Greek god Hephaestus is the god of fire

Let's remember the course of Greek mythology in order to distinguish from him, perhaps, the most outstanding character. God Hephaestus, indeed, is very different from other representatives of the pantheon. Among the impeccably beautiful, divinely accomplished Olympians, a deliberately ugly blacksmith stands apart. However, his strength in the creative beginning. The ability to create, and not the outer shell, made him the most worthy of the gods.

Greek god Hephaestus: birth

Hephaestus was born a Hero. But about the paternity of Zeus, opinions differ. According to one myth, Hera produced the offspring without the participation of her husband. Thus, she avenged the latter for the birth of Athena, which, as is known, was born from the head of Thunderbolt. But the more popular version is that Hephaestus is the son of Hera and Zeus.

That's only since birth the baby was not distinguished by force. He was ugly and weak. Hera was ashamed of such a son and got rid of him, throwing him from the sea. But it was not destined to perish, since the oceanids of Thetis and Eurynomus that found it were imbued with pity for the unfortunate infant. They sheltered him in a deep grotto and looked after him for nine years. However, the future god of fire did not remain in debt. He created for his adoptive parents a lot of wonderful ornaments.

Return to Olympus took place after the reconciliation of Hephaestus with the Hero. Dionysus himself accompanied him back.

The second fall, after which the divine blacksmith became lame, happened already at the behest of Zeus. The enraged ruler of Olympus ousted him from the sky for having had the courage to stand up for Hera during the quarrel. It is believed that this fall was very long. God Hephaestus flew all day until he fell on the island of Lemnos at sunset.

Fire element

The element of fire has always evoked respect, mixed with fear. Fire is free to create, but it is free and merciless to destroy. The flame, escaping from the craters of volcanoes, sweeps everything in its path. But the same flame can melt metals, giving them the shape of weapons or utensils. Very often people perceive fire as a kind of purification. The element that can kill or revive.

The god of fire Hephaestus symbolizes in full the complex nature of the flame. He himself repeatedly passed through a complete fall to a new exaltation. His limp and ugliness is a consequence of belonging to such an indomitable element. The volcano (namely the so-called Hephaestus Romans) often causes fear, it does not seem beautiful. But the bright flame that burns within it is the fire that burns in the bugles. This forged armor, swords, tools, vessels.

Place in the pantheon

Now it becomes clear why the Greeks, despite their admiration for physical perfection, honored the blacksmith from Olympus.

It was Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire, who taught people skill. He is considered the patron of crafts. He owes mankind knowledge of the taming of metal. In some ways he is close to Athena. Like the goddess of art, Hephaestus overshadows the mercy of artists working with fire. The same jewelers, creating their elegant products, use elements of fire for melting silver or gold. Yes, and blacksmiths sometimes forge true masterpieces. From under their hammer come out into the light ingenious plexus of stems, buds and flowers. Knowingly in a wife so unusual god got Venus. The goddess of beauty next to the rude and ugly husband, whose hands created amazing things, emphasized the idea that in such an alliance true harmony is born.

God the smith

God Hephaestus refers to those rare gods that did not shun labor and invention. Even the omnipotent inhabitants of Olympus sometimes resorted not to cunning or divine power, but went to the lame blacksmith for his wonderful "handicrafts." Hephaestus did not deny the request to anyone. His hands created the scepter and the aegis of Zeus, the shield of Hercules, the trident of Poseidon, the armament of Achilles. On the Olympus stood a palace of bronze, in which was built a large smithy. In it, and created his own fancy utensils Hephaestus.

Attributes of the Creator God

Each Olympian has his own personal attribute. This is a kind of personification of his strengths and personal qualities. The symbol of the god Hephaestus is the anvil and tools of the blacksmith. They convey the very essence of the deity.

In general, in art, it is customary to portray Hephaestus as a very strong man with a powerful torso and the hands of a hammer. At the same time he often has an egg-shaped cap on his head, such as craftsmen in Greece. And Hephaestus always wears a short tunic. It is typical for workers, who also left their right shoulder naked for convenience.

Rituals and Worship

As mentioned above, the Greeks treated Hephaestus with great respect. Especially his cult was strong in Sicily and in Campania. This fact is simply explained. Located there, Etna and Vesuvius always plunged the locals into awe. It seemed that the flames were constantly raging inside these mountains. And no one, except Hephaestus, is able to tame him in time. And it was also believed that it was within these volcanoes that the famous gods of the gods were located.

But even in Athens they paid tribute to Hephaestus. In his honor, ritual competitions with torches were held on large holidays. In such races, the boys participated. Each of them was given to them in a lighted torch. And then a signal sounded to the beginning of the match. All participants rushed to a pre-agreed purpose. The winner was declared to be the one who will reach the finish with the unexploited fire. It was he who received the prize.

In Rome, the cult of the fiery smith has not died away. His temple was located on the Champ de Mars, near the circus of Flaminia. In honor of the lame Vulcan even special holidays were organized, which were called - Vulcanalia.

Artistic heritage

God Hephaestus is familiar to us not only from the Greek frescoes that have come down to us, paintings on vases, sculptures. His powerful figure is easily recognized in later Roman images.

Then came a short period of oblivion. It seemed that the Greek gods had left people's minds forever. They are forgotten and will not return. However, the Renaissance gave us a new upsurge of the Olympians. Zeus, Achilles, Venus, Ares - the forgotten celestials, once again shone in all their glory. The artists and the divine blacksmith did not pass by their attention. The fire in the furnace burned again, and again the strong arms lifted the hammer.

The plot is played out and modern artists. Of course, their works are very far from the canon. But they perfectly convey the very essence of the fiery deity.

Creative impulse

You can ask the question: "Why do we need knowledge about some ancient deity?" In fact, the deity, in his own example, proves the need for creative activity and inflexibility, even in a situation where everything is against you. Despite physical disabilities, Hephaestus was able to become one of the Olympians. Despite the painful fall, he again took his place among the perfect celibate. His craving for creativity caused both divine and human creatures deserved respect.

Often you can hear complaints about the fact that these or other contrived obstacles interfere with self-expression. Failures plunge into despondency, their own imperfection seems insurmountable. And the acquired mutilation puts an end to further life.

But with the example of Hephaestus one can observe how indomitable inner fire and power are able to lift from any abyss. For a creative start, it does not matter how perfect you are. Only your desire for creation is important.