Through portraying the ideal being, storytelling and mythology play an essential role in the influence of modern society. Contrary to the tales of perfection, a plethora of myths mention Hephaestus, the Greek god of metalworking and smithing (Cavendish 1268), as the only god on Olympus who is not a perfect figure (Graves 87). Although he faced pain and suffering during his life, he was essential to the prosperity of the other gods. As the craftsman of Olympus, Hephaestus forged golden handmaidens that could think and speak to assist in his work (Cavendish 1268). He built the palace of Olympus as well as weapons for the Gods, including: Zeus’s lightning bolts, Helios’ winged chariot, and Apollo and Artemis’s arrows (Guirand 140). In addition
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Different sources contrast on who his parents were. While one source states that Hephaestus was the son of Zeus and Hera (Evans 121), others claim that his only parent was Hera, who gave birth to him from her thigh to seek revenge against Zeus for bearing Athena (Keréyi 155, Hamilton 32). Born lame and ugly, Hephaestus was thrown by Hera off Olympus to liberate herself from the ridicule that his appearance caused her (Graves 86-87, Cavendish 1268). Luckily, Hephaestus fell into the sea, where Thetis and Eurynome, sea nymphs, cared for him in their underwater grotto, giving him a workshop for him to make ornate objects (Graves 87). After nine years, Hera saw that Thetis was wearing one of Hephaestus’s brooches, and took him back to Olympus to set up a new workshop for him and arrange a marriage with Aphrodite (Graves 87). His retrieval back to Olympus cemented his position as the craftsman of the gods (Evans …show more content…
For example, many Disney movies include him when portraying Greek myths. In Hercules, Hephaestus is the brother of the protagonist, Hercules, and is one of most important gods in the story, making Zeus’s thunderbolts to defeat the Rock Titan (“Hercules”). His assistance to Zeus mirrors his depiction in Greek mythology, as the forger of the weapons of the gods’ of Olympus. Also, during the 1940 movie Fantasia, the Pastoral symphony, Hephaestus plays his Roman Counterpart, Vulcan, sculpting Zeus’s bolts
Different sources contrast on who his parents were. While one source states that Hephaestus was the son of Zeus and Hera (Evans 121), others claim that his only parent was Hera, who gave birth to him from her thigh to seek revenge against Zeus for bearing Athena (Keréyi 155, Hamilton 32). Born lame and ugly, Hephaestus was thrown by Hera off Olympus to liberate herself from the ridicule that his appearance caused her (Graves 86-87, Cavendish 1268). Luckily, Hephaestus fell into the sea, where Thetis and Eurynome, sea nymphs, cared for him in their underwater grotto, giving him a workshop for him to make ornate objects (Graves 87). After nine years, Hera saw that Thetis was wearing one of Hephaestus’s brooches, and took him back to Olympus to set up a new workshop for him and arrange a marriage with Aphrodite (Graves 87). His retrieval back to Olympus cemented his position as the craftsman of the gods (Evans …show more content…
For example, many Disney movies include him when portraying Greek myths. In Hercules, Hephaestus is the brother of the protagonist, Hercules, and is one of most important gods in the story, making Zeus’s thunderbolts to defeat the Rock Titan (“Hercules”). His assistance to Zeus mirrors his depiction in Greek mythology, as the forger of the weapons of the gods’ of Olympus. Also, during the 1940 movie Fantasia, the Pastoral symphony, Hephaestus plays his Roman Counterpart, Vulcan, sculpting Zeus’s bolts