Greek Mythology: Zeus

The third age began because the goddess Gaia, along with Uranus and Tartarus. They ruled the world we walk today. They had children, which were the titans. Cronos, Rhea and many others. Soon, Cronos overthrew his ancestors, and ruled the world from Mount Etna. He kept humanity in the dark, unaware of the basic facts of existence, treating them as little more than animals. His wife and sister, rhea, was obliged to give him his children upon birth so he could eat them, and they would not overthrow him as he had his father. However, upon the birth of his youngest child, Zeus, his wife betrayed him by feeding him a large rock instead.

Upon adulthood, Zeus cut his father up in a brief confrontation, in which he released his still alive siblings, who had been growing the whole time. They began the war of the gods, in which they overthrew the titans and cast them away. Cronos was banished to the pit of tartarus in the underworld, the titan of war doomed to hold his parents apart to stop them destroying the world. The titans and their allies were banished to the far corners of the world. The three other sons of cronos drew straws to see who would rule which lands. Zeus ruled the sky, so through it the gods. Hades became somewhat hateful at this point, as he was given the underworld, the worst of the realms.

Zeus, as said above, was given the sky like his grandmother. When the kind titan, the only one who had sided with the gods, gave humanity the gift of fire they were still believed to be primitive so in anger he was punished by Zeus with being chained to a rock and having his liver eaten every day. But slowly, as humanity gained knowledge, the gods softened toward them as they were worshipped.

Zeus also softened in time, and as he was ruler he gained the most worshippers, and these were generally not centred on a single area. Throughout the history, Zeus has sired various heroes, helping or hindering them, one who had to thwart a plan by Poseidon to destroy the rebuilt city of troy. As he was the ruler of mount Olympus he was also able to control or override the other gods on many occasions, though these decreased as the years passed.

One time he was forced by the other gods, led by Poseidon to relinquish his supreme power, and become a less influential leader. Since then he has been suspicious of his brother. He is often pictured holding his symbolic lightning bolts, and is also symbolised by aegis and an oak tree. He will sometimes punish wrong-doers severely; however even though he is a supposed champion of the poor he exposes himself rarely.

His official consort is Hera; they have fathered many children, including Ares, Hephaestus and other mortal heroes like Hercules. His siblings were Hades, Poseidon, Hestia, Demeter and Hera.