Hephaestus

(also known as Vulcan in Roman mythology)

 

Hephaestus is also spelled Hephaistos in some instances.

 

Hephaestus (Vulcan) is known in Greek and Roman mythology as the god of metalworking, technology, stonemasonry, sculpture, and fire.

 

Birth

 

     Hephaestus was born the son of Hera.  He did not have a father; Hera gave birth to him without one.  However, Hephaestus was born deformed and lame.  Disgusted by the child she bore, Hera cast him from heaven.  He was eventually saved by Thetis and Eurynome, who built a forge on the bank of the River Okeanos.^[1]  In another version of the story, Zeus (Jupiter in Roman mythology; see Period 2 Zeus) threw Hephaestus from Mount Olympus for becoming involved in a fight between him and Hera. ^[2]

 

     Information on Parents

 

          Hephaestus had no father, so his only parent was Hera (Juno in Roman mythology; see Period 2: Hera), the goddess of women and marriage.  She was also the wife and older sister of Zeus (Jupiter in Roman mythology).  Hephaestus eventually gained revenge for his casting from heaven by making a magical throne for Hera.  But when she sat down in it, she could not remove herself.  However, Hephaestus let her free when he was given Aphrodite (see period 2: Aphrodite) as a wife. ^[3]  This is somewhat ironic, because the most unfortunate of the gods was married to the most beautiful and prestigious of the goddesses.

 

Anvil and hammer ^[4]

Properties ^[5]

 

Hephaestus is the lame Greek and Roman god of metalworking, fire, volcanoes, stone masonry, carpentry, and sculpture.  He created many things in the stories about him, such as building palaces atop Mount Olympus, forging armor for Achilles, and making the first woman, Pandora.^[6]  Hephaestus also made powerful thunderbolts for Zeus. ^[7]

 

Patron of:

     -smiths, metalworkers, iron, precious metals, armor and weapons, statues, jewelry

     -wild-fires and pyres

     -volcanic activity and heat

     -buillders, architects, stonemasons

     -carpenters, wood-workers

     -sculptors, and stone reliefs

 

Favors:

     -craftsman skills and strong castings

     -strong flames

     -volcanic eruptions

 

Curses:

     -weak and harmful castings

     -destructive fires

     -volcanic eruptions

 

Symbols

 

     Hephaestus' main symbols and attributes are the hammer, tongs, and the anvil. ^[8]  Instead of using a chariot, Hephaestus rode on a winged chair or a donkey (this is because his sacred animal is the donkey or the ass).  Also, his sacred bird is the crane. ^[9]

 

The Myth of Hephaestus, Aphrodite, and Ares

 

     There is a myth that Hephaestus discovered an affair that Aphrodite (his wife) was having with Ares (the god of war, bloodlust, and violence).  Hephaestus forged an invisible net and trapped them in his very own bed.  In this way, Hephaestus displayed his wife's act of shameful adultry for all the gods to see. ^[10]

 

     Some time later, Hephaestus forged a cursed necklace for Harmonia, the daughter from Aphrodite and Ares' affair.  This necklace was destined to curse her and all of her descendants, as punishment for Aphrodite's disloyalty. ^[11]

 

Sources

(for information)

 

www.theoi.com

 

www.mythweb.com/gods/Hephaestus.html

 

www.godchecker.com

 

www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/hephaestus

 

 

 

Hephaestus^[12]