11 Myths About the Greek God Zeus

Zeus was the top god in ancient Greek mythology, ruling over the sky and all other deities. Check out these eleven stories about this super powerful god from way back in history.

Zeus was the king of the Olympian gods and was siblings with Poseidon and Hades. People worshiped him all across Greece, especially at famous places like Athens, Acragas, and Olympia. At Olympia, there was a massive temple dedicated to Zeus that housed a gigantic statue made of gold and marble, depicting him sitting on a throne holding a goddess of victory in one hand and a scepter topped with an eagle in the other. He wore a crown made of olive leaves and was dressed in golden robes and sandals.

Zeus is often shown as a god who controls the sky and weather, but he was also a symbol of order and justice. On a smaller level, he handed out justice to wrongdoers, kept travelers safe, and gave authority to rulers. On a grander scale, he had the power to influence entire nations. The Iliad by Homer starts off talking about how Achilles’ anger caused so much pain and suffering, all part of Zeus’s plan, even leading to the fall of Troy.

His Birth and Upbringing

Zeus was the youngest of six kids born to the Titan gods Kronos (Cronus) and Rhea. While his siblings were gobbled up by their dad right after they were born, Rhea tricked Kronos into swallowing a stone instead of baby Zeus. She then hid him away in Crete, where he grew up. A writer named Apollodorus from the second century CE tells us that baby Zeus was raised by nymphs named Adrasteia and Ida while other minor gods, the Curetes, banged their shields to keep Kronos from hearing him.

The Titan War

Once he was grown up, Zeus decided to take on his dad. Gaia convinced Kronos to spit out his swallowed kids—though some tales say it was Metis or Zeus himself who made him vomit. With his siblings’ help, Zeus freed the Cyclopes from Tartaros, where they had been locked up. Grateful, the Cyclopes gifted Zeus with a thunderbolt.

For over ten years, Zeus and the other Olympians battled against the Titans until things reached a standstill. Then, Zeus and his brothers freed some multi-headed monsters called the Hecatoncheires to join them in the fight. They threw huge rocks at the Titans while Zeus unleashed his thunderbolts. Eventually, Zeus defeated Kronos and locked him and the rest of the Titans in Tartaros.

Typhoeus

After the Titan War, the Giants, who were children of Gaia, rose up against the Olympians but ultimately lost. At the end of this struggle, Gaia produced Typhoeus, her last child born from Tartarus. He was so terrifying that the poet Hesiod said that if Zeus hadn’t acted quickly, Typhoeus could have ruled over everyone.

Zeus jumped down from Olympus and struck Typhoeus on a rocky mountain. With Typhoeus defeated, Zeus was hailed as the king of the gods. Depending on the story version, Zeus either assigned roles to each god after the battle or drew lots. In any case, Zeus got the heavens, Poseidon got the seas, and Hades got the underworld.

The Creation of Humans

According to Hesiod’s Works and Days, there were four different types of humans before modern ones came along.

The first was a golden race from the time of the Titans, living like gods without work, aging, or suffering. For unknown reasons, these beings were hidden underground where they continued as spirits.

Next came the silver race, created by the Olympians. Unlike the golden ones, these people remained children for a hundred years and lived very short lives. They didn’t respect the gods, which made Zeus angry, so he hid them underground too.

Then, Zeus crafted a bronze race, strong warriors who ended up destroying themselves.

Finally, Zeus made a fourth generation, which included demi-gods and heroes like Achilles and Odysseus. This group also eventually passed away, but Zeus made the last of them immortal and granted them homes at the earth’s edge.

Lastly, he created modern humans—the iron race—who, according to Hesiod, are meant to toil endlessly and then die. One day, Zeus planned to wipe this generation out too.

Athena’s Birth

Zeus’s first spouse was Metis, the goddess of wisdom, but their marriage was short-lived. Prophecies warned Zeus that she would bear a daughter as smart as him and later a son who would become a great ruler. To prevent this from happening, Zeus swallowed Metis while she was pregnant, thinking he could keep his power secure.

However, consuming Metis led to one of the most bizarre births in mythology. Zeus started suffering from a terrible headache, and with Hephaestus’s help, who split open Zeus’s head with his hammer, Athena sprang forth fully armored, wielding a shield and spear.

The Many Wives of Zeus and His Offspring

Zeus had quite a few wives. His first was Metis, followed by Themis, who bore the Fates. Next was Eurynome, the Oceanid, with whom he had three daughters called the Graces, representing beauty, joy, and all good things. Zeus then married his sister Demeter, who gave birth to Persephone. After that came Mnemosyne, mother of the nine Muses. Leto was next, giving him twins Apollo and Artemis.

His seventh and most well-known wife was Hera. Throughout their marriage, Zeus frequently cheated on her. Their first major argument happened when Zeus birthed Athena from his own skull, leading an angry Hera to give birth to Hephaestus without Zeus’s involvement.

Challenges to Zeus’s Rule

In the first book of The Iliad, Homer mentions that Hera, Poseidon, and Athena tried to revolt against Zeus. They managed to chain him up, but Themis, Achilles’s mom, intervened. She summoned Briareus, one of the Hundred-Handers who had fought alongside Zeus against Typhoeus, to come help. Briareus scared off the rebellious gods, allowing Zeus to break free.

Io’s Journey

Io came from Argive royalty and was known as a priestess of Hera. Sources vary on her exact parentage, but it’s agreed that Zeus secretly seduced her. When Hera found out, Zeus transformed Io into a white cow to hide the affair. However, Hera didn’t buy it and demanded the cow, locking her up while sending the monster Argos to watch over her.

To rescue Io, Zeus sent Hermes, who killed Argos. But then Hera sent a gadfly to torment Io as she fled, leading her to travel through various lands. Eventually, she arrived in Egypt, where she regained her human form and gave birth to a son. Hera, however, sent the Curetes to snatch her baby away. Zeus dealt with the Curetes, and Io continued her search for her son, finally returning to Egypt to live out her days.

The Tale of Europa

Europa was the daughter of a Phoenician king and caught Zeus’s eye. To woo her, Zeus had Hermes herd royal cattle to the beach where Europa liked to play, and he disguised himself as a stunning white bull. Entranced by the beautiful creature, Europa climbed onto its back, and Zeus whisked her away to Crete. There, he made her pregnant, and she eventually gave birth to Minos, who became the king of Crete.

Semele’s Fate

Semele was a princess of Thebes, the daughter of Cadmus who was related to Europa. Zeus got her pregnant, and when Hera found out, she sought revenge on Semele. Disguised as an old woman, Hera tricked Semele into asking Zeus to show her his true form, as he did for Hera.

Semele asked Zeus for this gift, and he reluctantly obliged after swearing an oath on the river Styx. When he revealed his divine self, Semele was consumed by flames. The unborn child was taken from her body and sewn into Zeus’s thigh, leading to the birth of Dionysus, the twice-born god.

The Story of Lykaon

Like many Greek gods, Zeus was both revered and feared, expecting devotion from people. Those who disrespected him faced severe consequences.

Early on in his rule, Zeus traveled to Arcadia. He let people know a god was among them through signs. While regular folks prayed to him, King Lykaon mocked them and tested Zeus’s divinity. First, he attempted to kill Zeus in his sleep, but when that failed, he went further. He murdered a captive provided by the Molossians, cooked the remains, and served them to the disguised Zeus. Furious, Zeus struck down Lykaon’s home with a thunderbolt. The king fled, and Zeus turned him into a wolf for his insolence.