Who was the father of Zeus Hades and Poseidon. Zeus' father - who is he? Name, history

In terms of the number of gods, the ancient Greeks cannot be compared with any people on our planet. The inhabitants of Hellas at almost every step were guided by the advice of a deity. However, among them the most important was Zeus. Who is this character This is the god of lightning and thunder, as well as the ruler of the whole world.

Who was Zeus, according to ancient myths?

The chief of all the gods was considered the third son of Rhea and the titan Kronos (Homer described him as the eldest son). In addition, he was the brother of Demeter, Hades, Poseidon, Hestia and Hera. The attributes of the main deity were a double ax (labrys) and a shield. Sometimes an eagle was depicted next to Zeus. And Olympus was considered the seat of the Thunderer.

What did the god of thunder and lightning identify with?

So Zeus. Who is this almighty ruler of the world? It was believed that he was able to distribute evil and good throughout the earth. In some myths, it is associated with fate itself. In some legends, the main one, on the contrary, acts as a creature that is in the grip of fate. Mythology gives Zeus the ability to foresee the future. At the same time, he proclaims the fate of fate through lightning, thunder, and also dreams.

It was believed that the construction of social order is the direct merit of Zeus. It was he, in their opinion, who gave laws to people and power to kings. It was believed that the main deity ensures that all the customs and traditions of the people are steadily observed, as well as the home and family are preserved.

Birth

Zeus - who is this main god? This is a representative of the third generation of deities who overthrew their predecessors.

The post of the main deity was not given to Zeus so easily. His father, the cunning and treacherous Kronos, was most afraid of the fact that his own children would take power over the world from him. And he decided to destroy them. To do this, Kronos began to swallow his offspring alive. When the turn of Zeus came, Rhea hid her son on the island of Crete in one of the deep caves. At the same time, she gave her husband a stone wrapped in diapers, which he swallowed, mistaking for a baby. Only after that Kronos calmed down, believing that no one else could threaten his throne.

Childhood

Meanwhile, in the cave of Crete, the hidden Zeus was slowly growing up. Mythology ancient greece diverts big role in his upbringing of the goat Amalthea and the nymph Melissa. The first fed the divine child with her milk. goats gave Zeus everything he needed. The nymph Melissa also showed great concern for the baby. She provided him with everything he could need. The nymph also gave him nutritious honey, which promotes rapid growth. According to legend, faithful guards guarded the cave in which the divine offspring was located. When the baby cried, they banged loudly on their shields with their spears so that Kronos would not hear anything.

Clash of the Titans

Years have passed. Zeus grew up and matured. In the end, events unfolded exactly as promised to Kronos. The son overthrew the cruel father, forcing him to return all the swallowed children to life. Six of them defeated the tyrant.

The most powerful Zeus began to reign in the sky. His brother Hades got the underworld, and Poseidon got the sea. At the same time, they decided that they would manage the land together.

Realm of the gods

Olympus and Zeus in the mythology of Ancient Greece are inseparable concepts. On this high mountain, a powerful ruler decided the fate of people and all life on earth, being surrounded by other gods who obeyed him unquestioningly.

The gates of Olympus were closed by a thick lush cloud. Near him were the goddesses of the Mountain. Their duty was to remove the cloud, letting the golden chariots pass.
The kingdom of Zeus was distinguished by the fact that a gentle and warm summer constantly reigned in it. On the ground, by contrast, thunderstorms and heavy rains were fairly common. People believed that the Greek god Zeus was angry with them for some reason. Therefore, he sends lightning and thunder as punishment. Not without reason, in ancient Greek myths and legends, the main ruler of Olympus was called the cloudmaker and thunderer.

Zeus lived in Olympia in a luxurious palace, at the gates of which there were certainly two vessels. In one of them were the gifts of Good, and in the other - of Evil. At times, Zeus scooped up the contents of these vessels, sending them to people.

The ancient Greek myths assigned a special place to the Moirs. Despite the omnipotence of Zeus, it was these three goddesses who determined the fate of both people and gods.

Period of government

Ancient Greek mythology names people and gods. However, she also says that his power over the gods of Olympus is weak, and the fateful paths are often unknown to him. On the advice of Uranus-Heaven and Gaia-Earth, Zeus swallowed Metis, his first wife. By this he avoided the birth of a son who was supposed to become stronger than his father.

The daughter of Gaia, Themis, revealed a secret to Zeus: Thetis will have exactly the same son. Then the lord of all the gods refused to marry her and gave the goddess for the hero Peleus.
And the second wife of Zeus was Themis - the goddess of justice. Their daughters are Ores. Thanks to them, there is order and regularity in the lives of people and gods.

The third legal wife of Zeus is Hera. But in fact, it was this goddess, who patronizes the marriage bond, that became the first wife in her meaning.
The reign of Zeus markedly changes the world of all Olympians. Thanks to the daughters of the main deity from Eurynome - the Harites - grace, joy and fun are brought into life. Zeus gives birth to nine Muses from Mnemosyne. This fact determines that the Thunderer in Greek mythology called a source that inspires the ministers of science and art.

This is how Zeus gradually transforms the whole world. He gives rise to gods who bring order and law, and science, art, etc. into people's lives.

The significance of Zeus in the mythology of ancient Greece is enormous. The main Olympic deity in the texts that have come down to us is identified with the patron of urban life and the community of people, and also acts as a protector of the offended.

Olympic Games

Answering the question: "Zeus - who is this?", It is impossible not to mention Olympic Games. After all, it was he who was the founder of this spectacle, he lit the first Olympic flame, and it was in his honor that competitions began to be held in 776 BC, in which ancient Greek men demonstrated their strength, dexterity and beauty. The significance of these games for people was so great that wars stopped during the period they were held. The city-states that participated in the hostilities entered into a temporary truce.

So, first, what do we know about the Pantheon of the Greek gods. Translated from the Ancient Greek language, the word PANTHEON means ALL GODS, and so, the Greeks, who love order in everything, divided the deities into three groups:

PANTHEON
LOWER GODS
MONSTERS

We will talk about the last two later.
The pantheon included 12 gods. This number is sacred for many nations. Perhaps this is due to the fact that this number can be obtained by multiplying 3 by 4. At the same time, 3 symbolizes the division of the world vertically (heaven, earth and the underworld), and 4 means the cardinal points. But be that as it may, the composition of the pantheon was not very stable. Usually it is Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Demeter, Hestia, Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Dionysus. We also know that the Pantheon was located on Mount Olympus in Olympia.

And now I will ask the esteemed Zeus to return to his portrait.

Zeus, Diy (Roman name Jupiter) The most important god, the king of all gods.
Zeus is a native Greek deity; his name is of purely Indo-European origin and means "bright sky". In antiquity, the etymology of the word "Zeus" was associated with the roots of the Greek words "life", "boiling", "irrigation", "that through which everything exists." Zeus is the son of Kron (hence the names Zeus Kronid, Kronion) and Rhea, he belongs to the third generation of gods who overthrew the second generation - the titans. As you know, Zeus was born on the island of Crete. And at the very beginning of the Olympic period in Greek mythology, the main sanctuary of Zeus was considered the Whales Labyrinth (Hence Zeus Labros, labros labyrinth.) The formidable half-man, half-bull Minotaur lived in the labyrinth. The bull is one of the incarnations of Zeus. The main attributes of Zeus Labros are: a double ax (labrys), a magical weapon that kills and gives life, destructive and creative power.
Zeus was also the ruler of the underworld (Before Hades). He was the judge of the souls of the dead. Hence the epithet Zeus Chthonius ("underground").
But later Zeus moved to Olympus and became the head of the Pantheon of the gods. Its main sanctuary is the Temple of Zeus at Olympia. Zeus took power in Heaven and now personifies only the bright side of being. The epithets Aegis-powerful, Thunderer, Father of the gods appear. Attributes of lightning, aegis, eagle, Nike. At first, power is not given to Zeus easily. Conspiracies are being made against him. (Hera, Poseidon and Pallas Athena, according to another version, Apollo). Thanks to his love of love, Zeus became the patron of many areas (the art of the muse, the wars of Athena, Ares, the wisdom of Apollo, etc.).
Olympian Zeus is the patron of the community of people, urban life, the protector of the offended and the patron of those who pray, other gods obey him. He gives laws to people. Zeus in general turns out to be the principle of life, the begetter of all living things, the "giver of life", the "all-begetter". Zeus patronizes the tribal community of people, hence Zeus is "tribal". Aeschylus's "Pleading" presents the majestic figure of the great god, the just protector and helper of people. Benevolent functions are reflected in his epithets: "assistant in trouble", "savior", "savior of the city", "founder", "protector", Polney - "city", Poliuh - "owner of the state". Zeus Philius (patron of friendly unions), "paternal", "father", "fatherly". He oversees the observance of oaths. Zeus is an assistant to warriors and a strategist himself, a commander (inscriptions on coins), "military", "carrier of victory". Zeus Boulei is known, the patron of the national assembly, the scepter holder, the king, "the lord of the lords, the most perfect power of the blessed and perfect", "the king", "Hellenic" and even "all-Hellenic", to whom a special cult was established in Athens.
Olympian Zeus is the father of many heroes who carry out his divine will and good intentions. His sons are Hercules, Perseus, Dioscuri, Sarpedon, the famous kings and sage Minos, Radamanthus and Aeacus. The mythology of Olympian Zeus reflects the strengthening of the patriarchal power of the Basileans, especially the Mycenaean kings, although it does not reach the absolute centralization of this power (according to Hesiod, Zeus was elected king by the gods). Only in the Hellenistic era did Zeus take on the image of the world omnipotent and arbiter of the world's destinies, that "all-king" and "all-Hellenic" ruler, who was sung in the later Orphic hymns and in the hymn "To Zeus" by the Stoic Cleanthes, where the universalism and cosmism of Zeus take on monotheistic features.

I'll tell you short myth about the kingdom of Hades.
Professor cat said something, and his voice was heard as if from afar. The class began to lose shape, and the students found themselves on a small staircase going somewhere deep into the rock. Don't be scared. It's just an illusion. We will make a short excursion to Hades or Hell.

The third son of Kronos and Rhea, Hades (Hades, Aides), got the underground kingdom of the dead, into which the rays of the sun never penetrate, it seems, by lot, for who would voluntarily agree to rule it? However, his character was so gloomy that he could not get along anywhere else but the underworld.
In Homer's time, instead of saying "die," they said "go to the house of Hades." The imagination that pictured this house of the dead was fed by the impressions of a beautiful upper world, in which there is a lot of unjust, terrifyingly gloomy and useless. The house of Hades was thought to be surrounded by strong gates, Hades himself was called Pilart ("locking the gate") and was depicted in the drawings with a large key. Outside the gates, as in the homes of rich people who fear for their property, a ferocious three-headed and vicious watchdog Cerberus appeared, on whose neck snakes hissed with a hiss. Cerberus lets everyone in here and doesn't let anyone out.
Each owner of such a strong house on earth had possessions. Hades also had them. And, of course, golden wheat did not pour there, scarlet apples and bluish plums hiding in the green of the branches did not please. Sad-looking, useless trees grew there. One of them still retains its association with death and separation dating back to Homeric times - weeping willow. Another tree is silver poplar. The wandering soul cannot see either the grass-ant, which the sheep eagerly nibble, or the delicate and bright meadow flowers, from which wreaths were woven for human feasts and for sacrifices to the heavenly gods. Everywhere you look, there are overgrown asphodels, a useless weed that sucks all the juices from the meager earth to raise a hard, long stem and bluish-pale flowers, reminiscent of the cheeks of a person lying on his deathbed. Across these joyless, colorless meadows of the god of death, an icy, prickly wind drives back and forth the ethereal shadows of the dead, making a slight rustle, like the moan of freezing birds. Not a single ray of light penetrates from where the earthly upper life flowed, illuminated by the sun, the radiance of the moon and the twinkling of the stars, neither joy nor sorrow reach. Hades himself and his wife Persephone sit on a golden throne. Judges Minos and Rhadamanth are sitting at the throne, here is the god of death - the black-winged Tanat with a sword in his hands, next to him are gloomy kers, and Erinyes, the goddess of vengeance, serve Hades. At the throne of Hades and the beautiful young god Hypnos, he holds poppy heads in his hands, and a sleeping pill is poured from the horn, from which everyone falls asleep, even the great Zeus. The kingdom is full of ghosts and monsters, dominated by the three-headed and three-body goddess Hekate, on dark nights she gets out of Hades, wanders along the roads, sends horrors and heavy dreams to those who forget to call her as an assistant against witchcraft. Hades and his retinue are more terrible and more powerful than the gods living on Olympus.
If you believe the myths, only a few managed to briefly escape from the hands of Hades and the claws of Cerberus (Sisyphus, Protesilaus). Therefore, ideas about the structure of the underworld were unclear and sometimes contradictory. One assured that they got into the kingdom of Hades by sea and that it was somewhere where Helios descends, having made his day trip. The other, on the contrary, claimed that they did not swim into it, but descended into deep cracks right there, next to the cities where earthly life proceeded. These descents into the kingdom of Hades were shown to the curious, but few of them were in a hurry to use them.
How more people went into oblivion, the more certain the information about the kingdom of Hades became. It was reported that it was girded nine times by the river Styx, sacred to people and gods, and that the Styx connected with Kokit, the river of lamentation, which, in turn, poured into the source of Leta, emerging from the bowels of the earth, giving oblivion to everything earthly. The inhabitant of the Greek mountains and valleys during his lifetime did not see such rivers as were opened to his unfortunate soul in Hades. These were mighty real rivers, such as flow in the plains, somewhere beyond the Riphean mountains, and not the miserable streams of his rocky homeland that dry up in the hot summer. You can't wade them, you can't jump from stone to stone.
To get into the kingdom of Hades, one had to wait at the Acheron River for a boat driven by the demon Charon, an ugly old man, all gray-haired, with a disheveled beard. Moving from one kingdom to another had to be paid for with a small coin, which was placed under the tongue of the deceased at the time of burial. Coinless and alive - there were also such - Charon pushed away with an oar, the rest he put in a canoe, and they had to row themselves.
The inhabitants of the gloomy underworld obeyed strict rules set by Hades himself. But there are no rules without exceptions, even underground. Those who possessed the golden branch could not be pushed away by Charon and barked at by Cerberus. But on what tree this branch grows and how to pluck it, no one knew exactly.

Suddenly, the bank of the Acheron River turned into a wall with portraits of the gods, and soon all the students were back in their places.

Now let's talk about the person of Hades.
Hades literally "formless", "invisible", "terrible" - god - the lord of the kingdom of the dead, as well as the kingdom itself. Hades is an Olympic deity, although he is constantly in his underground possessions. The son of Kronos and Rhea, the brother of Zeus, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera and Hestia, with whom he shared the legacy of his deposed father, Hades reigns with his wife Persephone (daughter of Zeus and Demeter), whom he kidnapped while she was picking flowers in the meadow. Homer calls Hades "generous" and "hospitable". the fate of death does not pass a single person; Hades - "rich", is called Pluto (from the Greek. "wealth"), because. he is the owner of countless human souls and treasures hidden in the earth. Hades - the owner of a magical helmet that makes him invisible; this helmet was later used by the goddess Athena and the hero Perseus, getting the head of the Gorgon. But there were also among the mortals capable of deceiving the lord of the kingdom of the dead. So, he was deceived by the cunning Sisyphus, who once left the underground possessions of the god. Orpheus enchanted Hades and Persephone with his singing and playing the lyre so that they agreed to return his wife Eurydice to earth (but she was forced to immediately return back, because the happy Orpheus violated the agreement with the gods and looked at his wife even before leaving the kingdom of Hades ). Hercules steals from the realm of the dead a dog - the guardian of Hades.
In the Greek mythology of the Olympian period, Hades is a minor deity. He acts as a hypostasis of Zeus, not without reason Zeus is called Chthonius - "underground" and "going down." Hades is not sacrificed, he has no offspring, and he even got his wife illegally. However, Hades inspires horror with its inevitability.
Late ancient literature created a parodic-grotesque idea of ​​Hades ("Conversations in the Realm of the Dead" by Lucian, apparently originating from "The Frogs" by Aristophanes). According to Pausanias, Hades was not revered anywhere except Elis, where the temple of the god was opened once a year (just as people descend into the realm of the dead only once), where only priests were allowed to enter.
In Roman mythology, Hades was associated with the god Orc.
Everyone who, during the heyday of the Greek city-states, visited the temple of Zeus in Dodona, was met by the inscription: "Zeus was, Zeus is, Zeus will be." It was designed for people who are not very familiar with mythology. After all, according to the story of Hesiod, Zeus was a god of the third generation, and other gods ruled the world before him. But even if we consider the predecessors of Zeus to be fake gods, Zeus was not the first in the generation of the sons of Cronus. The first was Poseidon, as is clear from the myths themselves and from the recently read monuments of Greek writing of the 2nd millennium BC. e.
At times Trojan War and the earlier war of the "Seven against Thebes" the main god was Po-se-da-o, in whom we easily recognize Poseidon. "This name consists of two words:" sow "- to own and" yes "- earth. Therefore, not Zeus, but Poseidon was the first heavenly spouse of the Earth and its ruler.
The pushing back of Poseidon into the sea can be traced back to a number of myths, most notably the myth of the rivalry between Poseidon and Zeus' daughter Athena for possession of Attica. Athena won the argument because she gave Attica an olive tree, and Poseidon was only able to knock out a useless salt spring. The competition is meaningless if Poseidon was already the lord of salt waters by that time. If it was a source of fresh water, which is quite natural for the ruler of the earth and sky, with his groundwater and rains, then, probably, there was another version of the myth in which Poseidon gave Attica the much-needed fresh water, as he did in Argolis.
In its most ancient form, Poseidon is associated with the demon of fertility, who was revered both on the Balkan Peninsula and in Asia Minor imagined in the guise of a white horse. White horses were sacrificed to Poseidon. He was considered the father of the white heavenly horse Pegasus, who inherited the gift of carving springs from the earth. Poseidon was also called the parent of other fantastic creatures that have a horse appearance, from centaurs grazing in the meadows to the horse Areion, born from. connection between Poseidon and Demeter.
As a horse god, Poseidon was considered the patron saint of horse running. In his honor, all-Greek equestrian competitions were held on the Isthmian Isthmus and in Nemea (Peloponnese): the famous Isthmian and Nemean Games. Before they began, holding back the impatient horses, the drivers called on Poseidon and prayed for his success.
But let's leave the "archeology" of Olympus and focus on that Poseidon, who is known to Homer as "blue-haired" and rules over salty waters alone. He cares little about Olympus, and he lives at the bottom of the sea in a magnificent palace with his wife Amphitrite, also, to match him, blue-eyed and ever-noisy. Amphitrite is known to Hesiod as one of the fifty daughters of Nereus, but according to another version, she is an Oceanid, the daughter of Ocean and Tethys, which in rank is more consistent with the high position of Poseidon, who does not fit to have some old man as a father-in-law and a whole bunch of poor relatives.
Poseidon saw Amphitrite splashing with her friends near the island of Naxos and admired her for a long time until he decided to explain himself. The shy sea maiden, having gone into the depths, swam to Atlant, guarding the entrance to the Ocean. For a long time the dolphin sent for her was looking for the fugitive, and, having found it, he delivered it on his back to his master. And Amphitrite became for the god of the seas the same as Hera for Zeus and Persephone for Hades.
Having turned into the god of the seas, Poseidon pushes back his former masters - the sea elders. Proteus is now busy tending to sea ​​depths the countless herds of seals belonging to Poseidon; Glaucus is one of the versions of the myth turned into the son of a new ruler of the seas; the Nereids, together with the tritons, made up his solemn retinue, and that Triton, who managed to separate from his brothers and settle in the Kapaid lake in Boeotia, was classified as the son of Poseidon and received Lake Tritonis in Libya.
In Homer's stories about Poseidon as the lord of the seas, traces of his former dominant position as the god of Heaven and spouse of the Earth have been preserved. He considers himself equal to Zeus:
No, I don’t follow the rules of Zeves, no matter how powerful they are.
In peace, let him remain on his own third lot;
By the strength of my hands, as an insignificant one, let it not frighten me!
Poseidon participates in a rebellion against Zeus, does not recognize the decision of the Olympians to return the wanderer Odysseus to his homeland and destroys other heroes pleasing to the Olympic gods.
Like Zeus, Poseidon, along with his lawful wife, has many lovers - sea and earthly maidens and is considered the divine father of some heroes, but their number is relatively small compared to the sons of Zeus. This is the hero of Athens Theseus, the Thessalian hero Pelius and his twin brother Neleus, who became the hero of Elis and the father of the wise Nestor. Poseidon's "few" and the abundance of giants he spawned - creatures with bestial features and simply monsters complement his archaic appearance. That's all for today. I hope you enjoyed the lecture. And now homework:

1) Characteristics of Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. Based on the lecture, make a brief description of each of the three gods listed above. I will rate the copied parts of the lecture no higher than a point. And most importantly, don't write too much. Only the main thing. Attributes, epithets, god of what, etc. (1-2 points.)
2) Composition: The plan of the kingdom of Hades. The word plan refers to the arrangement of Aida. Follow the order of the soul of the deceased. That is, describe the route of the soul of the deceased. Not everything is covered in the lecture. The material can be found in other sources or show imagination, but stick to the myth described above. (1-4 points.)
3) In the lecture, I told you about how you can interpret the names of Zeus and Hades, and now fantasize and come up with your own interpretation of the names of these gods. Justify your point of view (1-2 points)
4) Show your imagination, describe how you imagine Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. (1-2 points.)

Additional task. + 2 points.
Imagine that you are in the palace of Poseidon, describe your impressions.

Gods of Olympus Ancient Greece

The names of the ancient Greek gods that are on everyone's lips - Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hephaestus - are actually the descendants of the main celestials - the titans. Having defeated them, the younger gods, led by Zeus, became the inhabitants of Mount Olympus. The Greeks worshiped, revered and paid tribute to the 12 gods of Olympus, who personified in Ancient Greece elements, virtue or the most important spheres of social and cultural life.

Worshiped Ancient Greeks and Hades, but he did not live on Olympus, but lived underground, in the kingdom of the dead.

Who is more important? Gods of Ancient Greece

They got along well with each other, but sometimes there were skirmishes between them. From their life, which is described in ancient Greek treatises, the legends and myths of this country appeared. Among the celestials were those who occupied the high steps of the podium, while others were content with glory, being at the feet of the rulers. The list of the gods of Olympia is as follows:

• Zeus.

• Gera.

• Hephaestus.

• Athena.

• Poseidon.

• Apollo.

• Artemis.

• Ares.

• Demeter.

• Hermes.

• Aphrodite.

• Hestia.

Zeus- the most important of all. He is the king of all gods. This Thunderer personifies the endless firmament. Under his leadership lightning. It is this arbiter who distributes good and evil on the planet, the Greeks believed. The son of the Titans married his own sister. Their four children were named Ilithyia, Hebe, Hephaestus and Ares. Zeus is a terrible traitor. He constantly engaged in adultery with other goddesses. He did not neglect the earthly girls either. Zeus had something to surprise them with. He appeared before the Greek women either in the form of rain, or as a swan or a bull. Symbols of Zeus - eagle, thunder, oak.

Poseidon. This god ruled over the sea element. In importance, he was in second place after Zeus. In addition to the oceans, seas and rivers, storms and sea monsters, Poseidon was "responsible" for earthquakes and volcanoes. In ancient Greek mythology, he was the brother of Zeus. Poseidon lived in a palace under water. He rode in a rich chariot drawn by white horses. The trident is the symbol of this Greek god.

Hera. She is the chief of the female goddesses. This celestial patronizes family traditions, marriage and love unions. Hera is jealous. She severely punishes people for adultery.

Apollo is the son of Zeus. He is the twin brother of Artemis. Initially, this god was the personification of light, the sun. But gradually his cult expanded its boundaries. This god has become the patron of the beauty of the soul, skill in art, all that is beautiful. The Muses were under his influence. Before the Greeks, he appeared in a rather refined image of a man with aristocratic features. Apollo played music beautifully. He was engaged in healing and divination. He is the father of the god Asclepius, the patron saint of doctors. At one time, Apollo destroyed the terrible monster that occupied Delphi. For this he was exiled for as much as 8 years. Later, he created his oracle, the symbol of which was the laurel.

Without Artemis The ancient Greeks did not imagine hunting. The patroness of forests personifies fertility, birth and high relations between the sexes.

Athena. Everything related to wisdom, spiritual beauty and harmony is under the auspices of this goddess. She is a great inventor, lover of science and art. Craftsmen and farmers obey her. Athena "gives the green light" to the construction of cities and buildings. Thanks to her, state life flows smoothly. This goddess is called upon to protect the walls of fortresses and castles.

Hermes. This ancient greek god rather mischievous and earned the fame of a fidget. Hermes patronizes travelers and merchants. He is also the messenger of the gods on earth. It was on his heels that the lovely wings shone for the first time. The Greeks attribute traits of resourcefulness to Hermes. He is cunning, smart and knows all foreign languages. When Hermes stole ten cows from Apollo, he earned his wrath. But he was forgiven, because Apollo was captivated by the invention of Hermes - the lyre, which he presented to the god of beauty.

Ares. This god personifies war and everything connected with it. All kinds of battles and battles - under the representation of Ares. He is always young, strong and handsome. The Greeks portrayed him as powerful and warlike.

Aphrodite. She is the goddess of love and sensuality. Aphrodite constantly incites her son Eros to shoot arrows that kindle the fire of love in the hearts of people. Eros is the prototype of the Roman Cupid, a boy with a bow and a quiver.

Hymen- the god of marriage. Its bonds bind the hearts of people who met and fell in love at first sight. Ancient Greek wedding chants were called "hymens".

Hephaestus God of volcanoes and fire. Under his patronage are potters and blacksmiths. This is a hardworking and kind god. His fate was not very good. From birth, he limped because his mother Hera threw him off Mount Olympus. Hephaestus was in the upbringing of the goddesses - the queens of the sea. On the Olympus he returned and generously endowed Achilles, presenting him with a shield, and Helios with a chariot.
Demeter. She personifies the forces of nature that people have conquered. This is agriculture. Under the vigilant control of Demeter is the whole life of a person - from birth to death.
Hestia. This goddess patronizes family ties, guards the hearth and comfort. The Greeks took care of the offerings to Hestia by setting up altars in their homes. All residents of one city are one big community-family, the Greeks are sure. Even in the main city building there was a symbol of Hestia's sacrifices.
Hades- Ruler of the realm of the dead. In his underworld dark creatures rejoice, gloomy shadows, demon monsters. Hades is one of the most powerful gods. He moved around the kingdom of Hades in a chariot made of gold. His horses are black. Hades - owns untold wealth. All gems, ores that are enclosed in the depths, belong to him. The Greeks feared him more than fire and even Zeus himself.

Except 12 gods of Olympus and Hades, the Greeks still have a lot of gods and even demigods. All of them are descendants and brothers of the main celestials. Each of them has its own legends or myths.

Zeus (Diy), Greek, Latin Jupiter is the son of Kronos and Rhea, the supreme deity of the ancient Greeks.

Zeus was not always the supreme god and did not rule forever: he achieved power over gods and people by rebelling against his father Kronos, who had previously overthrown his father Uranus, the first ruler of the world after the initial Chaos, from the throne. Unlike the highest (or only) gods of many religions, Zeus had his own individual biography, he did not embody only the highest virtues and did not freeze in a numb immutability. The Greeks created it in their own image and likeness and in the image of the then earthly rulers. Therefore, Zeus has human properties and traits of a human character - naturally, exaggerated and exalted, as befits the ruler of earthly rulers and immortal gods.

Zeus was born in a cave on Mount Dikta on the island of Crete. The birth was surrounded by mystery, because his mother Rhea was afraid that her husband Kronos would swallow the baby, true to his custom, borrowed from his father Uranus. This time, Kronos swallowed an oblong stone wrapped in swaddling clothes and slipped to him by Rhea. So Zeus escaped the fate of his older brothers and sisters - Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades (Hades) and Poseidon, who continued to exist in the womb of their father. Rhea could not stay with Zeus, so she entrusted him to the care of the nymphs, who fed him with the milk of the divine goat Amalthea and bee honey. The security of Zeus was provided by the mountain demons of Kureta. When Zeus cried, they hit their shields with their swords and danced to wild cries, so Kronos did not hear him. On Mount Dikta and even higher Mount Ida, Zeus grew up, matured and came to the decision to overthrow Kronos.

The first thing Zeus did was make Kronos regurgitate his sisters and brothers by giving him a nauseating potion to drink. He sent Hestia, Demeter and Hera to the ends of the earth, and called on Hades and Poseidon to join him, and they immediately launched an attack on Kronos with a common force. He called for help from his brothers and sisters, the titans, and although not everyone came, the attack of the young was repelled and they were gradually pushed back to the very top of Mount Olympus. But, as they say, at five minutes to twelve, Zeus was rescued by the one-eyed giants of the Cyclops. They forged lightning and thunder for him, with the help of which he fought back, and then went on the counterattack. Zeus's chances were greatly increased when contradictions arose between the titans. The ocean, Styx, Prometheus and some others, dissatisfied with the dictates of Kronos, went over to the side of Zeus. However, for ten whole years, a fierce struggle could not lead to victory for either side. exists and will exist.

However, to proclaim oneself a ruler and become one is far from the same thing, and soon Zeus had to make sure of this. First, there were his older brothers Hades and Poseidon, who, due to their origin and merits in the fight against Kronos, could claim their share of power. However, the appearance of a new enemy united the brothers. The goddess of the earth, Gaia, became angry with Zeus for the severe punishment of the titans, entered into an alliance with the god of the dark underground depths Tartarus and gave birth to the hundred-headed monster Typhon - specifically to destroy Zeus. Typhon was so huge that the earth caved under him, he howled with the voices of all wild animals and spewed fire from his dragon mouths. However, Zeus in a difficult battle defeated Typhon with his thunders and lightnings and also threw him into Tartarus. Then he invited the brothers to divide the spheres of influence by lot, and they agreed. Here Zeus tried to be lucky: as a result, Poseidon got the sea, Hades - the underworld, and Zeus - heaven and earth.

At first, Zeus ruled as a tyrant and even tried to destroy the human race twice. For the first time, he wanted to do this because people seemed to him too weak and helpless. But the titan Prometheus, the creator of people, prevented him.

Taking care of his creations, Prometheus brought fire and knowledge to people. The second time, Zeus decided to destroy all people because, after receiving the gifts of Prometheus, they seemed to him too powerful. He sent a flood into the world, but Prometheus gave his son Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha the opportunity to escape, and then they again populated the world with people. And Zeus strengthened his power, felt confident and loosened the reins of his rule - and even released some of his former enemies. However, he still retained absolute power, not only due to the leadership of a victorious uprising and a happy lot, but mainly due to his power.

The gods were aware of the power of Zeus and therefore obeyed him, although not always willingly, and sometimes even tried to rebel. Once they even tried to overthrow him from the throne, but the hundred-armed giant Briareus rescued Zeus. Only one uprising during the entire reign of Zeus posed a serious threat - it was a rebellion of hairy giants, but Zeus mercilessly suppressed it with the help of the rest of the gods and his earthly son Hercules. But in general, the gods believed that it is better to live in a good way with the supreme god; most of the people were of the same opinion. In the era of heroes, Zeus almost no longer abused power and power, and although he had a lot of human weaknesses, he was still much better than all the previous rulers of the world.

Zeus was an absolute but not omnipotent ruler. In this he differed from the gods of other religions, without whose will even a hair could not fall from a person's head. Above him, as well as over the rest of the gods and people, something higher, inscrutable and inviolable reigned: fate. It was believed, however, that Zeus is the ruler of destinies; but it was just a metaphor: just like any other god or man, Zeus could command fate only in so far as he acted in accordance with its destiny. Zeus could not go against fate, even if he wanted to. He was not the master of fate, but only its guardian and executor. Recall the duel between Achilles and Hector: at the decisive moment, Zeus threw the lots of heroes onto the golden scales of fate, Hector's lot fell down - and his fate was decided, he was doomed, and Zeus could only state this.

As the supreme ruler of the gods and people, Zeus was the creator and guardian of the divine and human orders. He brought the kings into possession, guarded the people's assemblies, strengthened order and law, was a witness and keeper of the oath, punished for violations of justice, protected everyone who turned to him for help (although he was not always distinguished by consistency). He saw everything, heard everything, knew everything (if not immediately, then at least in hindsight). And the future was known to him, and sometimes he let people know about it with various signs: natural phenomena, dreams and predictions (especially if people asked him about it, making appropriate sacrifices). Zeus distributed good and evil to people, choosing these gifts at his own discretion from two large vessels installed in his palace. Thunder and lightning were his most devastating weapons. He himself had an indestructible shield (aegis - “goat skin”), made from the skin of the goat Amalthea.

The main residence of Zeus was the forked peak of Mount Olympus in Greek Thessaly, lost in the clouds and reaching the sky. There stood his magnificent golden palace built by Hephaestus. In addition, Zeus willingly spent time on the Cretan mountain Ida, on the other Ida - in Troad, on the Phokian Parnassus, the Boeotian Kiferon and on other mountains. When Zeus, under the name of Jupiter, also became the god of the Romans, one of his places of residence was the Roman Capitol. Zeus made his trips from Olympus in a golden chariot, but he could also resort to more modest means of transportation. In practice, he was omnipresent, and one could call on him for help not only in his temple, but anywhere. Sometimes Zeus came into the world, changing his likeness, he could appear in the form of a man, beast or natural phenomenon - however, any god had this privilege.

Zeus did not burden himself too much with his leadership functions. He mostly spent his time at magnificent feasts in the company of the other Olympian gods, where ambrosia was served as the main dish, and nectar was served as a drink. These delicacies, the recipe of which, alas, is unknown to us, provided the gods with immortality and eternal freshness of forces, without which there would be little joy in immortality. At the feasts, which were also meetings of the gods, Zeus sat on a golden throne. He was served by the butler of the gods Ganymede and the goddess of youth Hebe, the charming Charites and the goddess of the arts of the Muses entertained him with dances and songs. When Zeus exercised his sovereign functions, he was accompanied by the gods and goddesses Kratos, Zelos, Bia and Nike, who personified power, zeal, strength and victory. When Zeus acted as the supreme judge, Themis, the goddess of legal order, and Dike, the goddess of justice, stood at his throne. The goddesses of the seasons of the Mountain helped him to ensure order in nature. The inseparable companions of Zeus were also Tycha - the goddess of a happy accident, the goddess of the world Eiren and the goddess of the rainbow Irida, who at the same time served as the messenger of Zeus, as well as Hermes.

The wife of Zeus was his sister - the beautiful and majestic Hera. She gave birth to Zeus three children: the god of war Ares, the blacksmith and gunsmith of the gods Hephaestus and the goddess of eternal youth Heba. Zeus gave Hera all sorts of honors and highly appreciated her. But this did not prevent him from sometimes looking at other women. To be honest, "sometimes" is not the right word: Zeus was a terrible skirt maker and with equal willingness chose his beloved among goddesses and among mortal women. The goddess Demeter bore him Persephone, Mnemosyne - the Muses, Eurynome - Charit, Themis - Horus and Moir, Maya - Hermes, Summer - the twins Apollo and Artemis; Dione is said to have bore him Aphrodite. He was not always able to immediately achieve reciprocity, even mortal women sometimes shied away from such a high honor. In such cases, Zeus did not hesitate to turn into their spouses, into a bull, a swan, rain - into anything, just to achieve his goal. The list of the descendants of Zeus from mortal women looks very solid: Alcmene gave birth to Hercules, Semel - Dionysus, Danae - Perseus, Europe - Minos, Sarpedon and Radamanths, Antiope - the twins Amphion and Zeta, Leda - Polydeuces and Helen. We do not really know about many of his descendants - what kind of immortal or mortal woman is their mother? But there were also cases when women attributed paternity to Zeus in order to brag or get out of a delicate situation. But Zeus created his most beloved daughter, Athena, without female help: he gave birth to her himself, from his head, from where she immediately jumped out in full armor. Zeus took good care of all his children, in many cases better than his beloved ones. All of them also played an important role in the world of myths (this is described in the relevant articles).

Understandably, Hera disapproved of Zeus's hobbies. She pursued his mistresses and their children and arranged such scenes of jealousy for him that Olympus shuddered and storms arose on the earth. However, Zeus managed to calm her down: in the end, he was not only a spouse, but also a god. In addition to his weakness for women (if you can call it that), Zeus was not without other shortcomings. Sometimes he was short-sighted, especially under the influence of the goddess of delusion and obscuration of the mind of Ata, several times his vigilance was literally lulled by the god of sleep Hypnos; besides, Zeus liked to brag, although he really didn’t need it at all. The rest of the gods skillfully used these shortcomings of his, as well as his affectionateness and aversion to quarrels. The greatest craftswoman in this part was, of course, Hera.

However, Zeus was the most powerful and noble of the gods. He owned titles and epithets that sound much better in ancient Greek than in translation: “omnipotent”, “omnipotent”, “clouder”, “thunderer”, “high-pitched”, “clearly shining”, etc. But most often people just they called him "Olympian" or "Most High", and on especially solemn occasions - "Father of gods and kings." His symbol was thunder and lightning, from birds - mainly an eagle, from trees - oak. The Greeks (and Romans) imagined him as a stately man with a thick wavy beard and mustache; his calm gaze reflected a proud consciousness of indestructible strength.

At the present level of research, Zeus is considered an ancient god of Indo-European origin, the site is a relative of the Indian Dyaus, the Etruscan Tina (Tinii) and the Roman Jupiter. The Greeks brought Zeus with them from former places of your stay. Initially, they revered him as the god of the sky and celestial phenomena, the lord of the weather. He became the supreme god only in the process of anthropomorphization of the ancient gods, i.e., their transformation into creatures similar to people in their own way. appearance and properties. At the same time (obviously under the influence of the ancient population of Greece), Zeus acquired a variety of new functions, which were designated by individualizing attributes. In the end, the Greeks incorporated Zeus, along with the rest of the gods, into a tribal system that met the ideas of a tribal society, and gave him the appearance of an earthly ruler of those times, only more powerful in all respects. We meet Zeus under his own name already on the tablets written in the Cretan-Mycenaean linear letter "B" (14-13 centuries BC). In the form in which we know Zeus today, he is first described by Homer in the Iliad and Odyssey, and then by Hesiod in his Theogony.

The Greeks revered Zeus above all their other gods, despite the weaknesses and shortcomings that are attributed to him in myths. They built temples, altars and statues to him all over their world, which was not limited to the territory of present-day Greece, but included the coastal regions of modern Turkey and southern Italy with nearby islands, in some places it reached the mouth of the Don in the north, to the Lower Nile in the south, to the Ebro River in the west, in the east its offshoots went far beyond the Tigris.

All the temples dedicated to Zeus lie in ruins today. The most significant of these were the temples at Olympia, Athens, and Acragas in Sicily. The first was built in 460-450. BC e. designed by Libon of Elis. The Athenian temple of Olympion was the largest in the territory of present-day Greece (108 x 41 m in plan, 104 columns 17.5 m high - fifteen of them are still standing). The foundations of this temple were laid by the Peisistratids c. 515 BC e., and it was completed only under the emperor Hadrian in 132 AD. e. An even larger temple was built by the Sicilian Greeks in Akragante at the beginning of the 5th century. BC e.: its area in plan was 113 x 56 m, and in the facade the columns alternated with telamones. Of the altars of Zeus, the most famous is Pergamon (180-160 BC); after it was discovered by Humann, the altar was transported to Berlin, reconstructed and placed in the purpose-built Pergamon Museum, which is now integral part State Museums in Berlin.

Of the statues of Zeus, perhaps the most famous is “Zeus from Otricoli” - a Roman copy from a Greek original attributed to Briaxis (4th century BC). The most valuable is the bronze "Zeus from Artemisius", attributed to the Athenian sculptor Kalamis (5th century BC) and fished out of the sea in 1926-1928. at Cape Artemisia in northern Euboea; it was found among the wreckage of an ancient ship carrying stolen works of Greek art to Italy. Some art critics saw him as Poseidon; but in any case, this is one of the best works of ancient plastic art. The original is in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, and exact copy adorns the lobby of the UN building in New York, next to a model of the first Soviet satellite. However, the most famous was the statue of Zeus at Olympia, made by Phidias in gold and ivory c. 430 BC e. The ancients considered it one of the "seven wonders of the world", but at the beginning of the 5th century. n. e. by order of Emperor Theodosius II, she was taken away as a pagan idol to Constantinople, where she subsequently disappeared without a trace. She was written off as a victim of a fire in 475.

If we took it into our head to list the European artists who portrayed Zeus, then in fact we would get a list of almost all the masters of the Renaissance, Baroque, Classicism and many artists of a later time. In all the paintings depicting the host of the Greek gods, Zeus occupies central location- for example, in the painting by Rubens "The Assembly of the Olympic Gods" (c. 1602, Picture Gallery of Prague Castle).

Among the gods, Zeus occupied the highest level of the hierarchy, that is, in fact, he was a king among the gods.

The myth of the birth of Zeus

Initially, all the gods are relatives, and therefore incest in myths is quite common.

Kronos initially did not want to have children, because he did not want to give the status of the supreme ruler. He was afraid that his son would be stronger and better, that, in the end, he would overthrow him. For fear of losing everything, Kronos decided to act drastically. Immediately after birth, he swallowed his children alive. Of course, the children could not die (since they were immortal gods), but they no longer posed a threat to Kronos.

At that time, cannibalism in ancient Greece was something out of the ordinary, this act was considered the lot of savages.

Rhea decides to hide his son on the island of Crete in a secret cave. (Afterwards, this cave will become a sanctuary for the worship of Zeus.) But it's hard to hide someone from Kronos himself, every time little Zeus cried, the people who guarded him beat special shields that hung along the walls of the cave. The sound of these shields did not allow Kronos to hear the cry of his son.

The myth of the birth of Zeus says that the little god lived in a cave until maturity. Growing up, Zeus undergoes training, gaining wisdom and strength - he becomes a real man. All this is done to achieve his goal, which Zeus set for himself - to overthrow his cruel father and seize power over the world.

Brief myth of Zeus - the overthrow of Kronos

(Tartarus is the lower level of the kingdom of Hades, it was here that the damned fell, i.e. those who somehow offended the gods.)

Mount Olympus in ancient Greek mythology was the home of the gods. However, it does exist in reality. This is the highest point in Greece, the mountain rises almost 3 kilometers above sea level. The Greeks themselves really believed that the gods lived on this mountain.

According to legend, this stone formed the basis of the most revered place in ancient Greece - the Delphic temple, the haven of the oracle. Delphi is a sanctuary where people from all over Greece came to bow and ask for help from the gods. This stone, which Kronos cast out of himself, is still located in the very center of the Delphic temple to this day.

Then Zeus remembered the forgotten by Kronos, the Cyclopes and the hundred-armed Hekatonkheires. Kronos was afraid of their power, and therefore hid them in tartar.
Zeus understood that with their help, victory would be his. Having descended into Tartarus, he finds the Hekatonkheires and speaks with them on an equal footing and with respect, he asks them for help to overthrow his father. Touched by this reverence, the Hekatoncheirs agreed to help the young Zeus.

After Zeus also freed the Cyclopes. In return, they gave Zeus the power to command lightning and thunder.

The forces are determined, the battle itself will take place in Thessaly, a plain lying between the mountains of Othris and Olympus.
A grandiose battle begins, Zeus with lightning in his hands, his brothers, the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheirs fight with the most powerful deities - the Titans.

(Traces of grandiose battles are still found in the Thessalian valley.)

Scientists have found that ancient world at that time, experienced a real disaster. On the territory of the island of Santorini, about 3 thousand liters. A massive volcanic eruption happened. Its power can be compared to five tens of thousands of Hiroshima bombs. An eruption of such power destroyed most Greek world, and the survivors could explain this catastrophe as the wrath of the gods.

Typhon is a terrifying monster of incredible size.

The victory of Zeus made him the ruler of the world and the king among the other gods. However, calmness and peace were not long, soon Zeus has a new enemy in the face of a loved one.

Zeus and his wife Metis

The myths of ancient Greece say that Greek gods not at all sinless, everyone has both strengths and weaknesses, and the gods are no exception.

The first to attract the attention of Zeus was the young goddess Metis. Soon Zeus took her as his wife.

Metis is the wife of Zeus, according to legend, she is incredibly beautiful, and her name itself means “wise” in translation.

While Metis was in captivity, Zev could use all of her intellectual abilities. Zeus became smarter, wiser and more cunning than he was before.

Zeus and Hera - the new wife of Zeus

Such promiscuity of Zeus could be explained by the secret desire of the Greeks themselves. Dreaming of many girls, they thought that the almighty god would certainly not miss such an opportunity.

However , not happy with her husband's love affairs. Hera did not like the fact that she was humiliated in front of other gods, one day she could not stand it and swore that she would take revenge on Zeus for his many betrayals.

Gathering the rest of the Olympians, Hera incites them to raise a rebellion against Zeus. She said that it was unfair that Zeus was in charge and if all the Olympians united, they could overthrow him.
The Olympians gather and put Zeus in chains while he was sleeping. Waking up, Zeus finds himself chained. He did not expect such meanness from relatives whom he had previously saved.

Zeus was always afraid of such a rebellion, because no mortal could challenge him. But united, the Olympian gods could well overthrow him.

The ancient Greeks could not explain the emergence of Troy (it was impossible to build a building of this level at that time), and the myth explained its occurrence.

The wrath of Zeus and the Flood

In ancient Greece, people were very afraid of the wrath of Zeus. After all, doing a bad deed, Zeus could hit them with his lightning.
Hesiod wrote that if it were not for the fear of Zeus, then people would turn into animals, and the weak would obey the strong. Thus, Zeus brought order and justice to the world.

For nine days and nights, heavy rain pours down, flooding the whole earth. The water reaches the top of Mount Parnassus, which towered two and a half kilometers. People are dying all over the earth. When the rain finally stopped, only two mortals remained. They survived because they built the ark.

These stories are wonderfully intertwined, a parallel with old testament more than obvious. Thus, it can be said that different peoples of the world explained such a terrible a natural phenomenon differently.

The overthrow of Zeus - the arrival of Christianity

In ancient Greece, only the force of fate was more powerful than Zeus. Even the supreme god himself could not resist fate. No matter how much he wants to change or avoid her, he still obeys her will.