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Who is Zeus? |
by Alli Rodenhauser (whyzz writer) >> more about the author
The Story of How Zeus Became King of the Gods
Zeus was the youngest of six children born to the god Cronus and the goddess Rhea. Cronus was told by an oracle (a type of fortune teller) that one of his children would overthrow him to become king of the gods instead. To prevent this from happening, he ate each of his children as soon as they were born! By the time Rhea gave birth to Zeus she was sick of her husband swallowing up their children, so she hid Zeus in a cave far away to let him grow up safely.
When he was grown up, Zeus marched right back up to Cronus and forced him to throw up the siblings he had swallowed all of those years before — the gods Hades and Poseidon, and the goddesses Hestia, Demeter and Hera (yes, the Greek gods believed in marrying their own brothers and sisters!). Working together, the six siblings defeated Cronus, just like the oracle said would happen, and the brothers divided up the world in order to rule it more fairly: Poseidon was put in charge of the sea, Hades was given the underworld, and Zeus was given both the sky and the title of king, since he was the one who freed them all in the first place!
Many of the gods and goddesses from ancient Greek mythology have been portrayed in all sorts of art throughout history, whether it's sculpture, painting, or even tapestry. Ask an adult to help you find some examples of artists' portrayals of Zeus — how are they the same? How are they different? Is he holding a lightning bolt, or sitting on Mount Olympus? Are there any other gods or goddesses with him?
Zeus is the king of all the gods in the Greek mythology. According to legend, he lived on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece, and was married to the goddess Hera. He is also considered the god of the sky and thunder, and is often shown holding a bolt of lightning!
The Story of How Zeus Became King of the Gods
Zeus was the youngest of six children born to the god Cronus and the goddess Rhea. Cronus was told by an oracle (a type of fortune teller) that one of his children would overthrow him to become king of the gods instead. To prevent this from happening, he ate each of his children as soon as they were born! By the time Rhea gave birth to Zeus she was sick of her husband swallowing up their children, so she hid Zeus in a cave far away to let him grow up safely.
When he was grown up, Zeus marched right back up to Cronus and forced him to throw up the siblings he had swallowed all of those years before — the gods Hades and Poseidon, and the goddesses Hestia, Demeter and Hera (yes, the Greek gods believed in marrying their own brothers and sisters!). Working together, the six siblings defeated Cronus, just like the oracle said would happen, and the brothers divided up the world in order to rule it more fairly: Poseidon was put in charge of the sea, Hades was given the underworld, and Zeus was given both the sky and the title of king, since he was the one who freed them all in the first place!
Many of the gods and goddesses from ancient Greek mythology have been portrayed in all sorts of art throughout history, whether it's sculpture, painting, or even tapestry. Ask an adult to help you find some examples of artists' portrayals of Zeus — how are they the same? How are they different? Is he holding a lightning bolt, or sitting on Mount Olympus? Are there any other gods or goddesses with him?