Tales of Hephaestus

Hephaestus was the Greek god of fire, metal work, craftsmen and blacksmiths. His highly talented hands fashioned both the palaces the immortals lived in and the weapons they used. He also constructed the armour Achilles wore during the Trojan war. All of this took place at his wonderous forge which was said to be located under Mount Aetna in Sicily. To help him with his smithy duties, Hephaestus crafted for himself an entourage of golden handmaidens. He also had in his service a set of three-legged tables, each bearing golden wheels that allowed them to move freely about his workshop. Though Hephaestus had the tendency to be ill-tempered, he was basically a peace loving fellow who had many worshipers on earth. His excellent skills as a blacksmith made him a very important patron god to many cities all across the ancient world.

Just as Athena was the protector of weavers, Hephaestus was the protector of blacksmiths. Though Hephaestus was known to have broad shoulders and great upper body strength, he had little use of his legs. This is why he is often referred to as the lame god of Olympus. Accounts differ as to how he came to be in this condition as you will see in the following section.

The Birth of Hephaestus

There are a few different versions concerning the bith of Hephaestus and how he lost the use of his legs. Some stories say he was the son of both Zeus and Hera, but it is more commonly accepted that Hera brought the boy forth alone in retaliation of Zeus giving birth to Athena.

It seems that when Hephaestus was born Hera was shocked by the appearance of her new child. He was sickly and weak and in her opinion really quite unattractive. Feeling embarrassed and ashamed, she snatched him up and quickly cast him out of heaven before the other gods could catch a look.

Luckily the babe landed in the sea, where he was promptly rescued by Thetis and Eurynome, one of the many daughters of Oceanus. There Hephaestus lived happily with the goddesses in their beautiful underwater grotto.

He set up his first smithy where he spent much of his time creating lovely presents for his new companions. He crafted magnificent jewelry as well as more useful objects than the goddesses new what to do with.

One day after nine years had passed, Hera happened to meet up with Thetis, who was wearing a most esquisite brooch upon her bodice. When Hera asked who had fashioned the piece for her, Thetis mumbled a vague answer and attempted to move the conversation in a different direction. Sensing that something was not quite right, Hera pressed on until Thetis finally confessed that the brooch was made by none other than her own son Hephaestus. Feeling covetous of the beautiful items, Hera grabbed Hephaestus and whisked him straight off to Olympus to join the rest of the immortals. Here he was given an elaborate smithy, with no less than twenty bellows that worked incessantly both day and night. Hera also saw to it that Hephaestus was given a wife. Much to his delight, he was presented with Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.

Unfortunately, his new bride was anything but willing and only agreed to the union to avoid a confrontation with Zeus. You can read more about Hephaestus's marriage by going to my page dedicated to Aphrodite .

How Hephaestus Became Lame

Hephaestus was able to put the problems with his mother behind him, enough so that he even defied Zeus by taking her side in an argument. It seems that Hera, along with Poseidon and Athena decided that things would be better if Zeus was stripped of his title of supreme ruler over gods and men. They gathered up the other immortals and put their plan into action.

They waited until the god was fast asleep and then bound his entire body tightly with chains and thick leather straps. Zeus would have been in deep trouble had it not have been for the Hundred-Handed Ones.

After being summoned by Thetis, they immediately left Tartarus and liberated Zeus of his restraints. Believeing that Hera had organized the rebellion agaist him, Zeus punished his conniving wife by suspending herr from the stars by her fingertips. When Hephaestus rushed to her aid, Zeus grabbed him and in a fit of anger heaved him out of heaven for a second time.

Hephaestus fell for an entire day before finally crashing down on the Isle of Lemnos. Because he hit the earth with such a great force, both of his legs were shattered beyond repair. The god was eventually forgiven and allowed back onto Olympus but from that moment on he could only walk with the help of a pair of golden leg-supporters.

Lemnos held the chief seat of Hephaestus' worship and has always been considered to be the god's favorite land.

The Tale of Scamander

Hephaestus does not appear in many of the ancient stories. Here are two.

The river god Scamander was the son of Oceanus and Tethys. Called Xanthus by the Olympians, he was the father of three children; Teucer, the first king of Troy, Callirrhoe, the wife of Tros and Strymo, the wife of Laomedon. His river bed was the largest found on the Plain of Troy, so it was only natural that he sided with the Trojans during the ten year battle they fought against Greece. After the death of his beloved friend Patrochis, Achilles went on a killing spree leaving Scamander's waters filled with the bodies of dead Trojans. In an act of revenge, Scamander rose up and flooded the Plain of Troy, almost causing the death of Achilles. Hera sent Hephaestus to rescue Achilles, which he did by drying up Scamander with a great flame. Knowing he was not match for the fire god, Scamander reluctantly gave up the fight.

And so it came to be that with the help of Hephaestus, another battle in the great seige ended in favor of the Greeks.

The Necklace of Harmonia

Hephaestus, the blacksmith of the gods had grown tired of the numerous infidelities of his wife Aphrodite. Being especially jealous of her relationship with Ares, the god vowed that one day he would have his revenge. Time passed and when it came to be that Harmonia, the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares became engaged to Cadmus the king of Thebes, Hephaestus presented the maid with a beautiful necklace that he fashioned for her out of gold. This necklace was an enchanted piece of jewelry. Though it granted the wearer the gift of eternal youth and beauty, it also carried a curse which promised to bring pain and ruin too all associated with it.

Harmonia herself seems to have avoided the curse, but the same cannot be said for all of her daughters. Misfortune continued to plague the house of Thebes throughout its future generations. Could it be that Hephaestus had finally received the justice that he so desired?

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