Hephaestus

HEPHAESTUS
GOD OF FIRE
WHO WAS HEPHAESTUS?
◦ HEPHAESTUS WAS A CRIPPLE AND THE GOD OF FIRE, FORGES,
SCULPTING AND OTHER METAL CRAFTS. BASICALLY, HE WAS
THE BLACKSMITH OF THE OLYMPIAN GODS AND GODDESSES.
HE WAS AN EXTREMELY HARDWORKING AND A POWERFULLY
BUILT GOD. THE SOURCE OF HIS STRENGTH CAN BE ATTRIBUTED
TO ALL THE HEAVY LIFTING THAT HE DID IN HIS WORKSHOP.
HE HAD HIS OWN WORKSHOP SITUATED IN A MAGNIFICENT
PALACE ON MOUNT OLYMPUS.
◦ HEPHAESTUS IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN THE DEITY WHO
FORGED THE SPECTACULAR PALACES, THRONES, WEAPONS, AND
ARMOR OF OLYMPIAN GODS AND GODDESSES. HE ALSO FAMOUSLY
FORGED THE GREEK HERO ACHILLES’ ARMOR DURING THE SIEGE
OF TROY IN THE TROJAN WAR. HE IS BEST KNOWN FOR THE
CREATION OF PANDORA, THE FIRST WOMAN, WHO WENT ON TO
UNLEASH UNTOLD PAIN, ILLNESS, AND MISERY ON THE RACE OF
MEN.
◦HOWEVER, SOME ACCOUNTS SAY THAT, HE WAS
ONLY BORN TO THE GODDESS HERA MT. OLYMPUS.
◦SOME ACCOUNT OF THE MYTHS STATE THAT THE
REASON HE WAS THROWN OUT OF OLYMPUS WAS
BECAUSE HE TRIED TO MEDIATE A FIGHT
BETWEEN ZEUS AND HERA.
HE WAS RAISED IN SECRET BY SEA NYMPHS
AS FATE HAD IT, AND CONTRARY TO WHAT HERA HOPED FOR,

HEPHAESTUS WENT ON TO SURVIVE. HE LANDED SAFELY ON EARTH
AFTER FREE FALLING FROM THE SKY FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. TAKING
PITY ON THE POOR BABY, THE NYMPHS (PARTICULARLY THETIS,
ACHILLES’ MOTHER) AT A NEARBY SEA TOOK HEPHAESTUS IN AND
CARED FOR HIM.
ACCORDING TO THE MYTHS, HEPHAESTUS IS BELIEVED TO HAVE ACQUIRED
HIS OUTSTANDING ABILITIES IN CRAFTS AND FORGING IN THE UNDERWATER
CAVE THAT HE WAS RAISED IN.
ONCE THE WORD GOT OUT THAT HEPHAESTUS WAS ALIVE, HIS FATHER ZEUS
WELCOMED HIM BACK TO MOUNT OLYMPUS.
HEPHAESTUS FORGED ALL THE OLYMPIAN
GODS’ WEAPONS AND ARMOR
HE WAS AN ABSOLUTELY SKILLED CRAFTSMAN,

CREATING AMAZING WORK OF ARTS, FURNITURE,
AND WEAPONS ON MOUNT OLYMPUS. THE TOOLS (I.E.
ANVIL, HAMMER, AND TONGS) HE USED FELT LIKE
AN EXTENSION OF HIS BODY. HIS SKILL SET
RANGED FROM METALWORK, STONE MASONRY,
SCULPTING, CARPENTRY, AND MANY OTHER
CRAFTS.
◦ HEPHAESTUS IS CREDITED TO HAVE CREATED ALL THE METAL WORKS, PALACES AND THRONES ON MOUNT
OLYMPUS.
◦ HE WAS ALSO THE GOD WHO CREATED THE CHARIOT THAT HELIOS, GOD OF THE SUN, USED IN FLYING THE SUN
ACROSS THE EARTH, BRINGING DAYLIGHT TO MANKIND.
◦ FORGED ZEUS LIGHTNING BOLTS AND POSEIDON’S TRIDENT.
◦ FORGED THE ARROWS OF APOLLO AND ARTEMIS
◦ HARMONICA’S NECKLACE;
◦ EUROPA’S GOLDEN BASKET
◦ THE ARMOR PLATES OF HERCULES AND ACHILLES;
◦ APHRODITE’S GIRDLE
◦ AEGIS BREASTPLATE
◦ AGAMEMNON’S ROD OF OFFICE
◦ HERMES’ HELMET AND WINGED SANDALS
◦ EROS’ BOW AND ARROWS
◦ ZEUS’ IMPENETRABLE BREASTPLATE.
◦ THE CHAIN THAT HE USED TO KEEP PROMETHEUS BOUND WAS CREATED BY HEPHAESTUS.
HE HAD THE ABILITY TO MAKE HIS WORKS OF
ART COME ALIVE (LITERALLY)
◦ OWING TO HIS NATURAL ABILITY TO ABILITY TO CONTROL FIRE AND METAL,

HEPHAESTUS WAS ABLE TO BEND ANY MATERIAL TO HIS WILL. IT IS
ALSO BELIEVED THAT HE COULD IMBUE IN THE THINGS THAT HE MADE
WITH MOTION ABILITY. FOR EXAMPLE, HE CREATED TWO GOLDEN
HANDMAIDENS TO ASSIST HIM IN HIS WORKSHOP.
◦ IN SOME ACCOUNTS, HOWEVER, HEPHAESTUS IS BELIEVED TO BE THE
ONE WHO CREATED THE CYCLOPES- THE ONE-EYED GIANTS/MONSTERS.
THE CYCLOPES FREQUENTLY ASSISTED HIM IN HIS WORKSHOP. THEIR
CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT CAME WHEN THEY MADE ZEUS’ THUNDER BOLTS.
THE GODDESS APHRODITE WAS MARRIED OFF
TO HEPHAESTUS
◦ APHRODITE, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND RADIANT OF ALL THE GODS ON MT OLYMPUS,
CONSTANTLY CAUSED A NUMBER OF GODS TO FIGHT OVER HER. SENSING THAT
THOSE FIGHTS COULD SPIRAL INTO AN ALL OUT WAR, ZEUS MARRIED HIS DAUGHTER
APHRODITE OFF TO HEPHAESTUS. ASIDE FROM THE FACT THAT THE TWO DEITIES
WERE HALF-SIBLINGS, IT WAS A VERT STRANGE PAIRING BECAUSE NO ONE
EXPECTED APHRODITE TO END UP WITH A VERY HIDEOUS LOOKING GOD IN THE
SHAPE OF HEPHAESTUS.
◦ ANOTHER VERSION OF THE STORY STATES THAT APHRODITE WAS GIVEN TO
HEPHAESTUS IN ORDER TO PACIFY THE GOD OF FORGES. AGGRIEVED PERHAPS BY
HIS MOTHER’S DISAFFECTION FOR HIM, HEPHAESTUS LOOKED FOR A WAY TO GET
BACK AT HER BY GIFTING HERA A BEAUTIFUL GOLDEN CHAIR. UNBEKNOWNST TO
HERA, THE THRONE HAD A POWERFUL MECHANISM THAT BOUND HERA IN THE SEAT.
IN ORDER TO SET HIS WIFE FREE, ZEUS ARRANGED FOR APHRODITE TO MARRY
HEPHAESTUS.
OTHER INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT
HEPHAESTUS
• IN THE HEAT OF THE TROJAN WAR, HEPHAESTUS DEFEATED THE RIVER

GOD SCAMANDER WITH FIRE.
• HE WAS THE PREFERRED GOD OF WORSHIP BY SCULPTORS, BLACKSMITHS, AND
OTHER CRAFTSMEN IN MANUFACTURING AND INDUSTRIAL ZONES. FOR EXAMPLE,
THE CULT OF HEPHAESTUS WAS LOCATED AT LEMNOS. THEN, THERE WAS ALSO
THE TEMPLE OF HEPHAESTUS IN ATHENS NEAR AGORA.
• HE SUPPORTED THE GREEKS DURING THE TROJAN WAR.
• HEPHAESTUS GIFTED A KNIFE TO THE COUPLES PELEUS AND THETIS
(ACHILLES’ MOTHER). AS A PAYBACK OF A PREVIOUS DEBT OWED TO THETIS,
HEPHAESTUS ALSO MADE THE SHIELD AND ARMOR ACHILLES USED DURING
THE TROJAN WAR.
◦ HE WAS USUALLY DEPICTED AS A VERY BRAWNY MAN WITH BUSHES
OF BEARD ON HIS FACE. IN HIS HANDS, WAS MOSTLY A HAMMER.
WHAT IS COMMON IN MOST DEPICTIONS OF HEPHAESTUS IS THE LAME
LEG.
◦ SOME STORIES HOLD THE VIEW THAT HEPHAESTUS GOT HIS LAME LEG
AFTER THE MIGHTY FALL FROM HEAVEN TO EARTH. AND HIS BAD SKIN
AND SOMEWHAT UGLY LOOKS IS BELIEVED TO BE THE RESULT OF
PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO THE CHEMICALS THAT HE WORKED WITH IN
HIS WORKSHOP. MOST LIKELY, THE SUBSTANCE WAS ARSENIC IN
NATURE.

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HEPHAESTUS

AS FATE HAD IT, AND CONTRARY TO WHAT HERA HOPED FOR,

HE WAS AN ABSOLUTELY SKILLED CRAFTSMAN,

◦ OWING TO HIS NATURAL ABILITY TO ABILITY TO CONTROL FIRE AND METAL,

• IN THE HEAT OF THE TROJAN WAR, HEPHAESTUS DEFEATED THE RIVER

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