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Greek Name Transliteration Latin Spelling Translation

Ζευς Zeus Zeus Jupiter, Jove

ZEUS was the King of the Gods and the god of

the sky, weather, law and order, destiny and
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fate, and kingship. He was depicted as a regal,
mature man with a sturdy figure and dark
beard. His usual attributes were a lightning
bolt, a royal sceptre and an eagle.

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MYTHS

ZEUS SUMMARY Zeus was the youngest child of the Titans

Kronos (Cronus) and Rheia. Kronos devoured
THE GOD ZEUS each of his children as they were born, but
Parents Cronus and Rhea Zeus escaped this fate when his mother
spirited him away, handing the Titan a stone
Wife Hera
substitute wrapped in swaddling cloth.
God of Sky, weather, kings, fate <<More>>
Home Mount Olympus
The god was raised in secrecy on Mount Dikte
Symbol Lightning bolt in Krete (Crete) where he was nursed by
Sacred nymphs on the milk of the goat Amaltheia and Zeus with eagle and lightning, Athenian red-figure
Eagle, bull guarded by the warrior Kouretes (Curetes) who amphora C5th B.C., Musée du Louvre
Animals
drowned out the sound of his crying with their
Sacred shield-clashing battle-dance. <<More>>
Oak tree, olive tree
Plants
Upon coming of age Zeus recruited the goddess Metis to his cause. She served the Titan Kronos
Hermes, Nike, Cratus,
Retinue a magical draught which caused him to disgorge the young gods he had devoured. <<More>>
Themis, Moirae, Horae
Zeus liberated the six giant-sons of Heaven from the pit of Tartaros. In gratitude the Kyklopes
Other
Cronides, Cronion (Cyclopes) armed him with lightning-bolts and the Hekatonkheires (Hundred-Handed) aided him
Names
in his assault on the Titanes with volleys of thrown boulders. Kronos and his allies were eventually
Roman defeated and banished to a prison beneath the earth. <<More>>
Jupiter
Name
After the fall of the Titan-gods, Zeus and his brothers drew lots to divide rule of the cosmos -
Zeus won the heavens, Poseidon the sea and Haides the underworld.
ZEUS PAGES INDEX
Zeus devoured the pregnant goddess Metis when an oracle revealed that her son was destined
Part 1: Introduction
to replace him as King of the Gods. Their child, Athena, was subsequently born in his belly and
Gallery birthed directly from his head. <<More>>
Family Tree of Zeus
Zeus married his sister Hera, queen of the heavens, after seducing her in the guise of a cuckoo-
Symbols & Attributes bird. But this union of ever quarreling sky-god and sky-goddess proved not to be a match made
Retinue of Zeus in heaven! <<More>>
Hymns to Zeus Prometheus crafted the race of man and gave them fire stolen from the gods of heaven. Zeus
Encyclopedia Entry punished this act by ordering the creation of the first woman, Pandora, and sent her to earth with
a vessel full of troubles to plague mankind. Prometheus himself was arrested and chained to a
Sources
mountain with an eagle set to torment him. <<More>>
Part 2: Zeus Family The early generations of man descended into wickedness and corruption and Zeus decided to
Genealogy wipe them from the face of the earth with a great deluge. One virtuous couple, Deukalion and
Pyrrha, were spared and afterwards allowed to repopulate the world with the casting of stones
Divine Offspring
which transformed into men. <<More>>
Mortal Offspring
Family by Kingdom

Part 3: Zeus Myths 1 General

Birth of Zeus
Nursing of Zeus
War of the Titans
War of the Giants
Battle with Typhoeus

Part 3: Zeus Myths 2 Loves

Aphrodite
Asteria
Demeter
Eurynome
Leto The earth-goddess Gaia (Gaea), angered by the imprisonment of the Titanes, urged the Giants to
Metis rise up against the gods of Olympos. They laid siege to the heavenly fortress but Zeus laid low
Mnemosyne their king and many others with his deadly lightning-bolts. <<More>>

Persephone Gaia produced one more giant, Typhoeus, the most monstrous of his kind and set him upon
Themis Olympos. The rest of the gods fled in horror and Zeus himself was defeated in combat with the
monster tearing the sinews from his limbs rendering him helpless. Pan later stole back the god's
Part 3: Zeus Myths 3 Loves strength and, restored, Zeus defeated the giant in a rematch and bound him beneath Mount Etna.
<<More>>
Part 3: Zeus Myths 4 Loves Zeus seduced many mortal woman including Leda in the guise of a swan, Europa as a bull,
Antiope Danae as a shower of gold, Alkmene as her own husband, Kallisto (Callisto) as the goddess
Callisto Artemis, and Antiope as a satyr. <<More>>

Danae The god's favorite mortal son was Herakles (Heracles) whom he supported throughout his trials
and eventually welcomed to Olympos as a god.
Part 4: Cult of Zeus 1
Zeus punished the worst villians of myth for their impiety and crimes against the gods including
General Cult Tantalos who stole ambrosia from heaven, Lykaon (Lycaon) who served human flesh to the gods,
Attica, Southern Greece Ixion who attempted to rape Zeus' wife the goddess Hera, and Salmoneus who tried to imitate
Megaris, Southern Greece Zeus and steal the worship that was due the gods.

Aegina, Southern Greece Many other myths are detailed over the following pages.
Corinth, Southern Greece
Sicyon, Southern Greece
SYMBOLS & ATTRIBUTES
Argolis, Southern Greece
Zeus' most distinctive attribute was his stylized lightning bolt which he wielded in his hand like a
Part 4: Cult of Zeus 2 javelin. His other attributes included a royal sceptre, a throne, an eagle, a miniature Nike (winged
Laconia, Southern Greece goddess of victory), and the aigis (a goat-skin arm-guard). The god was usually clothed in a long
Messenia, Southern Greece robe (chiton) and cloak (himation) but was sometimes depicted nude. He was often crowned with
a wreath of olive leaves.
Elis, Southern Greece
Achaea, Southern Greece Below are some examples of his attributes as depicted in ancient Greek art:-

Arcadia, Southern Greece 1. Lightning bolt; 2. Lightning bolt; 3. Throne; 4. Wreath of olive-leaves.

Part 4: Cult of Zeus 3

Boeotia, Central Greece
Euboea, Central Greece
Phocis, Central Greece
Cephallenia, Central Greece
Dodona , Northern Greece
Macedonia, Northern Greece SACRED ANIMALS & PLANTS
Ceos, Greek Aegean
Zeus' sacred animals were the eagle and the bull. In myth he abducted the youth Ganymede in
Samos, Greek Aegean the shape of an eagle and the maiden Europa in the guise of a bull.
Rhodes, Greek Aegean His sacred plants were the evergreen holm oak and the olive tree. At the ancient oracle of
Dodona Zeus' priests were inspired by the rustling of oak-leaves, and at the Olympic Games
Crete, Greek Aegean
victors were crowned with a wreath of olive-leaves picked from the god's sacred grove.
Lydia, Anatolia
Caria, Anatolia
Cappadocia, Anatolia
Cilicia, Anatolia
Phrygia, Anatolia Vacation
Cyprus, Mediterranean with your
Libya, North Africa people.
Rome & Latium, Central Italy Not your
host.
Part 4: Cult of Zeus 4
Oracle of Dodona, Northern Greece

Part 5: Titles & Epithets

Below are examples of the god's animals as depicted in ancient Greek art and photos of his
RECENT ARTICLES sacred plants:-

Who Was Achilles A Warrior? 1. Eagle; 2. Bull; 3. Holm oak; 4. Olive tree.

What Were The 12 Labors of Hercules?

Gods, Spirits & Monsters A - Z

RETINUE OF ZEUS

Befitting his role as King of the Gods, Zeus was attended by a large complement of lesser
divinities.

His throne was guarded by four winged spirits, two male and two female, named Kratos
(Strength), Zelos (Rivalry), Nike (Victory) and Bia (Force). Kratos and Bia functioned as muscular
enforcers and were tasked with jobs such as the apprehension and imprisonment of the Titan
Prometheus. Nike drove Zeus' chariot and often accompanied him in miniature form as
something of a divine familiar.

The god Hermes was Zeus' personal herald who acted as diplomat, envoy and general agent of
the god's will.

His messenger was Iris, the winged goddess of the rainbow, who simply relayed messages
verbatim and delivered commands to the other gods.

Zeus' high councillor Themis, goddess of law and order, was seated beside his throne. She was
attended by their six daughters the Moirai (Fates) and the Horai (Seasons). These goddesses
were collectively responsible for the orderly functioning of the cosmos. Themis was also charged
with summoning all of the gods to assembly in the courtyard of Zeus.

The god's virgin sister Hestia also resided in his palace where she tended the ever-burning, divine
hearth-fire in the center of his hall.

Metis, goddess of wisdom, was perhaps his most unusual attendant. Zeus swallowed her whole
to avoid a prophesy and she took up residence in his belly. The ancient Greeks believed the belly
rather than the brain was the seat of thought and emotion, and so by subsuming her he
effectively implanted wise counsel in his mind. She continued to exist in some form or other
within the god, even to the extent of birthing Athena there and equipping her with armour and
weapons before her second birth from Zeus' head.

Ganymede and the goddess Hebe were Zeus' cupbearers who served ambrosia and nectar at the
feasts of the gods.
The winged Harpyiai (Harpies), known as the "hounds of Zeus", were crude creatures tasked by
the god with carrying off or harrassing mortals.
Pegasos, the winged horse, carried Zeus' lightning bolts, and four other immortal horses drew his
chariot through the sky.

ZEUS PAGES ON [Link]

This site contains a total of 8 pages describing the god, including general descriptions,
mythology, and cult. The content is outlined in the Index of Zeus Pages (left column or below).

FAMILY OF ZEUS

PARENTS

KRONOS & RHEA (Homer Iliad 15.187, Hesiod Theogony 453, Apollodorus 1.4, Diodorus Siculus 5.68.1, et al)

OFFSPRING

See Family of Zeus

Zeus was a son of the Titans Kronos (Cronus) and Rheia and a grandson of Ouranos (the Sky)
and Gaia (the Earth). He was a brother of the gods Poseidon, Haides, Hera, Demeter and Hestia.
Zeus married his sister, the sky-goddess Hera, and they had three children - Ares, Hebe and
Eileithyia.
His other divine consorts included: his sister Demeter mother of Persephone; his cousins Metis
mother of Athena, Leto mother of Apollon and Leto, and Maia mother of Hermes; his aunts Dione
mother of Aphrodite, Themis mother of the Moirai (Fates) and Horai (Seasons), and Mnemosyne
mother of the Mousai (Muses); and his descendant Semele mother of Dionysos.
He was also the father of innumerable mortal kings and heroes, the most famous of which were
Perseus, Herakles (Heracles), and Helene of Troy. <<More>>

Below are two graphics depicting Zeus' core family tree, the first with names transliterated from
the Greek and the second with the common English spellings:-

A much more detailed family tree for Zeus including all of his immortal lovers and children can be
found here (transliterated Greek version) and here (English names version).

ENCYCLOPEDIA

ZEUS (Zeus), the greatest of the Olympian

gods, and the father of gods and men, was a
son of Cronos and Rhea, a brother of Poseidon,
Hades (Pluto), Hestia, Demeter, Hera, and at the
same time married to his sister Hera. When
Zeus and his brothers distributed among
themselves the government of the world by lot,
Poseidon obtained the sea, Hades the lower
world, and Zeus the heavens and the upper
regions, but the earth became common to all
(Hom. Il. xv. 187, &c., i. 528, ii. 111; Virg. Aen.
iv. 372).

Later mythologers enumerate three Zeus in

their genealogies two Arcadian ones and one
Cretan; and tne first is said to be a son of
Aether, the second of Coelus, and the third of
Saturnus (Cic. de Nat. Deor. iii. 21). This
accounts for the fact that some writers use the
name of the king of heaven who sends dew,
rain, snow, thunder, and lightning for heaven
itself in its physical sense. (Horat. Carm. i. 1. 25
; Virg. Georg. ii. 419.)

According to the Homeric account Zeus, like Zeus, Athenian red-figure Panathenaic amphora
the other Olympian gods, dwelt on Mount C5th B.C., Staatliche Antikensammlungen
Olympus in Thessaly, which was believed to
penetrate with its lofty summit into heaven itself (Il. i. 221, &c., 354, 609, xxi. 438). He is called the
father of gods and men (i. 514, v. 33; comp. Aeschyl. Sept. 512), the most high and powerful
among the immortals, whom all others obey (Il. xix. 258, viii. 10, &c.). He is the highest ruler, who
with his counsel manages every thing (i. 175, viii. 22), the founder of kingly power, of law and of
order, whence Dice, Themis and Nemesis are his assistants (i. 238, ii. 205, ix. 99, xvi. 387; comp.
Hes. Op. et D. 36 ; Callim. Hymn. in Jov. 79).

For the same reason he protects the assembly of the people (agoraios), the meetings of the
council (boulaios), and as he presides over the whole state, so also over every house and family
(herkeios, Od. xxii. 335; comp. Ov. Ib. 285). He also watched over the sanctity of the oath
(horkios), the law of hospitality (xenios), and protected suppliants (hikesios, Od. ix. 270; comp.
Paus. v. 24. § 2). He avenged those who were wronged, and punished those who had committed
a crime, for he watched the doings and sufferings of all men (epopsios, Od. xiii. 213; comp.
Apollon. Rhod. i. 1123).

He was further the original source of all prophetic power, front whom all prophetic signs and
sounds proceeded (panomphaios, Il. viii. 250 ; comp. Aeschyl. Eum. 19 ; Callim. Hymn. in Jov.
69). Every thing good as well as bad comes from Zeus, and according to his own choice he
assigns their good or evil lot to mortals (Od. iv. 237, vi. 188, ix. 552, Il. x. 71, xvii. 632, &c.), and
fate itself was subordinate to him.

He is armed with thunder and lightning, and the shaking of his aegis produces storm and tempest
(Il. xvii. 593) : a number of epithets of Zeus in the Homeric poems describe him as the thunderer,
the gatherer of clouds, and the like.

He was married to Hera, by whom he had two sons, Ares and Hephaestus, and one daughter,
Hebe (Il. i. 585, v. 896, Od. xi. 604). Hera sometimes acts as an independent divinity, she is
ambitious and rebels against her lord, but she is nevertheless inferior to him, and is punished for
her opposition (Il. xv. 17, &c., xix. 95, &c.) ; his amours with other goddesses or mortal women are
not concealed from her, though they generally rouse her jealousy and revenge (Il. xiv. 317). During
the Trojan war, Zeus, at the request of Thetis, favoured the Trojans, until Agamemnon made good
the wrong he had done to Achilles.

Zeus, no doubt, was originally a god of a portion of nature, whence the oak with its eatable fruit
and the fertile doves were sacred to him at Dodona and in Arcadia (hence also rain, storms, and
the seasons were regarded as his work, and hence the Cretan stories of milk, honey, and
cornucopia) ; but in the Homeric poems, this primitive character of a personification of certain
powers of nature is already effaced to some extent, and the god appears as a political and
national divinity, as the king and father of men, as the founder and protector of all institutions
hallowed by law, custom. or religion.

Hesiod (Theog. 116, &c.) also calls Zeus the son of Cronos and Rhea , and the brother of Hestia,
Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon. Cronos swallowed his children immediately after their birth,
but when Rhea was near giving birth to Zeus, she applied to Uranus and Ge for advice as to how
the child might be saved. Before the hour of birth came, Uranus and Ge sent Rhea to Lyctos in
Crete, requesting her to bring up her child there. Rhea accordingly concealed her infant in a cave
of Mount Aegaeon, and gave to Cronos a stone wrapped up in cloth, which he swallowed in the
belief that it was his son. Other traditions state that Zeus was born and brought up on Mount
Dicte or Ida (also the Trojan Ida), Ithome in Messenia, Thebes in Boeotia, Aegion in Achaia, or
Olenos in Aetolia. According to the common account, however, Zeus grew up in Crete. As Rhea
is sometimes identified with Ge, Zeus is also called a son of Ge. (Aeschyl. Suppl. 901.)

In the meantime Cronos by a cunning device of Ge or Metis was made to bring up the children he
had swallowed, and first of all the stone, which was afterwards set up by Zeus at Delphi. The
young god now delivered the Cyclopes from the bonds with which they had been fettered by
Cronos, and they in their gratitude provided him with thunder and lightning. On the advice of Ge.
Zeus also liberated the hundred-armed Gigantes, Briareos, Cottus, and Gyes, that they might
assist him in his fight against the Titans. (Apollod. i. 2. § 1; Hes. Theog. 617, &c.) The Titans were
conquered and shut up in Tartarus (Theog. 717), where they were henceforth guarded by the
Hecatoncheires. Thereupon Tartarus and Ge begot Typhoeus, who began a fearful struggle with
Zeus, but was conquered. (Theog. 820, &c.)

Zeus now obtained the dominion of the world, and chose Metis for his wife. (Theog. 881, &c.)
When she was pregnant with Athena, he took the child out of her body and concealed it in his
own, on the advice of Uranus and Ge, who told him that thereby he would retain the supremacy
of the world. For Metis had given birth to a son, this son (so fate had ordained it) would have
acquired the sovereignty. After this Zeus, by his second wife Themis. became the father of the
Horae and Moerae; of the Charites by Eurynome, of Persephone by Demeter, of the Muses by
Mnemosyne, of Apollo and Artemis by Leto, and of Hebe, Ares, and Eileithyia by Hera. Athena
was born out of the head of Zeus; while Hera, on the other hand, gave birth to Hephaestus
without the co-operation of Zeus. (Theog. 8866, &c.)

The family of the Cronidae accordingly embraces the twelve great gods of Olympus, Zeus (the
head of them all), Poseidon, Apollo, Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Athena,
Aphrodite, and Artemis. These twelve Olympian gods, who in some places were worshipped as a
body, as at Athens (Thueyd. vi. 54), were recognised not only by the Greeks, but were adopted
also by the Romans, who, in particular, identified their Jupiter with the Greek Zeus.

In surveying the different local traditions about Zeus, it would seem that originally there were
several, at least three, divinities which in their respective countries were supreme, but which in
the course of time became united in the minds of tile people into one great national divinity. We
may accordingly speak of an Arcadian, Dodonaean, Cretan, and a national Hellenic Zeus.

1. The Arcadian Zeus (Zeus Lukaios) was born, according to the legends of the country, in
Arcadia, either on Mount Parrhasion (Callim. Hymn. in Jov. 7, 10), or in a district of Mount
Lycaeon, which was called Cretea. (Paus. viii. 38. § 1 ; Callim. l. c. 14.) He was brought up there
by the nymphs Theisoa, Neda, and Hagno; the first of these gave her name to an Arcadian town,
the second to a river, and the third to a well. (Paus. viii. 38. § 2, &c., 47. § 2; comp. Callim. l. c.
33.) Lycaon, a son of Pelasgus, who built the first and most ancient town of Lycosura, called
Zeus Lycaeus, and erected a temple and instituted the festival of the Lyceia in honour of him; he
further offered to him bloody sacrifices, and among others his own son, in consequence of which
he was metamorphosed into a wolf (lukos; Paus. viii. 2. § 1, 38. § 1; Callim. l. c. 4 ; Ov. Met. i.
218.) No one was allowed to enter the sanctuary of Zeus Lycaeus on Mount Lycaeon, and there
was a belief that, if any one entered it, he died within twelve months after, and that in it neither
human beings nor animals cast a shadow. (Paus. viii. 38. § 5; comp. Schol. ad Callim. Hymn. in
Jov. 13.) Those who entered it intentionally were stoned to death, unless they escaped by flight;
and those who had got in by accident were sent to Eleutherae. (Plut. Quaest. Gr. 39.) On the
highest summit of Lycaeon, there was an altar of Zeus, in front of which, towards the east, there
were two pillars bearing golden eagles. The sacrifices offered there were kept secret. (Paus. viii.
38. § 5; Callim. l. c. 68.)

2. The Dodonaean Zeus (Zeus Dôdônaios or Pelasgikos) possessed the most ancient oracle in
Greece, at Dodona in Epeirus, near mount Tomarus (Tmarus or Tomurus), from which he derived
his name. (Hom. Il. ii. 750, xvi. 233; Herod. ii. 52 ; Paus. i. 17. § 5; Strab. v. p. 338, vi. p. 504; Virg.
Eclog. viii. 44.) At Dodona Zeus was mainly a prophetic god, and the oak tree was sacred to him ;
but there too he was said to have been reared by if the Dodonaean nymphs (Hyades; Schol. ad
Hom. Il. xviii. 486; Hygin. Fab. 182 ; Ov. Fast. vi. 711, Met. iii. 314). Respecting the Dodonaean
oracle of Zeus, see Dict. of Ant. s. v. Oraculum.

3. The Cretan Zeus (Zeus Diktaios or Krêtagenês). We have already given the account of him
which is contained in the Theogony of Hesiod. He is the god, to whom Rhea, concealed from
Cronos, gave birth in a cave of mount Dicte, and whom she entrusted to the Curetes and the
nymphs Adrasteia and Ida, the daughters of Melisseus. They fed him with milk of the goat
Amaltheia, and the bees of the mountain provided him with honey. (Apollod. i. 1. § 6; Callim. l. c. ;
Diod. v. 70; comp. Athen. xi. 70; Ov. Fast. v. 115.) Crete is called the island or nurse of the great
Zeus, and his worship there appears to have been very ancient. (Virg. Aen. iii. 104; Dionys.
Perieg. 501.) Among the places in the island which were particularly sacred to the god, we must
mention the district about mount Ida, especially Cnosus, which was said to have been built by
the Curetes, and where Minos had ruled and conversed with Zeus (Hom. Od. xix. 172; Plat. de
Leg. i. 1; Diod. v. 70; Strab. x. p. 730; Cic. de Nat. Deor. iii. 21); Gortyn, where the god, in the form
of a bull, landed when he had carried off Europa from Phoenicia, and where he was worshipped
under the surname of Hecatombaeus (Hesych. s. v.) ; further the towns about mount Dicte, as
Lyctos (Hes. Theog. 477), Praesos, Hierapytna, Biennos, Eleuthernae and Oaxus. (Comp. Hoeck,
Creta, i. p. 160, &c., 339, &c.)

4. The national Hellenic Zeus, near whose temple at Olympia in Elis, the great national panegyris
was celebrated every fifth year. There too Zeus was regarded as the father and king of gods and
men, and as the supreme god of the Hellenic nation, His statue there was executed by Pheidias,
a few years before the outbreak of the Peloponnesian war, the majestic and sublime idea for this
statue having been suggested to the artist by the words of Homer, Il. i. 527. (Comp. Hygin. Fab.
223.) According to the traditions of Elis, Cronos was the first ruler of the country, and in the
golden age there was a temple dedicated to him at Olympia. Rhea, it is further said, entrusted the
infant Zeus to the Idaean Dactyls, who were also called Curetes, and had come from mount Ida in
Crete to Elis. Heracles, one of them, contended with his brother Dactyls in a footrace, and
adorned the victor with a wreath of olive. In this manner he is said to have founded the Olympian
games, and Zeus to have contended with Cronos for the kingdom of Elis. (Paus. v. 7. § 4.)

The Greek and Latin poets give to Zeus an immense number of epithets and surnames, which are
derived partly from the places where he was worshipped, and partly from his powers and
functions. He was worshipped throughout Greece and her colonies, so that it would be useless
and almost impossible to enumerate all the places.

The eagle, the oak, and the summits of mountains were sacred to him, and his sacrifices
generally consisted of goats, bulls and cows. (Hom. Il. ii. 403; Aristot. Ethic. v. 10, ix. 2; Virg. Aen.
iii. 21, ix. 627.) His usual attributes are, the sceptre, eagle, thunderbolt, and a figure of Victory in
his hand, and sometimes also a cornucopia. The Olympian Zeus sometimes wears a wreath of
olive, and the Dodonaean Zeus a wreath of oak leaves.

In works of art Zeus is generally represented as the omnipotent father and king of gods and men,
according to the idea which had been embodied in the statue of the Olympian Zeus by Pheidias.

Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.

CLASSICAL LITERATURE QUOTES

HYMNS TO ZEUS
I) THE HOMERIC HYMNS

Homeric Hymn 23 to Cronides

(trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic
C7th to 4th B.C.) :
"To [Zeus] Kronides (Cronides)
(Son of Kronos), Most High
(hypatos). I will sing of Zeus,
chiefest among the gods and
greatest, all-seeing, the lord of all,
the fulfiller who whispers words of
wisdom to Themis as she sits
leaning towards him. Be gracious,
all-seeing Kronides, most excellent
and great!"

Zeus and the giant Porphyrion, Athenian red-figure kylix C5th

B.C., Antikensammlung Berlin

II) THE ORPHIC HYMNS

Orphic Hymn 15 to Zeus (trans. Taylor) (Greek hymns C3rd B.C. to 2nd A.D.) :
"O Zeus, much-honoured, Zeus supremely great, to thee our holy rites we consecrate, our
prayers and expiations, king divine, for all things to produce with ease through mind is thine.
Hence mother earth (gaia) and mountains swelling high proceed from thee, the deep and all
within the sky. Kronion (Cronion) king, descending from above, magnanimous, commanding,
sceptred Zeus; all-parent, principle and end of all, whose power almighty shakes this earthly ball;
even nature trembles at thy mighty nod, loud-sounding, armed with lightning, thundering god.
Source of abundance, purifying king, O various-formed, from whom all natures spring; propitious
hear my prayer, give blameless health, with peace divine, and necessary wealth."

Orphic Hymn 19 to Zeus of Thunder :

"To Zeus Keraunos (Ceraunus) (Thundering). O father Zeus, who shakest with fiery light the world,
deep-sounding from thy lofty height. From thee proceeds the ethereal lightning's blaze, flashing
around intolerable rays. Thy sacred thunders shake the blest abodes, the shining regions of the
immortal Gods. Thy power divine the flaming lightning shrouds with dark investiture in fluid
clouds. 'Tis thine to brandish thunders strong and dire, to scatter storms, and dreadful darts of
fire; with roaring flames involving all around, and bolts of thunder of tremendous sound. Thy rapid
dart can raise the hair upright, and shake the heart of man with wild affright. Sudden,
unconquered, holy, thundering God, with noise unbounded flying all abroad; with all-devouring
force, entire and strong, horrid, untamed, thou rollest the flames along. Rapid, ethereal bolt,
descending fire, the earth, all-parent, trembles at thine ire; the sea all-shining, and each beast,
that hears the sound terrific, with dread horror fears: when nature's face is bright with flashing
fire, and in the heavens resound they thunders dire. They thunders white the azure garments tear,
and burst the veil of all-surrounding air. O Zeus, all-blessed, may thy wrath severe, hurled in the
bosom of the deep appear, and on the tops of mountains be revealed, for thy strong arm is not
from us concealed. Propitious to these sacred rites incline, and to thy suppliants grant a life
divine, add royal health, and gentle peace beside, with upright reasoning for a constant guide."

Orphic Hymn 20 to Zeus of Lightning :

"To Zeus Astrapaios (Astrapaeus) (Lightning Maker). I call the mighty, holy, splendid, light, aerial,
dreadful-sounding, fiery-bright, flaming, ethereal light, with angry voice, lighting through lucid
clouds with crashing noise. Untamed, to whom resentments dire belong, pure, holy power, all-
parent, great and strong: come, and benevolent these rites attend, and grant the mortal life a
pleasing end."

Orphic Hymn 73 to the Daemon :

"To the Daimon [Zeus]. Thee, mighty ruling Daimon dread, I call, mild Zeus, life-giving, and the
source of all: great Zeus, much wandering, terrible and strong, to whom revenge and tortures dire
belong. Mankind from thee in plenteous wealth abound, when in their dwellings joyful thou art
found; or pass through life afflicted and distressed, the needful means of bliss by thee
suppressed. 'Tis thine alone, endued with boundless might, to keep the keys of sorrow and
delight. O holy blessed father, hear my prayer, disperse the seeds of life-consuming care, with
favouring mind the sacred rites attend, and grant to life a glorious blessed end."

ANCIENT GREEK & ROMAN ART

K1.1 Zeus K1.2 Zeus T24.2 Zeus & K1.3 Zeus, Giant
Wielding Wielding Nike, War of Porphyrion
Lightning Lightning Giants
Athenian Red
Athenian Red Athenian Red Athenian Red Figure Vase
Figure Vase Figure Vase Figure Vase Painting C5th
Painting C5th Painting C5th Painting C4th B.C.
B.C. B.C. B.C.

K8.10 Zeus & K8.11 Zeus & K8.12 Zeus & K8.14 Zeus &
Birth of Athena Birth of Athena Birth of Athena Birth of Athena

Athenian Black Athenian Black Athenian Black Athenian Black

Figure Vase Figure Vase Figure Vase Figure Vase
Painting C6th Painting C6th Painting C6th Painting C6th
B.C. B.C. B.C. B.C.

K8.13 Zeus & K17.2 Zeus, M10.1B Zeus & T23.1 Zeus,
Birth of Athena Hera, Horae Typhoeus Maia, Infant
Hermes
Athenian Black Athenian Black Chalcidian Black
Figure Vase Figure Vase Figure Painting Caeretan Black
Painting C6th Painting C6th C6th B.C. Figure Vase
B.C. B.C. Painting C6th
B.C.

T6.1 Cronus, K12.14 Zeus & K12.27 Zeus & K12.13 Zeus &
Rhea, Birth of Birth of Birth of
Omphalos Dionysus Dionysus Dionysus
Stone
Athenian Red Athenian Red Apulian Red
Athenian Red Figure Vase Figure Vase Figure Vase
Figure Vase Painting C5th Painting C5th Painting C4th
Painting C5th B.C. B.C. B.C.
B.C.

T1.6 Zeus, K4.9 Zeus, L11.3 Zeus, K10.1 Zeus,

Athena, Birth Hera, Eros, Hera, Io as Cow, Aphrodite, Eros
Erichthonius Athena Hermes
Apulian Red
Athenian Red Athenian Red Athenian Red Figure Vase
Figure Vase Figure Vase Figure Vase Painting C4th
Painting C5th Painting C5th Painting C5th B.C.
B.C. B.C. B.C.

O24.9 Zeus & O24.6 Zeus & O24.1 Zeus & K18.2 Zeus,
Ganymedes Ganymedes Ganymedes Hera & Hebe

Athenian Red Athenian Red Athenian Red Athenian Red

Figure Vase Figure Vase Figure Vase Figure Vase
Painting C5th Painting C5th Painting C5th Painting C5th
B.C. B.C. B.C. B.C.

O24.5 Zeus & O24.8 Zeus & O24.7 Zeus & O24.4 Zeus &
Ganymedes Ganymede Ganymedes Ganymedes

Athenian Red Athenian Red Athenian Red Athenian Red

Figure Vase Figure Vase Figure Vase Figure Vase
Painting C5th Painting C5th Painting C5th Painting C5th
B.C. B.C. B.C. B.C.

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O26.1 Zeus & O26.2 Zeus & K1.12 Danae & K1.14 Danae &
Ok