HEPHAESTUS (Hephaistos) - Greek God of Smiths & Metalworking (Roman Vulcan) Hephaestus riding donkey, Athenian red-figure skyphos C5th B.C., Toledo Museum of Art HEPHAISTOS (Hephaestus) was the Olympian god of fire, smiths, craftsmen, metalworking, stonemasonry and sculpture. He was depicted as a bearded man holding a hammer and tongs--the tools of a smith--and sometimes riding a donkey. MYTHS Some of the more famous myths featuring the god include:-- His fall from Olympos in which he was cast away by Hera at birth. << More >> The capture of Hera in a cursed throne and his return to Olympos. << More >> The adultery of his wife Aphrodite who was trapped with Ares in a golden net. << More >> The crafting of Pandora, the first woman, at the command of Zeus. << More >> The attempted violation of Athena which resulted in the impregnation of Earth and the birth of Erikhthonios (Erichthonius).

<< More >> The crafting of the cursed necklace of Harmonia which doomed her descendants to a cycle of tragedy. << More >> The Trojan War in which he fought the river-god Skamandros (Scamander) with fire. << More >> The crafting of the armour of Akhilleus (Achilles) at the request of the hero's mother Thetis. << More >> Many other myths are detailed over the following pages. HEPHAESTUS PAGES ON THEOI.COM This site contains a total of 12 pages describing the god Hephaistos, including general descriptions, mythology, and cult. The content is outlined in the Index of Hephaestus Pages (left column or below).

FAMILY OF HEPHAESTUS PARENTS [1] HERA (no father) (Hesiod Theogony 927, Homeric Hymn 3.310, Apollodorus 1.19, Pausanias 1.20.3, Hyginus Pref) [2] ZEUS & HERA (Apollodorus 1.19, Cicero De Natura Deorum 3.22) [3] TALOS (Pausanias 8.53.5) I) THE HOMERIC HYMNS Homeric Hymn 20 to Hephaestus (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th to 4th B.C.) : "Sing, clear-voiced Mousa (Muse), of Hephaistos (Hephaestus) famed for inventions (klytometis). With bright-eyed Athene he taught men glorious crafts throughout the world,--men who before used to dwell caves in the mountains like wild beasts.

But now that they have learned crafts through Hephaistos the famed worker (klytotekhnes), easily they live a peaceful life in their own houses the whole year round. Be gracious, Hephaistos, and grant me success and prosperity!" II) THE ORPHIC HYMNS Orphic Hymn 66 to Hephaestus (trans. Taylor) (Greek hymns C3rd B.C. to 2nd A.D.) : "To Hephaistos (Hephaestus), Fumigation from Frankincense and Manna. Strong, mighty Hephaistos, bearing splendid light, unwearied fire, with flaming torrents bright: strong-handed, deathless, and of art divine, pure element, a portion of the world is thine: all-taming artist, all-diffusive power, 'tis thine, supreme, all substance to devour: aither, sun, moon, and stars, light pure and clear, for these thy lucid parts [of fire] to men appear. To thee all dwellings, cities, tribes belong, diffused through mortal bodies, rich and strong.

Hear, blessed power, to holy rites incline, and all propitious on the incense shine: suppress the rage of fire's unwearied frame, and still preserve our nature's vital flame." Dionysus and Hephaestus riding donkey, Caeretan black-figure hydria C6th B.C., Kunsthistorisches Museum PHYSICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF HEPHAESTUS Classical literature offers only a few, brief descriptions of the physical characteristics of the gods. Homer, Iliad 20. 37 ff (trans. Lattimore) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) : "Hephaistos (Hephaestus) went the way of these in the pride of his great strength limping, and yet his shrunken legs moved lightly beneath him." Homer, Iliad 18. 136 ff : "She found him [Hephaistos] sweating as he turned here and there to his bellows busily, since he was working on twenty tripods . . . Hephaistos took the huge blower off from the block of the anvil limping; and yet his shrunken legs moved lightly beneath him.

He set the bellows away from the fire, and gathered and put away all the tools with which he worked in a silver strongbox. Then with a sponge he wiped clean his forehead, and both hands, and his massive neck and hairy chest, and put on a tunic, and took up a heavy stick in his hand, and went to the doorway limping. And in support of their master moved his attendants. These are golden, and in appearance like living young women. There is intelligence in their hearts, and there is speech in them and strength, and from the immortal gods they have learned how to do things. These stirred nimbly in support of their master." Homer, Odyssey 8. 267 ff (trans. Shewring) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) : "[Hephaistos speaks :] ‘I am a cripple from my birth.’" Cicero, De Natura Deorum 1. 24 (trans.

Rackham) (Roman rhetorician C1st B.C.) : "At Athens there is a much-praised statue of Volcanus (Vulcan) [Hephaistos] by Alcamenes, a standing figure, draped, which displays a slight lameness, though not enough to be unsightly. We shall therefore deem god to be lame, since tradition represents Volcanus so." Nonnus, Dionysiaca 5. 88 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) : "The heavyknee bridegroom [Hephaistos] always expected that Kythereia (Cytherea) [Aphrodite] would bear him a hobbling son, having the image of his father in his feet." ANCIENT GREEK & ROMAN ART Greco-Roman Marble Statue ENCYCLOPEDIA Hephaestus, Thetis and the armour of Achilles, Athenian red-figure nolan amphora C5th B.C., Museum of Fine Arts Boston HEPHAESTUS (Hêphaistos), the god of fire, was, according to the Homeric account, the son of Zeus and Hera. (Il. i.

578, xiv. 338, xviii. 396, xxi. 332, Od. viii. 312.) Later traditions state that he had no father, and that Hera gave birth to him independent of Zeus, as she was jealous of Zeus having given birth to Athena independent of her. (Apollod. i. 3. § 5; Hygin. Fab. Praef.) This, however, is opposed to the common story, that Hephaestus split the head of Zeus, and thus assisted him in giving birth to Athena, for Hephaestus is there represented as older than Athena. A further development of the later tradition is, that Hephaestus sprang from the thigh of Hera, and, being for a long time kept in ignorance of his parentage, he at length had recourse to a stratagem, for the purpose of finding it out. He constructed a chair, to which those who sat upon it were fastened, and having thus entrapped Hera, he refused allowing her to rise until she had told him who his parents were. (Serv. ad Aen. viii. 454, Eclog. iv.

62.) For other accounts respecting his origin, see Cicero (de Nat. Deor. iii. 22), Pausanias (viii. 53. § 2). and Eustathius (ad Hom. p. 987). Hephaestus is the god of fire, especially in so far as it manifests itself as a power of physical nature in volcanic districts, and in so far as it is the indispensable means in arts and manufactures, whence fire is called the breath of Hephaestus, and the name of the god is used both by Greek and Roman poets as synonymous with fire. As a flame arises out of a little spark, so the god of fire was delicate and weakly from his birth, for which reason he was so much disliked by his mother, that she wished to get rid of him, and dropped him from Olympus. But the marine divinities, Thetis and Eurynome, received him, and he dwelt with them for nine years in a grotto, surrounded by Oceanus, making for them a variety of ornaments. (Hom. Il. xviii.

394, &c.) It was, according to some accounts, during this period that he made the golden chair by which he punished his mother for her want of affection, and from which he would not release her, till he was prevailed upon by Dionysus. (Paus. i. 20. § 2; Hygin. Fab. 166.) Although Hephaestus afterwards remembered the cruelty of his mother, yet he was always kind and obedient towards her, nay once, while she was quarrelling with Zeus, he took her part, and thereby offended his father so much, that he seized him by the leg, and hulled him down from Olympus. Hephaestus was a whole day falling, but in the evening he came down in the island of Lemnos, where he was kindly received by the Sintians. (Hom. Il. i. 590, &c. Val. Flacc. ii. 8.5; Apollod. i. 3.

§ 5, who, however, confounds the two occasions on which Hephaestus was thrown from Olympus.) Later writers describe his lameness as the consequence of his second fall, while Homer makes him lame and weak from his birth. After his second fall he returned to Olympus, and subsequently acted the part of mediator between his parents. (Il i. 585.) On that occasion he offered a cup of nectar to his mother and the other gods, who burst out into immoderate laughter on seeing him busily hobbling through Olympus from one god to another, for he was ugly and slow, and, owing to the weakness of his legs, he was held up, when he walked, by artificial supports, skilfully made of gold. (Il. xviii. 410, &c., Od. viii. 311, 330.) His neck and chest, however, were strong and muscular. (Il. xviii. 415, xx. 36.) In Olympus, Hephaestus had his own palace, imperishable and shining like stars: it contained his workshop, with the anvil, and twenty bellows, which worked spontaneously at his bidding. (Il. xviii.

370, &c.) It was there that he made all his beautiful and marvellous works, utensils, and arms, both for gods and men. The ancient poets and mythographers abound in passages describing works of exquisite workmanship which had been manufactured by Hephaestus. In later accounts, the Cyclopes, Brontes, Steropes, Pyracmon, and others, are his workmen and servants, and his workshop is no longer represented as in Olympus, but in the interior of some volcanic isle. (Virg. Aen. viii. 416, &c.) The wife of Hephaestus also lived in his palace: in the Iliad she is called a Charis, in the Odyssey Aphrodite (Il. xviii. 382, Od. viii. 270), and in Hesiod's Theogony (945) she is named Aglaia. the youngest of the Charites. The story of Aphrodite's faithlessness to her husband, and of the manner in which he surprised her, is exquisitely described in Od. viii. 266-358.

The Homeric poems do not mention any descendants of Hephaestus, but in later writers the number of his children is considerable. In the Trojan war he was on the side of the Greeks, but he was also worshipped by the Trojans, and on one occasion he saved a Trojan from being killed by Diomedes. (Il. v. 9, &c.) His favourite place on earth was the island of Lemnos, where he liked to dwell among the Sintians (Od. viii. 283, &c., Il. i. 593; Ov Fast. viii. 82); but other volcanic islands also, such as Lipara, Hiera, Imbros. and Sicily, are called his abodes or workshops. (Apollon. Rhod iii. 41; Callim. Hymn. in Dian. 47; Serv. ad Aen. viii. 416; Strab. p. 275; Plin. H. N. iii. 9; Val. Flacc. ii.

96.) Hephaestus is among the male what Athena is among the female deities, for, like her, he give skill to mortal artists, and, conjointly with her, he was believed to have taught men the arts which embellish and adorn life. (Od. vi. 233, xxiii. 160. Hymn. in Vaulc. 2. &c.) But he was. nevertheless, conceived as far inferior to the sublime character of Athena. At Athens they had temples and festivals in common. (See Dict of Ant. s. v. Hêphaisteia, Chalkeia.) Both also were believed to have great healing powers, and Lemnian earth (terra Lemnia) from the spot on which Hephaestus had fallen was believed to cure madness, the bites of snakes, and haemorrhage, and the priests of the god knew how to cure wounds inflicted by snakes. (Philostr. Heroic. v. 2; Eustath. ad Hom. p. 330; Dict. Cret. ii.

14.) The epithets and surnames by which Hephaestus is designated by the poets generally allude to his skill in the plastic arts or to his figure and his lameness. He was represented in the temple of Athena Chalcioecus at Sparta, in the act of delivering his mother (Paus. iii. 17. § 3); on the chest of Cypselus, giving to Thetis the armour for Achilles (v. 19. § 2); and at Athens there was the famous statue of Hephaestus by Alcamenes, in which his lameness was slightly indicated. (Cic. de Nat. Deor. i. 30; Val. Max. viii. 11. § 3.) The Greeks frequently placed small dwarf-like statues of the god near the hearth, and these dwarfish figures seem to have been the most ancient. (Herod. iii. 37; Aristoph. Av. 436; Callim. Hymnn. in Dian.

60.) During the best period of Grecian art, he was represented as a vigorous man with a beard, and is characterised by his hammer or some other instrument, his oval cap, and the chiton, which leaves the right shoulder and arm uncovered. The Romans, when speaking of the Greek Hephaestus, call him Vulcanus, although Vulcanus was an original Italian divinity. Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. SOURCES (ALL HEPHAESTUS PAGES) Statius, Thebaid - Latin Epic C1st A.D. Statius, Silvae - Latin Poetry C1st A.D. Apuleius, The Golden Ass - Latin Novel C2nd A.D. BYZANTINE Photius, Myriobiblon - Byzantine Greek Scholar C9th A.D. Suidas, The Suda - Byzantine Greek Lexicon C10th A.D. OTHER SOURCES Source status of Hephaistos pages:- 1.

Fully quoted: Homer (Iliad & Odyssey), Hesiod, Homeric Hymns, Epic Cycle & Homerica, Aesop, Apollodorus, Pausanias, Strabo, Herodotus, Orphic Hymns, Quintus Smyrnaeus, Callimachus, Antoninus Liberalis, Aelian, Hyginus (Fabulae & Astronomica);, Ovid (Metamorphoses & Fasti), Cicero, Apuleius, Apollonius of Tyana; 2. Partially or not quoted (Greek): Pindar, Greek Lyric (Fragments), Greek Elegaic (Fragments), Euripides, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Aristophanes, Plato, Apollonius Rhodius, Diodorus Siculus, Theocritus, Lycophron, Plutarch, Philostratus & Callistratus, Nonnus, Oppian, Colluthus, Tryphiodorus, et. al.; 3. Partially or not quoted (Latin): Statius, Propertius, Valerius Flaccus, et. al.

Hephaestus,the Greek God of Fire. Myths of Hephaestus Family of Hephaestus Parents: Hephaestus was a son of Zeus , the King of the Gods, and Hera , the goddess of marriage, although it was considered by some that he was conceived prenuptially. Siblings: Eilithyia, the goddess of childbirth, Hebe , the goddess of youth and Ares , the Olympian god of War. Wife: Aphrodite, the goddess of love. The Disability of Hephaestus Hephaestus was a very kind and loveable god, but was the only deity who was physically ugly and lame. When his mother Hera saw him for the first time, she was so frustrated that she took her son and threw him from Mount Olympus to the depths of the seas, causing a deformation to his leg. Hephaestus was finally rescued by two Nereids, Thetis and Eurynome, who raised him for nine years inside a cave, far away and hidden from his cruel mother. The Workshop of Hephaestus Hephaestus had his working lay beneath the crater of the volcano of Aetna in Italy.

There, he was working together closely with the one-eyed Cyclopes to create strong thunderbolts for his master Zeus . Hephaestus was also famous for having created the first woman of the ancient world, Pandora . HEPHAESTUS GOD OF - Greek Mythology Hephaestus-Vulcan, Greco-Roman marble statue C2nd A.D., Ostia Antica HEPHAISTOS was the Olympian god of fire, smiths, craftsmen, metalworking and stonemasonry. This page describes the divine roles and functions of the god--including fire, smiths and craftsmen, volcanoes and his identification with foreign gods. CLASSICAL LITERATURE QUOTES GOD OF FIRE Hephaistos was the god of fire, and often his name was used as a synonym for the element. Homer, Iliad 2. 426 ff (trans. Lattimore) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) : "[The men] pitted the vitals and held them [to cook] over the flame of Hephaistos." Homer, Iliad 9.

467 ff : "Swine with the fat abundant upon them were singed and stretched out across the flame of Hephaistos." Homer, Iliad 17. 88 ff : "Looking like the flame of Hephaistos, weariless." Homer, Iliad 23. 33 ff : "[Sacrificial animals were] stretched out across the flame of Hephaistos." Homer, Odyssey 24. 71 ff (trans. Shewring) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) : "When the flame of Hephaistos had consumed you [the dead man on the funeral pyre]." Hesiod, Theogony 864 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or 7th B.C.) : "Tin melts when heated by men's art in channelled crucibles; or as iron, which is hardest of all things, is softened by glowing fire in mountain glens and melts in the divine earth through the strength of Hephaistos." Homeric Hymn 4 to Hermes 115 ff (trans.

Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th to 4th B.C.) : "The strength of glorious (klytos) Hephaistos was beginning to kindle the [sacrificial] fire." Aeschylus, Agamemnon 281 ff (trans. Smyth) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) : "Hephaistos [i.e. as the fire of the beacons], from Ida speeding forth his brilliant blaze. Beacon passed beacon on to us by courier-flame: Ida, to the Hermaean crag in Lemnos; to the mighty blaze upon the island succeeded, third, the summit of Athos sacred to Zeus." Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 7 ff : "[Kratos to Hephaistos:] Your own flower, flashing fire, source of all arts, he [Prometheus] has purloined and bestowed upon mortal creatures . . . Why do you not detest a god most hateful to the gods, since he has betrayed your prerogative [fire] to mortals?" Aristophanes, Birds 436 ff (trans.

O'Neill) (Greek comedy C5th to 4th B.C.) : "Here, you there, take all these weapons and hang them up inside close to the fire, near the figure of the god who presides there and under his protection." Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 4. 440 ff (trans. Way) (Greek epic C4th A.D.) : "As a cauldron on Hephaistos' hearth maddens with ceaseless hissing o'er the flames from blazing billets coiling round its sides." Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 13. 170 ff : "The hot flesh of the swine whereon the red breath of Hephaistos beat." Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 13. 367 ff : "The flames gave back before him everywhere: the blast of Hephaistos' breath." Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 4.

160 ff : "Hephaistos purest flame of fire [at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis for the cooking of the feast]." Orphic Hymn 66 to Hephaestus (trans. Taylor) (Greek hymns C3rd B.C. to 2nd A.D.) : "Strong, mighty Hephaistos, bearing splendid light, unwearied fire, with flaming torrents bright: strong-handed, deathless, and of art divine, pure element, a portion of the world is thine: all-taming artist, all-diffusive power, 'tis thine, supreme, all substance to devour: aither, sun, moon, and stars, light pure and clear, for these thy lucid parts [of fire] to men appear. To thee all dwellings, cities, tribes belong, [fire] diffused through mortal bodies, rich and strong." Plato, Cratylus 400d & 407c (trans.

Fowler) (Greek philosopher C4th B.C.) : "[Plato constructs philosophical etymologies for the names of the gods :] Sokrates : Let us inquire what thought men had in giving them [the gods] their names . . . The first men who gave names [to the gods] were no ordinary persons, but high thinkers and great talkers . . . Hermogenes : But surely you, as an Athenian, will not forget Athena, nor Hephaistos and Ares . . . And how do you explain Hephaistos? Sokrates : You ask about ‘the noble master of light’? . . . Hephaistos is Phaistos, with the eta added by attraction; anyone could see that, I should think." Ovid, Metamorphoses 9. 262 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : "Whatever parts the flames could ravage Mulciber [Hephaistos] had removed." Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.

61 ff : "The selfsame god [Hephaistos] had armed him [Akhilleus] and consumed him in the end [on the pyre]." Seneca, Medea 824 ff (trans. Miller) (Roman tragedy C1st A.D.) : "[The witch Medea employs various fabulous ingredients in a spell to create magical fire :] Mulciber [Hephaistos] hath also given me fires which subtly lurk in sulphur." Suidas s.v. Hephaistos (trans. Suda On Line) (Byzantine Greek lexicon C10th A.D.) : "Hephaistos : The god and fire." For MYTHS of Hephaistos as the god of fire see: Hephaestus and Satyr, Athenian red-figure pelike C5th B.C., Staatliche Antikensammlungen Homer, Odyssey 6. 233 & 23. 160 ff (trans.

Shewring) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) : "As when a man adds gold to a silver vessel, a craftsman taught by Hephaistos and Athene to master his art through all its range, so that everything that he makes is beautiful." Hesiod, Theogony 864 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or 7th B.C.) : "Iron, though that is the strongest substance, melts under stress of blazing fire in the mountain forests worked by handicraft of Hephaistos inside the divine earth." Homeric Hymn 20 to Hephaestus (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th to 4th B.C.) : "Hephaistos famed for inventions (klytometis). With bright-eyed Athene he taught men glorious crafts throughout the world,--men who before used to dwell caves in the mountains like wild beasts. But now that they have learned crafts through Hephaistos the famed worker (klytotekhnes), easily they live a peaceful life in their own houses the whole year round." Solon, Fragment 13 (trans.

Gerber, Vol. Greek Elegiac) (Greek elegy C7th to 6th B.C.) : "[One] who has learned the works of Athena and Hephaistos Polytekhnes (the god of many crafts) gathers in his livelihood with his hands." Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses 11 (trans. Celoria) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "Hephaistos had given him [Polytekhnos] an axe for his work as a carpenter." Plato, Alcibiades 1. 121a (trans.

Lamb) (Greek philosopher C4th B.C.) : "[Sokrates, as the son of an Athenian potter, traces his ancestry back to the mythical artisan Daidalos and the god Hephaistos :] `Mine [goes back] to Daidalos, and Daidalos to Hephaistos, son of Zeus!" Plato, Protagoras 320c - 222a : "The appointed hour was approaching when man in his turn was to go forth into the light of day; and Prometheus, not knowing how he could devise his salvation, stole the mechanical arts of Hephaistos and Athene, and fire with them (they could neither have been acquired nor used without fire), and gave them to man . . . he entered by stealth into the common workshop of Athene and Hephaistos, in which they used to practise their favourite arts, and carried off Hephaistos' art of working by fire, and also the art of Athene, and gave them to man.

And in this way man was supplied with the means of life." Plato, Critias (trans Bury) : "Hephaistos and Athene, who were brother and sister, and sprang from the same father, having a common nature, and being united also in the love of philosophy and art, both obtained as their common portion this land [Athens]." Philostratus the Elder, Imagines 1. 6 (trans. Fairbanks) (Greek rhetorician C3rd A.D.) : "[From a description of an ancient Greek painting adorned with gemstones :] What abundance of sardonyx, of emeralds, adorns them, and the pearls are true pearls; but the workmanship must be attributed to Hephaistos!" Suidas s.v. Khalkeia (trans. Suda On Line) (Byzantine Greek lexicon C10th A.D.) : "Khalkeia (Bronzes) : An ancient and popular festival long ago, but subsequently observed by the craftsmen only, because Hephaistos [first] worked bronze in Attika." Suidas s.v.

Khalkeia : "Khalkeia (Bronzes) : An Athenian festival . . . for craftsmen in general and bronze-smiths in particular, as Apollonios says . . . the festival is celebrated . . . for Hephaistos." Suidas s.v. Lampados : "Lampados (Of a torch). And with torches. Athenians celebrate three torch-festivals, at [the] Panathenaia, Hephaistia and Promethia. Istros says that having a torch-race was something [the] Athenians first did when sacrificing to Hephaistos, to commemorate him who grasped the use of fire and taught it to others." Suidas s.v. Aithaloeis theos : "Aithaloeis theos (Sooty god) : Hephaistos, since [he is a] blacksmith.

The same [god] is called Klutotekhnes (famed-for-craft), since his skill at smithy-work is renowned." For MYTHS of Hephaistos the craftsman-god see HEPHAESTUS WORKS GOD OF VOLCANOES Hephaestus riding ass, Dionysus and Satyr, Athenian red-figure calyx krater C5th B.C., Staatliche Antikensammlungen Hephaistos was later identified with the Italian volcano-god Adranus-Volcanus, and came to be regarded as the god of volcanoes. Originally the Greeks associated volcanic activity with the Gigante-sons of Gaia, rather than with Hephaistos. Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 11. 100 ff (trans.

Way) (Greek epic C4th A.D.) : "Korykia's ridge [in Lykia], and that great rock of the wise Fire-god [Hephaistos], marvellous in men's eyes; for thereon, nightlong, daylong, unto him fire blazes, tireless and unquenchable [the Lykian volcano Mt Khimaira]. Laden with fruit around it palm-trees grow, while mid the stones fire plays about their roots. Gods' work is this, a wonder to all time." Strabo, Geography 5. 4. 6 (trans. Jones) (Greek geographer C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : "Immediately above the city [of Baiae in Italia] lies the Forum of Hephaistos [Forum Volcania], a plain shut in all round by exceedingly hot ridges, which in numerous places have fumaroles that are like chimneys and that have rather noisome smell; and the plain is full of drifted sulphur." Strabo, Geography 6. 2.

10 : "Between Lipara and Sikelia (Sicily) is [the island of] Thermessa, which is now called Hiera of Hephaistos [or Volcanus in Latin]; the whole island is rocky, desert, and fiery, and it has three fire blasts, rising from three openings which one might call craters. From the largest the flames carry up also red-hot masses, which have already choked up a considerable part of the Strait." For MYTHS of Hephaistos (Adranus) as the god of Sicilian volcanoes see Hephaistos was identified with the Egyptian god Ptah and the Italian god Volcanos-Adranos. Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses 28 (trans. Celoria) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "Typhon . . . felt an urge to usurp the rule of Zeus and not one of the gods could withstand him as he attacked. In panic they fled to Aigyptos (Egypt) . . . When they fled they had changed themselves in anticipation into animal forms . . . Hephaistos [became] an ox [i.e.

the Egyptian god Ptah]." Herodotus, Histories 2. 3. 1 (trans. Godley) (Greek historian C5th B.C.) : "I also heard other things at Memphis [in Egypt] in conversation with the priests of Hephaistos [i.e. the Egyptian god Ptah]." Herodotus, Histories 2. 99. 4 : "Built in it [Memphis in Egypt is a] . . . great and most noteworthy temple of Hephaistos [i.e. the Egyptian god Ptah]." Cicero, De Natura Deorum 1. 24 (trans. Rackham) (Roman rhetorician C1st B.C.) : "Volcanus [Hephaistos] has different names in Italy, in Africa and in Spain." Cicero, De Natura Deorum 3.

22 : "There are also several Volcanos' [Hephaistos']; the first, the son of Caelus [Ouranos], was reputedly the father by Minerva [Athena] of the Apollo [Erikhthonios] said by the ancient historians to be the tutelary deity of Athens; the second, the son of the Nile, is named by the Egyptians Phthas [Ptah], and is deemed the guardian of Egypt; the third is the son of the third Jupiter [Zeus] and of Juno [Hera], and is fabled to have been the master of a smithy at Lemnos; the fourth [the Italian god Adranus-Volcanus] is the son of Memalius, and lord of the islands near Sicily which used to be named the Isles of Volcanus [the Lipari islands]." Suidas s.v. Phthas (trans.

Suda On Line) (Byzantine Greek lexicon C10th A.D.) : "Phthas : Hephaistos in Memphis." Hephaestus (Vulcan) – Greek God of Fire and Volcanoes | Greek Mythology Pantheon Greek Mythology Pantheon > Hephaestus (Vulcan) – Greek God of Fire and Volcanoes Hephaestus (Vulcan) – Greek God of Fire and Volcanoes Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God - Art Picture by Chris Appel Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God - Art Picture by Chris Appel The Olympian gods that were crafted by the ancient Greeks in human form and body, distinguished for their exceptional beauty. Their hair and face was beaming and their form could enchant and relax even the wildest beasts of nature. Their bodies were perfectly molded with the finest proportions. However, among them lived another god that although he had divine power and immortality, looked nothing like the rest. That was Hephaestus (Vulcan), god of fire, volcanoes and metalworking.

His ugliness sometimes caused the laughter and taunts of the other gods, which was often leaving him with a strong feeling of bitterness. Hephaestus was presented with thick and long beard. He was very dark in the face, with thick and ugly features. Moreover, he was short and thick, with weak legs that could not hold his weight easily. He had a shaggy chest and his arms were huge by the continuous work in his workshop. He was also lame, having one foot crippled. Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God - Art Picture by HardCoreDesigns Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God - Art Picture by HardCoreDesigns Hephaestus was the son of Zeus and Hera. According to a Greek myth, Hera bore him before she was even made the lawful wife of Zeus, from the love affair that she had with him. Other myths are telling us that Hera gave birth to Hephaestus without an intervening male element, just as Gaia had given birth to her firstborn children. The goddess gave birth to Lemnos Island and then entrusted him to Kidalionas, a blacksmith from Naxos Island.

The new god learned from him how to forge and work on metals. There are many and varied explanations about the first years of the Greek god’s life and the disability his leg was facing. A myth tells us that Hera, just after giving birth to Hephaestus on Mount Olympus, asked to see her baby. Nevertheless, once they presented to her the lame and blackish infant, she was furious. How could a beautiful goddess like her, give birth to such an ugly baby? Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God - Art Picture by veritas71 Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God - Art Picture by veritas71 Hera thought that there would not be a way to face the taunts and the ironic laughter of the other gods. Therefore, being mad and furious grabbed the baby and threw it from Mount Olympus. Hephaestus dropped to the Ocean. There, Thetis and Eurynome found him and took him with them. Hephaestus spent with them the first nine years of his life in a sea cave, the palace of Nereus.

Hephaestus was making wonderful jewelry with corals and pearls and was giving them as gifts to the goddesses who protected him. In that way, he showed them his love and gratitude. Another Greek legend about Hephaestus, tells that the unfortunate event concerning his leg happened later in his life. It was a day like many others that the divine couple, Zeus and Hera, was quarreling. The voices of the goddess resounded in the whole Olympus and caused the comments of the other gods. Hera could not imagine how her husband managed, despite her efforts to monitor him continuously, to conclude sexual intercourse with a mortal, Alcmene. The worst of all was that he acquired a son with her, Heracles (Hercules). Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God - Art Picture by Alayna Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God - Art Picture by Alayna Zeus began to twinkle and thunder from his anger, since he could not stand the sickening jealousy of Hera. The poor Hephaestus took the side of his mother in this furious fight.

His father then, blurred as he was in rage, grabbed his ugly son, who never really liked, and threw him with all his strength down from Mount Olympus. Hephaestus swirled in the air for a whole day and eventually was smashed in Lemnos Island. His body banged hard on the rocks of the island and then Hephaestus was lame, having a crippled foot for his entire life. Generally, the early years of his life Hephaestus lived away from Olympus and either alone or with the help of a teacher became the first craftsman among the gods. His parents did not ever face him as an equal with the other children. Hephaestus was kind-hearted and patient, but was always thinking about his parents' behavior and was very frustrated. Often driven by his grievance, there were many time that he took his revenge. The Greek god’s behavior towards his mother is presented with two different forms. In the Iliad, on two different occasions, we are witnessing a perfect loving relationship between mother and son.

Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God - Art Picture by Chrisra Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God - Art Picture by Chrisra In one case, Hera asks Hephaestus to help Achilles in his duel with the river Scamander. It is indeed one of the few cases where we see the god in all his divine glory. He spreads his flames to the entire camp and burned also all the dead bodies of warriors. The fiery flame then greedily devours vast areas of forest and immediately makes its final assault. The flame rushes rapidly on the river. The river Scamander despite his liquid form cannot resist the fiery whirlwind. The waters begin to boil and evaporate. The riverbed is drying out and with heartbreaking words, he asks for Hephaestus’ mercy. In the second case, we watch Hephaestus comforting his mother with the sweetest words, after a terrible quarrel with Zeus. He asks Hera to show submission to her husband, the father of gods and men, and to coax him with beautiful words. On the contrary, there is a funny fable showing Hephaestus avenging his mother for her initial behavior towards him.

Once that Hera had her name day celebration and there was a big party on Mount Olympus, Hephaestus gave her a golden throne. Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God - Art Picture by Elder_of_the_Earth Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God - Art Picture by Elder_of_the_Earth For two whole months, Hephaestus put all his art to achieve the best result. He dug up images and representations of the feasts of the Greek gods and their daily life. Hera was really impressed by the gift of her son and tried it immediately. She sat proudly on the throne for a long time and was discussing with the other gods. However, when she wanted to get up, she discovered with a great surprise that this was impossible. Hephaestus had placed invisible shackles preventing her from leaving the throne. “This, my sweet mammy is my gift to you to repay the love you showed me when I was born. Was it my fault that I was born ugly and with dark skin and you threw me from Mount Olympus?” Hera asked for forgiveness with tears and begged him to release the invisible shackles. All the gods took her side and began to quarrel with Hephaestus.

Ares, the god of war, who was also Hera’s son, was very angry too. He rushed to Hephaestus to convince him by force, but his brother had already grabbed a lighted torch and hurled it against him. Ares was very scared and hid himself among the goddesses. Then, Hephaestus left for Lemnos, which was his favorite island, leaving the other gods speechless, who barely restrained their laughter watching Hera in this comical situation. Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God - Art Picture by TaekwondoNJ Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God - Art Picture by TaekwondoNJ Dionysus, dear friend of Hephaestus, undertook the task to save the situation. He immediately went to Lemnos, in the workshop of the god, and found him at dinnertime. He sat together to eat and sent a satyr to bring wine from his vines. Dionysus managed to drunken Hephaestus and convinced him to return with him to Olympus and release Hera from her shackles. After some time they both arrived in front of other gods riding a mule. Zeus just after seeing his son told him angry.

“Come on, then, Hephaestus, the joke went too far. Quickly release your mother!” Stuttering from drunkenness, he said that would release Hera only if Zeus promised that would fulfill his wish. The king of the gods, unable to do otherwise, accepted Hephaestus’ term. Hephaestus released Hera and immediately asked Aphrodite for his wife. All the gods were surprised. The ugliest god would marry the goddess of beauty! Nevertheless, Zeus could not do otherwise, because he had sworn an oath. The face of Aphrodite darkened, but could not to resist the will of her father. Therefore, she reached out her hand to Hephaestus. Of course, the goddess of beauty was not the most faithful wife. Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God - Art Picture by Alexa_Asta Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God - Art Picture by Alexa_Asta The relations of Hephaestus and Zeus were relations of respect and submission. Hephaestus always performed willingly the orders of his father. Additionally, he feared his father a lot. The Greek god helped Zeus in the War with the Giants and made countless gifts.

By his father’s order, Hephaestus created Pandora from the soil and contributed to the punishment of Prometheus, nailing him in the Caucasus as prey for a vulture, which was devouring his chest. Homer tells us that the divine blacksmith had rigged his studio on Mount Olympus. Therein he was spending his entire day, creating items using his tools, hammer, anvil and bellows. The workshop was fully equipped. Twenty kilns were constantly burning, while with the god’s order the flames turned bigger and dispersed so much heat as necessary for the builder to process the copper, silver and gold. Hephaestus made too many constructions for himself but also for many gifts to the gods. Firstly, his palace was resplendent. The whole palace was of solid gold, carved and wrought so much, as the best artisans of the world could not construct, even if they worked throughout their entire lives for this cause. It was filled with various ornaments made of sapphires and diamonds.

Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God - Art Picture by Cabal_Art Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God - Art Picture by Cabal_Art The most fantastic of all his creations were the golden statues that he built to serve him. These statues had the form of young girls and Hephaestus had given them strength, thought and life. They were his inseparable companions, always following him everywhere. They followed him even in the assemblies of the gods and helped him stand up when he was getting tired. Hephaestus built all the majestic palaces of Olympus and the gods gave him priceless gifts. He donated the auspices and the scepter to Zeus, the sickle to Demeter and Apollo and Artemis their arrows. In Helios (Sun) gave the shining chariot which constantly crossed the sky and to Dionysus a golden cup. In his dressy wife, he gave extremely precious necklaces and other jewelry with rare gems, as well as a golden mirror. Aphrodite always carried this golden mirror with her. Another of Hephaestus’ inspirations was the magic tripods that gave to the gods.

When the Greek gods assembled to make a serious decision, the tripods automatically took place behind every god. Once the meeting ended, each tripod was immediately transported to its holder’s palace. Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God giving a gift to Aphrodite - Art Picture by Wetojo Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God giving a gift to Aphrodite - Art Picture by Wetojo The divine blacksmith was generously giving gifts to mortals also. So he gave Heracles a golden breastplate, to Ariadne a garland made of precious metals and gems and to Cadmus a necklace for his marriage to Harmony. Hephaestus donated two wild bulls to Aetes that breathed fire from their nostrils and had bronze feet. He also gave silver dogs to Alcinoos to guard his palace. Amongst his most important constructions are the weapons of Achilles, upon request of Thetis. Homer spends half rhapsody to describe the resplendent shield that had the form of five concentric circular disks. Hephaestus painted on this shield the entire life of gods and humans.

First of all, he made the primary elements of nature: Earth, Heaven, the Sun and the Ocean encompassing everything. Then he painted all the stars of the sky, Pleiades, Hyades, Orion and Ursa. He also represented scenes like a wedding ceremony, a trial taking place in the market and battles at the walls of a besieged city. Immediately after, Hephaestus painted softer scenes that normally take place during peacetime, like the harvest and the vintage, but also white sheep grazing in a green meadow beside shepherd stalls and huts. Next scene was a dance performance. Teens and young girls wreathed with flowers and dressed in lavish clothing and long tunics. Amongst them, the divine singer, Apollo, played his lyre and regulated their footsteps. Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God with his wife Aphrodite - Art Picture by xviisideris Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God with his wife Aphrodite - Art Picture by xviisideris The ancient Greeks usually imagined Hephaestus as a simple worker in his workshop with smoke-begrimed face and soaked in sweat.

The Greek god always wore a short sleeveless tunic to avoid trouble in his movements. When he finished his chores or urgently needed to go to gatherings of the gods, extinguished the fires of the kilns, gathered his tools in a silver box, drained his sweat with a sponge and wore a golden robe. Some legends say that Hephaestus' workshop was not on Olympus, but in Lemnos Island. They even believed that it was inside the island's volcano. The flames and vapors coming out of the crater came from the forges of the god and the muffled noises were coming from the blows of the hammer with which Hephaestus gave wonderful forms in the precious metals he was processing. Generally, the connection of Hephaestus with Lemnos is pervasive in all myths and his cult was particularly widespread at this island. The erotic adventures of the god compared to the other Olympians were scarce. Although Hephaestus was the ugliest of all gods, according to tradition, had the most beautiful wives. Iliad, Haris (one of the Graces) who was the personification of beauty is appointed as his wife.

Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God saves Achilles - Art Picture by ertacaltinoz Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God saves Achilles - Art Picture by ertacaltinoz Hesiod mentions Aglaia as his wife, the youngest of the Graces. However, Hephaestus' most famous wife was Aphrodite. Of course, Aphrodite could not resist for long to remain faithful to her husband. She was captivated very soon, by the beauty and perfect physique of warlike Ares and became his mistress. The god of sun, Helios, monitors everything riding on his chariot. When he saw Ares and Aphrodite, lying on the bed of Hephaestus in his own palace, immediately ran to the divine artisan to reveal it. Then, the Greek god asked Helios not to reveal to anyone else this secret and thought of a plan. He stretched out on the bed an invisible net.

A more beautiful approach on Greek God Hephaestus - Art Picture by Zeldacw A more beautiful approach on Greek God Hephaestus - Art Picture by Zeldacw Therefore, the next time the two lovers met and lied down on the bed were tangled in the net. Ares and Aphrodite were desperately trying to set themselves free. Nevertheless, the more they tried, the more they were being entangled. When Hephaestus returned to his palace, saw the illegal mates naked and immobilized onto the bed. They were so ashamed that could not face him. Filled with rage and grievance, Hephaestus broke out on Ares that although he was his brother did not hesitate to betray him. He also scolded his wife, who did not appreciate all the love and care he was giving her. To get his revenge he called Zeus and the other gods and showed the shameless lovers who were still tangled in the magic nets. All the gods blamed the unfaithful wife and the heartless brother and swore them for their sin. Only that scene managed to calm the wrath of Hephaestus and he finally freed them.

Aphrodite, ruddy from shame, ran away and all the gods were continuously laughing. Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God Statue - Picture by Ascachilwen Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God Statue - Picture by Ascachilwen After Aphrodite's infidelity, Hephaestus turned elsewhere. He longed very much for Athena. The Greek god's help was decisive in Athena's birth. Some day that the war goddess went to his workshop to order him a new armor, the divine craftsman swooped up and tried to rape her. Athena, who symbolized the eternal chastity, fought with him and managed in the end to elude him. Nevertheless, after eluding him, she saw that there was Hephaestus' semen left on her knees. Athena took the sperm with a piece of cloth and flew it on Earth. Thus, Erichthonius was born and Athena treated him like her real son. According to another myth, Hephaestus mated with Kabiris, the daughter of the sea god Proteus. From this relationship, he had three sons, Kabeirous.

He was also father of one of the most famous bandits of antiquity, Perifitis. He killed all those passing by with a huge bat until much later he was killed by Theseus. Pilios is also mentioned as a son of Hephaestus, who healed Philoctetes in Lemnos. According to other Greek myths, his sons also are the Argonaut Palaimonas and Ardalos, a legendary sculptor who like Palaimonas had inherited from his father the artisanship and dexterity at hands. Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God Statue by Scott Eaton Hephaestus (Vulcan) Greek God Statue by Scott Eaton Hephaestus was the god of volcanoes. Therefore, he was connected with all the volcanic regions of the Mediterranean. There was indeed a legend referring to the feud with Demeter to the possession of Sicily. This dispute was resolved with the intervention of Etna, daughter of Briareus, who lends her name to the mountain. Moreover, under this mountain the last opponent of Zeus was buried, the terrible Typhon. Hephaestus sat on the mountain in order to prevent him from escaping.

Other Greek legends tell that the god of fire, in order to immobilize Typhon, hung on his neck a huge anvil. Hephaestus was for the ancient Greeks, the personification of fire, so that helped the human race in its early stages, of course with the mediation of Prometheus. The Greek god is rarely presented using the fire as a destructive medium. He usually used fire as a means of working on precious metals. Therefore, all the craftsmen and blacksmiths highly regarded him as their patron. The divine blacksmith was probably a bit mislaid over Olympus but revered among men. Hephaestus symbolized the civilizing power of fire and protected the metallurgy and artisans. His symbols were the hammer, anvil and tongs. Please leave a comment if you liked this article 🙂 All pictures are also uploaded in Albums on the Greek Mythology Pantheon page on Facebook, visit us at : You may also like: Hephaestus God of Fire [ ? ]Subscribe To This Site Hephaestus God of Fire Hephaestus god of fire was the son of Zeus and Hera. He was the god of fire, blacksmiths, craftsmen in general, metallurgy and volcanoes.

In fact, volcanoes were considered his furnaces. His Roman counterpart was Vulcan. There are several versions about Hephaestus’ childhood. When he was born, his mother saw he was very ugly and so she threw him from Mount Olympus. He fell and landed into the ocean, where he was brought up by the Nereid Thetis (Achilles' mother) and the Oceanid Eurynome. Because of this fall, he was crippled. (Alternatively, his mother saw he was lame and that's why she threw him.) He remained with them for nine years and worked as a blacksmith, making all kind of beautiful things. When he grew up, he wanted revenge for this. That’s why he made a magic gold throne that he sent as a gift to Hera. When she sat on it, she was magically tied by invisible chains and she couldn't go away. The other gods begged Hephaestus to come back to Olympus and free her, but he just declared he had no mother. Greek god Dionysus got him drunk and brought him to mount Olympus on the back of a mule. He finally freed Hera when he was promised the beautiful Aphrodite as a wife.

Another version of the story says that it was Zeus who threw Hephaestus god of fire from mount Olympus. Hera made Zeus sleep and sent a storm against Hercules. When Zeus found out, he was very angry and tied Hera by her arms, with anvils attached to her ankles. The little Hephaestus tried to defend his mother and Zeus threw him from mount Olympus. He fell for one day and remained crippled forever because of this fall. He landed in the island of Lemnos, where he was well received by the tribe of the Sintians, who taught him to be a blacksmith. As regards his birth, there is another version, according to which Hera was jealous because Zeus had given birth to Athena without the contribution of a woman (even if initially Athena had a mother, but Zeus swallowed her). So she decided to have a child without the help of a man (as for the result, see her reaction above!). Yet others say this is not possible, because when Athena was about to be born, Zeus had horrible headaches, so Hephaestus god of fire blew a hit and split Zeus' head, and Athena sprung out completely armed.

Even if ugly, Hephaestus managed to marry the beautiful goddess Aphrodite as a wife. Of course she was not happy at all with this arrangement, because she was in love with Ares. Anyway, that was not a problem for her, and she kept seeing her secret lover. Helios saw them and told everything to Hephaestus, who decided to take revenge. He built a net with links thinner than a spider's web, which was invisible, and he put it around the bed and hanging from the ceiling. Then he pretended to leave for Lemnos, the place that he loved most on earth. Ares noticed that and came to visit Aphrodite. The net enveloped them fast and they could not move an inch. Hephaestus returned home and called all the other gods to see them. He asked from Zeus to be given back all the betrothal gifts he had brought, that is, he divorced Aphrodite. From this affair the goddess Harmonia was born. Hephaestus still wanted revenge for the fact that Aphrodite gave birth to a child who was not his. That's why he made a beautiful, but cursed necklace that he gave Harmonia as a wedding gift.

This necklace would then bring bad luck to all her descendants. Hephaestus and Aphrodite had no children. Some ancient writers say that she tried to pass Eros as his son (when in fact he was Ares' child). Hephaestus god of fire expected the child to be hobbled, just like him. When he saw the baby was healthy, he understoond he was not the father. That's why he made the cursed necklace, which he gave to Aphrodite as a gift for their son's birth. Later Aphrodite would give the necklace to her daughter, Harmonia, and thus she doomed all her descendents. Hephaestus wanted to marry Persephone, but her mother, Demeter, turned down all the suitors. In Homer's Illiad, Hephaestus god of fire is married to Aglaia, the youngest of the Charites (Graces). Not exactly what you were looking for? Keep on searching!

Custom Search Hephaestus Hephaestus See More Hephaestus Pictures > Hephaestus was the Greek god of blacksmiths, sculptors, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes; thus, he is symbolised with a hammer, an anvil and a pair of tongs. According to Homer's epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, he was the son of Zeus and Hera . However, Hesiod informs us that Hera bore Hephaestus alone. According to an account, after Hephaestus was born, Hera threw him from Olympus because he was crippled; he fell into the ocean and was raised by Thetis and Eurynome . Another myth has it that he once tried to protect his mother from Zeus ' advances and as a result, the father of the Gods flung him down from Olympus, which caused his physical disability; he fell on the island of Lemnos where he became a master craftsman. He was later accepted back to Olympus, and became the craftsman of the gods, creating majestic armors, shields and weapons.

He was married to Aphrodite ; after he learned his wife had an affair with her brother, Ares , he devised a plan with which he humiliated both lovers to the other gods . Hephaestus Is also called Vulcan. Prometheus -Tthe fire-bringer in Greek Mythology Profile of Prometheus Prometheus Details The term philanthropist is a perfect term for the great titan of Greek mythology, Prometheus. He loved us. He helped us. He defied the other gods and suffered for us. (No wonder he looks Christ-like in the painting.) Read what the stories from Greek mythology tell us about this benefactor of mankind. Prometheus is famous for a couple of seemingly unrelated stories: (1) the gift of fire to mankind [see When was Fire First Controlled? ] and (2) being chained to a rock where every day an eagle came to eat his liver. There is a connection, however, and one that shows why Prometheus, the father of the Greek Noah, was called the benefactor of mankind.

Prometheus - Gift of Fire to Mankind Zeus sent most of the Titans to Tartarus [see Hades' Realm ] to punish them for fighting against him in the Titanomachy , but since second-generation Titan Prometheus had not sided with his aunts, uncles, and brother Atlas , Zeus spared him. continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance Zeus then assigned Prometheus the task of forming man from water and earth, which Prometheus did, but in the process, became fonder of men than Zeus had anticipated. Zeus didn't share Prometheus' feelings and wanted to prevent men from having power, especially over fire. Prometheus cared more for man than for the wrath of the increasingly powerful and autocratic king of the gods, so he stole fire from Zeus' lightning, concealed it in a hollow stalk of fennel, and brought it to man. Prometheus also stole skills from Hephaestus and Athena to give to man. As an aside, Prometheus and Hermes, considered trickster gods , both have a claim to the gift of fire. Hermes is credited with discovering how to produce it.

Prometheus and the Form of Ritual Sacrifice The next stage in Prometheus' career as benefactor of mankind came when Zeus and he were developing the ceremonial forms for animal sacrifice. The astute Prometheus devised a sure-fire way to help man. He divided the slaughtered animal parts into two packets. In one was the ox-meat and innards wrapped up in the stomach lining. In the other packet were the ox-bones wrapped up in its own rich fat. One would go to the gods and the other to the humans making the sacrifice . Prometheus presented Zeus with a choice between the two, and Zeus took the deceptively richer appearing: the fat-encased, but inedible bones. Next time someone says "don't judge a book by its cover," you may find your mind wandering to this cautionary tale. As a result of Prometheus' trick, for ever after, whenever man sacrificed to the gods, he would be able to feast on the meat, so long as he burned the bones as an offering for the gods. Zeus Gets Back at Prometheus Zeus responded by hurting the ones Prometheus loved most, his brother and the humans. Read the story of Pandora .

Prometheus Continues to Defy Zeus Prometheus was still not awed by the might of Zeus and continued to defy him, refusing to warn him of the dangers of the nymph Thetis (future mother of Achilles ). Zeus had tried punishing Prometheus through his loved ones, but this time, he decided to punish him more directly. He bade Hephaestus (or Hermes) chain Prometheus to Mount Caucasus where an eagle/vulture ate his ever-regenerating liver each day. This is the topic of Aeschylus ' tragedy Prometheus Bound and many paintings. Eventually, Hercules rescued Prometheus, and Zeus and the Titan were reconciled. The Human Race and the Great Flood Meanwhile, Prometheus had sired the human man named Deucalion, one of the noble couple whom Zeus had spared when he caused the creatures of the earth to be destroyed by a flood. Deucalion was married to his cousin, the human woman Pyrrha , daughter of Epimetheus and Pandora. During the flood, Deucalion and Pyrrha stayed safely on a boat like Noah's ark. When all the other evil humans had been destroyed, Zeus caused the waters to recede so that Deucalion and Pyrrha could land on Mount Parnassus .

While they had each other for company, and they could produce new children, they were lonely and sought help from the oracle of Themis. Following the oracle's advice, they threw stones over their shoulders. From those thrown by Deucalion sprang men and from those thrown by Pyrrha came women. Then they had their own child, a boy whom they called Hellen and after whom the Greeks were named Hellenes. Hephaestus • Facts and Information on Greek God Hephaestus Hephaestus Greek God of Fire and Metalworking Hephaestus was the god of fire, metalworking, stone masonry, forges and the art of sculpture. He was the son of Zeus and Hera and married to Aphrodite by Zeus to prevent a war of the gods fighting for her hand. He was a smithing god, making all of the weapons for Olympus and acting as a blacksmith for the gods. He had his own palace on Olympus where he made many clever inventions and automatons of metal to work for him. Hephaestus’s ugly appearance was the reason Zeus chose him to marry Aphrodite, but despite this she had many affairs with both gods and men.

In one story, Hephaestus builds a tricky invention which catches Aphrodite laying with the Ares , the god of war, trapping them both in the bed to be laughed at and ridiculed by the other gods. He is similar to Athena in his giving skill and help to mortals – in his case artists. It was believed that Hephaestus taught men the arts alongside Athena. However, he was also considered far inferior to that of the goddess of wisdom. Facts about Hephaestus Hephaestus was known as the God of Fire. In some accounts, he was said to be the son of Zeus and Hera; in others, he was the son of Hera alone, conceived in order to get back at Zeus for bringing forth Athena. Hephaestus was the only ugly god among perfectly beautiful immortals. Hephaestus was born deformed and was cast out of heaven by one or both of his parents when they noticed that he was imperfect. He was the workman of the immortals: he made their dwellings, furnishings, and weapons. In his workshop, Hephaestus had assistants who were made out of gold and who helped him with his work.

His forge or workshop was located under a volcano, and the work he did within it caused frequent eruptions. In most accounts, Aphrodite is named as his wife, although she was unfaithful to him (with Ares, for one). Theirs was an arranged marriage. Hephaestus was a patron of the arts. He was a kind and peace-loving god. In art, Hephaestus is usually depicted as bending over an anvil or walking with the assistance of a cane. He was worshipped primarily in Athens, where he had a temple. Hephaestus manufactured the aegis (or shield) that Athena is known for carrying. The arrows of Eros (known also as Cupid) were fashioned by Hephaestus as well. Hephaestus was the god of the ceremony when children were officially admitted to the city organization. According to a story told both by Homer and Hesiod, Hephaestus married Aglaia, one of the three Graces. Hephaestus was known for making a gold basket that Europa, daughter of the King of Sidon, used to gather flowers when she happened upon Zeus in the meadow.

Hephaestus crafted the armor that Achilles wore in the Trojan War. The same arms, despite their connection to divinity, brought about the death of Ajax. Aphrodite gave Harmonia an extraordinary necklace made by Hephaestus. The piece of jewelry brought disaster to later generations. Erichthonius was the son of Hephaestus: he was half man, half serpent. Link/cite this page If you use any of the content on this page in your own work, please use the code below to cite this page as the source of the content. <a href="">Hephaestus: - Greek Gods & Goddesses, September 19, 2014 Link will appear as Hephaestus: - Greek Gods & Goddesses, September 19, 2014 Hephaestus, Greek God of Fire and Metalworking HEPHAESTUS FACTS

Question: Who was the Greek God of fire?
Answer: Hephaestus