Mythological Throwback Thursday: Hephaestus
Well met! This Mythological Throwback Thursday we’re stepping into the forge to meet the Greek god of smiths, crafts, and fire: Hephaestus. Let’s drop it like it’s hot!
Hephaestus had a raw deal from birth. Born of Zeus and Hera, king and queen of Olympus, he was the only Olympian to be born ugly. Disgusted with him, Hera threw him from the top of the mountain. He landed badly, as might be expected from such a height, crippling him in his foot. Hephaestus landed on the island of Lemnos, where he was raised by the ancient Sintian people. This tribe were the ones to teach him in the ways of crafting. They did a pretty good job, considering. Alone among the denizens of Mount Olympus, Hephaestus had the power to animate inorganic matter: fashioning golden and silver statues that could move and attack unwanted guests. His cunning crafting abilities also helped him get revenge on his mother. He built and sent her a golden throne, which when Hera sat on it trapped her, rendering her immobile.
Hephaestus was not on the best of terms with the other gods. His half-brother Dionysus was the only one who was able to convince him to return to Olympus, and even then only after plying him with wine (what else?) and carrying him back by donkey. Even after his return, Hephaestus shunned his family and preferred to live in the base of a volcano, which suited his smithing very well. It is from Hephaestus’ Roman name, Vulcan, that we get the word volcano.
In spite of his irascibility, Hephaestus was married off to his half-sister Aphrodite. Sources disagree as to why. Some say that it was Hephaestus’ price for releasing his mother from her trapped throne, while others contest that Zeus arranged the marriage in order to prevent conflict between the other gods who sought Aphrodite as their own consort. It didn’t work. Ares was a frequent visitor to their marital bed while Hephaestus was in the smithy. They couldn’t hide the affair from Helios, the sun god, however, and he informed Hephaestus.
Hephaestus had been thrilled to be married to the beautiful goddess, and had made her many beautiful gifts and jewels, including a golden girdle. Furious that she had humiliated him, Hephaestus rigged the bed with another trap: a golden net, which caught Ares and Aphrodite in the act. With them unable to escape, Hephaestus brought all the gods of Olympus to laugh at the humiliated, naked adulterers. However, Apollo, Hermes, and Poseidon had sympathy for Ares and paid Hephaestus to release him. Aphrodite, who lacked wealthy friends, instead retreated to Cyprus to avoid her husband.
Hephaestus may have had dysfunctional relationships with the gods, but he was known as a generous patron of mortals. He created Achilles’ armour which he wore during the Trojan War, instruments for Heracles, a staff of office for Agamemnon, and even made a prosthetic shoulder of ivory for Pelops after Demeter accidentally ate his flesh one. (Long story, don’t ask.) He also made Hermes’ winged helmet and sandals, special arrows for Eros (aka Cupid), and a golden chariot for Helios. For himself he made servants to help him in his crafting, and it is said, a special vehicle to help him get around despite his disability. To punish Aphrodite for her infidelity, Hephaestus crafted a cursed necklace for her daughter by Ares, Harmonia. It had the enticing power of conferring eternal youth and beauty on the wearer, and was passed down to Queen Jocasta, mother of Oedipus. Yeah, we don’t need to go into how badly that turned out.
Hephaestus’ legacy is a mixed one. His physical infirmity meant that even in cities that prized craftsmanship like Athens, he played second fiddle to Athena. His vindictive side is perhaps most famously immortalised in his creation of Pandora and the box of woes she carried, as payback to humanity after Prometheus stole fire from Hephaestus’ forge and gave it to the humans to keep them warm. Still, it seems that he was popular enough to influence figures in other mythologies, notably Wayland, the disabled master blacksmith of German legend.
Time for you to forge a path away, but be sure to check in soon for more legends, folklore and fairytales, and of course, another Mythological Throwback Thursday. Thanks for reading!