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Encyclopaedia |
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Encyclopaedia |
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Son of Zeus and Antiope and twin brother of Amphion. Antiope was divorced by Lycus and treated badly by his second wife Dirce. The twins were brought up by Cattle men on Mt. Cithæron, but returned to Thebes and killed Lycus and Dirce when they found out what had happened. They ruled Thebes together and Zethus married Thebe and gave her name to the city.
Birth
Zeus was the youngest son of Cronus and Rhea, his older sibblings had all been swallowed by their father, who feared that he would be deposed by his son. Rhea however gave Cronus a stone to swallow instead. Zeus was brought up instead in the Dictæan cave in Crete and was nursed by Amalthea, a goat, nursed him and the Curetes (priests of Rhea) masked the sounds of his cries.
Ascent to Power
When he came of age he was aided by Metis and Rhea to give Cronus a potion that made him bring up the other children. They then joined with Zeus and fought Cronus and the other Titans in a battle called the Titanomachis. After 10 years Gaea promised Zeus the victory if he would release the Cyclopes and the Hundred-handed giants from Tartarus. The Cyclopes gave Zeus a thunderbolt that he used to defeat Cronus with the aid of his brothers, the Titans were sent to Tartarus and Zeus and his brothers divided up the rule between them and the Olympians. Zeus took the sky and lived on Mt. Olympus and took his sister Hera as his wife.
Family
Zeus' first consort was Dione, but his first wife was Metis. When she was pregnant he swallowed her and then gave birth to Athene from his head. He then married Themis and he fathered The Fates and the Horæ. His third wife was Hera and they had Ares, Hebe and Hephæstus. He was the father of Persephone by his sister Demeter, of the Graces by Eurynome and of the Muses by Mnemosyne. His imortal children by mortal women were Hermes by Maia, Apollo and Artemis by Leto and Dionysus by Semele.
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