Zeus is arguably the most significant, or at least the most famous, god of Greek mythology. Zeus was the third supreme ruler of the cosmos, after his father Kronos, and grandfather Ouranus.

The birth of Zeus

Zeus was the son of the Titan gods Kronos and Rhea; making him brother to Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter and Hestia. This though did not make Zeus the privileged son of the supreme ruler, as Kronos was fearful of his position and the prophecy that said his own child would overthrow him.

As such, Kronos had swallowed each of Zeus’ siblings, when Rhea had given birth to them, imprisoning them inside his own stomach. Zeus would have followed, but Rhea, with the assistance of Gaia, smuggled the newborn away to Crete, and substituted a clothed stone in the baby’s place.

Zeus would be hidden away in a cave whilst he grew, and was tended to by the nymph, Amalthea. To keep the child hidden away he was suspended in a cradle, so that he was not in the sky or on the earth, the domains of his father. To mask the noise of the child Zeus, the Korybantes were also employed to bang their shields and dance.

Thus Zeus was allowed to grow up in secrecy.

Zeus comes to power

When Zeus came of age, the god was convinced that the time was ripe to overthrow his father, just as his father had overthrown Ouranus. Gaia, Zeus’ grandmother, was one of the convincers, as she was in pain at the imprisonment of her own offspring within Tartarus.

Zeus surreptitiously gave Kronos a poison, which forced him to regurgitate the five gods imprisoned in his stomach; Zeus now with Poseidon and Hades by his side now had the start of a force to fight the Titans. Zeus then released his uncles, the Hecatonchires and the Cyclopes, from their prison in Tartarus, to aide in his fight.

The Cyclopes would craft the weapons for Zeus and his brothers, including the famous lightning bolts of Zeus. The bolts of lightning would be transported to Zeus when he needed them by a great eagle. The gigantic Hecatonchires would take a more active role in the war, hurling mountains at the enemies of Zeus.

The Titanomachy, the ten year war against the Titans, would eventually end in a win for Zeus and his allies. After the war, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades drew lots to see how the cosmos should be divided up. Hades was given dominion over the underworld, Poseidon became ruler of the sea, and Zeus became lord of the land and sky. As lord of the visible areas of the earth, Zeus would subsequently be seen as the supreme ruler.

The love life of Zeus

Zeus is particular famous for his love life, and the hundreds of mortal and immortal offspring that he fathered.

In Greek mythology, Zeus was generally said to have been married three times, firstly to the Oceanid Metis, then the Oceanid Euronyme, and finally his sister Hera.

Even when married, Zeus was not a faithful husband, and he would abduct Europa to have his way with her. This relationship would bring forth Minos, Sarpedon and Rhadamanthus. The god would also come to Danae in the form of golden rain, and so Zeus would then become father to Perseus. It was though, not just beautiful females who caught Zeus’ eye, and the handsome Trojan prince Ganymede was abducted by Zeus to become the cup bearer of the gods.

One of the most famous stories of Zeus’ quest for love is though one in which he did not consummate the relationship. Zeus and Poseidon were both chasing the most lovely of Nereids, Thetis, when a prophecy was made that declared the son of Thetis would be more powerful than his father. Zeus was of course then worried about his won position, and so Thetis was married off to Peleus, and their son, Achilles, was more powerful than Peleus.

Many of the stories of Greek myths about Hera, tell of Zeus’ attempts to gain revenge against her husband’s illegitimate offspring, most famous her persecution of Heracles.

Amongst the immortal offspring of Zeus were the Moirai, the Charities, the Muses, Persephone, Nemesis and many other important deities. Some of the mortal, demi-god offspring of Zeus are as famous as the immortals and included the likes of Heracles, Dardanus, Helen of Troy, Lacedaemon and Tantalus.

Zeus would form a group of twelve Olympians, gods of Mount Olympus, who would become the main gods to be sacrificed to. These original twelve were; the siblings of Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Hestia, and Demeter; Zeus’ aunt, Aphrodite; and some of his offspring, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Hephaestus, and Hermes.

Problems faced by Zeus

The rule of Zeus was not always secure, and problems would have to be dealt with.

Famously the Gigantes would go to war with the gods of Mount Olympus, and in this war, Zeus was helped in no small way by his demi-god son Heracles, who defeated many of the giants. Even more worrying for Zeus was the uprising of Typhon and Echidna, the parents of many monsters, who went to war when their offspring were continually being killed by those allied with Zeus. All gods, bar Zeus, would flee in the face of Typhon, and Zeus struggled, but would eventually overcome his opponent.

Even within his own family things did not always go smoothly and there were occasionally plots to overthrow Zeus. Indeed, Apollo and Poseidon were at one point banished from Mount Olympus because of their acts.

More worrying for Zeus were the activities of man. Man had been given life at the behest of Zeus, in order that the gods of Mount Olympus should have people to offer up sacrifices. This was work given to Prometheus, but when Prometheus stole the secret of fire, Zeus punished all of man by giving Pandora and her box to man. Ultimately Zeus would give the ultimate punishment by sending a flood to wipe out man, whereby only Deucalion and Pyrrha survived to start a new generation of man. In a similar vain, the Trojan War was ultimately devised by Zeus to bring the age of heroes to an end.

Zeus is regarded as the most powerful of Greek deities, but he was not all powerful, and could be threatened by others. Today though, he is the most well known of all the Greek gods, although he is more known for his love life than anything else.