Zeus King of The Gods. 24 powerful, multi-color effects: dahlias and strobes, brocade crown, crackling chrysanthemum, gold wave to strobe. Extremely loud and very large bursts! Parents: Zeus was the last child of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Siblings: Zeus had five older siblings.Two brothers (Poseidon, Hades), and three sisters (Hestia, Hera, Demeter).Wife: Zeus married his own sister Hera, the goddess of marriage and monogamy, but was giving her plenty of reasons to be jealous, since Zeus was renowned of his numerous love affairs. Zeus, in ancient Greek religion, chief deity of the pantheon, a sky and weather god who was identical with the Roman god Jupiter. His name clearly comes from that of the sky god Dyaus of the ancient Hindu Rigveda. Zeus was regarded as the sender of thunder and lightning, rain, and winds, and his traditional weapon was the thunderbolt. Zeus: King of the Gods Olympians Book 1 The First book of Olympians begins years before Zeus's birth and shows the ancient Greek view of the birth of the Cosmos. It's no Big Bang, but we do see a lot of Titans, Cyclopes, Hekatonchieres and all sorts of other monsters, and a bunch of Greek Gods as well. Top 6 Zeus Myths. Because Zeus is king of the Greek gods, he features heavily in ancient Greek myths. Myths like those below are interesting to read because we see earlier peoples’ attempts to explain the world, and while they may not make much literal sense, they give us a sense of the ways the ancient Greeks understood the world.
Transliteration
Zeus
Translation
Jupiter
ZEUS was the Olympian king of the gods and the god of sky, weather, fate, law, justice and moral conduct.
This page lists the cult titles of the god.
ENCYCLOPEDIA ZEUS TITLES
ABRETTE′NUS (Abrettênos), a surname of Zeus in Mysia. (Strab. xii. p. 574.)
ACRAEUS (Akraios). Acraea and Acraeus are also attributes given to various goddesses and gods whose temples were situated upon hills, such as Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite, Pallas, Artemis, and others. (Paus. i. 1. § 3, ii. 24. § 1; Apollod. i. 9. § 28; Vitruv. i. 7; Spanheim, ad Callim. Hymn in Jov. 82.)
AEGIDU′CHOS or AEGI′OCHOS (Aigidouchos or Aigiochos), a surname of Zeus, as the bearer of the Aegis with which he strikes terror into the impious and his enemies. (Hom. II. i. 202, ii. 157, 375, &c.; Pind. Isth. iv. 99; Hygin. Poet. Astr. ii. 13.) Others derive the surname from aix and ochê, and take it as an allusion to Zeus being fed by a goat. (Spanh. ad Callim. hymn. in Jov. 49.)
AENE′IUS or AENE′SIUS (Ainêios or Ainêsios), a surname of Zeus, under which he was worshipped in the island of Cephalenia, where he had a temple on mount Aenos. (Hes. ap. Schol. ad Apollon. Rhod. ii. 297.)
AE′THIOPS (Aithiops), the Glowing or the Black. A surname of Zeus, under which he was worshipped in the island of Chios. (Lycophron, Cass. 537, with the note of Tzetzes.)
AETNAEUS (Aitnaios), an epithet given to several gods and mythical beings connected with Mount Aetna, such as Zeus, of whom there was a statue on mount Aetna, and to whom a festival was celebrated there, called Aetnaea (Schol. ad Pind. Ol. vi. 162).
AGAMEMNON (Agamemnôn). A surname of Zeus, under which he was worshipped at Sparta. (Lycophr. 335, with the Schol.; Eustath. ad Il. ii. 25.) Eustathius thinks that the god derived this name from the resemblance between him and Agamemnon; while others believe that it is a mere epithet signifying the Eternal, from agan and menôn.
AGATHODAEMON (Agathodaimôn or Agathos Deos), the 'Good God,' a divinity in honour of whom the Greeks drank a cup of unmixed wine at the end of every repast. A temple dedicated to him was situated on the road from Megalopolis to Maenalus in Arcadia. Pausanias (viii. 36. § 3) conjectures that the name is a mere epithet of Zeus. (Comp. Lobeck, ad Phrynich. p. 603.)
AGE′TOR (Agêtôr), a surname given to several gods, for instance, to Zeus at Lacedaemon (Stob. Serm. 42): the name seems to describe Zeus as the leader and ruler of men; but others think, that it is synonymous with Agamemnon :-- to Apollo (Eurip. Med. 426) where however Elmsley and others prefer halêtôr :-- to Hermes, who conducts the souls of men to the lower world. Under this name Hermes had a statue at Megalopolis. (Paus. viii. 3. § 4.)
AGO′NIUS (Agônios), a surname or epithet of several gods. Aeschylus (Agam. 513) and Sophocles (Trach. 26) use it of Apollo and Zeus, and apparently in the sense of helpers in struggles and contests. (Comp. Eustath. ad Il. p. 1335.) But Agonius is more especially used as a surname of Hermes, who presides over all kinds of solemn contests. (Agônes, Paus. v. 14. § 7; Pind. Olymp. vi. 133, with the Schol.)
AGORAEUS and AGORAEA (Agoraia and Agoraios), are epithets given to several divinities who were considered as the protectors of the assemblies of the people in the agora, such as Zeus (Paus. iii. 11. § 8, v. 15. § 3), Athena (iii. 11. § 8), Artemis (v. 15. § 3), and Hermes. (i. 15. § 1, ii. 9. § 7, ix. 17. § 1.)
ALASTOR (Alastôr). According to Hesychius and the Etymologicum M., a surname of Zeus, describing him as the avenger of evil deeds. But the name is also used, especially by the tragic writers, to designate any deity or demon who avenges wrongs committed by men. (Paus. viii. 24. § 4; Plut. De Def Orac. 13, &c.; Aeschyl. Agam. 1479, 1508, Pers. 343; Soph. Trach. 1092; Eurip. Phoen. 1550, &c.)
ALEXI′CACUS (Alexikakos), the averter of evil, is a surname given by the Greeks to several deities, as -- Zeus (Orph. De Lapid. Prooem. i.), -- to Apollo, who was worshipped under this name by the Athenians, because he was believed to have stopped the plague which raged at Athens in the time of the Peloponnesian war (Paus. i. 3. § 3, viii. 41. § 5), -- and to Heracles. (Lactant. v. 3.)
AMBU′LIUS, AMBU′LIA, and AMBU′LII (Amboulia, Amboulioi, and Amboulios), surnames under which the Spartans worshipped Athena, the Dioscuri, and Zeus. (Paus. iii. 13. § 4.) The meaning of the name is uncertain, but it has been supposed to be derived from anaballô, and to designate those divinities as the delayers of death.
ANCHE′SMIUS (Anchedmios), a surname of Zeus derived from the hill Anchesmus in Attica, on which, as on several Attic hills, there was a statue of the god. (Paus. i. 32. § 2.)
APE′MIUS (Apêmios), a surname of Zeus, under which he had an altar on mount Parnes in Attica, on which sacrifices were offered to him. (Paus. i. 32. § 2.)
APESA′NTIUS (Apesantios), a surname of Zeus, under which he had a temple on mount Apesas near Nemea, where Perseus was said to have first offered sacrifices to him. (Paus. ii. 15. § 3; Steph. Byz. s. v. Apesas.)
APOMYIUS (Apomuios) 'driving away the flies,' a surname of Zeus at Olympia. On one occasion, when Heracles was offering a sacrifice to Zeus at Olympia, he was annoyed by hosts of flies, and in order to get rid of them, he offered a sacrifice to Zeus Apomyius, whereupon the flies withdrew across the river Alpheius. From that time the Eleans sacrificed to Zeus under this name. (Paus. v. 14. § 2.)
A′RBIUS (Arbios), a surname of Zeus, derived from mount Arbias in Crete, where he was worshipped. (Steph. Byz. s. v. Apbis.)
AREIUS (Areios), a surname of Zeus, which may mean either the warlike or the propitiating and atoning god, as Areia in the case of Athena. Under this name, Oenomaus sacrificed to him as often as he entered upon a contest with the suitors of his daughter, whom he put to death as soon as they were conquered. (Paus. v. 14. § 5.)
ASBAMAEUS (Asbamaios), a surname of Zeus, the protector of the sanctity of oaths. It was derived from a well, Asbamaeon near Tyana, in Cappadocia, the water of which was said to be beneficial and pleasant to honest persons, but pestilential to those who were guilty of perjury. When perjured persons drank of the water, it produced a disease of the eyes, dropsy, and lameness, so that the guilty persons were unable to walk away from the well, and were obliged to own their crime. (Philostr. Vit. Apollon. i. 6.; Pseudo-Aristot. Mirab. Auscult. 163; Ammian. Marcellin. xxiii. 6.)
A′SIUS (Asios). A surname of Zeus, from the town of Asos or Oasos in Crete. (Virg. Aen. x. 123; Tzetz. ad Lycoph. 355; Steph. Byz. s. v. Asos).
ATABY′RIUS (Ataburios), a surname of Zeus derived from mount Atabyris or Atabyrion in the island of Rhodes, where the Cretan Althaemenes was said to have built a temple to him. (Apollod. iii. 2. § 1; Appian, Mithrid. 26.) Upon this mountain there were, it is said, brazen bulls which roared when anything extraordinary was going to happen. (Schol. ad Pind. Ol. vii. 159.)
ATHO′US (Athôos), a surname of Zeus, derived from mount Athos, on which the god had a temple. (Hesych. s. v.; Aeschyl. Agam. 270.)
CA′RIUS (Karios), the Carian, a surname of Zeus, under which he had a temple at Mylassa in Caria, which belonged to the Carians, Lydians, and Mysians in common, as they were believed to be brother nations. (Herod. i. 171, v. 66; Strab. xiv. p. 659.) In Thessaly and Boeotia, Zeus was likewise worshipped under this name. (Phot. Lex. s. v.)
CA′SIUS (Kasios), a surname of Zeus, derived from amount Casion not far from Pelusium, on which the god had a temple. (Strab. xvi. p. 760; Plin. H. N. iv. 20, v. 14.)
CATAE′BATES ( Kataibatês), occurs as a surname of several gods. 1. Of Zeus, who is described by it as the god who descends in thunder and lightning. Under this name he had an altar at Olympia. (Paus. v. 14. § 8; Lycophr. 1370.) Places which had been struck by lightning, i. e. on which Zeus Cataelbates had descended, were sacred to him. (Poliux, ix. 41; Suid. and Hesych. s. v.)
CATHA′RSIUS (Katharsios), the purifyer or atoner, a surname of Zeus, under which he in conjunction with Nice had a temple at Olympia. (Paus. v. 14. § (6.)
CENAEUS (Kênaios), a surname of Zeus, derived from cape Cenaeum in Euboea, on which the god had a temple. (Apollod. ii. 7. § 7; Ov. Met. ix. 136.)
CHRYSAOR (Chrusaôr). The god with the golden sword or arms. In this sense it is used as a surname or attribute of several divinities, such as Apollo (Hom. II. xv. 256), Artemis (Herod. viii. 77), and Demeter. (Hom. Hymn. in Cer. 4.) We find Chrysaoreus as a surname of Zeus with the same meaning, under which he had a temple in Caria, which was a national sanctuary, and the place of meeting for the national assembly of the Carians. (Strab. xiv. p. 660; comp. Paus. v. 21. § 5; Steph. Byz. s. v. Chrusaoris.)
CLA′RIUS (Klarios). Clarius occurs as a surname of Zeus, describing him as the god who distributes things by lot (klaros or klêros, Aeschyl. Suppl. 360). A hill near Tegea was sacred to Zeus under this name. (Paus. viii. 53. § 4.)
CO′NIUS (Konios), the god who excites or makes dust, a surname of Zeus, who had an uncovered temple under this name in the arx of Megara. (Paus. i. 40. § 5.)
Zeus King Of Gods Firework
[CORYPHAEUS and] CORYPHAEA (Koruphaia), the goddess who inhabits the summit of the mountain, a surname of Artemis, under which she had a temple on mount Coryphaeon, near Epidaurus. (Paus. ii. 281. § 2.) It is also applied to designate the highest or supreme god, and is consequently given as an epithet to Zeus. (Paus. ii. 4. § 5.)
CROCE′ATAS (Krokeatas), a surname of Zeus, derived from a place, Croceae, near Gythium in Laconia. (Paus. iii. 21. § 4.)
CRO′NIDES or CRONI′ON (Kronidês or Kroniôn), a patronymic from Cronus, and very commonly given to Zeus, the son of Cronus. (Hom. Il. i. 528, ii. 111, &c.)
CTE′SIUS (Ktêsios), the protector of property, occurs as a surname of Zeus at Phlyus, and of Hermes. (Athen. xi. p. 473; Paus. i. 31. § 2.) Ctesius occurs also as a proper name. (Hom. Od. xv. 413.)
DICTAEUS (Diktaios), a surname of Zeus, derived from mount Dicte in the eastern part of Crete. Zeus Dictaeus had a temple at Prasus, on the banks of the river Pothereus. (Strab. x. p. 478.)
ELEUTHEREUS (Eleuthereus), the form Eleutherius is certainly used in the sense of the deliverer, and occurs also as the surname of Zeus. (Plut. Sympos. vii. in fin.; Pind. Ol. xii. 1; Strab. ix. p. 412; Tacit. Ann. xv. 64.)
EVA′NEMUS (Euanemos), the giver of favourable wind, was a surname of Zeus, under which the god had a sanctuary at Sparta. (Paus. iii. 13. § 5; comp. Theocrit. xxviii. 5.)
GAME′LII (Gamêlioi theoi), that is, the divinities protecting and presiding over marriage. (Pollux, i. 24; Maxim. Tyr. xxvi. 6.) Plutarch (Quaest. Rom. 2) says, that those who married required (the protection of) five divinities, viz. Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite, Peitho, and Artemis. (Comp. Dion Chrys. Orat. vii. p. 568.) But these are not all, for the Moerae too are called theai gamêliai (Spanheim ad Callim. Hymn. in Dian. 23, in Del. 292, 297), and, in fact, nearly all the gods might be regarded as the protectors of marriage, though the five mentioned by Plutarch perhaps more particularly than others. The Athenians called their month of Gamelion after these divinities. Respecting the festival of the Gamelia see Dict. of Ant. s. v.
GENETAEUS (Genêtaios), a surname of Zeus, which he derived from Cape Genetus on the Euxine, where he was worshipped as euxeinos, i.e. ' the hospitable,' and where he had a sanctuary. (Apollon. Rhod. ii. 378, 1009; Val. Flacc. v. 148; Strab. xii. p. 548.)
HETAEREIUS (Hetaireios), the protector of companies or associations of friends, a surname of Zeus, to whom Jason was believed to have offered the first sacrifices, when the Argonauts were assembled for their expedition. (Athen. xiii. p. 572.)
HOMAGY′RIUS (Homagurios), i.e. the god of the assembly or league, a surname of Zeus, under which he was worshipped at Aegium, on the northwestern coast of Peloponnesus, where Agamemnon was believed to have assembled the Greek chiefs, to deliberate on the war against Troy. Under this name Zeus was also worshipped, as the protector of the Achaean league. (Paus. vii. 24. § 1.)
HO′RCIUS (Horkios), the god who watches over oaths, or is invoked in oaths, and punishes their violation, occurs chiefly as a surname of Zeus, under which the god had a statue at Olympia. (Paus. v. 24. § 2; Eurip. Hippol. 1025.)
HYES (Huês), the moist or fertilising god, occurs like Hyetius, as a surname of Zeus, as the sender of rain. (Hesych. s. v. huês.) Under the name of Hyetius, the god had an altar at Argos, and a statue in the grove of Trophonius, near Lebadeia. (Paus. ii. 19. § 7, ix. 39, S 3.) Hyes was also a surname of Dionysus, or rather of the Phrygian Sabazius, who was identified sometimes with Dionysus, and sometimes with Zeus. (Hesych. l.c.; Strab. p. 471.)
HYE′TIUS. [HYES.]
HY′PATUS (Hupatos), the most high, occurs not only as an epithet of Zeus in poetry (Hom. Il. viii. 31, xix. 258), but as a real surname of the god. An altar of Zeus Hypatus existed at Athens in front of the Erechtheium; and it was not allowed to offer up to him any thing alive or libations, but only cakes. (Paus. i. 26. § 6, viii. 2. § 1.) Zeus Hypatus was also worshipped at Sparta (iii. 17. § 3 ), and near Glisas in Boeotia. (ix. 19. § 3.)
IDAEUS (Idaios). The name Idaeus also occurs as a surname of Zeus (Hom. Il. xvi. 605), and of Heracles, as an Idaean Dactyl. (Paus. v. 8. § 1.)
ITHOMATAS (Ithômatas), a surname of Zeus derived from the Messenian hill of Ithome, where the god had a sanctuary, and where an annual festival, the Ithomaea, was celebrated in his honour. (Paus. iv. 33. § 2, &c.)
LABRANDEUS (Labrandeus), a surname of Zeus Stratius, which he derived from a temple he had at Labranda. (Herod. v. 119; Strab. xiv. p. 659; Plut. Quaest. Gr. 46.)
LAPE′RSIUS (Lapersios), a surname of Zeus, derived from the Attic demus of Lapersae. (Lycoph. 1369, with the Schol.)
LAPHY′STIUS (Laphustios). A surname of Zeus, which was derived either from Mount Laphystius in Boeotia, or from the verb laphussein, to flee, so that it would be synonymous with phuxios: a third opinion is, that it signified ' the voracious,' in reference to the human sacrifices which were offered to him in early time. (Paus. i. 24. § 2, ix. 34. § 4.)
LARISSAEUS (Larissaios), surnames of Zeus and Apollo, derived from the arx Larissa at Argos (Paus. ii. 24. § 4; Strab. ix. p. 440, xiv. 649; Steph. Byz. s. v. Larissa).
LECHEA′TES (Lecheatês) i.e. the protector of childbed, a surname of Zeus, who, as the father of Athena, was worshipped under this name at Aliphera. (Paus. viii. 26. § 4.)
LEUCAEUS (Leukaios), a surname of Zeus, under which he was worshipped at Lepreus, in Elis. (Paus. v. 5. § 4.)
LIMENO′SCOPUS, LIME′NIA, LIMENI′TES, LIMENI′TIS (Limenia, Limenitês, Limenitis, Limenodkopos), i. e. the protector or superintendent of the harbour, occurs as a surname of several divinities, such as Zeus (Callimach. Fragm. 114, 2ed. Bentl.), Artemis (Callim. Hymn. in Dian. 259), Aphrodite (Paus. ii. 34. § 11; Serv. ad Aen. i. 724), Priapus (Anthol. Palat. x. 1, 7), and of Pan (Anthol. Palat. x. 10.)
LYCAEUS (Lukaios), sometimes also Lyceus, a surname of certain divinities worshipped on mount Lycaeum in Arcadia, as for instance Zeus, who had a sanctuary on it, in which the festival of the Lycaea was celebrated. No one was allowed to enter the temple, and if any one forced his way in, he was believed to stay within one year, and to lose his shadow (Paus. viii. 2. § 1, 38. § 4, &c.; Pind. Ol. xiii. 154). According to others those who entered it were stoned to death by the Arcadians, or were called stags, and obliged to take to flight to save their lives (Plut. Quaest. Graec. 39). Pan also was called the Lycaean, because he was born and had a sanctuary on mount Lycaeon (Paus. viii. 38. § 4; Strab. viii. p. 388; Serv. ad Virg. Georg. i. 16; Virg. Aen. viii. 344). Lycaeus also occurs as a surname of Apollo.
MAEMACTES (Maimaktês), i. e. the stormy, a surname of Zeus, from which the name of the Attic month Maemacterion was derived. In that month the Maemacteria was celebrated at Athens. (Plut. de Ir. cohib. 9.)
MECHANEUS (Mêchaneus), skilled in inventing, was a surname of Zeus at Argos (Paus. ii. 22, § 3). The feminine form, Mechanitis (Mêchanitis), occurs as a surname of Aphrodite, at Megalopolis, and of Athena. in the same neighbourhood. (Paus. viii. 31, § 3, 36, § 3.)
MEILI′CHIUS (Meilichios), i. e. the god that can be propitiated, or the gracious, is used as a surname of several divinities. 1. Of Zeus, as the protector of those who honoured him with propitiatory sacrifices. At Athens cakes were offered to him every year at the festival of the Diasia. (Thuc. i. 126; Xenoph. Anab. vii. 7. § 4.) Altars were erected to Zeus Meilichius on the Cephissus (Paus. i. 37. § 3),at Sicyon (ii.9. § 6), and at Argos (ii. 20. § 1; Plut. De cohib. Ir. 9). 2. Of Dionysus in the island of Naxos. (Athen. iii. p. 78.) 3. Of Tyche or Fortune. (Orph. Hymn. 71. 2.)
MESSAPEUS (Messapeus), a surname of Zeus, under which he had a sanctuary between Amyclae and mount Taygetus. It was said to have been derived from a priest of the name of Messapeus. (Paus. iii. 20. § 3.)
MOIRA′GETES (Moiragetês), the guide or leader of fate, occurs as a surname of Zeus and Apollo at Delphi. (Paus. x. 24. § 4.)
MO′RIUS (Morios), that is, the protector of the sacred olive trees, occurs as a surname of Zeus. (Soph. Oed. Col. 705; comp. Liddell and Scott, Gr. Lex. s. v. Mopia.)
NEMEIUS (Nemeios), tile Nemeian, a surname of Zeus, under which he had a sanctuary at Argos, with a bronze statue, the work of Lysippus, and where games were celebrated in his honour. (Paus. ii. 20. § 3, 24. § 2.)
NOMOS (Nomos), a personification of law, described as the ruler of gods and men. (Pind. Fragm. 151, p. 640, ed. Böckh; Plat. Gorg. p. 484, b.; Orph. Hymn. 63.)
OGO′A (Ogôa), the Carian name of Zeus at Mysala, in whose temple a sea-wave was seen from time to time. (Paus. viii. 10. § 3.) Strabo (xiv. p. 659) calls the god of Mysala, in the Carian dialect, Osogo.
OLY′MPIUS (Olumpios), the Olympian, occurs as a surname of Zeus (Hom. Il. i. 353), Heracles (Herod. ii. 44), the Muses (Olympiades, Il. ii. 491), and in general of all the gods that were believed to live in Olympus.
O′MBRIUS (Ombrios), i.e. the rain-giver, a surname of Zeus, under which he had an altar on Mount Hymettus in Attica. (Paus. i. 32. § 3 ; comp. Hes. Op. et Di. 587, 620.)
PANHELLE′NIUS (Panellênios), i.e. the god common to, or worshipped by all the Hellenes or Greeks, occurs as a surname of the Dodonaean Zeus, whose worship had been transplanted by the Hellenes, in the emigration from Thessaly, to Aegina. Subsequently, when the name Hellenes was applied to all the Greeks, the meaning of the god's surname likewise became more extensive, and it was derived from the propitiatory sacrifice which Aeacus was said to have offered on behalf of all the Greeks, and by the command of the Delphic oracle, for the purpose of averting a famine (Paus. i. 44. § 13). On that occasion Aeacus designated Zeus as the national god of all the Greeks (Pind. Nem. v. 19; Herod. ix. 7; Aristoph. Equit. 1253; Plut. Lycurg. 6). In Aegina there was a sanctuary of Zeus Panhellenius, which was said to have been founded by Aeacus; and a festival, Panhellenia, was celebrated there. (Paus. i. 18. § 9; Müller, Aeginet. p. 18, &c. 155, &c.)
PARNE′THIUS (Parnêthios), a surname of Zeus, derived from Mount Parnes in Attica, on which there was a bronze statue of the god. (Paus. i. 32. § 2.)
PATROUS, PATROA (Patrôios, Patrôia), and in Latin, Patrii Dii, are, properly speaking, all the gods whose worship has been handed down in a nation or a family from the time of their fathers, whence in some instances they are the spirits of departed ancestors themselves. (Lucian, De Mort. Pereg. 36.) Zeus was thus theos patrôios at Athens (Paus. i. 3. § 3, 43. § 5), and among the Heracleidae, since the heroes of that race traced their origin to Zeus. (Apollod. ii. 8. § 4.)
PHY′XIUS (Phuzios), i. e., the god who protects fugitives, occurs as a surname of Zeus in Thessaly (Schol. ad Apollon. Rhod. ii. 1147, iv. 699; Paus. ii. 21. § 3, iii. 17. § 8), and of Apollo. (Philostr. Her. x. 4.)
PI′STIUS (Pistios), i. e. the god of faith and fidelity, occurs as a surname of Zeus, and, according to some, answers to the Latin Fidius or Medius Fidius. (Dionys. ii. 49; Eurip. Med. 170.)
POLIEUS (Polieus), 'the protector of the city;' a surname of Zeus, under which he had an altar on the acropolis at Athens. Upon this altar barley and wheat were strewed, which were consumed by the bull about to be sacrificed to the god. The priest who killed the victim, threw away the axe as soon as he had struck the fatal blow, and the axe was then brought before a court of justice. (Paus. i. 24. § 4, 28. § 11.)
SOTER (Sôtêr), i. e. 'the Saviour' (Lat. Servator or Sospes), occurs as the surname of several divinities:-- 1. of Zeus in Argos (Paus. ii. 20. § 5), at Troezene (ii. 31. § 14), in Laconia (iii. 23. § 6), at Messene (iv. 31. § 5), at Mantineia (viii. 9. § l), at Megalopolis (viii. 30. § 5; comp. Aristoph. Ran. 1433 ; Plin. H. N. xxxiv. 8). The sacrifices offered to him were called sôtêria. (Plut. Arat. 53.) 2. Of Helios (Paus. viii. 31. § 4), and 3. of Bacchus. (Lycoph. 206.)
STHE′NIUS (Sthenios), i.e. 'the powerful,' or ' the strengthening,' a surname of Zeus, under which he had an altar in a rock near Hermione, where Aegeus concealed his sword and his shoes, which were found there by Theseus after he had lifted up the rock. (Paus. ii. 32. § 7, 34. § 6.)
STRA′TIUS (Stratios). Stratios, i.e. the warlike, occurs also as a surname of Zeus and Ares. (Strab. xiv. p. 659 ; Herod. v. 119.)
[XENIUS and] XE′NIA (Xenia), and the masculine Xenios are epithets of Athena and Zeus, describing then as presiding over the laws of hospitality, and protecting strangers. (Lat. Hospitalis ; Paus. iii. 11, in fin.; Hom. Od. xiv. 389; Cic. ad Q. Frat. ii. 12.)
ZYGIUS and ZYGIA (Zugia and Zugios), are surnames of Hera and Zeus, describing them as presiding over marriage. (Hesych. s. v.)
Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
CULT TITLES & EPITHETS
Many of Zeus' cult titles were derived from his divine functions, as god of weather, governance, the king of the gods, god of fate, giver of plenty, god of marriage, hospitality, protector of strangers and suppliants, protector and deliver from evils, purification, protector of freedom, defence in war:--
Transliteration
Ombrios
Hyetios
Aphesios
Skotitas
Translation
Of the Rain
Of the Rain
Releasing (Rain)
Dark, Murky
Transliteration
Keraunios
Astrapaios
Kataibatês
Labrandeus
Latin Spelling
Ceraunius
Astrapaeus
Cataebates
Labrandeus
Translation
Of the Thunderbolt
Of the Lightning
Descending
Furious, Raging
Greek Name
Ικμαιος
Κονιος
Μαιμακτης
Ευηνεμος
Λιμενοσκοπος
Transliteration
Ikmaios
Konios
Maimaktês
Euênemos
Limenoskopos
Latin Spelling
Icmaeus
Conius
Maemactes
Evenemus
Limenoscopus
Translation
Of Moisture
Of the Dust
Boisterous
Of Fair Winds
Watcher of Sea-Havens
Transliteration
Basileus
Hypatos
Hypsistos
Koryphaios
Translation
King, Chief, Ruler
Supreme, Most High
Supreme, Most High
Chief, Leader
Transliteration
Ktêsios
Herkeios
Boulaios
Amboulios
Translation
Of the House, Property
Of the Courtyard
Of the Council
Counsellor
Transliteration
Teleios
Moiragetês
Klarios
Sêmaleos
Translation
Of Marriage Rites
Leader of the Fates
Of the Lots
Giver of Signs
Greek Name
Μηχανευς
Κοσμητης
Θεος Αγαθος
Επιδωτης
Πλουσιος
Transliteration
Mêkhaneus
Kosmêtês
Theos Agathos
Epidôtês
Plousios
Latin Spelling
Mechaneus
Cosmetes
Theus Agathus
Epidotes
Plusius
Translation
Contriver
Orderer
The Good God
Giver of Good
Of Wealth
Transliteration
Philios
Xenios
Hikesios
Phyxios
Translation
Myths About Zeus Greek God
Of Friendship
Of Hospitality, Strangers
Of Suppliants
Of Refuge
Transliteration
Palamnaios
Katharsios
Prostropaios
Apêmios
Latin Spelling
Palamnaeus
Catharsius
Prostropaeus
Apemius
Translation
(Punisher) of Murderers
Of Ritual Purification
Turner of Pollution
Averter of Ills
Transliteration
Sôtêr
Meilikhios
Panellênios
Laoitês
Translation
Saviour, Deliverer
Gracious, Merciful
Of All the Greeks
Of the People
Transliteration
Poleius
Sôsipolis
Eleutherios
Khrysaoreus
Latin Spelling
Poleius
Sosipolis
Eleuthereus
Chrysaoreus
Translation
Of the City-State
City-Saviour
Of Freedom
Of the Golden Sword
Transliteration
Stratios
Areios
Sthenios
Tropaios
Phyxios
Latin Spelling
Stratius
Areius
Sthenius
Tropaeus
Phyxius
Translation
Of War, Warlike
Of War, Warlike
Of Strength, Strong
Turns to Flight, Defeats
Puts to Flight, Banishes
Another set of cult titles derived from the towns, mountains and other locales where his shrines were located, as well as the names of cult-founders, and descriptions of their locale. Not all of these titles were confined to their 'home-town', for example, Zeus Olympios (of Olympia) was worshipped throughout Greece.
Transliteration
Hymêttios
Parnêthios
Ankhesmios
Apesantios
Latin Spelling
Hymettius
Parnethius
Anchesmius
Apesantius
Translation
Of Mt Hymettus (Attica)
Of Mt Parnes (Attica)
Of Mt Anchesmus (Attica)
Of Mt Apesas (Argolis)
Transliteration
Larisaios
Nemeios
Krokeatos
Ithômatos
Translation
Of Larisa (Argos acropolis)
Of Nemea (Argolis)
Of Croceae (Laconia)
Of Mt Ithome (Messenia)
Transliteration
Olympios
Lykaios
Drake casino coupon code. Kithairônios
Laphystios
Latin Spelling
Olympius
Lycaeus
Cithaeronius
Laphystius
Translation
Of Olympia (in Elis)
Of Mt Lycaeus (Arcadia)
Of Mt Cithaeron (Boeotia)
Of Mt Laphystius (Boeotia)
Transliteration
Kênaios
Olympios
Dôdônaios
Ainêsios
Translation
Of Cape Cenaeus (Euboea)
Of Mt Olympus (Thessaly)
Of Dodona (Thesprotia)
Of Mt Aenus (Cephallenia)
Transliteration
Pelasgios
Pelasgikos
Diktaios
Atabyrios
Latin Spelling
Pelasgius
Pelasgicus
Dictaeus
Atabyrius
Translation
Of the Pelasgians (Tribe)
Of the Pelasgians (Tribe)
Of Mt Dicte (Crete)
Of Mt Atabyris (Rhodes)
Transliteration
Karios
Labrandeus
Labraundênos
Kapetôlion
Latin Spelling
Carius
Labrandeus
Labraundenus
Capitolium
Translation
Of Caria
Of Labranda (Caria)
Of Labranda (Caria)
Of the Capitol (Rome)
Transliteration
Boulaios
Agoraios
Skotitas
Leukaios
Translation
Of the Council-Hall
Of the Market-Place
Of the Dark (Oak-Forest)
Of the White-Poplar Grove
Transliteration
Lykaios
Apomyios
Lekheatês
Klarios
Translation
Of the Wolves
Averter of Flies
Of the Childbed
Of the Lots
Transliteration
Teleios
Aristaios
Messapeus
Translation
Full-Grown
Of Aristaeus (hero Ceos)
Of Messapeus (hero Sparta)
Zeus was also titled with the names of foreign gods with whom he was identified:--
Transliteration
Osogôa
Ammôn
Translation
(Carian God)
Amun (Egyptian God)
Some of his titles were obscure in meaning:--
Transliteration
Kappôtês
Kharmôn
Translation
--
--
CULT TERMS
Some general terms pertaining to the god's cult include:--
Transliteration
Olympeion
Nemeion
Lykaion
Khrysaoreôn
Translation
Temple of Olympian Zeus
Temple of Nemean Zeus
Temple of Zeus Lycaeus
Temple of Zeus Chrysaoreus
Transliteration
Olympia
Olympieia
Nemea
Ithômaia
Translation
Olympic Games & Festival
Olympic Games & Festival
Nemean Games & Festival
Festival of Zeus Ithomatus
Transliteration
Daidala
Lykaia
Eleutheria
Translation
Festival of (Zeus & Hera)
Festival & Games of Zeus Lycaeus
Festival & Games of Zeus Eleutherius
Months named after Zeus include:--
Transliteration
Maimaktêriôn
Translation
Month of Zeus Maemacterius
SOURCES
GREEK
- Strabo, Geography - Greek Geography C1st B.C. - C1st A.D.
- Pausanias, Description of Greece- Greek Travelogue C2nd A.D.
OTHER SOURCES
See Cult of Zeus pages.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Transliteration
Zeus
Translation
Jupiter, Jove
ZEUS was the King of the Gods and the god of the sky, weather, law and order, destiny and fate, and kingship.He was depicted as a regal, mature man with a sturdy figure and dark beard. His usual attributes were a lightning bolt, a royal sceptre and an eagle.
MYTHS
Zeus was the youngest child of the Titans Kronos (Cronus) and Rheia. Kronos devoured each of his children as they were born, but Zeus escaped this fate when his mother spirited him away, handing the Titan a stone substitute wrapped in swaddling cloth. <<More>>
The god was raised in secrecy on Mount Dikte in Krete (Crete) where he was nursed by nymphs on the milk of the goat Amaltheia and guarded by the warrior Kouretes (Curetes) who drowned out the sound of his crying with their shield-clashing battle-dance. <<More>>
Upon coming of age Zeus recruited the goddess Metis to his cause. She served the Titan Kronos a magical draught which caused him to disgorge the young gods he had devoured. <<More>>
Zeus liberated the six giant-sons of Heaven from the pit of Tartaros. In gratitude the Kyklopes (Cyclopes) armed him with lightning-bolts and the Hekatonkheires (Hundred-Handed) aided him in his assault on the Titanes with volleys of thrown boulders. Kronos and his allies were eventually defeated and banished to a prison beneath the earth. <<More>>
After the fall of the Titan-gods, Zeus and his brothers drew lots to divide rule of the cosmos - Zeus won the heavens, Poseidon the sea and Haides the underworld.
Zeus devoured the pregnant goddess Metis when an oracle revealed that her son was destined to replace him as King of the Gods. Their child, Athena, was subsequently born in his belly and birthed directly from his head. <<More>>
Zeus married his sister Hera, queen of the heavens, after seducing her in the guise of a cuckoo-bird. But this union of ever quarreling sky-god and sky-goddess proved not to be a match made in heaven! <<More>>
Prometheus crafted the race of man and gave them fire stolen from the gods of heaven. Zeus punished this act by ordering the creation of the first woman, Pandora, and sent her to earth with a vessel full of troubles to plague mankind. Prometheus himself was arrested and chained to a mountain with an eagle set to torment him. <<More>>
The early generations of man descended into wickedness and corruption and Zeus decided to wipe them from the face of the earth with a great deluge. One virtuous couple, Deukalion and Pyrrha, were spared and afterwards allowed to repopulate the world with the casting of stones which transformed into men. <<More>>
The earth-goddess Gaia (Gaea), angered by the imprisonment of the Titanes, urged the Giants to rise up against the gods of Olympos. They laid siege to the heavenly fortress but Zeus laid low their king and many others with his deadly lightning-bolts. <<More>>
Gaia produced one more giant, Typhoeus, the most monstrous of his kind and set him upon Olympos. The rest of the gods fled in horror and Zeus himself was defeated in combat with the monster tearing the sinews from his limbs rendering him helpless. Pan later stole back the god's strength and, restored, Zeus defeated the giant in a rematch and bound him beneath Mount Etna. <<More>>
Zeus seduced many mortal woman including Leda in the guise of a swan, Europa as a bull, Danae as a shower of gold, Alkmene as her own husband, Kallisto (Callisto) as the goddess Artemis, and Antiope as a satyr. <<More>>
The god's favorite mortal son was Herakles (Heracles) whom he supported throughout his trials and eventually welcomed to Olympos as a god.
Zeus punished the worst villians of myth for their impiety and crimes against the gods including Tantalos who stole ambrosia from heaven, Lykaon (Lycaon) who served human flesh to the gods, Ixion who attempted to rape Zeus' wife the goddess Hera, and Salmoneus who tried to imitate Zeus and steal the worship that was due the gods.
Many other myths are detailed over the following pages.
SYMBOLS & ATTRIBUTES
Zeus' most distinctive attribute was his stylized lightning bolt which he wielded in his hand like a javelin. His other attributes included a royal sceptre, a throne, an eagle, a miniature Nike (winged goddess of victory), and the aigis (a goat-skin arm-guard). The god was usually clothed in a long robe (chiton) and cloak (himation) but was sometimes depicted nude. He was often crowned with a wreath of olive leaves.
Below are some examples of his attributes as depicted in ancient Greek art:-
1. Lightning bolt; 2. Lightning bolt; 3. Throne; 4. Wreath of olive-leaves.
SACRED ANIMALS & PLANTS
Zeus' sacred animals were the eagle and the bull. In myth he abducted the youth Ganymede in the shape of an eagle and the maiden Europa in the guise of a bull.
His sacred plants were the evergreen holm oak and the olive tree. At the ancient oracle of Dodona Zeus' priests were inspired by the rustling of oak-leaves, and at the Olympic Games victors were crowned with a wreath of olive-leaves picked from the god's sacred grove.
His sacred plants were the evergreen holm oak and the olive tree. At the ancient oracle of Dodona Zeus' priests were inspired by the rustling of oak-leaves, and at the Olympic Games victors were crowned with a wreath of olive-leaves picked from the god's sacred grove.
Below are examples of the god's animals as depicted in ancient Greek art and photos of his sacred plants:-
1. Eagle; 2. Bull; 3. Holm oak; 4. Olive tree.
RETINUE OF ZEUS
Befitting his role as King of the Gods, Zeus was attended by a large complement of lesser divinities.
His throne was guarded by four winged spirits, two male and two female, named Kratos (Strength), Zelos (Rivalry), Nike (Victory) and Bia (Force). Kratos and Bia functioned as muscular enforcers and were tasked with jobs such as the apprehension and imprisonment of the Titan Prometheus. Nike drove Zeus' chariot and often accompanied him in miniature form as something of a divine familiar.
The god Hermes was Zeus' personal herald who acted as diplomat, envoy and general agent of the god's will.
His messenger was Iris, the winged goddess of the rainbow, who simply relayed messages verbatim and delivered commands to the other gods.
Zeus' high councillor Themis, goddess of law and order, was seated beside his throne. She was attended by their six daughters the Moirai (Fates) and the Horai (Seasons). These goddesses were collectively responsible for the orderly functioning of the cosmos. Themis was also charged with summoning all of the gods to assembly in the courtyard of Zeus.
The god's virgin sister Hestia also resided in his palace where she tended the ever-burning, divine hearth-fire in the center of his hall.
Metis, goddess of wisdom, was perhaps his most unusual attendant. Zeus swallowed her whole to avoid a prophesy and she took up residence in his belly. The ancient Greeks believed the belly rather than the brain was the seat of thought and emotion, and so by subsuming her he effectively implanted wise counsel in his mind. She continued to exist in some form or other within the god, even to the extent of birthing Athena there and equipping her with armour and weapons before her second birth from Zeus' head.
Ganymede and the goddess Hebe were Zeus' cupbearers who served ambrosia and nectar at the feasts of the gods.
The winged Harpyiai (Harpies), known as the 'hounds of Zeus', were crude creatures tasked by the god with carrying off or harrassing mortals.
Pegasos, the winged horse, carried Zeus' lightning bolts, and four other immortal horses drew his chariot through the sky.
The winged Harpyiai (Harpies), known as the 'hounds of Zeus', were crude creatures tasked by the god with carrying off or harrassing mortals.
Pegasos, the winged horse, carried Zeus' lightning bolts, and four other immortal horses drew his chariot through the sky.
ZEUS PAGES ON THEOI.COM
This site contains a total of 8 pages describing the god, including general descriptions, mythology, and cult. The content is outlined in the Index of Zeus Pages (left column or below).
FAMILY OF ZEUS
PARENTS
KRONOS & RHEA(Homer Iliad 15.187, Hesiod Theogony 453, Apollodorus 1.4, Diodorus Siculus 5.68.1, et al)
OFFSPRING
See Family of Zeus
Zeus was a son of the Titans Kronos (Cronus) and Rheia and a grandson of Ouranos (the Sky) and Gaia (the Earth). He was a brother of the gods Poseidon, Haides, Hera, Demeter and Hestia.
Zeus married his sister, the sky-goddess Hera, and they had three children - Ares, Hebe and Eileithyia.
His other divine consorts included: his sister Demeter mother of Persephone; his cousins Metis mother of Athena, Leto mother of Apollon and Leto, and Maia mother of Hermes; his aunts Dione mother of Aphrodite, Themis mother of the Moirai (Fates) and Horai (Seasons), and Mnemosyne mother of the Mousai (Muses); and his descendant Semele mother of Dionysos.
He was also the father of innumerable mortal kings and heroes, the most famous of which were Perseus, Herakles (Heracles), and Helene of Troy. <<More>>
Zeus married his sister, the sky-goddess Hera, and they had three children - Ares, Hebe and Eileithyia.
His other divine consorts included: his sister Demeter mother of Persephone; his cousins Metis mother of Athena, Leto mother of Apollon and Leto, and Maia mother of Hermes; his aunts Dione mother of Aphrodite, Themis mother of the Moirai (Fates) and Horai (Seasons), and Mnemosyne mother of the Mousai (Muses); and his descendant Semele mother of Dionysos.
He was also the father of innumerable mortal kings and heroes, the most famous of which were Perseus, Herakles (Heracles), and Helene of Troy. <<More>>
Below are two graphics depicting Zeus' core family tree, the first with names transliterated from the Greek and the second with the common English spellings:-
A much more detailed family tree for Zeus including all of his immortal lovers and children can be found here (transliterated Greek version) and here (English names version).
ENCYCLOPEDIA
ZEUS (Zeus), the greatest of the Olympian gods, and the father of gods and men, was a son of Cronos and Rhea, a brother of Poseidon, Hades (Pluto), Hestia, Demeter, Hera, and at the same time married to his sister Hera. When Zeus and his brothers distributed among themselves the government of the world by lot, Poseidon obtained the sea, Hades the lower world, and Zeus the heavens and the upper regions, but the earth became common to all (Hom. Il. xv. 187, &c., i. 528, ii. 111; Virg. Aen. iv. 372).
Later mythologers enumerate three Zeus in their genealogies two Arcadian ones and one Cretan; and tne first is said to be a son of Aether, the second of Coelus, and the third of Saturnus (Cic. de Nat. Deor. iii. 21). This accounts for the fact that some writers use the name of the king of heaven who sends dew, rain, snow, thunder, and lightning for heaven itself in its physical sense. (Horat. Carm. i. 1. 25 ; Virg. Georg. ii. 419.)
According to the Homeric account Zeus, like the other Olympian gods, dwelt on Mount Olympus in Thessaly, which was believed to penetrate with its lofty summit into heaven itself (Il. i. 221, &c., 354, 609, xxi. 438). He is called the father of gods and men (i. 514, v. 33; comp. Aeschyl. Sept. 512), the most high and powerful among the immortals, whom all others obey (Il. xix. 258, viii. 10, &c.). He is the highest ruler, who with his counsel manages every thing (i. 175, viii. 22), the founder of kingly power, of law and of order, whence Dice, Themis and Nemesis are his assistants (i. 238, ii. 205, ix. 99, xvi. 387; comp. Hes. Op. et D. 36 ; Callim. Hymn. in Jov. 79).
For the same reason he protects the assembly of the people (agoraios), the meetings of the council (boulaios), and as he presides over the whole state, so also over every house and family (herkeios, Od. xxii. 335; comp. Ov. Ib. 285). He also watched over the sanctity of the oath (horkios), the law of hospitality (xenios), and protected suppliants (hikesios, Od. ix. 270; comp. Paus. v. 24. § 2). He avenged those who were wronged, and punished those who had committed a crime, for he watched the doings and sufferings of all men (epopsios, Od. xiii. 213; comp. Apollon. Rhod. i. 1123).
He was further the original source of all prophetic power, front whom all prophetic signs and sounds proceeded (panomphaios, Il. viii. 250 ; comp. Aeschyl. Eum. 19 ; Callim. Hymn. in Jov. 69). Every thing good as well as bad comes from Zeus, and according to his own choice he assigns their good or evil lot to mortals (Od. iv. 237, vi. 188, ix. 552, Il. x. 71, xvii. 632, &c.), and fate itself was subordinate to him.
He is armed with thunder and lightning, and the shaking of his aegis produces storm and tempest (Il. xvii. 593) : a number of epithets of Zeus in the Homeric poems describe him as the thunderer, the gatherer of clouds, and the like.
He was married to Hera, by whom he had two sons, Ares and Hephaestus, and one daughter, Hebe (Il. i. 585, v. 896, Od. xi. 604). Hera sometimes acts as an independent divinity, she is ambitious and rebels against her lord, but she is nevertheless inferior to him, and is punished for her opposition (Il. xv. 17, &c., xix. 95, &c.) ; his amours with other goddesses or mortal women are not concealed from her, though they generally rouse her jealousy and revenge (Il. xiv. 317). During the Trojan war, Zeus, at the request of Thetis, favoured the Trojans, until Agamemnon made good the wrong he had done to Achilles.
Zeus, no doubt, was originally a god of a portion of nature, whence the oak with its eatable fruit and the fertile doves were sacred to him at Dodona and in Arcadia (hence also rain, storms, and the seasons were regarded as his work, and hence the Cretan stories of milk, honey, and cornucopia) ; but in the Homeric poems, this primitive character of a personification of certain powers of nature is already effaced to some extent, and the god appears as a political and national divinity, as the king and father of men, as the founder and protector of all institutions hallowed by law, custom. or religion.
Hesiod (Theog. 116, &c.) also calls Zeus the son of Cronos and Rhea , and the brother of Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon. Cronos swallowed his children immediately after their birth, but when Rhea was near giving birth to Zeus, she applied to Uranus and Ge for advice as to how the child might be saved. Before the hour of birth came, Uranus and Ge sent Rhea to Lyctos in Crete, requesting her to bring up her child there. Rhea accordingly concealed her infant in a cave of Mount Aegaeon, and gave to Cronos a stone wrapped up in cloth, which he swallowed in the belief that it was his son. Other traditions state that Zeus was born and brought up on Mount Dicte or Ida (also the Trojan Ida), Ithome in Messenia, Thebes in Boeotia, Aegion in Achaia, or Olenos in Aetolia. According to the common account, however, Zeus grew up in Crete. As Rhea is sometimes identified with Ge, Zeus is also called a son of Ge. (Aeschyl. Suppl. 901.)
In the meantime Cronos by a cunning device of Ge or Metis was made to bring up the children he had swallowed, and first of all the stone, which was afterwards set up by Zeus at Delphi. The young god now delivered the Cyclopes from the bonds with which they had been fettered by Cronos, and they in their gratitude provided him with thunder and lightning. On the advice of Ge. Zeus also liberated the hundred-armed Gigantes, Briareos, Cottus, and Gyes, that they might assist him in his fight against the Titans. (Apollod. i. 2. § 1; Hes. Theog. 617, &c.) The Titans were conquered and shut up in Tartarus (Theog. 717), where they were henceforth guarded by the Hecatoncheires. Thereupon Tartarus and Ge begot Typhoeus, who began a fearful struggle with Zeus, but was conquered. (Theog. 820, &c.)
Zeus now obtained the dominion of the world, and chose Metis for his wife. (Theog. 881, &c.) When she was pregnant with Athena, he took the child out of her body and concealed it in his own, on the advice of Uranus and Ge, who told him that thereby he would retain the supremacy of the world. For Metis had given birth to a son, this son (so fate had ordained it) would have acquired the sovereignty. After this Zeus, by his second wife Themis. became the father of the Horae and Moerae; of the Charites by Eurynome, of Persephone by Demeter, of the Muses by Mnemosyne, of Apollo and Artemis by Leto, and of Hebe, Ares, and Eileithyia by Hera. Athena was born out of the head of Zeus; while Hera, on the other hand, gave birth to Hephaestus without the co-operation of Zeus. (Theog. 8866, &c.)
The family of the Cronidae accordingly embraces the twelve great gods of Olympus, Zeus (the head of them all), Poseidon, Apollo, Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, and Artemis. These twelve Olympian gods, who in some places were worshipped as a body, as at Athens (Thueyd. vi. 54), were recognised not only by the Greeks, but were adopted also by the Romans, who, in particular, identified their Jupiter with the Greek Zeus.
In surveying the different local traditions about Zeus, it would seem that originally there were several, at least three, divinities which in their respective countries were supreme, but which in the course of time became united in the minds of tile people into one great national divinity. We may accordingly speak of an Arcadian, Dodonaean, Cretan, and a national Hellenic Zeus.
1. The Arcadian Zeus (Zeus Lukaios) was born, according to the legends of the country, in Arcadia, either on Mount Parrhasion (Callim. Hymn. in Jov. 7, 10), or in a district of Mount Lycaeon, which was called Cretea. (Paus. viii. 38. § 1 ; Callim. l. c. 14.) He was brought up there by the nymphs Theisoa, Neda, and Hagno; the first of these gave her name to an Arcadian town, the second to a river, and the third to a well. (Paus. viii. 38. § 2, &c., 47. § 2; comp. Callim. l. c. 33.) Lycaon, a son of Pelasgus, who built the first and most ancient town of Lycosura, called Zeus Lycaeus, and erected a temple and instituted the festival of the Lyceia in honour of him; he further offered to him bloody sacrifices, and among others his own son, in consequence of which he was metamorphosed into a wolf (lukos; Paus. viii. 2. § 1, 38. § 1; Callim. l. c. 4 ; Ov. Met. i. 218.) No one was allowed to enter the sanctuary of Zeus Lycaeus on Mount Lycaeon, and there was a belief that, if any one entered it, he died within twelve months after, and that in it neither human beings nor animals cast a shadow. (Paus. viii. 38. § 5; comp. Schol. ad Callim. Hymn. in Jov. 13.) Those who entered it intentionally were stoned to death, unless they escaped by flight; and those who had got in by accident were sent to Eleutherae. (Plut. Quaest. Gr. 39.) On the highest summit of Lycaeon, there was an altar of Zeus, in front of which, towards the east, there were two pillars bearing golden eagles. The sacrifices offered there were kept secret. (Paus. viii. 38. § 5; Callim. l. c. 68.)
2. The Dodonaean Zeus (Zeus Dôdônaios or Pelasgikos) possessed the most ancient oracle in Greece, at Dodona in Epeirus, near mount Tomarus (Tmarus or Tomurus), from which he derived his name. (Hom. Il. ii. 750, xvi. 233; Herod. ii. 52 ; Paus. i. 17. § 5; Strab. v. p. 338, vi. p. 504; Virg. Eclog. viii. 44.) At Dodona Zeus was mainly a prophetic god, and the oak tree was sacred to him ; but there too he was said to have been reared by if the Dodonaean nymphs (Hyades; Schol. ad Hom. Il. xviii. 486; Hygin. Fab. 182 ; Ov. Fast. vi. 711, Met. iii. 314). Respecting the Dodonaean oracle of Zeus, see Dict. of Ant. s. v. Oraculum.
3. The Cretan Zeus (Zeus Diktaios or Krêtagenês). We have already given the account of him which is contained in the Theogony of Hesiod. He is the god, to whom Rhea, concealed from Cronos, gave birth in a cave of mount Dicte, and whom she entrusted to the Curetes and the nymphs Adrasteia and Ida, the daughters of Melisseus. They fed him with milk of the goat Amaltheia, and the bees of the mountain provided him with honey. (Apollod. i. 1. § 6; Callim. l. c. ; Diod. v. 70; comp. Athen. xi. 70; Ov. Fast. v. 115.) Crete is called the island or nurse of the great Zeus, and his worship there appears to have been very ancient. (Virg. Aen. iii. 104; Dionys. Perieg. 501.) Among the places in the island which were particularly sacred to the god, we must mention the district about mount Ida, especially Cnosus, which was said to have been built by the Curetes, and where Minos had ruled and conversed with Zeus (Hom. Od. xix. 172; Plat. de Leg. i. 1; Diod. v. 70; Strab. x. p. 730; Cic. de Nat. Deor. iii. 21); Gortyn, where the god, in the form of a bull, landed when he had carried off Europa from Phoenicia, and where he was worshipped under the surname of Hecatombaeus (Hesych. s. v.) ; further the towns about mount Dicte, as Lyctos (Hes. Theog. 477), Praesos, Hierapytna, Biennos, Eleuthernae and Oaxus. (Comp. Hoeck, Creta, i. p. 160, &c., 339, &c.)
4. The national Hellenic Zeus, near whose temple at Olympia in Elis, the great national panegyris was celebrated every fifth year. There too Zeus was regarded as the father and king of gods and men, and as the supreme god of the Hellenic nation, His statue there was executed by Pheidias, a few years before the outbreak of the Peloponnesian war, the majestic and sublime idea for this statue having been suggested to the artist by the words of Homer, Il. i. 527. (Comp. Hygin. Fab. 223.) According to the traditions of Elis, Cronos was the first ruler of the country, and in the golden age there was a temple dedicated to him at Olympia. Rhea, it is further said, entrusted the infant Zeus to the Idaean Dactyls, who were also called Curetes, and had come from mount Ida in Crete to Elis. Heracles, one of them, contended with his brother Dactyls in a footrace, and adorned the victor with a wreath of olive. In this manner he is said to have founded the Olympian games, and Zeus to have contended with Cronos for the kingdom of Elis. (Paus. v. 7. § 4.)
The Greek and Latin poets give to Zeus an immense number of epithets and surnames, which are derived partly from the places where he was worshipped, and partly from his powers and functions. He was worshipped throughout Greece and her colonies, so that it would be useless and almost impossible to enumerate all the places.
The eagle, the oak, and the summits of mountains were sacred to him, and his sacrifices generally consisted of goats, bulls and cows. (Hom. Il. ii. 403; Aristot. Ethic. v. 10, ix. 2; Virg. Aen. iii. 21, ix. 627.) His usual attributes are, the sceptre, eagle, thunderbolt, and a figure of Victory in his hand, and sometimes also a cornucopia. The Olympian Zeus sometimes wears a wreath of olive, and the Dodonaean Zeus a wreath of oak leaves.
In works of art Zeus is generally represented as the omnipotent father and king of gods and men, according to the idea which had been embodied in the statue of the Olympian Zeus by Pheidias.
Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
CLASSICAL LITERATURE QUOTES
HYMNS TO ZEUS
I) THE HOMERIC HYMNS
Homeric Hymn 23 to Cronides (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th to 4th B.C.) :
'To [Zeus] Kronides (Cronides) (Son of Kronos), Most High (hypatos). I will sing of Zeus, chiefest among the gods and greatest, all-seeing, the lord of all, the fulfiller who whispers words of wisdom to Themis as she sits leaning towards him. Be gracious, all-seeing Kronides, most excellent and great!'
'To [Zeus] Kronides (Cronides) (Son of Kronos), Most High (hypatos). I will sing of Zeus, chiefest among the gods and greatest, all-seeing, the lord of all, the fulfiller who whispers words of wisdom to Themis as she sits leaning towards him. Be gracious, all-seeing Kronides, most excellent and great!'
II) THE ORPHIC HYMNS
Orphic Hymn 15 to Zeus (trans. Taylor) (Greek hymns C3rd B.C. to 2nd A.D.) :
'O Zeus, much-honoured, Zeus supremely great, to thee our holy rites we consecrate, our prayers and expiations, king divine, for all things to produce with ease through mind is thine. Hence mother earth (gaia) and mountains swelling high proceed from thee, the deep and all within the sky. Kronion (Cronion) king, descending from above, magnanimous, commanding, sceptred Zeus; all-parent, principle and end of all, whose power almighty shakes this earthly ball; even nature trembles at thy mighty nod, loud-sounding, armed with lightning, thundering god. Source of abundance, purifying king, O various-formed, from whom all natures spring; propitious hear my prayer, give blameless health, with peace divine, and necessary wealth.'
'O Zeus, much-honoured, Zeus supremely great, to thee our holy rites we consecrate, our prayers and expiations, king divine, for all things to produce with ease through mind is thine. Hence mother earth (gaia) and mountains swelling high proceed from thee, the deep and all within the sky. Kronion (Cronion) king, descending from above, magnanimous, commanding, sceptred Zeus; all-parent, principle and end of all, whose power almighty shakes this earthly ball; even nature trembles at thy mighty nod, loud-sounding, armed with lightning, thundering god. Source of abundance, purifying king, O various-formed, from whom all natures spring; propitious hear my prayer, give blameless health, with peace divine, and necessary wealth.'
Orphic Hymn 19 to Zeus of Thunder :
'To Zeus Keraunos (Ceraunus) (Thundering). O father Zeus, who shakest with fiery light the world, deep-sounding from thy lofty height. From thee proceeds the ethereal lightning's blaze, flashing around intolerable rays. Thy sacred thunders shake the blest abodes, the shining regions of the immortal Gods. Thy power divine the flaming lightning shrouds with dark investiture in fluid clouds. 'Tis thine to brandish thunders strong and dire, to scatter storms, and dreadful darts of fire; with roaring flames involving all around, and bolts of thunder of tremendous sound. Thy rapid dart can raise the hair upright, and shake the heart of man with wild affright. Sudden, unconquered, holy, thundering God, with noise unbounded flying all abroad; with all-devouring force, entire and strong, horrid, untamed, thou rollest the flames along. Rapid, ethereal bolt, descending fire, the earth, all-parent, trembles at thine ire; the sea all-shining, and each beast, that hears the sound terrific, with dread horror fears: when nature's face is bright with flashing fire, and in the heavens resound they thunders dire. They thunders white the azure garments tear, and burst the veil of all-surrounding air. O Zeus, all-blessed, may thy wrath severe, hurled in the bosom of the deep appear, and on the tops of mountains be revealed, for thy strong arm is not from us concealed. Propitious to these sacred rites incline, and to thy suppliants grant a life divine, add royal health, and gentle peace beside, with upright reasoning for a constant guide.'
'To Zeus Keraunos (Ceraunus) (Thundering). O father Zeus, who shakest with fiery light the world, deep-sounding from thy lofty height. From thee proceeds the ethereal lightning's blaze, flashing around intolerable rays. Thy sacred thunders shake the blest abodes, the shining regions of the immortal Gods. Thy power divine the flaming lightning shrouds with dark investiture in fluid clouds. 'Tis thine to brandish thunders strong and dire, to scatter storms, and dreadful darts of fire; with roaring flames involving all around, and bolts of thunder of tremendous sound. Thy rapid dart can raise the hair upright, and shake the heart of man with wild affright. Sudden, unconquered, holy, thundering God, with noise unbounded flying all abroad; with all-devouring force, entire and strong, horrid, untamed, thou rollest the flames along. Rapid, ethereal bolt, descending fire, the earth, all-parent, trembles at thine ire; the sea all-shining, and each beast, that hears the sound terrific, with dread horror fears: when nature's face is bright with flashing fire, and in the heavens resound they thunders dire. They thunders white the azure garments tear, and burst the veil of all-surrounding air. O Zeus, all-blessed, may thy wrath severe, hurled in the bosom of the deep appear, and on the tops of mountains be revealed, for thy strong arm is not from us concealed. Propitious to these sacred rites incline, and to thy suppliants grant a life divine, add royal health, and gentle peace beside, with upright reasoning for a constant guide.'
Orphic Hymn 20 to Zeus of Lightning :
'To Zeus Astrapaios (Astrapaeus) (Lightning Maker). I call the mighty, holy, splendid, light, aerial, dreadful-sounding, fiery-bright, flaming, ethereal light, with angry voice, lighting through lucid clouds with crashing noise. Untamed, to whom resentments dire belong, pure, holy power, all-parent, great and strong: come, and benevolent these rites attend, and grant the mortal life a pleasing end.'
'To Zeus Astrapaios (Astrapaeus) (Lightning Maker). I call the mighty, holy, splendid, light, aerial, dreadful-sounding, fiery-bright, flaming, ethereal light, with angry voice, lighting through lucid clouds with crashing noise. Untamed, to whom resentments dire belong, pure, holy power, all-parent, great and strong: come, and benevolent these rites attend, and grant the mortal life a pleasing end.'
Orphic Hymn 73 to the Daemon :
'To the Daimon [Zeus]. Thee, mighty ruling Daimon dread, I call, mild Zeus, life-giving, and the source of all: great Zeus, much wandering, terrible and strong, to whom revenge and tortures dire belong. Mankind from thee in plenteous wealth abound, when in their dwellings joyful thou art found; or pass through life afflicted and distressed, the needful means of bliss by thee suppressed. 'Tis thine alone, endued with boundless might, to keep the keys of sorrow and delight. O holy blessed father, hear my prayer, disperse the seeds of life-consuming care, with favouring mind the sacred rites attend, and grant to life a glorious blessed end.'
'To the Daimon [Zeus]. Thee, mighty ruling Daimon dread, I call, mild Zeus, life-giving, and the source of all: great Zeus, much wandering, terrible and strong, to whom revenge and tortures dire belong. Mankind from thee in plenteous wealth abound, when in their dwellings joyful thou art found; or pass through life afflicted and distressed, the needful means of bliss by thee suppressed. 'Tis thine alone, endued with boundless might, to keep the keys of sorrow and delight. O holy blessed father, hear my prayer, disperse the seeds of life-consuming care, with favouring mind the sacred rites attend, and grant to life a glorious blessed end.'
ANCIENT GREEK & ROMAN ART
K1.1 Zeus Wielding Lightning
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
K1.2 Zeus Wielding Lightning
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
T24.2 Zeus & Nike, War of Giants
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C4th B.C.
K1.3 Zeus, Giant Porphyrion
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
K8.10 Zeus & Birth of Athena
Athenian Black Figure Vase Painting C6th B.C.
K8.11 Zeus & Birth of Athena
Athenian Black Figure Vase Painting C6th B.C.
K8.12 Zeus & Birth of Athena
Athenian Black Figure Vase Painting C6th B.C.
K8.14 Zeus & Birth of Athena
Athenian Black Figure Vase Painting C6th B.C.
K8.13 Zeus & Birth of Athena
Athenian Black Figure Vase Painting C6th B.C.
K17.2 Zeus, Hera, Horae
Athenian Black Figure Vase Painting C6th B.C.
M10.1B Zeus & Typhoeus
Chalcidian Black Figure Painting C6th B.C.
T23.1 Zeus, Maia, Infant Hermes
Caeretan Black Figure Vase Painting C6th B.C.
T6.1 Cronus, Rhea, Omphalos Stone
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
K12.14 Zeus & Birth of Dionysus
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
K12.27 Zeus & Birth of Dionysus
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
K12.13 Zeus & Birth of Dionysus
Apulian Red Figure Vase Painting C4th B.C.
T1.6 Zeus, Athena, Birth Erichthonius
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
K4.9 Zeus, Hera, Eros, Athena
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
L11.3 Zeus, Hera, Io as Cow, Hermes
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
K10.1 Zeus, Aphrodite, Eros
Apulian Red Figure Vase Painting C4th B.C.
O24.9 Zeus & Ganymedes
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
O24.6 Zeus & Ganymedes
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
O24.1 Zeus & Ganymedes
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
K18.2 Zeus, Hera & Hebe
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
O24.5 Zeus & Ganymedes
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
O24.8 Zeus & Ganymede
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
O24.7 Zeus & Ganymedes
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
O24.4 Zeus & Ganymedes
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
O26.1 Zeus & Nymph Aegina
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
O26.2 Zeus & Nymph Aegina
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C. Casino cruise online.
K1.12 Danae & Zeus as Shower of Gold
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
K1.14 Danae & Zeus as Shower of Gold
Lucanian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
H18.1 Leda & Zeus as Swan
Apulian Red Figure Vase Painting C4th B.C.
K1.8 Europa & Zeus as Bull
Apulian Red Figure Vase Painting C4th B.C.
K1.10 Europa & Zeus as Bull
Paestan Red Figure Vase Painting C4th B.C.
K1.13 Europa & Zeus as Bull
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
O2.1 Zeus, Alcmena on Pyre
Paestan Red Figure Vase Painting C4th B.C.
K9.7 Zeus, Ares, Heracles, Cycnus
Athenian Black Figure Vase Painting C6th B.C.
H2.4 Zeus, Athena, Heracles
Athenian Black Figure Vase Painting C6th B.C.
P21.5 Zeus Served by Iris
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
K4.8 Zeus, Nike, Hera, Athena
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C4th B.C.
T8.2 Zeus, Themis, Hermes, Athena
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C4th B.C.
O24.2 Zeus & Ganymedes
Athenian Red Figure Vase Painting C5th B.C.
Z1.7 Antiope & Zeus as Satyr
Greco-Roman Zeugma Floor Mosaic A.D.
Z1.6 Antiope & Zeus as Satyr
Greco-Roman Zeugma Floor Mosaic C2nd A.D.
Z1.4 Leda & Zeus as Swan
Greco-Roman Kouklia Floor Mosaic C3rd A.D.
F1.1 Europa & Zeus as Bull
Greco-Roman Pompeii Wall Fresco C1st B.C.
Z1.5 Leda & Zeus as Swan
Greco-Roman Spain Floor Mosaic A.D.
Z1.2 Europa & Zeus as Bull
Greco-Roman Sparta Mosaic A.D.
Z1.3 Europa & Zeus as Bull
Greco-Roman Naxos Floor Mosaic A.D.
Z1.8 Europa & Zeus as Bull
Greco-Roman Arles Floor Mosaic A.D.
Z50.1E Zeus as Thursday
Greco-Roman Orbe Floor Mosaic C3th A.D.
Z2.6 Europa & Zeus as Bull
Greco-Roman Zeugma Floor Mosaic C2nd A.D.
Z1.1 Europa & Zeus as Bull
Greco-Roman Antioch Mosaic C2nd A.D.
Z1.9 Europa & Zeus as Bull
Greco-Roman Stabia Mosaic C1st A.D.
SOURCES (ALL ZEUS PAGES)
GREEK
- Homer, The Iliad - Greek Epic C8th B.C.
- Homer, The Odyssey - Greek Epic C8th B.C.
- Hesiod, Theogony- Greek Epic C8th - 7th B.C.
- Hesiod, Catalogues of Women Fragments- Greek Epic C8th - 7th B.C.
- Hesiod, Great Eoiae Fragments- Greek Epic C8th - 7th B.C.
- Hesiod, Astronomy Fragments- Greek Epic C8th - 7th B.C.
- The Homeric Hymns- Greek Epic C8th - 4th B.C.
- Pindar, Odes - Greek Lyric C5th B.C.
- Pindar, Fragments - Greek Lyric C5th B.C.
- Greek Lyric I Alcman, Fragments- Greek Lyric C7th B.C.
- Aeschylus, Fragments - Greek Tragedy C5th B.C.
- Herodotus, Histories - Greek History C5th B.C.
- Plato, Republic - Greek Philosophy C4th B.C.
- Plato, Theages - Greek Philosophy C4th B.C.
- Apollodorus, The Library - Greek Mythography C2nd A.D.
- Callimachus, Hymns- Greek Poetry C3rd B.C.
- Callimachus, Fragments - Greek Poetry C3rd B.C.
- Diodorus Siculus, The Library of History- Greek History C1st B.C.
- Strabo, Geography - Greek Geography C1st B.C. - C1st A.D.
- Pausanias, Description of Greece- Greek Travelogue C2nd A.D.
- The Orphic Hymns- Greek Hymns C3rd B.C. - C2nd A.D.
- Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses - Greek Mythography C2nd A.D.
- Aelian, On Animals - Greek Natural History C2nd - 3rd A.D.
- Aelian, Historical Miscellany - Greek Rhetoric C2nd - 3rd A.D.
- Philostratus the Elder, Imagines- Greek Rhetoric C3rd A.D.
- Philostratus, Life of Apollonius of Tyana - Greek Biography C2nd A.D.
- Ptolemy Hephaestion, New History - Greek Mythography C1st - 2nd A.D.
- Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy- Greek Epic C4th A.D.
- Nonnus, Dionysiaca- Greek Epic C5th A.D.
ROMAN
- Hyginus, Fabulae- Latin Mythography C2nd A.D.
- Hyginus, Astronomica- Latin Mythography C2nd A.D.
- Ovid, Metamorphoses - Latin Epic C1st B.C. - C1st A.D.
- Ovid, Fasti - Latin Poetry C1st B.C. - C1st A.D.
- Virgil, Aeneid - Latin Epic C1st B.C.
- Cicero, De Natura Deorum - Latin Rhetoric C1st B.C.
- Pliny the Elder, Natural History - Latin Encyclopedia C1st A.D.
BYZANTINE
- Suidas, The Suda - Byzantine Greek Lexicon C10th A.D.
OTHER SOURCES
Other sources not quoted here: numerous.