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Hephaestus Facts

Hephaestus Facts
Hephaestus was the ancient Greek god of fire, metalworking, stone, masonry, forges, sculpture, and blacksmiths. He was the son of Zeus and Hera, and made all of the weapons for his fellow gods at Mount Olympus. Zeus married him to Aphrodite because he feared that her beauty would start a war among the gods and Hephaestus was considered to be unattractive and by some accounts even deformed. Aphrodite was not faithful to Hephaestus. Hephaestus' was known as a kind and gentle god, and he was even responsible for creating Eros' (cupid's) arrows. One of Hephaestus' children was Erichthonius, a half-serpent, half-man creature.
Interesting Hephaestus Facts:
Hephaestus' Latin name was Vulcan. The name Vulcan is derived from the volcanic island in Italy called Vulcano.
Hephaestus was said to have been deformed at birth, with misformed feet that made it impossible for him to walk normally. Because of this he is often depicted hunched over or even with a cane.
Other spellings of Hephaestus include Ifestion, Iphestos, Ifestos, and Hephaistos.
Hephaestus was capable of turning himself into fire, and created all of the weapons used by the gods of Olympus, including their armour, chariots, spears, arrows, tridents etc...
Hephaestus had a sister Hebe and a brother Ares (god of war at Mount Olympus).
Although some accounts say he married Aphrodite, others suggest his wife was Aglaia, on the three Graces.
Hephaestus was the one who made Achilles armour to use in the Trojan War.
Symbols associated with Hephaestus include the quail, tongs, anvil, and hammer.
Hephaestus may not have been considered attractive but he still managed to have several children including Thalia, Euthenia, Eucleia, Cabeiri, Eupheme, and Philophrosyne.
Hephaestus built palaces for the gods and goddesses of Olympus and created magical locks that only the gods and goddesses could open.
Although Hephaestus was known to be a kind and gentle god he had a weakness for alcohol.
Some accounts reference Hephaestus as Pandora's father (of Pandora's Box fame).
At one time Aphrodite, Hephaestus' wife, was caught with their brother Ares in the bed that Hephaestus had made. He chained them to the bed and invited the other gods of Olympus to laugh at Aphrodite and Ares.
Hephaestus is the only god of Olympus that was able to return to Olympus following his exile.
Some stories suggest that when Hephaestus was born his mother Hera threw him from the heavens to earth because his feet were deformed. Hephaestus is said to have gotten revenge by sending her a beautiful chair (once he had grown up and become a master at his crafts) that would not let her stand up after she had sat in it.
Hephaestus is said to have had relationships and children with Aphrodite, Aglaea, Aetna, Cabiero, Gaia, and Anticleia.
Hephaestus is believed to have had several children with unknown mothers, including Spinter, Pylius, Philottus, Olenus, Cercyon, Ardalus, and Argonauts.
Hephaestus was believed to do much of his metalwork underneath a volcano.
Some stories suggest that Hephaestus built a mechanical type of robotic device that allowed him to walk around.


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