Who is Zeus: Mythology and Modernity

Zeus is the god of all gods, the father of heaven. He is the One, the True God, the creator of all things on earth. This is the pagan view of him. He is obeyed by the heavens, by thunder and lightning. In the myths of ancient Greece Zeus dwells on Mount Olympus.

He is associated with fire, which punishes sinners, with ether, which gives wonders, with the energy of the cosmos and the all-seeing eye of the universe. His name brings success and prosperity, and means power and strength. That is why it is still used in many spheres of life. For example, the Russian space nuclear tug, which fires laser shots, is so named in Roscosmos. In the social network Ten Chan Zeus is artificial intelligence, which determines the uniqueness of the content. Some sports brands start with that name. Even the Chelyabinsk IFCS is referred to by no other name than Zeus LLC.

Zeus in Mythology

Zeus is recognized not only as the lord of the gods and the punishing divine power, but also as the patron of social order, the protector of the offended and the praying. He is the protector of family ties and home, the guardian of customs and traditions.

Zeus is the third son of Kronos and Rhea, the second generation of titans according to myths and legends. Hades, Hestia, Demeter and Poseidon are his blood brothers and sisters. He chooses the goddess Hera, also a blood sister, as his wife. Zeus transforms himself into a cuckoo, which flutters about with the young chosen one. The latter catches the bird with joy and laughter. Thus begins their mutual love, according to Homer. The marriage remains secret for 300 years. Thanks to this union there are children: Ares - god of war, Hephaestus - god of fire and Geba - goddess of youth.

Metida is considered to be the first wife of Zeus - the goddess of wisdom. She is also his cousin. In order to avoid giving birth to a son by her, who according to predictions should excel his father, Zeus puts the pregnant wife to sleep and swallows her. Later, his daughter Athena is born from his head, while Metida remains inside the cunning god and becomes an adviser in the concepts of good and evil.

Themis, Zeus's second wife, rewards him with Or offspring - these are Eunomia, Dick and Eiren. They are responsible for the order in nature. Their element is the seasons.

Zeus wishes to exchange his third wife Hera for Thetis, but he is stopped by a prophecy that his son by her will be stronger than his father. Besides his lawful wives, Zeus is famous for his numerous lovers, who also give him offspring.

Since time immemorial, Zeus has ruled both the above-ground kingdom and the underworld. But then he and his brothers Poseidon and Hades share the reins of power by lot. Zeus takes the sky, Poseidon the depths of the sea, and Hades the realm of the dead.

Poseidon, Athena and Apollo attempt to overthrow Zeus. They wrap him up, sleepy, and want to send him to Tartarus. But Fetid comes to his aid. Then the conspirators hope for a fateful prophecy about the son of Thetis. But Zeus manages to avoid that as well.

The Popularity of Zeus in the World

Zeus is worshipped in every corner of the world. The grateful citizens of Olympia erected a temple and a colossal statue of the thunderer in honor of their beloved god in 450 B.C., made of gold, wood and ivory. In honor of him they build the legendary sacred grove of Altis, consisting of temple and cult buildings, sports structures and houses. This is where the competitions during the Olympic Games take place. And this is also where the athletes and guests live.

A second temple, appears in Athens of Pentelian marble, on the site where the mythical Deucalion, who is considered the forefather of the peoples of Greece, is worshipped. In Akragantes, too, begins the construction of a temple to Zeus, where the columns consist of male figures supporting a crossbar, the height of 8.2 meters. In Sicily, in the city of Agrigento, at the same time the temple of Zeus is being built, but the construction does not end because of the Carthaginian attack on the city of Akrahas.

At present, all these temples are destroyed. Recently, fragments of columns and statues have been found during excavations in Turkey, which prove that the ruins here in the ancient Metropolis are also dedicated to the cult of Zeus.

Trends in recent years show that the image of Zeus is regaining popularity. For example, Zeus and other gods are intensively popularized in modern Greece.

Two-pointed lightning, a shield, a scepter and a double-sided axe (labris) are considered to be the symbols of Zeus. Among the animals - an eagle, a swan and a bull, in which the god is reincarnated in the moments of seduction of this or that beloved. According to the myths of ancient Greece. Sometimes it is a chariot drawn by eagles.

Where is the name Zeus used in modern culture

The modern world is not ready to give up the name of the thunder god. And now it is on everyone's lips. In addition to the names of sportswear and shoe stores, companies, programs and bots, there are all kinds of games where someone possesses the name Zeus.

For example, games:

Daniel Teslenko is a professional CS:GO player. He is the champion of the Major tournament (as part of Gambit Esports) in 2017. In recent years has become a media face - Zeus. Writes a lot of tutorial videos, as well as videos from LAN tournaments. Opens his own "cybersports school". Captain of the Natus Vincere team. Multiple world champion with Born to Win.

Zeus: Master of Olympus, a 2000 computer game in the genre of ancient world town-planning simulator. Players learn how to manage the economy, constantly defend their possessions from the invasion of monsters, angry gods and invading armed army. At the same time it is necessary to ensure that the extraction of resources for the livelihood of inhabitants corresponds to the norm.

Zeus + Poseidon 2005 is based on popular Greek myths. The player will have to pump his own intelligence to create the right plan of action to expand his settlement to impressive size.

Movies

Zeus. Portugal, Algeria, France. 2017. The film is about Manuel Gomes, who grew up in Portugal and by fate becomes its president during the rise of fascism. At the most crucial moment, he resigns and finds himself on the freighter Zeus. He is the only passenger on board.

Zeus and Roxanne. 1997.Terry Barnett lives near the ocean with his young son and a funny dog named Zeus. Zeus is always mischievous and therefore doesn't like Mary Beth's neighbor. One day Zeus ends up on board her boat and falls into the water where there might be sharks! He is rescued by the kind dolphin Roxanne. They become friends.

Zeus i Hera. Short film. In theaters February 2022.
Thor 4: Love and Thunder. Zeus is played by Russell Crowe.
On Supernatural, Jon Novak plays the pagan god Zeus in the episode "Remembering the Titans.