"Zeus," Museum of Olympia, Greece.
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Image courtesy of Corel Corporation.
In Greek mythology, Zeus (Jupiter in Roman mythology) was the king of heaven and
Earth and of
all the Olympian gods. He was also known as the god of justice.
He was named king of the gods in the special meeting that followed
his overthrow of the god
Cronus (Saturn in Roman
mythology) and the Titans. In the council of the gods that followed, Zeus
was crowned Lord of Heaven and Earth and of all the gods. He granted
Poseidon (Neptune in Roman mythology) dominion over the Sea, and
his other brother Hades (Pluto in Roman mythology) dominion
over the underworld.
Zeus's wife was Hera, who was very jealous of the attention that Zeus paid to other goddesses and women. Zeus would often disguise himself as a bird or animal in order to sleep with other women. Usually, when Hera found out about the affair, she would severely punish the woman. Although not often written about, Hera possessed great power. Those that made her angry paid the price.
For example, Zeus fell in love with the lovely Io. Zeus turned Io into a cow to protect her from Hera. However, when Hera found out about the affair she tied up the cow. When Io escaped, Hera sent a gadfly to constantly sting Io for eternity.
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