The Olympian Newsletter
The life and times of Zeus
Zeus - All about me! (by Mrs. Rosin and Mrs. Lueken)
Hera's marriage was founded in strife with Zeus and continued in strife. Writers represented Hera as constantly being jealous of Zeus's various amorous affairs. She punished her rivals and their children, among both goddesses and mortals, with implacable fury. The peacock (the symbol of pride; her wagon was pulled by peacocks) and the cow (she was also known as Bopis, meaning "cow-eyed", which was later translated as "with big eyes") were her sacred animals. Her favorite city was Argos.
A Recent Picture of Zeus
Currency with Zeus
He was quite popular with humans.
Oak Tree
One of the symbols that represent Zeus
Interview with Zeus
megmeg9: Hello Zeus!
Zeus: Hey Meg. :)
megmeg9: So, I just have a few questions. First, what are your symbols?
Zeus: My symbols are the thunderbolt, the eagle, and the oak.
megmeg9: That's pretty cool! So, I heard you're a big flirt. How many wives do you have exactly?
Zeus: I'm not sure, I lost count after 100. But the Goddess Hera, was my main wife.
megmeg9: Wow, that's a lot! How exactly did you meet Hera?
Zeus: Birth. She is my sister.
megmeg9: And you don't find that strange at all?
Zeus: Not one bit, most of the gods and goddesses married their relatives.
megmeg9: I can't imagine me having to marry my brother! Speaking of siblings, do you have any . . . besides Hera?
Zeus: Yes, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, and Demeter.
megmeg9: Those are some pretty powerful gods and goddesses. Do you remember who your parents were?
Zeus: Rhea, and . . . Cronus. But Cronus was afraid that one of us, his children, would try to overthrow him, and get more powerful than he was. So he ate all my siblings.
megmeg9: Who has ever heard of someone who ate their own kids!? Your father sounds very . . . interesting. So, why did he never eat you?
Zeus: Well, he tried to, but my mother hid me, and wrapped blankets around a rock. Cronus ate the rock, thinking it was me, and thought I was dead, but he was wrong. :)
megmeg9: What happened to all of your siblings?
Zeus: Well, once I was much stronger, I had Cronus drink poison, thinking it was just a simple drink, and then the poison made him throw up all of my brothers and sisters.
megmeg9: That sounds disgusting! So, what did happen to your father?
Zeus: Don't call that crazy god my father, do you know embarrassing that is!? Anyway, my brothers, sisters, and I all got together to kill Cronus, and we did. That's when I became the god of gods.
megmeg9: That's amazing! I'd be too afraid to go against someone who tried to eat me! Anyway, I heard that ancient Greeks used to put you on some of their coins?
megmeg9: You're not full of yourself . . . Anyway, the ancient Greeks used to have a festival every four years and played games to honor you. Now, everyone around the world does the same thing, called the Olympics, not for you, but for their athletic ability. Are you upset about that?
Zeus: More like, outraged!! How can they still have these games, just for "their athletic ability", come on, I'm much more better than that!
megmeg9: Well, their athletic ability is actually real . . . not a mythical creature . . . but thank you for letting me interview you!
Zeus: Anytime.
Until next week, this is Meg, signing off. Bye!
Author's Note: Thank you to www.tinypic.com for the pictures, and http://www.edu.pe.ca/gulfshore/heroes/html8imm/zeus/zeushist.htm and http://library.thinkquest.org/J0110010/Gods%20and%20goddesses/zeus.htm for my information.
How are Barack Obama and Zeus alike, yet different?
You may choose to create a Venn Diagram here instead
How are they alike?
1. Chief - Obama is the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S., and Zeus is referred to as the chieftain of the gods in the Homeric poems.
2. Eagle - The eagle is on the Seal of the President of the United States , and one of Zeus' symbols is the eagle. The eagle represents strength, courage, and justice.
3. Islands - Obama was born in Hawaii (no debate, please) and Zeus was regarded as being born in Crete. Both islands are associated with volcanoes.
4. Fathers & non-traditional upbringing - Obama's father (family members have used the words 'abusive' to describe him - see link below) left when Obama was 2 years old, and he was mostly raised in Hawaii by his Kansas grandparents. Zeus also did not have a relationship with his abusive father (Cronos ate his siblings and planned the same for Zeus), and there are various accounts on who raised Zeus - e.g. he was raised by Gaia, he was raised by a goat named Amalthea, he was raised by a nymph named Adamanthea or Cynosura, he was raised by Melissa, who nursed him with goat's-milk and honey, he was raised by a shepherd family under the promise that their sheep would be saved from wolves.
5. Both have children.
Source(s):
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/ne…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seal_of_the…
How are they different?
2. Barack Obama does not cheat on his wife, Zeus does.
3. Zeus is arrogant. Obama is not.