Hephaestus, God of the Smith

Hephaestus, the husband of Aphrodite, was the gad of the smith and of fire. He was the gentlest of all gods. Everyone was his friend. He is sometimes said to be the son of Zeus and Hera, but more often, he is said to be the son of Hera alone. This part of Hephaestus’ story has changed over the years, so it is unclear which version is true. The version which claims that he was the son of Hera alone says that Hera bore him to get back at Zeus for having Athena with Leto, another of his wives.

Hephaestus was much more attached to Hera than he was to Zeus, and once when he was defending his mother, he so angered Zeus that his "father" flung him off of Olympus. Hephaestus flew through the air for an entire day before landing on the island of Lemnos. Thetis, a sea goddess, found him and nursed him back to health from his fall. His hands, wonderfully skilled, were unhurt, but his legs had become too weak to support him.

Eventually, Zeus forgave him and allowed him to return to Olympus. There, he built two robots of gold and silver to help him walk. They had their own brains and helped Hephaestus with his work on Olympus, where he made the thrones that he and the other eleven gods and goddesses of Olympus sit on. He created all of their jewelry and weapons.

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