Hephaestus, the god of the forge-the seventh Olympian
Hephaestus was a crippled god, who was ironically also the metal-worker of the gods. He was the son of Hera and Zeus. Legends say that he was the only immortal to ever return to the Olympian council after being exiled. The exile was a bogus reason anyway. Hera threw her son, Hephaestus, down from Olympus for being so ugly and crippled at the time of his birth. To get back at his mother, he created a chair that would not let the user get up once he had sat down. Hera, being the vain lady she was at the time, sat on the throne and consequently found that she could not get up. All the gods pleaded to Hephaestus, in hopes that he would let up, but Hephaestus replied with only this: “I have no mother!”It was only when Dionysus got him drunk, did Hephaestus relent, and he probably managed to negotiate his return to the Olympian council.
Hephaestus had an arranged marriage with Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Aphrodite was obviously not satisfied or she would never have gone to Ares. Hephaestus was oblivious to his consort’s treachery until Helios, the All-Seeing Sun. As his wife and his brother danced on the bed, Hephaestus caught them in his own clever trap. He created a net, with wires so small that even the gods couldn’t see them. He then dragged the treacherous couple to the council where he showed them for all to see. But instead of being shamed by the council, they were taken into good humor. Hephaestus angrily states in the Odyssey that he wanted back his bride’s fee. Basically what he wanted was to divorce Aphrodite.
Hephaestus is also the god of fire, his power over it going so far that he could even control volcanic eruptions. The word Hephaestus is used in direct co-relation to fire. As a flame rises out of a spark, so does the god of fire be weak at his birth. This is what caused all the controversy in his life.
Hephaestus had an arranged marriage with Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Aphrodite was obviously not satisfied or she would never have gone to Ares. Hephaestus was oblivious to his consort’s treachery until Helios, the All-Seeing Sun. As his wife and his brother danced on the bed, Hephaestus caught them in his own clever trap. He created a net, with wires so small that even the gods couldn’t see them. He then dragged the treacherous couple to the council where he showed them for all to see. But instead of being shamed by the council, they were taken into good humor. Hephaestus angrily states in the Odyssey that he wanted back his bride’s fee. Basically what he wanted was to divorce Aphrodite.
Hephaestus is also the god of fire, his power over it going so far that he could even control volcanic eruptions. The word Hephaestus is used in direct co-relation to fire. As a flame rises out of a spark, so does the god of fire be weak at his birth. This is what caused all the controversy in his life.