Zeus - Mythology and Culture

Zeus is one of the three sons of Kronos and Rhea, ruling in the sky. He wields lightning, thunder, and is the god of judge and chief of Olympus. It was he who gave people laws, some of which we use to this day.

So why did Zeus become the chief god of Olympus and not his two brothers or the other gods? He got this position because he saved his brothers and sisters from the womb of his own father. Legend has it that Zeus swallowed all the children that Rhea bore him. He did this because he was afraid of being removed from the throne. Only Zeus was saved by his mother. Instead, the goddess gave her husband an ordinary stone, which she swaddled in the same way she swaddled an ordinary baby. The ruse succeeded, and the rescued baby saved everyone else in time. He conspired with his mother and Metida, goddess of wisdom, to slip mustard and salt into his father's drink, after which all the children came out of the womb unharmed.

So Zeus became the chief god for two reasons:

1. He was the one who saved the brothers and sisters swallowed by Cronus;
2. He was the only one who could command the lightning, whose deadly power was feared most of all on Olympus. Sometimes it was with its help that the people who inhabited the mountain could be pacified.

Mythology

Zeus is always depicted as a strong man, with a thick beard and beautiful locks of hair. In addition, in all paintings where he is present, you will see a weapon. Usually it's a trident, thanks to which the sky god can throw deadly lightning bolts. But sometimes in his hands you can find a scepter and hammer, which resembles a weapon of Thor.

The main god of Olympus has an amazing gift of reincarnation, which often helps him in matters of love. In addition, it is worth noting that with his women he is gentle, kind and affectionate.

Zeus can not tolerate gross errors, as well as injustice. He has always punished those who have done wrong. However, despite his good characteristic, the ruler of Olympus was tried to overthrow the throne as many as two times.

The Wives and Children of Zeus

The wives of the ancient Greek god of heaven were Metida, Themis and Hera. He hid his relationship with the last one for about three hundred years. However, besides the three goddesses he had many other lovers, by whom he had children. For example, Demeter and Europe.

It is not surprising that with this kind of arrangement, he had a huge number of children. For example, some of the most famous ones are: Hercules, Hephaestus, Perseus, Persephone, Aphrodite, Hermes, Terpsichora, and over thirty more.

Zeus in the world

Statues commemorating Zeus, the main god of Olympus, are located in many countries. The most popular of them is the third wonder of the world and is located in Olympia. This monument is truly enormous in size compared with any other. In addition, it is made of precious materials. According to measurements the third wonder of the world is 20 meters high, which is comparable in size to a multi-storey house.

Also statues dedicated to Zeus in Russia are kept in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, as well as in museums in Moscow. In addition, monuments can be found in countries such as Austria, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Italy, France, Turkey, and the United States.

In addition to sculptures, paintings were also dedicated to the god of heaven. For example, in the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow there is a work by François Boucher entitled Jupiter and Callisto. In the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg you can see a painting by Nicholas Peters Brechem, "A Shepherd's Scene." Its alternative title is "Baby Jupiter on the Island of Crete. A painting by the artist Dossey is housed in the Vienna Museum, which is devoted to the history of art. On it he depicted a scene that took place between Zeus, Mercury and the incarnation of Celestiality.

These are only the most popular works of art that are dedicated to Zeus. There are a great many of them, for mythology has always been of great interest to artists and sculptors alike. They depicted all kinds of gods, the main god of Olympus was no exception. On each canvas we see an equally courageous, strong man, who is indeed worthy to carry his title. The body of the god is always portrayed as slender and handsome as possible, despite the fact that he has a white beard on his face. In addition, the character's name is often used in marketing, movies, and games. For information on this, see https://whoiszeus.ca/. 

Movies, games, and TV series starring Zeus

From the mid-nineties to the present time, cinematography has developed rapidly. In a very small number of years, films about the ancient Greek god have managed to be made, such as:

• 1969 - "Hercules in New York".
• 1981 - "Clash of the Titans".
• 2010 - "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Snatcher".
• 2010 - "Clash of the Titans.
• 2011 - "War of the Gods: The Immortals.
• 2012 - Wrath of the Titans.

In addition to movies Zeus also appeared in some computer games as a character. For example, one of the most famous games of the 21st century - Dota2. It created a character that bears the name of the god of heaven and has the power of lightning. All as in the standard mythology.

We can conclude that mythology is paopopular to this day. With the advent of new technology, more and more interesting and unusual references to the ancient Greek gods are created.