Zeus Essay, Research Paper
Zeus was the son of Cronus and Rhea, an earlier race of
ruling gods called Titans. Cronus was king of all the Titans. Zeus
was the brother of Hades and Poseidon, Hades was the god of the
underworld and Poseidon was the god of the sea. Together they
overthrew their father and the rest of the Titans. All thanks was
due to Zeus for the dethrowning of Cronus. You see, before cronus
ever had children he heard a prophecy that one of his offsprings
would overthrow him, so whenever his wife would have a child he
would swallow it. Then, after he had swallowed many babies, she
gave birth to Zeus. She grew very fond of him, until Cronus called
her to give him the baby so he could swallow it. She hid Zeus in a
cave, and she gave Cronus a rock wrapped in cloth. he swallowed
it whole just like the other babies. Over the years Zeus grew
stronger and wiser. Then, when the time was right he confronted
his father and kicked him in the stomach. The shock from this
made Cronus vomit up the gods, which were all fully grown now.
Zeus and his fellow gods overthrew Cronus and the Titans. Zeus
and his brothers decided who would rule over what-
Zeus…god of the heavens
Poseidon…god of the sea
Hades…god of the underworld
All the gods shared the earth together.
In all of Zeus’s pictures he is depicted with a beard and
muscles. He’s also usually holding a lighting bolt. Zeus married
Hera, whom was also his sister. He disguised himself as a
wounded sparrow, and Hera took him in and tended to him. She
grew very fond of him, and one day sh
you." Then, Zeus turned into his true image exclaiming, "Now
you must marry me!" She didn’t want to marry him, but she felt
obligated to. She hated her brother for this.
Zeus, along with all the other gods, had symbols. His animal
symbol was the eagle. His earth symbol was the oak tree. Zeus
was known as the god of justice and mercy, the protector of the
weak, and the punisher of the wicked. He was father of gods and
men, protector of kings, supporter of law and order, and avenger
of broken oaths and other offenses. By one move of his hand he
could send a lighting storm to anywhere on the earth. He guided
stars and he gathered rain clouds. He ordained the changes of
the seasons and regulated the whole course of nature. Zeus, with
the other gods on Mt. Olympus, ruled over the affairs of mankind.
Zeus’s and Hera’s marriage was regarded as the divine
prototype of all earthly marriages, even though Zeus was not
always faithful to Hera. Some authorities explain his indiscretions
by saying that many adventures of the other gods were ascribed to
Zeus.
One of 7 wonders of the ancient world was said to be a statue
of Zeus by Phidias in the great temple of Zeus at Olympia. The
figure stood about 40 feet high, it was made of ivory and gold in
about 430 B.C. The design is known from its image stamped on
certain greek coins.
Zeus was by far the greatest, grandest, and fairest of all the
gods. Mortals feared him and gods laughed at his boastful and
egotistical behavior. He stands out among all the greek gods.