King of the gods
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Despite being married to Hera Zeus had many
lovers and fathered many children.
Many of the children from these affairs became
heroes and rulers.
Hera sometimes tried to punish the women or
their children.
Zeus protected them from the worst of her
anger.
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When Zeus fell in love
with Io he turned her
into a white cow to
protect her from his
wife.
Hera found out and
tethered Io Leaving
her 100 eyed servant
Argus, on guard.
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Zeus sent Hermes to soothe Argus to sleep by
playing his Lyre. One by one, Argus closed all
his eyes.
Hermes swiftly struck off his head and freed
Io.
Hera was furious and sent a gadfly to sting her
rival.
The insect chased Io all the way to Egypt.
Here she became a woman again and priestess
of the egyptian god, Isis.
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Princess Europa of Tyre
was on a beach when
Zeus appeared,
disguised as a white
Bull.
She was afraid at first as
the bull so handsome
and gentle that she soon
started to play and
garlanded him with
flowers. She even got on
his back to go for a ride.
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At that moment, the
bull plunged into the
sea and carried her off
to Crete, where she
lived and had three
sons with Zeus.
Later, Europa married
the king of Crete who
made her eldest son,
Minos, his heir.
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King Arisius was warned by
an oracle that he would be
killed by his grandson.
He locked his daughter,
Danae, in a tower so she
could never marry and have
children.
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He could not keep her
from Zeus, though.
He entered her prison
in a shower of golden
rain and she had a son
Perseus. (we will learn
more about Perseus
later)
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So what about Acrisius and the prophecy?
None too happy, but unwilling to provoke the
wrath of the gods by killing his offspring,
Acrisius cast the two into the sea in a wooden
chest.
The sea was calmed by Poseidon and at the
request of Zeus the pair survived.
They washed ashore on the island of Seriphos,
where the brother of King Polydectes - raised
the boy to manhood.
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The Prophecy was
fulfilled as an athletic
games were being
held.
By chance, an aging
Acrisius was there
and Perseus
accidentally struck
him on the head with
his javelin (or discus),
fulfilling the
prophecy.
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Alcmene was already married when Zeus fell
in love with her.
She refused to betray her husband, so the God
played a trick on her.
Zeus disguised himself as Alcmene’s husband
and went to her just as her husband was due
back from war.
She greeted Zeus fondly---and had a shock
when her real husband arrived home the next
day!
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The couple guessed the truth,
but could do nothing about it.
Alcmene had Zeus’s son and
called him Heracles.
Heracles means “Glory of
Hera” and they called him
this to appease Zeus’s wife.
This did not work and Hera
made Heracles life extremely
difficult.
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Leda was queen of
Sparta, married to
king Tyndareus.
One day, she was
bathing in a stream
when a handsome
swan swam up.
The swan was Zeus in
disguise.
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He became Leda’s lover and she produced a
beautiful blue egg.
The egg hatched and produced four children.
Two belonged to Zeus and Two to her husband.
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The children born were Helen the most
beautiful woman on Earth. (who we will learn
more about later in the Trojan war) and the
Hero Polydeuces (who appears on “The Argo”
with Jason and the argonauts), Castor and
Clytemnestra.
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Thetis was a nereid, a
sea goddess who could
change shape at will.
It was predicted that
her son would be
greater than its father.
Zeus was in love with
her but could not risk
having such a son.
He decided she must
marry a mortal, Peleus,
although he knew she
would resist.
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Peleus found Thetis on
the seashore and seized
her.
She changed shape from
woman, to fire, water,
lion, serpent and
cuttlefish, but Peleus
held on.
His courage impressed
Thetis and she agreed to
marry him.
All the gods came to the
wedding except Eris,
the goddess of spite.
(she got her revenge
later!)