Hephaestus: Ancient Greek God of the Forge

by Eric Santiago, age 10

Hephaestus was the god of fire and a blacksmith. He had a workshop underneath Mount Edna, where the giant, Typhon, was trapped. Unlike other gods, Hephaestus was very ugly and had a lame foot. As a baby, his mother, Hera, threw him off Olympus because she was disgusted by his appearance.

Hephaestus was found and cared for by Thetis after falling from Olympus. Thetis was a sea nymph, a water goddess, and would later give birth to Achilles, one of the greatest fighters ever.

Hephaestus made the Scepter and Aegis of Zeus, the helmet of Hermes, automatons (robots), and even made Talos, an automaton for King Milos. He also helped in the creation of the first mortal woman, Pandora, by shaping her body out of clay. He even trapped his mother, Hera, in invisible chains and only freed her after she agreed to let him marry the goddess Aphrodite.

The marriage did not last long. Soon enough, Aphrodite pursued the god Ares, but fell into Hephaestus’s golden string that he threw over them. Ares and Aphrodite were found together and became a laughing stock. Out of shame, Aphrodite fled to Paphos while Ares fled to Thrace.

Hephaestus wore a craftsman’s cap with a hammer and tongs. He also made palaces, chariots, thunderbolts, and arrows.

Hepheastus was not always famous, but slowly gained popularity. Soon, they built a temple and everybody started to worship him in Athens and Campania. The main temple was called the Theseum.

[Source: WorldHistory.org; Encyclopdia Britannica]