The undisputed master of the universe, so they called me.
Gods and mortals alight, tremble in my way.
I cause rain, I cause drought.
Endless, I command storms.
I am a rapist, not a monster.
The storm in the clouds, the rumble of thunder.
I am the eagle on the mountain.
The ram in the rut, the snake in the pantry.
I am the bull with crescent horns.
I am the sky god and king of all.
Zeus.
Zeus, was the youngest child of the Titan, Cronus, and the Titaness, Rhea.
Others being, Hestia, Hades, Hera, Poseidon, and Demeter.
Cronus had heard a prophecy, that his children would overthrow him.
So he devoured each of his children, as soon as they were born, to prevent the fulfillment of the prophecy.
But Zeus narrowly escaped this fate, when his mother, sought the help of her parents, Gaia and Uranus, to hide him away, in a distant cave.
Rhea, then handed Cronus, a huge stone, wrapped in swaddling clothes, which he promptly swallowed, thinking it was baby Zeus.
Zeus was raised in a secret place, on mount Dekta, in Crete, where he was nursed, by nymphs, on the milk of the goat, Amalthea,
and guarded by the dancing Kuretes, who drowned out the sound of his crying, with their shield clashing battle dance.
When Zeus came of age, he served his titan father, Cronus, a concoction, which caused him to disgorge the young gods, he had swallowed.
Zeus went on, to liberate the giants, the cyclopes, and the hecatonchries, from the pit of Tartarus.
Thus, during the war between the titans and the gods, and as a form of gratitude, the cyclopes gifted him with lightning bolts,
and the hecatonchries, aided him by hurling boulders at the titans.
Zeus and his siblings, eventually defeated Cronus and his allies, and banished them to a prison, in Tartarus.
After the fall of the titans, Zeus presided over the heavens, Poseidon presided over the sea, and Hades presided over the underworld.
Zeus was the lord of storms, tempests, lightning, and thunder.
His most notable symbol, is his magnificent lightning bolt, which he often wields in his hand, like a javelin.
His other symbols, are a royal scepter, an eagle, and the aegis, which is a majestic goat-skin shield.
In art, Zeus is often depicted, wearing a long robe, or cloak, and crowned with a wreath of olive leaves.
His sacred animals, were the eagle, and the bull.
As king of the gods, he was served and attended to, by quite a number of lesser gods.
His throne was guarded, by four winged spirits, two male, and two female, named Kratos, representing strength,
and Zelos, representing rivalry, Nike, representing victory, and Baia, representing force.
His personal messenger was Iris, the winged goddess of the rainbow,
and his counselor was Themis, the goddess of law and order.
Most of his divine family, except Hades, god of the underworld, and Poseidon, the sea god, resided in Olympus.
Zeus' virgin sister, Hestia, also resided in Olympus, where she tended the ever-burning hearth fire, in the center of his palace.
His cup-bearers, were Ganymede, and the goddess, Hebe, who served Ambrosia, and Nectar, at the feasts of the gods.
The winged harpies, also known as the hounds of Zeus, were cruel creatures, used by the sky god, to harass and terrorize mortals.
While Pegasus, the winged horse, carried Zeus' lightning bolts, and four other immortal horses, drew his chariot through the sky.
Zeus married his sister, Hera, queen of the gods, after seducing her, in the guise of a cuckoo bird.
But their union, was one of constant quarrels, mostly because, of Zeus' infidelity.
Zeus is known throughout Greek mythology, as an ardent womanizer.
He seduced many mortal women, few of who included, Europa, in the guise of a bull, Leda, in the guise of a swan,
Danae, as a shower of gold, Callisto, in the guise of the goddess Artemis,
Altmela, disguised as her own husband, and Antiope, in the guise of a satyr.
His favorite mortal son, was Heracles, whom he supported throughout his trials, and eventually welcomed him as a full god, on Olympus.
Zeus is also known for his terrible wrath, which was unleashed on certain occasions,
such as when he punished deviant gods, including, Ixion, who attempted to violate Hera,
Tantalos, who stole Ambrosia from Olympus, Lycaon, who offered human flesh to the gods,
and Salmoneus, who tried to imitate Zeus, and steal the worship of the gods.
