Hephaestus is the god of fire, volcanoes, metalwork and all craftsmen. He is the only Olympian who works with his hands, and the most skilful: he makes weapons, jewellery, palaces and wondrous objects. To the Romans he was Vulcan, which gives us the word volcano.
The fall from Olympus
According to Hesiod, Hera bore him alone, to get even with Zeus for bringing Athena into the world without her. When she saw her son was ugly and weak, she threw him off Olympus. In another version it was Zeus who hurled him from the sky for defending his mother: Hephaestus fell for a whole day and landed on the island of Lemnos, where the islanders nursed him. He remained lame ever after.
Revenge and return
To take revenge on his mother, Hephaestus sent her a golden throne as a gift: as soon as Hera sat down, invisible chains held her fast. No one could free her, and only Dionysus, by getting Hephaestus drunk, managed to bring him back to Olympus to release the queen. In return Hephaestus was given the most beautiful goddess, Aphrodite, as his wife, though she was unfaithful with Ares.
His works
His forge lay beneath volcanoes such as Etna, where he worked with the Cyclopes. Among his creations:
- Zeus's thunderbolt and sceptre;
- the armour of Achilles, with the extraordinary shield described in the Iliad;
- Pandora, the first woman, modelled from earth and water; see Prometheus and Pandora;
- the chains that bound Prometheus to the rock;
- Talos, a bronze giant guarding the coasts of Crete, and golden handmaidens who helped him walk: the first "robots" in literature.
His cult
Hephaestus was worshipped above all on Lemnos and in Athens, a city of craftsmen. His temple, the Hephaisteion, overlooking the Agora, is one of the best-preserved Greek temples in the world.
See also the twelve Olympians.