Zeus

Zeus was the king and father of all gods and humans, lord of the sky and nature. He made storms and created lightning, thunder and rain. As the king of the universe, he ruled over and protected the rights of the kings and queens. As the father of humans, he was loving and who gave advice in times of need, however he was watchful, and strict to those who did crimes. His symbols were lightning bolts and eagles.

Parents

Cronus and Rhea

Important Relationships

Zeus had seven wives - Metis, Themis, Eurynome, Demeter, Mnemosyne, Leto, and finally Hera who was his last wife and his Queen of the Heavens. He had many children with these wives and with many human women who had many famous heroes as children. Some of his many children were - Heracles, Persephone, The Charites, Ares, Eileithyia, Hebe, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Athena, the Muses, Dionysus, the Horae, the Moirai.

Zeus’s father Cronus had a prophecy that his children would overthrow him, so he ate all of Zeus’s siblings, but Rhea managed to protect Zeus by making Cronus eat a large rock instead. She raised Zeus in secret in Crete and when he grew up, he forced Cronus to throw up his siblings and together they overthrew their father. Zeus was now king of the universe. He and his brothers Poseidon and Hades drew lots on what part of the world they would rule over and Zeus became lord of the sky.

Zeus married his first wife Metis but there was a prophecy that her second child would grow up to overthrow their father, so Zeus swallowed her whole while she was pregnant with their first child. This child was Athena and was born inside of Zeus. She went up to Zeus’s head and gave him a massive headache. Zeus was in so much pain he ordered Hepathetus to crack his head open and when he did, Athena sprung out, in full battle armor.