Hephaestus: God of Fire & Craftsmanship
History
Hephaestus, or Vulcan in Roman mythology, is the god of fire, craftsmanship and volcanoes. He is the son of Hera and was born lame and crippled. Despite this, he is capable of crafting extraordinary things, including Zeus' lightning bolts, Pandora, the first woman, and traps for other gods. The Hephaestion, or the temple of Hephaestus and Athena, goddess of wisdom, is currently the world's best preserved Doric temple and stands in Athens, Greece, which was where Hephaestus was primarily worshiped, near the Acropolis.
Origin Myth
According to myth, Hephaestus was born as a parthenogenetic child of Hera, meaning there was no father. Hera was jealous of Zeus after he had an affair with Metis, leading to the birth of Athena. Since Gaia had warned Zeus of Metis bearing a daughter whose son would overthrow him, he swallowed Metis so he could carry the child through to birth himself, though he could not give birth naturally. For retribution, Hera produced Hephaestus who, according to legend, split the head of Zeus with an axe, from which Athena sprang out fully armed. Known as the lame god, Hephaestus was born weak and crippled. Ashamed of his deformity, Hera threw Hephaestus from Mount Olympus. Some versions state that Zeus threw Hephaestus from Olympus for taking Hera's side in an argument between the two, but other stories of Hephaestus point towards it being Hera. After falling for nine days and nine nights, he landed in the sea near the island of Lemnos, where he was rescued by nymphs and later built his palace and forges under a volcano.
Powers and Domain
Hephaestus is known primarily as the god of fire, especially blacksmith's fire, and is the patron god of all craftsmen, especially those working with metal. He was also said to be the god of volcanoes and craftsmanship. Throughout mythology involving him, Hephaestus crafted items both ordinary and magical, including armor and weapons for the gods, notably Zeus' lightning bolts, metal items for both gods and mortals such as bowls, chalices, and other things, and magical works including a chair capable of trapping Hera, a net to capture Aphrodite and Ares, and the arrows Eros used to make people fall in love with each other. Additionally, he crafted Pandora, the first woman, when commanded by Zeus. Zeus wanted revenge on Prometheus whose race of mortals included only men. Pandora was also given a box, which, when opened out of curiosity about what it contained, released all the evils of the world, keeping hope trapped inside. He has also been described as being capable of summoning fire, once using it to dry up a river in the Trojan War, defeating the river god Scamander and saving the hero Achilles.
Character Traits
Physically, Hephaestus is typically described as being lame and crippled, causing him to be rejected by the gods and thrown from Mount Olympus. From forging, however, he developed strong arms and very skilled hands. In character, Hephaestus could be described as vengeful, crafting a chair Hera could not escape from to get revenge, and creating a net to capture his wife Aphrodite while she was having an affair with Ares. Despite his crippled form and harsh appearance, he is commonly described as kind to heroes and mortals alike, especially those who worshiped him, and usually had no quarrels with the other gods. Hephaestus was also a protector to those he cared about, on several occasions comforting Hera in her sadness, crafting items for the gods, notably Zeus' lightning bolts, and saving Achilles from Scamander in the Trojan War.
Significant Myth
According to myth, Hephaestus once crafted a chair capable of capturing Hera in order to get revenge on her, probably for casting him off of Mount Olympus. The throne he crafted was made of gold, and was presented to Hera on Mount Olympus. After sitting in it, she found she could not stand back up. The other gods pleaded with Hephaestus to return and release Hera, but he refused. In an attempt to save her, Dionysus, god of wine, went to the forges of Hephaestus and gave him enough wine to intoxicate him. Dionysus then took Hephaestus back to Olympus, slumped over the back of a mule. When demanded by the gods to release Hera, Hephaestus agreed on the condition that he would be given either Athena or Aphrodite as his wife. Zeus declared he could have Aphrodite as his wife, both to fulfill his request and knowing he would be a loyal husband to the goddess. Hephaestus then released Hera from the trap, and Dionysus was rewarded by being made a member of the Olympian Pantheon.
Sources
Information
http://gogreece.about.com/cs/mythology/a/mythhephaestus.htm
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/hephaestus.html UXL Encyclopedia of World Mythology | Pictures
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb /5/53/Vulcan_Coustou_Louvre_MR1814.jpg/200px- Vulcan_Coustou_Louvre_MR1814.jpg
http://www.webwinds.com/myth/heph2.jpg http://www.crystalinks.com/hephaestusorse.jpg http://www.theoi.com/image/F7.1Hephaistos.jpg |