Zeus, the king of the gods in ancient Greek religion and mythology, reigned over Mount Olympus. As the god of the sky, thunder, and lightning, he was often depicted as a regal, mature man with a dark beard, holding a lightning bolt and a royal scepter. The eagle and the oak tree were sacred to him. His Roman equivalent was Jupiter.
Born to the Titans Cronus and Rhea, Zeus was the youngest of his siblings, who included Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia. To prevent a prophecy that one of his children would overthrow him, Cronus swallowed his children at birth. However, Rhea tricked Cronus by giving him a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes instead of Zeus, allowing Zeus to be hidden away and raised in secret. Zeus later freed his siblings and led them in a war against the Titans, ultimately banishing them and establishing the Olympian gods as the rulers of the cosmos.
Zeus was married to Hera, his sister, and together they had several children, including Ares, Hebe, and Eileithyia. However, Zeus was also known for his numerous affairs with goddesses, nymphs, and mortal women, resulting in many more offspring, including Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Dionysus, Heracles, and Helen of Troy. Despite his infidelity, Zeus was revered as the chief of the gods, associated with justice, law, order, and destiny.
