Ever since I became interested in Ancient Greek mythology, it was apparent that Zeus was the head Pantheon. He was the father of Gods and men, and ruled mount Olympus as the god of the sky, weather, thunder and various other epithets.1 Before our lecture on 'challenges to Zeus' I assumed he was the most powerful of all, a tyrant. However, there are certain aspects of his character that do not coincide with his alleged supremacy.
Out of all the deities, Zeus was the only one that was not humanised as much. He usually manifested in different forms, like animals, or through the elements i.e. rain. The thunderbolt was representative of his power and it was his main device. However, thunder was not just a representation of Zeus but it was believed that Zeus manifested as the thunderbolt, and this was also the case with the rain. Being the deity that controls the whether, it was believed that he sent the rain yet on some levels he was the rain. An example of this is when he seduces Danae and appears to her as a shower of golden rain.2 Another way he appeared was in the form of animals such as eagles, bulls and swans.3 He used it as a disguise whenever he would descend to earth to seduce a lover in order to avoid detection by Hera, which is intriguing that he would have to hide in order to do his will.
During our anthropomorphism lecture, we spoke about deities being represented in human form in order to make them accessible to the mortals, yet by making them bigger and brilliant accentuates their superiority. Personally, the fact that Zeus was often not anthropomorphised as often as the other deities, deepens the gap between the mortals and him, thus his superiority is enhanced. In regards to Zeus’ supremacy, he placed himself on top of the ‘hierarchy’ not because of a supreme power but because of his tactical choices. As I have elaborated previously on my second blog, the deities interrelate in a manner that their powers function as checks and balances to each other’s, keeping the pantheon balanced. Zeus’ power is specialised just like the other deities’ powers were, which means that like them, Zeus will never be able to be a sovereign ruler. This unsteadiness in his position is further enhanced by the fact that the Cyclopes gave him the thunderbolt after Zeus freed them from Tartarus in order to win the fight against the Titans.4 This shows that his power is somewhat conditional, just like his position as the head of Olympus.
Aphrodite is a prime example of limits to Zeus’ authority. He is well known for taking many lovers and in the Iliad he boasts about them to Hera to show off his many conquests. However, by doing so it becomes apparent that he is helpless against Aphrodite’s power; love and lust is his weakness. He is subjected and powerless when it came to Aphrodite’s influence, and the way she manipulates Zeus, suggest that perhaps she is the most powerful deity. Additionally, there has been much scholarly debate over Aphrodite’s origin, but if one considers the myth of Aphrodite Ourania,5 it would imply that she is older than Zeus, who operates outside of his authority. However, according to the ‘Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite’, Zeus limit to her power by using it against her,6 and by doing this he subjects her to him. Although he is powerless against her power, he used his cunning abilities and tricked her. Nevertheless, some scholars like Shelmerdine7 argue that even then Aphrodite is never completely shamed and subjected by falling in love with a mortal, for she is always the seducer and thus never helpless. In terms of her control, even Aphrodite has limits to her control, for there are three minds that she will never be able to influence: Artemis, Athena and Hestia.8
Zeus will always be known as the king of Olympus. However, I have come to reject the idea of him being a tyrant. It is not about supreme power that he established his central position in the Olympus, but about his cunning and strategic thinking. I was only able to see these aspects of his character by examining his relationship with Aphrodite, which exposed the limits in his power. Every deity has a weakness, which evidently is another's power, thus this prevents any deity, even the ‘most powerful’ Zeus, from becoming authoritarian.
1 for more on Zeus; Dowden, K. (2006) ‘Zeus’, for a list of epithets; http://www.theoi.com/Cult/ZeusTitles.html
2 Ovid, Metamorphoses 4.697 http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/ZeusLoves3.html#Danae
4 Hard, R. 1997:29
5 More on Aphrodite’s origin; Cyrino, M. S. (2010) ‘Aphrodite’
6 Homeric Hymn 5: to Aphrodite, link to the http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0138%3Ahymn%3D5
7 Shelmerdine: S. 2000:123
8 Hymn to Aphrodite: line 35
Bibliography
- Dowden, K. (2006) ‘Zeus’ Routledge: New York
-Hard, R. (1997) 'Apollodorus: The Library of Greek Mythology' Oxford University Press: Oxford
-Larson, J. (2007) 'Ancient Greek Cults: A Guide', Routledge: New York and London
-Shelmerdine, S. (2000) 'The Homeric Hymns' Focus: Newburyport
-Larson, J. (2007) 'Ancient Greek Cults: A Guide', Routledge: New York and London
-Shelmerdine, S. (2000) 'The Homeric Hymns' Focus: Newburyport
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