Hephaestus (called Vulcan by the Romans) was the blacksmith god and forger of weapons. Hephaestus was ugly and deformed when at birth, and Hera, expecting a glorious child, threw him off Olympus. Hephaestus hurled through space for a night and a day and hit the ground by the ocean. He was an immortal infant, though, so was severly injured but not killed. Thetis, a kind water nymph, took him and kept him in her grotto. He amused himself by playing with shells, stones, and pebbles, and when he grew older, he made these objects into beautiful jewelry. One day Hephaestus's adoptive mother showed Hera a beautiful brooch he had made. Hera figured this was the son she had disowned, so she demanded Thetis to send him back to Olympus. But Hera still did not want him nearby, but did want his jewels, so she found him a mountain with a large hole in the center. She placed Hephaestus there along with some forges and bellows to perfect his craft. Zeus, who we are not sure whether he knew Hephaestus was his son or not, respected him when he saw the strong and useful weapons he produced. Hephaestus was kind and an artistically gifted god, who loved his cruel mother and faithless wife both. Sculptures of Hephaestus show him as deformed, usually with one leg shorter than the other, but his face often looks kind.