Hephaestus- Ἡφαιστος
Brock & ?
Basic Background
Hephaestus is the Greek god of the forge, fire, metalworking, and craftsmanship. He was one of the twelve Olympians and the patron of metalworkers, blacksmiths, and jewelers. He was best known to the Greeks as the god of the forge, the maker of all sorts of clever things from metal.
Like the other Olympians, Hephaestus had a throne on Mount Olympus, but was happiest working at one of the forges in his underground workshop. A master craftsman, it was Hephaestus who created the thrones for Mount Olympus. His own throne was made of all sorts of rare metals and jewels, it could swivel, its arms moved up and down, and it could roll along automatically.
Basic Background
Hephaestus is the Greek god of the forge, fire, metalworking, and craftsmanship. He was one of the twelve Olympians and the patron of metalworkers, blacksmiths, and jewelers. He was best known to the Greeks as the god of the forge, the maker of all sorts of clever things from metal.
Like the other Olympians, Hephaestus had a throne on Mount Olympus, but was happiest working at one of the forges in his underground workshop. A master craftsman, it was Hephaestus who created the thrones for Mount Olympus. His own throne was made of all sorts of rare metals and jewels, it could swivel, its arms moved up and down, and it could roll along automatically.
Myths Surrounding his Birth
Zeus and Hera as parents:
According to the poet Homer, Zeus and Hera were the parents of Hephaestus. After Hera gave birth to Hephaestus she was shocked and appalled at his ugly appearance. Unhappy, she threw him from Mount Olympus. He fell for nine days and nine nights. Landing in the ocean, his leg was broken badly and he was permanently lame. Fortunately, the sea nymph Thetis rescued him, took him home to Lemnos, and raised him as her own. As he grew he learning the art of the forge.
- In other stories, Hephaestus was born with a club foot which resulted in his being thrown from Mount Olympus
Fatherless Hephaestus:
Later versions of Hephaestus' birth posit that he had no father, that Hera had him in a biologically 'parthenogenic' manner (with no male fertilization). Hera had her son this way to exact revenge on Zeus for his infidelity with Metis, who was pregnant with Athena.
Powers/Attributes and Weaknesses
- The blacksmith and craftsman of the gods - one of the very few Olympian gods to rely on skill to define himself
- The controller of fire, especially that which is associated with volcanoes
- Well-liked among the gods and beloved by the citizens of Greece
- Talented, kind and generous
- Physical weakness in his lower body due to lameness
- Could be vindictive at times and slow to forgive
Creations
- Built 12 golden thrones for the Olympian gods on Mount Olympus
- Exquisite jewelry for the gods and goddesses
- Zeus' thunderbolts
- Achilles' armor
- Athena's weapons
- Chains to bind Prometheus
- Aegis of Zeus and Athena
- Perseus' knife
- Heracles' armor and shield
- Apollo and Artemis' arrows
- Aeneas' armor
- As a gift for his foster mother Thetis, he set brightly colored jewels in the sea and made them move - these became tropical fish
Children
Mortal Children Divine Children
- Ardolos Eukleia
- Erikhthonios Eupheme
- Kaikalos Euthenia
- Kakos The Kabeiroi
- Kerkyon The Kabeirides
- Olenos The Palikoi
- Palaimonios Philophrosyne
- Periphetes Thaleia
- Philammon
- Philottos
- Pylios
- Rhadamanthys
- Servius Tullius
- Spinther
Sources
http://gogreece.about.com/cs/mythology/a/mythhephaestus.htm
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/hephaestus.html
http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Hephaistos.html