The Story of Zeus
Zeus was the strongest and most powerful god in Greek mythology. He was the son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Titans were the gods before Zeus and the Olympians we know of today. Zeus also had five other siblings—Hera (queen of the gods), Poseidon (the god of the sea), Hades (the god of the underworld), Hestia (the goddess of the hearth and family), and Demeter (the goddess of the harvest).
Legend has it that a prophecy had told Cronus that one of his children would overthrow him. Wanting to keep his power, the giant Cronus swallowed all of his children. Luckily, Rhea hid Zeus in a cave, replacing Zeus with a rock for Cronus to eat. After Zeus grew up, he went back to his father and demanded him to spit out Zeus’ siblings. Zeus, along with the other Olympian gods and goddesses, fought against Cronus and the other Titans in an epic battle. In the end, Zeus and his team had won, and Zeus became the leader of the Olympians!
This is a painting of the battle between the Titans and Olympians, created by Dutch painter Cornelis van Haarlem in the 1500s.
Zeus sat in his throne on the very top of Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. He kept an eye on all of the humans below him. While many of us know him as the god of storms and lightning (since he held a lightning bolt in his hand), he actually had many more power! He kept his humans in check, punishing those who disrespected him or did wrong and rewarding everyone who was good. He could shapeshift into any animal he wanted and also turn other humans into animals. And, of course, he had the highest power above all the other gods and goddesses.
Fun facts about Zeus!
The Olympic Games we know of today were first held in honor of Zeus and are named after the city of Olympia.
Ancient people used to associate changes in the weather (rain, thunderstorms, etc.) with Zeus.
His character is similar to the gods of the sky in other religions.
He had many wives—one of them being his own sister, Hera—and children.
There is a popular story that Zeus was raised as a child by a goat!
an artistic depiction of Zeus