Zeus is one of the most important Gods in Greek mythology and is said to live on Mount Olympus. Zeus ruled the Gods of Olympus, as well as mortal men and was the mightiest of all. He is the God of the sky, lightning, thunder, and justice. Zeus is married to Hera, the Goddess of women. Zeus fell in love with many and whenever he would try to build a relation with any Goddess or woman, he would assume the avataar of an animal and so he is the father of many children. Some of his famous children are  Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite and Hermes. Zeus’s parents were Rhea and Kronos who were human giants called the Titans.  Kronos was the ruling God when Zeus was born.

Zeus is usually depicted as a grown, elderly, and strong man with curly hair and a thunderbolt. Sometimes, he is also depicted along-with his sacred animal, the eagle. His symbols include the thunderbolt, eagle, bull, and the oak. He holds a powerful shield called the Aegis.  

The story of Zeus’s birth is a very interesting one. Zeus is the sixth child of Kronos who ruled the Titans and swallowed every child of his when they were born as he feared a prophecy that he would be overthrown by his children as the ruler of Mount Olympus. As per the prophecy, Kronos was told that one of his children would destroy him. Hence whenever a child was born, Kronos would immediately swallow the child. Kronos did that with his 5 children but he couldn’t kill Zeus. When Zeus was born, his mother gave Kronos a stone which Kronos swallowed thinking it was his baby. She hid Zeus in a cave till he grew up.  When Zeus grew up, he along with other Gods and Goddesses, waged a war against the Titans and defeated his father and became the ruler. He also rescued his 5 siblings.

It is believed that, Zeus would punish anyone who lied or deceived others. He had a unique ability to mimic people’s voices and was able to shape shift as per his wish. Zeus’s famous horse, Pegasus was entrusted with carrying his thunderbolts which were used by Zeus when he got angry.