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September 18, 2023- by Steven E. Greer
Zeus now reigns supreme after winning the wars of the gods. He has 12 gods in his court. They are the Olympians. He now has to rebuild the world into a more orderly place.
Zeus likes to seduce women. It is his source of strength and power.
The names of his children have gone on to become the names of most of the regions of the world.
Zeus’ first wife was Metis. She was the god of prudence and cunning.
Zeus was warned that a future son would usurp him. So, he tricked Metis us into becoming different forms. She eventually became a drop of water, and Zeus consumed her.
Zeus then developed a splitting headache. He had his son he Hephaestus, god of blacksmiths, crack his head open and out came Athena, his daughter. Athena was the god of war and protection.
Rhea, Zeus’ mother, forbade him from any new marriages. Zeus threatened her, and they both became snakes. Zeus raped his mother as a snake.
Zeus chose a new wife, Themis, the god of justice, and they had 15 children.
Three of the daughters were called Hours. They regulated the season.
Three more daughters were called the Moirai, often known in English as the Fates. One spun the cotton into string. One carried the string. One cut the string. The length of the string was the length of a man’s life.
Zeus’ third wife was Hera, his sister. She was a very jealous woman. She was the goddess of white arms.
His fourth wife was Eurynome (a mermaid). Their children were the Charites, or three Graces.
His fifth wife was Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory. They had nine daughters, the Muses. Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania are the nine Olympian Muses. They represented the arts, such as poetry, history, music, etc. Mount helicon is where the muses stayed there was a spring of water for inspiration.
His sixth wife was Leto, goddess of motherhood. They had the twins Artemis and Apollo.
Hera was jealous and sent the god Python, a snake, to pursue Letoo. Hera declared that Leto should find no rest on any land. She eventually found an island and gave birth to Artemis and Apollo.
Zeus also pursued mortal women. Semele was his first conquest. He changed into the shape of a human prince to seduce her. Semele doubted he was really Zues and demanded he show himself. So, Zeus turned into a lightning bolt, but that burned her to death.
However, the baby survived. That was Dionysus, the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus.
Zeus spotted another woman on the beach. She was Europa, who became the namesake for the continent. Zeus turned himself into a bull to seduce her. She got on in his back and they rode to Crete.
Zeus met another woman, Callisto, who was a nymph serving Artemis, the goddess of hunting (daughter of Zeus and Leto). She had a vow of chastity, but Zeus turned himself into Artemis and tricked her. They had lesbian sex and she became pregnant. Artemis was going to kill her, but Zeus turned Callisto into a bear. Artemis found her and shot her with an arrow. Zeus sent Hermes to save the baby, who was Arcas. He became king of Arcadia. The dead Callisto was placed into the sky by Zeus to become the Big Dipper
Zeus had many more conquests.