Zeus: The man, the myth, the legend

genus genus genus genus genus genus genus genus Zeus The man, the myth, the legendThrough come forth the pantheon of Greek and Roman myth more of the gods atomic number 18 depicted in wholly unrivalled, revered gaze. Zeus on the on the other hand is depicted as more things which include the ruler of the other gods, a brother, a warrior, a tyrant, a good king, a vengeful deity, an adulterer and a rapist. Zeus embodies what legion(predicate) an(prenominal) comprehend to be perfect masculinity in antiquity. He was the target of invocation and revenge, mostly from his angered married woman Hera, but he was the target of many an(prenominal) vengeful acts none the less. However the one aspect in Zeus undersideon that is most important in explaining why he was such(prenominal) an important figure in Mythology is that he was depicted as a father, even in myths where he was portrayed in another escaped such as a warrior or as a news attempting to usurp his fathers position, his patriarchal side al vogues showed in some elbow room in many of the stories.Zeus name in Greek comes from a root word meaning bright. It is interesting to note that the planet Jupiter, which is the same(p) name as Zeus in Roman is typic supporter the brightest object in the night sky, seems to be an interesting etymological comparison. Zeus took reign of the sky when the stupendous gods inherited control all over the world eyepatch his brothers Hades and Poseidon were given control over the underworld and the Oceans, respectively. Typically Zeus is associated with the lightening bolt, his weapon if choice, as well as the eagle, a exceeding symbol of nobility. The Oak tree is besides tied to Zeus as it is a sturdy tree that gos for hundreds of years.Zeus was the youngest of the original generation Olympian gods which excessively included Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon. When he was born Zeus was hidden to grow up on the island of Crete in line of battle to pre vent his father, Cronus, from eating him clean as he did to his older siblings. Instead of eating Zeus, Cronus was tricked into eating a stone which in turn made him regurgitate all of his devoured children yet then to be slain by Zeus who was protecting his siblings. This can be juxtaposed to a father who would protect his children. The Olympian gods ally together and fight all of the Titans from atop mount Olympus, this was known as the Titanomachy. This ten year war was aided not only by the Cyclopes, but the Hecatonchires as well. When the Olympian gods finally won the Titans were then immure in Tartarus.Zeus engaged in lascivious acts with goddesses which gave birth to many children which included Aegipan, Persephone and Zargreus, Orion and Manes, Ares, Eileithyia, Eris, Hebe, Ersa and Carae, Limos, Apollo and Artimis, Hermes, Athena, The Muses Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania, Zagreus and Melinoe, Ersa, Nemean Lion and P andia. There brings were Aix, Anake, Demeter, Dione, Thalassa, Gaia, Hera, Eos, Eris, Leto, Maia, Metis, Mnemosyne, Persephone and Selene respectively. Themis who was the first married woman of Zeus gave birth to Astraea, Nemisis, Horae, Auxo, Carpo, Thallo, Dike, Eirene, Eunomia, Pherusa, Euporie, Orthosie, and The fates Atropos Clotho and Lachesis (Wikipedia Zeus).In addition to having plenty of children with goddesses Zeus also had children with many finites, these children include Aeacus, Hercules, Amphion and Zethus, Arcas, Britomartis, Perseus, Tityas, Dardanus and Iasion. Minos, Rhadamanrhys and Sarpedon, Aglea, Euphrosyne and Thalia, Kronios, Spartaios and Kytos, Thebe, Epaphus and Keroessa, Sarpedon, Polydeuces, Castor and Helen of Troy, Lorcrus, Argus and Pelasgus, Alexander III of Macedon (Alexander the Great), Meliteus, Tantulus, Balius and Xanthus, Hellen, Dionysus, Lacedaemon, Palici, Litae, Tyche and Ate. The mortal mothers of these children of Zeus are Aegina, Alc mene, Antipoe, Callisto, Carme, Danae, Elara, Electra, Europa, Eurynome, Himalia, Iodame, Io, Lamia, Laodamia, Leda, Maera, Niobe, Olympias, Othreis, Pluto, Podarge, Pyrrha, Semele Taygete and Thalia respectively (Wikipedia Zeus).The Gigantomachy was the battle of the Olympian gods against the giants. The Giants, who were born of the slant of Uranus spilling onto the ground were half gracious and half serpentine creatures. This myth depicts Zeus in the warrior light because it was Zeus who fought the leader of the Giants Thyphoeus. Typhoeus was beaten by Zeus and thus so were the giants. They were imprisoned in Earth which to Greeks gave reason as to why volcanoes are scattered along the Earths surface.The fact that he fought Typhoeus unaccompanied exemplifies what many of the Greeks and Romans thought were how a warrior should behave, that and if he did not do so he would lose the stigma that he was the epitome of masculinity.The myths of Zeus are so widely varied and his beha vior within the myths are unsloped as varied that some have postulated that Zeus is the conglomeration of many minor gods who over time were blurred into one supreme being. In addition the many bizarre acts of Zeus can be a way for many people to justify their obscure behavior.Zeus had dealings not only with mortal females, but also mortal males. single of the most notable descriptions of this is that of Zeus and Ganymede. Ganymede was a slave boy who Zeus became infatuated with, one day Zeus sent eagles down to Earth to retrieve Ganymede and bring him to Olympus there he became a cup-bearer. That way he was always around when Zeus needed him to be. This is an example of how Zeus sometimes abused his power to get whatever he wanted. This tale also reflects how Roman society viewed homosexuality and accepted it the way they did.In Ovids Metamorphoses the tale of the great flood is another fine example of Zeus corrosion yet another hat. This myth Deals with ruler of Arcadia Lyca on and his tyrannical behavior. Lycaon thought he would serve Zeus one of his children as a sacrifice. As one would expect Zeus found this repulsive and decided to not only punish Lycaon, but the rest of humanity as well. He first transformed Lycaon into a wolf, it suited his personality. This was the typical style of most transformations in Ovids deeds. Zeus then decided to wipe the Earth clean of the human race and start fresh, thus the great flood much standardized the tarradiddle of Noahs Ark. In the Greek version, there were however two survivors Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha. In order to repopulate the Earth they were instructed to throw the bones of their mother over their shoulder to repopulate the Earth, these instructions from the oracle had to be interpreted in order for the oracle to maintain that it was never wrong. They Figured that the bones were actually rocks from mother Earth, this was the correct interpretation and the Earth was populated once more. In regards t o Zeus this story once again shows his parental side due to the way he reacted to Lycaons transgression.The myth of Zeus and his relationship with Callisto is one that shows how he can, when go ab break with urgency, can react for the amelioration of others not just himself. The story goes that aft(prenominal) Callisto was found to have a child with Zeus she was turned into a bear, after her son Arcas grew up he was in the woods and was confronted by her mother in bear form, he was about to kill her when Zeus stepped in and transformed then into constellations, these constellations were Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.The tale of Zeus and Demeter shows Zeus as a just and understanding ruler. The story deals with Hades being given permission to take Persephone to the Underworld to be his wife, the bulk of the story deals with Demeter sulking and trying to figure out who kidnapped her daughter. Also in her anger she brings dearth and drought upon the world. After hearing all the people crying out in hope due to hunger Zeus steps in and sends Hermes to retrieve Persephone, but she had already had eaten food in the underworld and if that occurs it is verbalize that no one can leave. So in the end Persephone essential spend a portion of every year with Hades in the underworld. This myth shows how Zeus is an understanding individual and how he does his best for the betterment of all under his all mighty rule.There are many other myths associated with Zeus such as him punishing Prometheus to having his liver eaten out of him regularly. Or the Zeus and his punishment for Tantalus and his blasphemous act of sacrificing his some to the gods. plant life ReferencedHesiods Theogony, translated by Evelyn-White. Ancient / Classical History Ancient Greece capital of Italy Classics Research Guide. Web. 09 Oct. 2009. .The Internet Classics Archive Metamorphoses by Ovid. The Internet Classics Archive 441 searchable works of classical literature. Web. 09 Oct. 2009. .Morford, Mark P. O., and Robert J. Lenardon. Classical Mythology. New York Oxford UP, USA, 2006. Print.Zeus -. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 09 Oct. 2009. .