Who is Zeus: mythology and modernity

Ancient Greece is famous for its myths. The ancient Greek gods are particularly famous in the myths. Chief among them is Zeus. He is the most important God. People believed that it was Zeus who brought justice and order to the world. Thanks to Zeus, the worldview of people changed.

In the legends, Zeus appears as a great warrior and also as a lover of women. According to the myths, the gods defeated the titans and took control of the world. Zeus was able to free his brothers and sisters who had been swallowed by their father Cronus.

The name Zeus is often used in different spheres of life. This name is used for shops, company games etc. The name Zeus is widely used because of its strength and power.

Interesting facts from mythology

Zeus is the supreme deity who rules over everything and people and other gods. Zeus has thunder and lightning. He has great powers. He can control the weather. When there is a drought, people pray to him for rain. In addition, the great god can transform not only into animals, but also into different phenomena.

The Greek people think of Zeus as having a strong body and a long, thick beard. He sits on his throne holding a scepter and a bundle of lightning bolts.

According to the legends, Zeus had many affairs. He had relationships with both goddesses and earthly women. Zeus had many children from his many relationships.

Zeus was considered by the ancient Greeks as their father, who punished him severely for their offences. When Prometheus stole fire for Zeus's punished people, he was chained to a rock. Every day an eagle flew to the rock and pecked Prometheus' liver, which grew back.

Officially Zeus had three wives and many unofficial affairs.

Zeus's first wife was the oceanid Metida. Metida was very clever. She helped Zeus prepare a drink that made Cronus regurgitate all the children he had swallowed. But when Rhea predicted to Zeus that Metida would give birth to a child who would be better than Zeus, Zeus turned her into a fly and swallowed her. While living inside Zeus, Metida grew Athena inside his head.

Zeus' second wife was Themis, who could foresee the future. She gave birth to three goddesses of the seasons.

Zeus' third wife was the goddess Hera. Hera had a strong character and was very jealous. She was painfully aware of her husband's infidelity. Hera gave Zeus's mistresses and illegitimate children various trials.

Zeus was also involved in many unofficial affairs. He had relations with his sister Demeter, who gave birth to Persephone. Persephone later became the wife of Hades, the god of the underworld. Zeus had another relationship with the daughter of one of the kings, Cajda. Hera caused her to be burned by lightning. When this happened Cadma was pregnant with Dionysus. Zeus pulled it out of Cadra's dead body and sewed it into his thigh. After entering into a relationship with Maia, daughter of Atlantean, Hermes, messenger of the gods, is born.

Of Zeus's relationships with earthly women we can single out:

• Niobe: gave birth to him Argos and Pelasgus.
• Europa: gave birth to Minos and Sarpedon.
• Leda: wife of King Sarpedon. This provoked the Trojan War.
• Alcmene: To meet her Zeus took the form of her husband.

Movies, games and TV series.

Today, the name Zeus is often used for the names of gambling games and clubs. This is because the theme of the game is based on ancient Greek mythology, particularly with the god Zeus. This helps to get through the game without various problems. Among the symbols of such games can also be found the god Zeus, Pegasus and many other symbols of ancient Greece.

There have also been many feature films dedicated to Zeus or featuring Zeus:

1. "Axel Ringwall's Jupiter by Jorden: this is the first film that was dedicated to Zeus.
2. Jason and the Argonauts by Niall McGinnis.
3. "Laurence Olivier's Battle of the Titans and the sequel Wrath of the Titans.
4. The Hercules cartoon.
5. "Thor: Love and Thunder" by Russell Crowe. Famous TV series about Zeus:

Famous TV series featuring Zeus:

• "Hercules": the 1990 series. The role of Zeus was played by Corey Burton.
• Netflix animated series "The Blood of Zeus".
• The series Three: The Fall of the City.

The cult of Zeus in the world

The main symbol of the god Zeus is lightning. He used it as a weapon. Other symbols of Zeus include a royal sceptre, an eagle and a shield.

Zeus was much revered in ancient times, so there are several sacred places where you can worship him. A temple in honour of Zeus was erected in 471-456 BC as a sign of worship, unique in its grandeur. It was designed by Libonus, an architect of ancient Greece. People swore here for the sins they had committed. Today only some fragments of this temple are preserved. Scholars and archaeologists have recreated the image that the temple of Zeus the Olympian once had, based on the descriptions of the ancients. The building was breathtakingly impressive and it was impossible to look away. The temple contained paintings depicting the victory of civilisation over illiteracy and savagery.

In 406 BC the reigning Theodosius gave orders to destroy all the temples of Olympia as it was evidence of pagan worship. The remains of the temple were destroyed by earthquakes in 522 and 551. Fragments of the temple have survived to this day. They are preserved in the archaeological museum of Olympia and in the Louvre in Paris.

There are many holy places that are dedicated to Zeus. The most popular of these are:

• The cave on Mount Ida. It is believed to be the cave where Rhea brought Zeus. Ida is the highest mountain in Crete. The place has been developed in Ancient Greece. According to the legends, it is believed that Zeus was born and raised here.
• Dodona. It is an ancient Greek city in Epirus. Dodona was created for the worship of Zeus and also to honour the oracle who lived there.
• Arcadia is a historical site in Greece, in the central part of the Peloponnesian Peninsula. It was formerly the site of the cult of Zeus. Sacrifices were made here, including human sacrifices. Some ate human meat here