Hephaestus

By.Coburn
 * ​Hephaestus **

Volcanoes spewing, taking out everything in its path, fire licking the sky. [|Hephaestus] was believed by the Greek to be the god of fire, craft and volcanoes, but he was much different from the other gods. Although Hephaestus was the only god banished from Mount Olympus for being ugly and lame, he was still able to be one of the key gods. There are multiple stories of who threw Hephaestus off Mount Olympus. In most of the stories, it is said that either Zeus (his father) or Hera (his mother) who threw him. In the version where Zeus threw him, it was because he took sides with Hera in an argument which enraged Zeus. In the version where Hera threw him off, it was because he was ugly and lame. Either way, he ended up on the island of Lemnos. While on the island Lemnos, Hephaestus accomplished many things. Legend says he was rescued after being thrown off Mount Olympus and brought there by nymphs. Hephaestus was said to inhabit the volcano on the island and that is where he made weapons. With the help of the cyclopes, he made tons of armor, weapons and war tools for the gods. This is one of the main reasons he was accepted by the other gods. He created magic things such as Zeus's thunderbolt, Achilles armor and much more. He would only make armor and weapons for the gods but there were certain exceptions in stories where it was said that he made them for normal mortals too. Hephaestus was a funny looking person. He was a real character who was very different from all the other gods. Due to his lameness, he was usually carrying a stick or in a wheel chair. He has a beard and is supposed to be super ugly. The lameness and repulsive looks were the reason he was thrown off Mount Olympus by his own parents. In some photos, he is portrayed as a muscular guy, probably from working a lot. In most ancient murals, he had brown hair too. Most of these murals were in Athens, where he was mainly worshipped. There are still a few of his temples left in modern day. He was surely different looking from a normal person but was still loved by the people of Greece. It was unsure who Hephaestus's wife really was. Two out of three or possible three out of three of his marriages were arranged. One story said he married Athena but she left him, thinking he was too ugly. Her marriage was somewhat a favor for Hephaestus saving her from Zeus. Another story said that he married Aphrodite. It was his reward for letting Hera go after he released her from imprisonment. She did not like this so she left him for Ares. The final version, the Iliad, said he married a woman named Aglaea. It is unknown whether this marriage was arranged. However, it probably was because she was one of the graces who were portrayed as very beautiful women. It was said that his only kid was Erechteus, a king of Athens. Hephaestus tried to take revenge on a lot of the people who mistreated him in life. Sadly, most of them failed and just ended in him being mocked. For being thrown off Mount Olympus as a child, he fashioned a magic throne and gave it to his mom. Sitting on it, she became bound to the chair. After the mishap was solved, he was given Aphrodite as a reward and wife. Little did he know, it would just lead to sadness. Soon after, he found Aphrodite in bed with Ares, the god of war. He made a magic net that made them both drawn to it. He brought the naked couple and put them in front of all the other gods, a queer punishment. Everyone just laughed at him and Hephaestus probably reacted negatively to it. He was a very sad and insecure character who did not get a lot of the sympathy he deserved. This god had all the odds against him and was looked down on by his fellow gods and goddesses; but he was loved by the people of Athens. This lame god who was banished as a child and grew up on an isolated island with nymphs, learned to create mystic weapons and armor for his fellow immortals. Going into this project knowing nothing, I learned a lot about this god such as the story of his life.

__Work Cited __ 1. Leadbetter, Ron. "Hephaestus". Encyclopedia Mythica. December 6, 2009 . __2. What makes Hephaestus lame?__. Athens, Greece: University of Athens, 2004