The Power of Thunder

July 28, 2012

The Olympic Games are a celebration dedicated to Zeus, King of the Greek Gods.

Zeus is the Lord of the Sky and Ruler of Mount Olympus and the gods and goddesses of the Olympian pantheon. Not an easy job for they were quite an unruly bunch! When the Olympians won the war against the ruling Titans, Zeus and his siblings wrested the throne from his father Cronus (Kronos) and the Olympian Age began.

Zeus, God of the Sky:

As Ruler of the Sky, the God Zeus is responsible for bringing (or not, if he so chose) rain, drought, and thunderstorms. No one dared challenge the authority of the mighty Zeus since he was prone to release his fearsome thunderbolts to express his displeasure . . . an awesome way to keep the peace and maintain order, but it worked for several centuries!

The birth of Zeus was to be a fateful event . . . and it certainly was an unusual one! Sixth child of the ruling Titan Cronus and the Titaness Rhea, Zeus was the first to escape the fate of being swallowed by his father. Cronus, made fearful by the Curse of Uranus that one of his children would overthrow him, had eaten each of his children shortly after their births to prevent this from happening (More of the Titan War later).

Power of Three: Zeus, Poseidon and Hades

The Power of Three (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades) drew lots to divide up their new kingdom. Zeus drew the heavens, Poseidon drew the world’s waters, and Hades won the Underworld. They agreed to share the rulership of the earth, with all having power over the mortals and the earth's other creatures. Zeus was appointed King of the Gods after led the gods and their allies against the Titans.

Unfortunately Zeus let his newly acquired power go to his head. Consequently his first few years of rule were marred by his tendency to abuse his powers.

He transformed Mount Olympus from a fortress to his seat of place and home of the gods. He built an enormous palace that sat far above the clouds on the top of Mount Olympus and, established there, used his thunderbolts rather liberally, hurling them at anyone who had the misfortune to displease him.

Quest for the Perfect Wife

Zeus decided he needed a queen and picked Metis, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys (the Oceanid) who had helped him trick Cronos into disgorging his brothers and sisters. Only one problem . . . Metis wasn’t willing to succumb to Zeus at first. She changed forms to hide herself from the persistent Zeus. But Zeus wasn't about to take no for an answer and pursued her relentlessly until she finally fell from exhaustion and consented.

When Metis became pregnant, the Curse of Uranus strike again that any son of Zeus and Metis would grow to eventually usurp the throne of his father. So, in a variation of his father's routine, Zeus swallowed the pregnant Metis to prevent her from giving birth to a son. Read Athena for her birth.

Themis: Law & Order

Following Metis, Zeus married Themis, the Titaness of Law and Order. Working very closely with him she became his advisor. She was a prime candidate for his lust. They produced several children together that bring complete order in universe to the Power of Three. The children were the Fates and the Horae. The divorce was quick and mutual.

Eurynome is Metis’s sister and an Oceanid. Zeus fucked her and Eurynome became the mother of three Graces. These girls are symbol of grace, friendship and beauty.

Lady Demeter

Next lover was his very own sister, Lady Demeter. Demeter is Goddess of Bountiful Harvest). Their union produced a daughter named Kore we know her as Persephone, Queen of the Underworld and Goddess of Spring.

Next lover was Mnemosyne, Titaness of Memory and Remembrance. Zeus dated her for nine years. Each year she produced a daughter creating nine goddesses, the Muses. They are heaven’s choir and divine inspiration.

Leto is the unlucky lover number six. She was a one stand with Zeus. She is the mother of Apollo and Artemis.

Hera: Queen of Heaven

Zeus set his sights on his other sister, Hera. Hera is the most powerful of the goddesses and rule Mount Olympus as regent when Zeus was whoring around. She is the perfect candidate to be Zeus. She can see through Zeus’s nonsense.

Zeus noticed Hera walking in the woods one day. He cleverly disguised himself as a cuckoo and then created a great rainstorm. In the guise of the cuckoo, he played upon Hera’s sympathy. She took pity on bird and sheltered against with her hand. Zeus transformed back into his own body and proposed to her. Hera agreed IF she become the Queen of the Heaven and the gods and equal him. Zeus agreed to most of it. Once married, they had the longest honeymoon on record, lasting over 300 years!

Garden of Hesperides

In the ceremony of their marriage, the oldest tradition takes place in the Garden of Hesperides, which was the mystical symbol of fertility. This story said that Gaia gave Hera golden apples of the Hesperides. Hera, also known as Mother Earth in this story, found the apples so beautiful that she planted them in her garden on the shores of the ocean. Her marriage to Zeus had been the occasion of great rejoicing. All the Immortals had taken part in the procession and the Fates themselves had chanted the hymeneal chorus. As the first lawfully wedded wife among the gods, she was placed as the Protectress of the deity of wives. With Zeus, Hera is the Mother of Ares, Eileithyia, Hebe and Hephaestus.

After honeymoon Zeus went back to his old habit: screwing around with the goddesses and mortals.

List of some of his famous children: