began to replace each other.

The mighty, fertile Earth gave birth to the boundless blue Sky - Uranus, and the Sky spread over the Earth. The high Mountains, born of the Earth, proudly rose to him, and the eternally noisy Sea spread wide.

Mother Earth gave birth to Heaven, Mountains and the Sea, and they have no father.

Uranus - Sky - reigned in the world. He took the blessed Earth as his wife. Six sons and six daughters - mighty, formidable titans - were Uranus and Gaia. Their son, the titan Ocean, flowing around like a boundless river, the whole earth, and the goddess Thetis gave birth to all the rivers that roll their waves to the sea, and sea goddesses - oceanides. Titan Gipperion and Theia gave the world children: the Sun - Helios, the Moon - Selena and the ruddy Dawn - pink-fingered Eos (Aurora). From Astrea and Eos came all the stars that burn in the dark night sky, and all the winds: the stormy north wind Boreas, the eastern Eurus, the humid southern Noth and the gentle western wind Zephyr, carrying clouds abundant with rain.

In addition to the titans, the mighty Earth gave birth to three giants - cyclops with one eye in the forehead - and three huge, like mountains, fifty-headed giants - hundred-armed (hecatoncheirs), so named because each of them had one hundred hands. Nothing can stand against their terrible strength, their elemental strength knows no limit.

Uranus hated his giant children, he locked them in the bowels of the goddess Earth in deep darkness and did not allow them to come out into the light. Their mother Earth suffered. She was crushed by this terrible burden, enclosed in her depths. She called her children, the Titans, and urged them to rebel against their father Uranus, but they were afraid to raise their hands against their father. Only the youngest of them, the treacherous Kronos, overthrew his father by cunning and took power away from him.

The Goddess Night gave birth to a whole host of terrible substances as punishment for Kron: Tanata - death, Eridu - discord, Apatu - deceit, Ker - destruction, Hypnos - a dream with a swarm of dark, heavy visions, Nemesis who knows no mercy - revenge for crimes - and many others. Horror, strife, deceit, struggle and misfortune brought these gods into the world, where Kron reigned on the throne of his father.

The picture of the life of the gods on Olympus is given according to the works of Homer - the Iliad and the Odyssey, glorifying the tribal aristocracy and the basileus who lead it as the best people, standing much higher than the rest of the population. The gods of Olympus differ from aristocrats and basileus only in that they are immortal, powerful and can work miracles.

Kron was not sure that power would forever remain in his hands. He was afraid that the children would rise up against him and find him the same fate that he condemned his father Uranus to. He was afraid of his children. And Kron ordered his wife Rhea to bring him newborn children and mercilessly swallowed them. Rhea was horrified when she saw the fate of her children. Cron has already swallowed five: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades (Hades) and Poseidon.

Rhea did not want to lose her last child. On the advice of her parents, Uranus-Heaven and Gaia-Earth, she retired to the island of Crete, and there, in a deep cave, her youngest son Zeus was born. In this cave, Rhea hid her son from a cruel father, and instead of her son she gave him a long stone wrapped in swaddling clothes to swallow. Kron did not suspect that he was deceived by his wife.

Meanwhile, Zeus grew up in Crete. The nymphs Adrastea and Idea cherished the little Zeus, they fed him with the milk of the divine goat Amalthea. Bees carried honey to little Zeus from the slopes of the high mountain Dikty. At the entrance to the cave, young Kuretes struck shields with swords whenever little Zeus cried, so that Kron would not hear his cry and Zeus would not suffer the fate of his brothers and sisters.

The beautiful and mighty god Zeus grew up and matured. He rebelled against his father and forced him to bring back the children he had devoured into the world. One by one, the monster from the mouth of Kron spewed his children-gods, beautiful and bright. They began to fight with Kron and the titans for power over the world.

This struggle was terrible and stubborn. The children of Kron established themselves on the high Olympus. Some of the titans also took their side, and the first were the titan Ocean and his daughter Styx and their children Zeal, Power and Victory. This struggle was dangerous for the Olympian gods. Mighty and formidable were their opponents the titans. But Zeus came to the aid of the Cyclopes. They forged thunder and lightning for him, Zeus threw them into the titans. The struggle had been going on for ten years, but the victory did not lean to either side. Finally, Zeus decided to free the hundred-armed hecatoncheir giants from the bowels of the earth; he called them for help. Terrible, huge as mountains, they came out of the bowels of the earth and rushed into battle. They tore off entire rocks from the mountains and threw them at the titans. Hundreds of rocks flew towards the titans when they approached Olympus. The earth groaned, a roar filled the air, everything shook around. Even Tartarus shuddered from this struggle.

Zeus threw one fiery lightning after another and deafening roaring thunders. Fire engulfed the whole earth, the seas boiled, smoke and stench shrouded everything in a thick veil.

Finally, the mighty titans faltered. Their strength was broken, they were defeated. The Olympians bound them and cast them into the gloomy Tartarus, into eternal darkness. At the indestructible copper gates of Tartarus, hundred-armed hecatoncheirs stood guard, and they guard so that the mighty titans do not break free again from Tartarus. The power of the titans in the world has passed.

But the fight didn't end there. Gaia-Earth was angry with the Olympian Zeus because he acted so harshly with her defeated children-titans. She married the gloomy Tartarus and gave birth to the terrible hundred-headed monster Typhon. Huge, with a hundred dragon heads, Typhon rose from the bowels of the earth. With a wild howl he shook the air. The barking of dogs, human voices, the roar of an angry bull, the roar of a lion were heard in this howl. Stormy flames swirled around Typhon, and the earth shook under his heavy steps. The gods shuddered in horror, but Zeus the Thunderer boldly rushed at him, and the battle caught fire. Again, lightning flashed in the hands of Zeus, thunder rumbled. The earth and the vault of heaven shook to their foundations. The earth flared up again with a bright flame, as it had during the struggle with the titans. The seas boiled at the mere approach of Typhon. Hundreds of fiery arrows-lightnings of the Thunderer Zeus rained down; it seemed that from their fire the very air was burning and dark thunderclouds were burning. Zeus burned all of Typhon's hundred heads to ashes. Typhon collapsed to the ground; such heat emanated from his body that everything around him melted. Zeus raised the body of Typhon and cast it into the gloomy Tartarus, which gave birth to him. But even in Tartarus, Typhon threatens the gods and all living things. He causes storms and eruptions; he gave birth with Echidna, a half-woman half-snake, the terrible two-headed dog Orff, the hellish dog Cerberus, the Lernean hydra and the Chimera; Typhon often shakes the earth.

Zeus was considered the main deity of the ancient Greek pantheon. He "managed" not only thunder and lightning, but also the entire Olympus and the human world.

Birth

Zeus' parents were Kronos and Rhea. The father knew about the prophecy that one of his sons would overthrow him. Kronos was very afraid of this. He himself at one time destroyed his father Uranus - the very first god. The myth of Zeus says that Kronos ordered Rhea to bring him newborn children, whom he swallowed without any pity. This fate has already befallen Hestia, Poseidon, Demeter, Hades and Hera.

Rhea, afraid for her youngest son, decided to give birth to him in a cave on the island of Crete. She gave Kronos a stone wrapped in diapers, which he swallowed, unaware of the trick.

The myth of the birth of Zeus also tells about the Kurets, the mysterious companions of Rhea. It was they who guarded the child while he was growing up in Crete. The guards clanged loudly with armor and shields if the baby began to cry. This was done so that Kronos would not hear these cries. The myth of the birth of Zeus was later adopted from the Greeks by the Romans. They called this

Childhood in a cave

Zeus ate honey from local bees, which they themselves brought to him from hives on Mount Dikti. One of the caves at its foot is still considered the "cave of Zeus". When archaeologists conducted the first excavations here, they found a huge number of altars and figurines dedicated to the Thunderer. The myth of Zeus was known to every inhabitant of Hellas. The baby was also fed on the milk of the goat Amalthea. This animal was brought to the cave by two nymphs: Adrastea and Idea. When Amalthea died, her horn was turned into and the skin was used by Zeus in making a shield with which he went to war against the Titans.

War with the titans

When Zeus grew up and matured, he openly opposed his father, who was unaware of the existence of his son. He forced Kronos to bring back the children that he had swallowed many years ago. Then they started a war against their father for power over the whole world. The myth of Zeus says that the altar on which they swore to fight Kronos was turned into a constellation.

The war with the titans lasted nine years. At first, she did not reveal the winners due to the equality of the forces of the opponents. The children of Kronos made their residence from where they led the war. In addition to Kronos, there were other titans in the second generation of gods, and some of them went over to the side of Zeus. Chief among them was the Ocean, which could control the seas and rivers.

Cyclopes and Hekatoncheirs

Finally, Zeus decided on an extreme measure and resorted to the help of the Cyclopes. They were the children of Uranus and Gaia. From birth, they ended up in Tartarus, where they languished until the Olympians freed them. These one-eyed giants forged lightning bolts for Zeus, which the Thunderer threw at his enemies during battles. They gave Hades a helmet, Poseidon a trident. Athena and Hephaestus learned crafts from the Cyclopes.

The myth of Zeus also mentions the hekatoncheirs. These were giants with 50 heads and a hundred hands, enclosed in the bowels of the earth. They also became allies of Zeus. These giants tore off whole pieces from the mountains and threw them directly at the titans who tried to take Olympus by storm. The colossal battle shook the whole world, even the underground Tartarus.

The Union of Olympians has borne fruit. They defeated the titans and cast them straight into Tartarus, where they were chained. The Hekatoncheirs began to guard the prisoners so that they could never be freed. From that moment on, the Olympian gods began to rule the world. The war with the titans became known as the Titanomachy. According to myths, it took place many centuries before the appearance of the human race.

New order

Power over the world was divided among the three brothers. Zeus gained dominion over the sky. Poseidon became the ruler of the sea. Hades got the realm of the dead. The land was recognized as common property. At the same time, Zeus was called the eldest of the gods. He ruled over the entire human world.

However, not everyone was happy with the new order of things. Gaia didn't like the way the Olympians treated her Titan children. A brief myth about Zeus, which includes this conflict, tells that the goddess of the Earth entered into marriage with the terrible Tartarus. From this connection, Typhon, a mighty giant, was born. He personified all the fiery forces of the earth. The new god tried to overthrow Zeus.

From one approach of Typhon, the seas boiled, and many Olympian gods waited in horror for his invasion. All this is told by the myth of Zeus. A summary of this new war is found in some ancient Greek sources, for example, in Theogony. Zeus again took up the lightning, with which he struck Typhon. The giant was defeated and thrown back into Tartarus. However, there he still worries the earthly world. From his connection with Echidna, many monsters appeared, for example, the three-headed dog Cerberus, hydras and Chimera.

Life on Olympus

Zeus reigned at the top of Mount Olympus, where he was constantly surrounded by a host of younger gods. The gates to his halls are shrouded in a cloud ruled by the Ores. These goddesses of the seasons allowed visitors to Olympus and opened the entrance for the gods who descended to earth.

In the kingdom of Zeus reigns eternal summer - there is no snow, rain and natural disasters. The son of the Thunderer Hephaestus built magnificent halls in which the gods feasted and spent their free time from worries. The myth of Zeus (5th graders study this topic) also mentions his wife Hera. She became the patroness of human marriage and bore her husband many children. The most famous of them was the daughter of Hebe, who became the goddess of youth and cupbearer on Olympus.

In ancient Greece, people were pagans and believed in the existence of a large number of gods and their assistants. So, the main god of the ancient pantheon was Zeus, nicknamed the Thunderer. He was credited with controlling thunder, lightning and the entire sky.

Zeus and the other 12 major gods lived on top of Mount Olympus, which is why they were also called "Olympians". Many ancient Greek kings and military commanders claimed that they were descendants of the god Zeus. This god was fair and always sought to keep the balance of things in the world. In addition, Zeus controlled the weather and created it depending on his mood. When he was in high spirits, he blessed the world with good weather. In a bad spirit, he arranged rains, winds, lightning and could even cause some kind of climatic disaster.

Zeus was the supreme god of all Greeks. In Roman culture, he received the name Jupiter. His symbols were an eagle, an oak, a royal scepter, and also a thunder. He was originally the god of the sky and heavenly powers. People in those days believed that Zeus was the only god who was engaged in the well-being of the entire universe constantly throughout the day. Later, the Greeks began to associate Zeus with justice. He severely punished evil people and ill-wishers and rewarded people who did good.

Zeus was the sixth child born to the titans Kronos and Rhea. Since his father Kron at one time was afraid that one of his own children would take away his power, he simply swallowed them immediately after birth. But Zeus's mother saved him by hiding him from his father on the island of Crete, where baby Zeus grew up and overthrew his father's power, freeing his older five brothers and sisters. The supreme god of thunder was considered the most powerful of all the Olympians. Zeus could not control only the goddesses of Fate. In addition, Zeus was a very loving man and had many extramarital affairs, from which demigod children appeared, who later became the heroes of Hellas. These novels provoked conflicts between Zeus and his wife, the goddess Hera.

The ancient Greeks depicted Zeus as a strong, handsome, mature man with wavy curls falling to his shoulders, sitting on a golden throne with a scepter in one hand and striking lightning bolts in the other. Zeus' lightning bolts were a gift from the Cyclopes, whom he freed from captivity after defeating his father. The sacred animal of Zeus was the eagle. In addition, if the Thunderer was depicted in battle attire, instead of a scepter, he had a powerful shield, which was called Aegis.

Option 2

In the mythology of ancient Greece, the main god of Olympus was Zeus. He was rightfully considered the father of all gods and people, because he was the most powerful of them. He was called the Thunderer, because his weapons were thunder and lightning. During wars, he sent storms, supporting the army of troops by instilling confidence and courage in their souls. The enemy army, on the contrary, experienced horror and depression, and therefore lost. For this god was nicknamed Zeus the Victorious.

Birth of Zeus

The genealogy of the supreme god leads to the god Kronos and the titanide Rhea. According to mythology, Zeus' father Kronos ate all his children because of a prediction that the god would be defeated by his own child. But at some point, the mother of Zeus, Rhea, deceived her husband by giving him a stone instead of a child, and she herself hid her son on the island of Crete, giving him to be raised by the Curetes and Corybantes.

Rise to power

As time went on, Zeus grew up and decided to oppose his father. First of all, he forced Kronos to spit out his brothers and sisters: Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Hestia, Demeter. In gratitude for their freedom, they gave Zeus thunder and lightning. And then the great war began, which lasted 10 years and ended with the victory of Zeus over his father. All together, the gods cast him into Tartarus.

Separation of spheres of influence

After defeating their father, the three brothers, after conferring, decided to divide their spheres of influence. Zeus chose to rule the sky, Poseidon - the sea, Hades - the kingdom of the dead.

Helpers of the Supreme God

Zeus had three assistants who maintained order in the world of people and gods:

1. Themis punished lawbreakers.
2. Dike did justice if it was violated.
3. Nemesis wrought retribution and punished criminals.

Thanks to such control, the rulers wisely and reasonably disposed of their power, and crafts, agriculture and art developed on earth.

Zeus husband

Zeus had three wives:

1. Metis is the first wife of the supreme god. It was she who helped Zeus free his brothers and sisters by making a potion for Kronos. Unfortunately, she suffered a sad fate. There was a prophecy according to which their son would outshine Zeus in everything. Upon learning of his wife's pregnancy, Zeus swallowed her.
2. Themis - the goddess of justice, was the 2nd wife of the supreme god. They had 3 daughters and 3 sons.
3. Hera is the goddess who patronizes marriage and motherhood, 3rd wife.

Children of Zeus

Hera gave birth to Zeus the son of Hephaestus, the titanides Leto - Apollo. Athena, according to mythology, was created by Zeus himself, since she appeared from his head. The gods Hermes, Persephone, Dionysus and Eros are also children of the supreme god. On earth, Zeus also had beloved women who gave birth to such heroes as Hercules, Harmony, Elena, Perseus.

Zeus is known for his wise rule. Majestic temples were erected in his honor. All of them were roofless. It was believed that since Zeus is the god of the sky, this is how he will hear and see the asking person during prayer or sacrifice.

Report of Zeus - the god of ancient Greece and his history

Zeus is the ancient Greek mythological immortal god over all gods and people, mortal and immortal, the lord of the sky, thunder and lightning, living on Olympus.

The requisites of Zeus were a shield, a scepter, a chariot drawn by eagles, a double-sided ax, referred to in Greek as a labrys, the eagle itself, but in most mythology Zeus reincarnated into him, as well as into many other animals.

Zeus was always with his three servants - Power, Strength and Victory (Nika).

The most powerful god was so strong that all the gods together, united, could not overthrow him.

Commanding people and gods, Zeus distributed good and evil with the help of two bowls standing near his throne, founded shame and conscience, punished people, could look into the future, founded legislation, established kings, guarded the poor and sick, honored traditions and followed, for people to follow the rules. In addition, thanks to Zeus, people and gods began to live better than ever before. Zeus ate for the prayers and worship of people.

Zeus was born in the third generation of gods, from the titans Kronos and Rhea. According to the prediction, Kronos should be killed by his own child, and fearing this, he swallowed newborn babies. But Rhea, wanting to deceive her husband, secretly gave birth to another child and named him Zeus, while Kronos was given to swallow a stone in a diaper. According to the legends, Zeus was raised in the deepest secret and protected in every possible way so that Kronos would not find out about him.

Having matured, Zeus took out a potion that made Kronos spit out his children. Thus, Zeus had two brothers - Hades and Paseidon, and two sisters - Hestia and Demeter. After a long war that lasted 10 years, Zeus won over the titans, becoming the main one among all.

Having played the lot, Zeus had dominance in the sky, Paseidon got the sea, Hades went into the kingdom of the dead underground. Hestia became the goddess of the family hearth and sacrificial fire, Demeter gained honor among the gods in the person of the goddess of fertility and agriculture.

Zeus was popular among women, of whom he had quite a few, and therefore had many children. The first wife was Metis, the goddess of wisdom, whom Zeus, in order not to repeat the mistakes of his father, swallowed in a pregnant state due to a prophecy according to which the child born by her was to overthrow Zeus. The second is the goddess of justice Themis, the third official wife was Hera, she is also the goddess of marriage, in other words, his sister Hestia.

Zeus did not recognize his equals, nevertheless, from different women he was born: Hephaestus, a miracle blacksmith; Apollo (the most beautiful of men) and Artemis (the goddess of hunting and chastity); Athena - the goddess of courage and wisdom; Hermes is the god of trade; Dionsis - the god of winemaking; Eros is the god of love, the heroes are Hercules, Perseus, Elena, etc.

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