Hephaestus
•God of the Forge
•Parents:
Zeus & Hera
•Children:
none
•Has a lame leg
•Married to Aphrodite who cheated him with his brother, Ares
•Roman name: Vulcan
•Parents:
Zeus & Hera
•Children:
none
•Has a lame leg
•Married to Aphrodite who cheated him with his brother, Ares
•Roman name: Vulcan
Symbols
Blacksmith's Hammer
Forge
Axe
Forge
Axe
The Birth of Hephaestus
Hephaestus was a very kind and loveable god, but was the only deity who was physically ugly and lame. When his mother, Hera, saw him for the first time, she was so frustrated that she took her son and threw him from Mount Olympus to the depths of the seas, causing a deformation to his leg. Hephaestus was finally rescued by two Nereids, Thetis and Eurynome, who raised him for nine years inside a cave, far away and hidden from his cruel mother.
Hephaestus' Revenge
When Hephaestus found out his mother Hera had rejected him on his birth, he got very embittered and promised to take revenge on her. So he decided to create a magic, golden throne and send it to Mt. Olympus as a special gift to his mother.
When Hera saw the splendid throne, she immediately got enthused over it and, without thinking, she cheerfully sat on it. All at once, invisible, unbreakable chains
appeared and tied her up rapidly. Hera cried for help and all Olympian gods ran for support, but none of them were capable of relieving her; soon they realized that the only one who could liberate Hera was Hephaestus himself.
The gods therefore asked from Dionysus, the god of wine, to offer sweet wine to Hephaestus and intoxicate him. So Dionysus did, and this way he managed to bring Hephaestus up to Mount Olympus and free Hera from her burdens. After that, the gods thanked Hephaestus by giving him Aphrodite, the goddess of love, as his wife and created a marvelous palace for him on Mount Olympus.
When Hera saw the splendid throne, she immediately got enthused over it and, without thinking, she cheerfully sat on it. All at once, invisible, unbreakable chains
appeared and tied her up rapidly. Hera cried for help and all Olympian gods ran for support, but none of them were capable of relieving her; soon they realized that the only one who could liberate Hera was Hephaestus himself.
The gods therefore asked from Dionysus, the god of wine, to offer sweet wine to Hephaestus and intoxicate him. So Dionysus did, and this way he managed to bring Hephaestus up to Mount Olympus and free Hera from her burdens. After that, the gods thanked Hephaestus by giving him Aphrodite, the goddess of love, as his wife and created a marvelous palace for him on Mount Olympus.