Sunday, June 2, 2013

Day 2 For the Love of Mythology: Zeus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


 

Zeus (Ancient Greek: Ζεύς, Zeús; Modern Greek: Δίας, Días) is the "Father of Gods and men" (πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε, patḕr andrōn te theōn te) who rules the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father rules the family according to the ancient Greek religion, and modern Hellenic Polytheistic Reconstructionism. He is the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter, Hindu counterpart is Indra and Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.

Zeus is the child of Cronus and Rhea, and the youngest of his siblings. In most traditions he is married to Hera, although, at the oracle of Dodona, his consort is Dione: according to the Iliad, he is the father of Aphrodite by Dione. He is known for his erotic escapades. These resulted in many godly and heroic offspring, including Athena, Apollo and Artemis, Hermes, Persephone (by Demeter), Dionysus, Perseus, Heracles, Helen of Troy, Minos, and the Muses (by Mnemosyne); by Hera, he is usually said to have fathered Ares, Hebe and Hephaestus.

As Walter Burkert points out in his book, Greek Religion, "Even the gods who are not his natural children address him as Father, and all the gods rise in his presence." For the Greeks, he was the King of the Gods, who oversaw the universe. As Pausanias observed, "That Zeus is king in heaven is a saying common to all men". In Hesiod's Theogony Zeus assigns the various gods their roles. In the Homeric Hymns he is referred to as the chieftain of the gods.

 His symbols are the thunderbolt, eagle, bull, and oak. In addition to his Indo-European inheritance, the classical "cloud-gatherer" also derives certain iconographic traits from the cultures of the Ancient Near East, such as the scepter. Zeus is frequently depicted by Greek artists in one of two poses: standing, striding forward, with a thunderbolt leveled in his raised right hand, or seated in majesty.

Zeus in the Movies

How many of you remember this Zeus?




Or this one, He personally is one of my favorites.


Or maybe this one, I love him too .

Ok this one is old how many remember this one?



So who are your favorites? Did I miss any? What is your favorite book or movie that has Zeus featured ?


















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10 comments:

Unknown said...

I like to read myths because you don't know if they are actually real or not. I mean people can sit there and talk myths all day and you still walk away wondering if it ever happened. I like to Hera, Aphrodite. Thank you for hosting this hop and this giveaway.

Tracey Steinbach said...

My favorite Zeus is the one in Disney's Hercules. I love all the Greek Mythology. I don't have a favorite.

Unknown said...

I started reading mythology & legends due to curiosity and my own questioning of faith. I became utterly fascinated with the stories and the lessons they taught.

My favorite myth was Pandora's box; since I was already delving into this subject because of my own curiosity I really related with it. After all you could say starting to read was like opening my own 'Pandora box'; I can't stop exploring new worlds or ideas that authors continue to come up with.

Thanks for hosting this hop; I love the idea and am also getting a chance to find new books dealing with a subject that is very dear to my heart.

dragon5174 (at) gmail.com

Nay Nay said...

I like myths for the same reason as Irene said above. You never can tell if it is based on fact or someone's interpretation of facts. Thanks for being part of the hop and for the chance to win. <^_^>
reneebennett35 (at) yahoo (dot) com

Irene Jackson said...

I like reading about the bad guys , like Hades.

Unknown said...

My favorite myth is the story of Perseus. I just wish they'd stop making bad movies about it. :(

Anonymous said...

I really liked Luke Evans in Immortalas as Zeus. Here's a pic of him:

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2405872128/nm1812656

elin said...

I love myths! My favorites are Hercules, Perseus, Poseidon, Athena, and Hades. My favorite story is about Hades and Persephone.

Unknown said...

My favorite Zeus is from the old Clash of the Titans. Just plain classic.

Mel
bournmelissa at hotmail dot com

Unknown said...

I love reading about myths.My favorite would have to be about the Greek Gods and Goddesses.
Thanks for the chance to win.

dragonkeep62(at)gmail(dot)com

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