Greek mythology
04. Hephaestus, Eileithyia, Hebe, Ares Children of Zeus and Hera
After Zeus, king of the gods, married Hera, the goddess of family, they began a new chapter of eternal life.
Zeus declared his eternal love and devotion to Hera before all the gods, and they enjoyed a happy honeymoon on Hera's home island of Samos for 300 years.
However, one day, Zeus began to suffer from severe headaches and asked Prometheus for help.
Prometheus struck Zeus’s head with an axe to open it, and from the split, Athena emerged fully grown and armed in armor.
The earth and sea trembled immensely, and even the sun was momentarily subdued by her power.
Athena was a goddess born from Zeus and his first wife, Metis.
However, when Zeus heard the prophecy that the child born to him and Metis would overthrow him, he transformed the pregnant Metis into a fly and swallowed her, and the already conceived daughter grew and matured inside his body.
No one knew that Metis was inside Zeus, and everyone thought that Zeus had given birth to Athena on his own.
When Athena was born, Hera felt a deep sense of betrayal and humiliation.
She was furious that Zeus had not had a child with her, his wife, and that he had given birth to a child on his own, diminishing her authority.
Feeling powerless and determined to assert her own strength, Hera decided to take drastic action.
She resolved to have a child on her own, without Zeus’s involvement.
She sought to prove that she too could create life on her own.
Hera sought help from her parents, Uranus and Gaia.
Uranus and Gaia, sympathetic to Hera’s plight, granted her the power to conceive a child on her own.
Hera’s prayers were answered, and she soon found herself pregnant.
In due time, Hera gave birth to Hephaestus.
However, Hephaestus was born with a limp, which shocked and disappointed Hera.
Hera felt deep shame because her own son was born with a significant flaw, while Athena, whom Zeus had birthed alone, was perfect and beautiful.
In her anger and disappointment, Hera rejected Hephaestus and threw him out of Olympus.
After falling for nine days, Hephaestus landed in the waters near the island of Lemnos in the Aegean Sea.
Hephaestus, abandoned, was rescued and cared for in a cave on the island of Lemnos by the Titan and sea goddess Thetis and her daughter Eurynome.
He had low self-esteem from being rejected by his mother and was determined not to be ridiculed by others or the gods.
One day, seeing a volcano erupt with hot lava flowing, he decided to heat metal in the fire to create anything and develop skills unmatched by other gods.
From then on, Hephaestus built a forge and began working with fire and metal day and night.
Before long, Hephaestus could create anything not only with fire but also with gold, silver, and iron.
He also grew as an artisan, making invisible metal and unbreakable chains.
Hephaestus made jewelry and household items for Thetis and Eurynome, who raised him, and they recognized and loved him.
However, the wound of being abandoned by his mother always troubled Hephaestus.
Eventually, he decided to make Hera pay for abandoning him and crafted a beautiful golden chair that the goddesses would love, gifting it to Hera.
Hera, delighted by the beautiful golden chair that would enhance her splendor, immediately sat on it.
Then, suddenly, invisible chains sprang from all sides of the golden chair, binding Hera tightly so she could not escape.
The other gods tried to persuade Hephaestus to release her, but he refused, claiming he had no mother.
In response, his brother, the god of war Ares, declared that he would bring Hephaestus by force, but Hephaestus attacked with the flames of his forge, burning Ares' right arm.
Eventually, Zeus, the king of the gods, intervened to free his beloved wife, Hera.
He desperately offered Hephaestus anything he wanted.
Hephaestus demanded to be married to Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.
Zeus agreed to the deal.
With tears in his eyes, Hephaestus immediately freed Hera from the chains, and Hera embraced him without scolding.
From then on, Hephaestus lived on Olympus with his mother Hera, and Zeus, impressed with Hephaestus' skills, elevated him to one of the twelve Olympian gods.
The child born after Hephaestus was Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth.
Eileithyia was born in a cave near Knossos on the island of Crete.
Before Eileithyia was born, Hera longed to have a daughter who would possess great powers, especially one who could influence childbirth.
In ancient Greece, childbirth was considered a perilous time for both mother and child, and Hera desired a deity who could oversee this delicate process.
Furthermore, Hera, the queen of the gods, desired a daughter with powerful influence over childbirth to maintain control over this crucial aspect of life.
As the goddess of marriage and family, Hera’s domain naturally included childbirth.
Having a daughter like Eileithyia allowed Hera to exert her influence over the birth of both mortals and gods.
This power was particularly useful in her ongoing conflicts with Zeus’s numerous lovers and their offspring.
By controlling childbirth, Hera could delay or complicate the births of Zeus’s illegitimate children.
This was a way for Hera to assert her authority and protect her position as Zeus’s wife.
When Eileithyia was born, her presence was believed to ease the pains of labor and bring forth safe deliveries for mortal women.
Zeus was proud of his daughter, who would play a crucial role in the lives of mortals.
Eileithyia's birth brought calm and peace.
The winds softened, and a gentle breeze swept over the lands as she came into the world.
Eileithyia was beloved by her mother Hera, for she shared her mother’s nurturing spirit.
Whenever a woman went into labor, it was Eileithyia who guided her, ensuring that both mother and child emerged safely.
She would stand at the bedside of mortal women, her hands raised, either easing their pain or, if angered, increasing their suffering.
Thus, she became both a revered and feared goddess, for all knew that their fates in childbirth rested in her hands.
After Eileithyia came Hebe, the goddess of youth, whose presence was as refreshing as a spring breeze.
From the moment of her birth, Hebe was surrounded by an aura of eternal youth.
Her skin glowed like the dawn, and her laughter filled the halls of Olympus with joy.
Hebe was given the honored task of serving nectar and ambrosia to the gods, ensuring their immortality.
Ambrosia is often described as the food of the gods, while nectar is considered their drink.
These substances were believed to transform the blood of the gods into ichor, a divine essence.
As she poured these divine drinks, the gods remained forever young, their strength and vitality renewed by her hand.
Though her role seemed humble, Hebe was cherished by all, for without her, the gods would age and wither.
The youngest child of Zeus and Hera was Ares. He was the god of war.
The Moirai, the goddesses of fate, prophesied that Ares would embody the chaotic and violent aspects of war, causing turmoil wherever he went.
His birth was marked by ominous signs: thunderstorms raged across the skies, and the seas churned in turmoil.
From a young age, Ares showed a natural inclination towards violence and combat.
Unlike his sister Athena, who was also associated with war but in a strategic and wise manner, Ares represented the chaotic and brutal aspects of warfare.
Hera, his mother, was often frustrated with Ares’ aggressive nature.
She tried to guide him towards a more disciplined path, but Ares’ fiery temperament made it difficult.
One of the most notable stories from Ares' childhood is his capture by the giants Otus and Ephialtes.
Otus and Ephialtes, also known as the Aloadae, were the twin giants and sons of Poseidon.
They were known for their immense strength and ambition, often challenging the gods themselves.
The twins had a grand plan to overthrow the Olympian gods and take their place.
As part of their plan, they decided to capture Ares, hoping to weaken the gods’ defenses.
Using their cunning and strength, Otus and Ephialtes managed to capture Ares and imprison him in a bronze jar.
This jar was enchanted, making it impossible for Ares to escape on his own.
For thirteen long months, Ares remained trapped in the jar.
During this time, the world experienced an unusual period of peace, as the god of war was unable to incite conflict.
The other gods were initially unaware of Ares’ predicament.
It was only when the absence of war and conflict became noticeable that they began to search for him.
Hermes, the messenger god, and Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, were the ones who eventually discovered Ares’ location.
They devised a plan to rescue him from his imprisonment.
Using their combined skills and cunning, Hermes and Artemis managed to outwit the giants and free Ares from the bronze jar.
This rescue was a significant moment for Ares, as it highlighted the importance of alliances and cooperation.
After his rescue, Ares was more cautious in his dealings with the giants and other enemies.
He realized that even a god could be vulnerable and that strength alone was not enough to ensure victory.
The giants Otus and Ephialtes' failure to overthrow the gods led to their eventual downfall, as they were later killed by Apollo and Artemis.
In Greek mythology, Ares was often portrayed as a fierce and somewhat controversial figure among the Olympian gods.
Unlike other deities, he was not always revered but rather feared and sometimes despised for his brutal nature.
Zeus even goes so far as to call Ares the “most hateful of all the gods who dwell on Olympus,” showing his disdain.
He even goes so far as to say that if Ares were not his son, he would have banished him from Olympus.
Nevertheless, Ares played an important role embodying the primal and untamed aspects of war, and he was one of the twelve major gods of Olympus.
He was a crucial figure in many mythological tales, often playing a role in battles and conflicts among gods and mortals alike.
Ps. Because Greco-Roman mythology contains many versions of the same story of the same character, the story you see in Roy's Box may not be the story you know. In Roy's Box, we list the full episodes in chronological order, and where possible, we've adapted non-contradictory versions.