Hephaestus was the god of fire and craftsmanship in Greek mythology. He was reportedly the son of Hera, though some accounts say Zeus was his father. As an infant, Hera threw Hephaestus off Mount Olympus because she was angry, and he fell into the sea. He was cared for on the island of Lemnos until becoming a skilled craftsman. Hephaestus built magical thrones and other items for the gods, including jewelry for his wife Aphrodite. However, Aphrodite had an affair with Ares that Hephaestus discovered, so he trapped the lovers in an invisible net as revenge. Hephaestus had his forge either
2. Birth Hephaestus, god of theiron, wasEra’s son butit’snotsurethat Zeus washisfather. AccordingtoHesíodo, Hera hadher son alone. Shewasangrywith Zeus because he hadgivenbirth Atenea: shewasbornfromhis head. Accordingto Homero in the “Ilíada”, Zeus wasHefesto’sfather.
3. FallfromtheOlympus Hera didn´tloveher son and soonshedecidedtothrowdownHephaestusintothe sea . He wasfalling 9 days and 9 nights . In thebottom of the sea, twogodesses, Tetis and Eurínome, caughthim and in anislandcalled Lemnos, they took care of him until he became a craftman.
5. Hephaestusand Aphrodite One of theHefesto´sconditions, to free Hera, wastomarrywithAphrodite, godess of thebeauty. Theweddingwas in theOlympicParthenon. He wasveryhappy and he mademanyjewelsforher, including a magicbelttoturnher more attractive.
6. ProblemwithAphrodite Accordingtothe “ Odyssey “, many times Afrodita met Ares secretely and whenHephaestusknewaboutthis, he made a verythinsilver net , nearly invisible . Then, whilethetwoloverswere in bed, he threwthemthe net. Whentheypromisedtoputanendtotheirlove, he putthem free . Buttheyfailedtheirpromise and scapedtogether.
7. Hephaestus´ forge Accordingtothe “Ilíada”, itwas in theOlympusmountainalthoughotherpeoplesaidthatitwasintothe Lemnos volcano. Hephaestusmadeallthejewellsforthegods : Hermes´shelmet and sandals, Afrodita´sbelt, Helios´scarriage, Eros´sbow and arrows… Hefesto’sdirectdescendants AlthoughtHephaestuswasmarriedwith Afrodita, he had no childrenwithher. He hadimmortaldescendantswith a nymphcalledCabinolos :the “daimones” and Talía , a sicyliannimphlovedby Zeus. Betweenhismortal descendantswasArdalus , ansculptorthatinventedtheflute