Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Learn. The god of fire, was, according to the Homeric account, the son of Zeus and Hera.1 Later traditions state that he had no father, and that Hera gave birth to him independent of Zeus, as she was jealous of Zeus having given birth to Athena independent of her.2 This, however, is opposed to the common story, that Hephaestus split the head of Zeus, and thus assisted him in giving birth to Athena, for Hephaestus is there represented as older than Athena. [c][30][31] In the vase-painters' portrayal of the procession, Hephaestus was mounted on a mule or a horse, with Dionysus holding the bridle and carrying Hephaestus' tools (including a double-headed axe). iii. In a few myths, Zeus is the father of Hephaestus. Hephaestus - Mount Base for AKS-74U / AKMSU Series. Before marrying Hera, Zeus had been wed to the Titaness Metis. Hephaestus was the smith god, and his symbols reflected his work. Due to his patronage of the crafts, Hephaestus was closely affiliated with the goddess Athena. Suspicious that Aphrodite was seeing the god of war, Ares, Hephaestus created an unbreakable trap: a chain-link sheet so finely melded that it was rendered both invisible and lightweight. A net of thin but unbreakable chains fell down on them, trapping them in place. Hephaestus's . -Pseudo-Hyginus, Astronomica 2. Consequently, the mythic image of the disabled smith is widespread. His Roman counterpart was Vulcan . Hephaestus (/hfists, hfsts/; eight spellings; Greek: , translit. In one branch of Greek mythology, Hera ejected Hephaestus from the heavens because of his congenital impairment. The History of Guns, Greek Mythology: Stories, Characters, Gods, and Culture, Aztec Mythology: Important Stories and Characters, Greek Gods and Goddesses: Family Tree and Fun Facts, Roman Gods and Goddesses: The Names and Stories of 29 Ancient Roman Gods. Elysian Realm 6.0 v3c. Hephaestus. Article created on Monday, March 3, 1997. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library, Books 614, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hephaestus&oldid=1140936027. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He related to him in his own territory, altering his hard position with alcohol, which made Hephaestus more pliable rather than bellicose. Upgrade to remove ads. Zeus conjured four thunderbolts and asked Hephaestus to grab the one of the left. As a flame arises out of a little spark, so the god of fire was delicate and weakly from his birth, for which reason he was so much disliked by his mother, that she wished to get rid of him, and dropped him from Olympus. He was the god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals . [6], Hephaestus is given many epithets. Here, Hephaestus addressed as his Roman equivalent, Vulcan appears to be relaxed; the audience catches him on a rare day off. Hephaestus was associated with volcanoes, as the heat of the magma reminded people of the heat of a smiths forge. This article incorporates text from Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) by William Smith, which is in the public domain. Hymn. They moved to support Hephaestus while walking. See full answer below. But he was also considered one of the gods of fire. While the myths as we know them were developed in the Iron Age, the characterization of Hephaestus was probably set long before. While Hephaestus made fine military equipment for the gods (and some demi-god heroes), he was no one trick pony! Accessed March 1, 2023. Hphaistos) is the Greek god of blacksmiths, metalworking, carpenters, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metallurgy, fire (compare, however, with Hestia), and volcanoes. Hephaestus isnt the first name that comes to mind when you think of the great gods of Olympus. 436; Callim. In contrast, Dionysus plied him with wine and persuaded Hephaestus to accompany him on a mule. Athena is sometimes thought to be the "soulmate" of Hephaestus. The common way to make bronze is by melting an alloy of copper and tin. "[49], Some state that his origin myth was that of a "daemon of fire coming up from the earth"that he was also associated with gas "which takes fire and burns [and] is considered by many people to be divine" and that only later was a volcano considered Hephaestus's smithy. A prayer answered, a baby born, and a happy Hera! In some versions of the story, Hera herself threw her son down from Olympus when she saw his deformity. 37; Aristoph. He was known for being violent and cruel, but also cowardly. When Hera took a seat, she was trapped. Hephaestus was the god of fire, metalworking, stone masonry, forges and the art of sculpture. In addition, the Romans claim their equivalent god, Vulcan, to have produced the following children: Hephaestus was sometimes portrayed as a vigorous man with a beard and was characterized by his hammer or some other crafting tool, his oval cap, and the chiton. The cult of Hephaestus was based in Lemnos. The Eastern Mediterranean has many actively volcanic sites, and therefore the Greeks and other cultures of the area created many myths explaining their eruption, smoke, and ash. How Does Hephaestus Feature in Greek Mythology? Traditionally, his ill-matched consort was Aphrodite, though Homer lists Charis, the personification of Grace, as Hephaestuss wife in the Iliad. In carrying and birthing a daughter on his own, albeit in a very unusual way, Zeus had devalued Heras role as his wife. Hephaestus was one of the Olympians to have returned to Olympus after being exiled. While gods like Apollo and Dionysus were accepted by Zeus immediately, Hephaestus had to work for acceptance. The only one who didnt laugh at the embarrassing display was Poseidon. He gifted Harmonia an exquisite robe, and a luxurious necklace made by his own hand. His Roman counterpart was Vulcan. Hephaestus, who was known as Vulcan to the Romans, didnt exactly fit in with his fellow Olympians in art or in the mythology that surrounded him. Outside of Greece, however, the image of the lame smith was a common one. He was worshiped as the deity of the hearth, the forge, metallurgy, blacksmithing, and stonemasonry. However, the ancients also believed in gods who resided in places which were not as cozy as the home Zeus ruled on a mountain. He used fire to defeat the river-god Scamander during the Trojan War. When Hera sat down she was held fast, and Hephaestus refused to listen to any other of the gods except Dionysus in him he reposed the fullest trust and after making him drunk Dionysus brought him to heaven. After his second fall he returned to Olympus, and subsequently acted the part of mediator between his parents.10 On that occasion he offered a cup of nectar to his mother and the other gods, who burst out into immoderate laughter on seeing him busily hobbling through Olympus from one god to another, for he was ugly and slow, and, owing to the weakness of his legs, he was held up, when he walked, by artificial supports, skilfully made of gold.11 His neck and chest, however, were strong and muscular.12, In Olympus, Hephaestus had his own palace, imperishable and shining like stars: it contained his workshop, with the anvil, and twenty bellows, which worked spontaneously at his bidding.13 It was there that he made all his beautiful and marvelous works, utensils, and arms, both for gods and men. Hephaestus began inventing in the volcanic caves under Lemons. The Temple of Hephaestus was a 5th century BCE Greek temple in Athens, likely dedicated to Hephaestus and Athena Ergani. Hephaestus states in The Odyssey that he would return Aphrodite to her father and demand back his bride price. That job was a Blacksmith. [62] During the battle Hephaestus fell down exhausted, and was picked up by Helios in his chariot. In ancient Greek mythology, Hephaistos (modern English spelling Hephaestus) was god of blacksmiths, metalworking, and fire. It is the primary antagonist of Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds and a major antagonist in Horizon Forbidden West. According to Homer (Odyssey, VIII 306), there is not sufficient evidence to say that Zeus was the father of Hephaestus (although he refers to him in such way). Hephaestus didnt exactly have the ideal birth. According to myth, Hephaestus was born lame and was cast from heaven in disgust by his mother, Hera, and again by his father, Zeus, after a family quarrel. Hephaestus made the crown given to Ariadne at her wedding. [d] Both were believed to have great healing powers, and Lemnian earth (terra Lemnia) from the spot on which Hephaestus had fallen was believed to cure madness, the bites of snakes, and haemorrhage; and priests of Hephaestus knew how to cure wounds inflicted by snakes.[41]. The two sat and talked, enjoying cup after cup of the sweetest wine Dionysus could produce. Axel Seeberg (1965) Hephaistos Rides Again. [citation needed] Because Harmonia was conceived during Aphrodite's marriage to Hephaestus, for revenge, on Harmonia's wedding day to Cadmus Hephaestus gifted her with a finely worked but cursed necklace that brought immense suffering to her descendants, culminating with the story of Oedipus.[39]. [28] In another version, he demanded to be married to Aphrodite in order to release Hera, and his mother fulfilled the request.[29]. Listen to a recorded reading of this page. [13], According to Homer, Hephaestus built automatons of metal to work for him or others. His given parents, therefore, were Hephaestus and Gaia, but he was adopted by Athena. Zeus was forced to concede that, under the challenge he had issued, Hephaestus had technically won Aphrodites hand. ii. Ares fled to Thrace. In the Greek world, the gods often represented ideals that humans could only hope to achieve. A section "The Binding of Hera" is devoted to this archaic theme in Kerenyi (1951, pp156158), who refers to this "ancient story", which is one of the "tales of guileful deeds performed by cunning gods, mostly at a time when they had not joined the family on Olympus". Omissions? He was the only God on Mt. As Hephaestus was an iron-age smith, not a bronze-age smith, the connection is one from ancient folk memory.[83]. In some legends this is translated as having a snakes tail, but others seem to show more plausible mobility issues. He had found a loophole in the challenge Zeus had issued to the company of gods. [b] The other gods begged Hephaestus to return to Olympus to let her go, but he refused, saying "I have no mother". He is the caretaker for the dead with the aid of Charon (the Ferryman), Cerberus (guardian to the entrance of Hades) and Persephone(wife of Hades). Though married to Hephaestus, Aphrodite had an affair with Ares, the god of war. He was Blacksmith and master craftsman were his "powers". He was brought back to Olympus by Dionysus and was one of the only gods to have returned after exile. More common, however, was the idea that Hera created him on her own. History >> Ancient Greece >> Greek Mythology. Aphrodite, unhappy with the match, continued her affair with Ares. Hades, is the Olympian ruled, region of the Underworld, also referred to as a "Realm of the Dead." It is here, where the spirits of the . When Harmonia, the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares, was married he gave her a beautiful necklace that laid a curse upon all her descendants. Also like his father, the legendary king was said to be lame. One of the Greek legends is that Hephaestus, when he was born, was thrown down by Hera. When Hera saw Thetis wearing Hephaestus' broach, she realized her son had survived and was an inventive genius. in Dian. The epithets and surnames by which Hephaestus is designated by the poets generally allude to his skill in the plastic arts or to his figure and his lameness. He pleaded with Hephaestus to show them mercy. As the story goes, Hephaestus built a golden chair with quick, invisible binds and sent it to Olympus. Create your account. In later accounts, the Cyclopes Brontes, Steropes, Pyracmon, and others are his workmen and servants, and his workshop is no longer represented as in Olympus, but in the interior of some volcanic isle.14, The wife of Hephaestus also lived in his palace: in the Iliad she is called Charis, in the Odyssey Aphrodite,15 and in Hesiod's Theogony16 she is named Aglaea, the youngest of the Charites. Hephaestus and his tragic character was arguably the most human-like of the Greek gods. He overthrew the previous tyrant and became a beloved ruler who did much for his people. [64][65][66], At the marriage of Peleus and Thetis he gave a knife as a wedding present. Many Bronze Age smiths would have suffered from chronic arsenic poisoning as a result of their livelihood. de Nat. He walked with the aid of a stick. 233, xxiii. From classic literature to statues made by modern hands, Hephaestus is one of the most recognizable of the Greek gods. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. In another account, Hephaestus, attempting to rescue his mother from Zeus' advances, was flung down from the heavens by Zeus. Hephaestus, Greek God of the Forge, Craftsman, Inventor, Loner. Art has been able to grant audiences from across the world the opportunity to get a glance into the personality of otherwise intangible beings. Hephaestus - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Hephaestus - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). [17] And golden and silver lions and dogs at the entrance of the palace of Alkinoos in such a way that they could bite the invaders, guard dogs that didn't age nor perish. He had to earn his way onto Mount Olympus. Many myths describe him as lame, a common term for someone with a limp, while one hymn specified that he had a shrivelled foot. Hera is not mentioned as the mother. When referencing Grecian art from the Archaic (650 BCE 480 BCE) and the Hellenistic Periods (507 BCE 323 BCE), Hephaestus frequently appears on vases that depict the processional that heralded his first return to Mount Olympus. In the instance of Hephaestus being one of the children born between Zeus and Hera, he was actually present at Athenas birth. The iconic trident, wielded by the sea king, has proven itself to be a powerful weapon in many different iterations. "[33] In the Iliad, Hephaestus is presented as divorced from Aphrodite, and now married to the Grace Aglaea. More often than not, Hephaestus plays a supportive role in myths. Hephaestus specific cult likely spread to the Roman Empire during their Grecian expansion period around 146 BCE, although the worship of a god of fire known as Vulcan dates back to the 8th century BCE. The region to the north of Greece was considered barbaric and dangerous, the perfect home for a god associated with destruction and unfocused violence. Hephaestus also created the gift that the gods gave to man, the woman Pandora and her pithos. He declared that whichever god could bring Hephaestus back to Mount Olympus and make him free Hera would earn the right to marry Aphrodite. Volcanus, or Vulcan as hes commonly known today, took on the constructive association between fire and smithing but was typically seen as a more destructive god than his Greek counterpart. The gods illness, a sign of his profession, passed through oral tradition generations after the disease itself had disappeared. He was the son of Zeus and Hera and married to Aphrodite by Zeus to prevent a war of the gods fighting for her hand. Study sets, textbooks, questions. She was the goddess of love and beauty and was very famous in the Greek and Roman world. In the blink of an eye the thunderbolt became a crackle of flames which buried itself into the realm of men, giving rise to a volcano - It was the smithy Hephaestus had always dreamt of. In an archaic story,[a][20][21] Hephaestus gained revenge against Hera for rejecting him by making her a magical golden throne, which, when she sat on it, did not allow her to stand up again. Hephaestus was responsible for the creation of the armor and weaponry used by Olympus, in addition to a great number of additional accoutrements that were . He, after all, is a humble craftsman sort of. The meaning of each epithet is:[9], Hephaestus had his own palace on Olympus, containing his workshop with anvil and twenty bellows that worked at his bidding. Aglaia, the youngest of the Charites (Graces) became his wife. [7][8] The Greek theonym Hphaistos is most likely of Pre-Greek origin, as the form without -i- (Attic Hphastos) shows a typical Pre-Greek variation and points to an original sy. They were items fit for the gods. She tricked him, and vanished from the bridal bed, resulting in Hephaestus accidentally impregnating Gaia with Erichthonius, a future King of Athens. As a smithing god, Hephaestus made all the weapons of the gods in Olympus. The most commonly recorded birth story is that Hera, while in a spiteful mood over Zeus solo bearing of Athena, prayed to the Titans for a child greater than her husband. The first-century sage Apollonius of Tyana is said to have observed, "there are many other mountains all over the earth that are on fire, and yet we should never be done with it if we assigned to them giants and gods like Hephaestus".[50]. When the goddess saw how ugly her child was, she spared no time in literally throwing him from the Heavens. Heres the whole story behind Hephaestus, the gods smith! Before marrying Aglaia, however, Hephaestus had another notable failure in love. But in his relationships with other gods, Hephaestus was not so different from the rest of them. Cret. In Greek mythology, Hephaestus was either the son of Zeus and Hera or he was Hera's parthenogenous child. Hephaestus was reluctant, believing that Ares would avoid punishment if he were freed. The goddess of beauty had been on Olympus for some time following her birth from the sea, and Zeus had decided it was time for her to find a husband. Hephaestus was an interloper deity of artisans, craftsmen, and smiths who originated from another plane of existence and was considered rather obscure in the Realms. Please like and share this article if you found it useful. Rather, attributing a piece to Hephaestus was a comment on its fine craftsmanship and value. [71][72] Athena wiped the semen off using a tuft of wool, which she tossed into the dust, impregnating Gaia and causing her to give birth to Erichthonius,[71][72] whom Athena adopted as her own child. While he had an involvement with the intrigue and affairs of Olympus, Hephaestus appeared most often in the myths in his role as a smith. [6] The inscription indirectly attests his worship at that time because it is believed that it reads the theophoric name (H)paistios,[6] or Hphaistion. 420 BCE).26 The Greeks frequently placed small dwarf-like statues of the god near the hearth, and these dwarfish figures seem to have been the most ancient.27. Hephaestus is the Greek god of fire, metalworking, blacksmithing, forging, and masonry. Hephaestus symbolizes a person whose attributes are not valued in a patriarchal society, so he has a rough time achieving success. What Zeus had not known was that Metis was already carrying his first child. In the Trojan war he was on the side of the Greeks, but he was also worshiped by the Trojans, and on one occasion he saved a Trojan from being killed by Diomedes.18, His favorite place on earth was the island of Lemnos, where he liked to dwell among the Sintians;19 but other volcanic islands also, such as Lipara, Hiera, Imbros, and Sicily, are called his abodes or workshops.20, Hephaestus is among the male what Athena is among the female deities, for, like her, he give skill to mortal artists, and, conjointly with her, he was believed to have taught men the arts which embellish and adorn life.21 But he was, nevertheless, conceived as far inferior to the sublime character of Athena.