Zeus’s chief power, therefore, was in the ability to command the other gods. Proteus, who was sometimes called the Old Man of the Sea, and the Titaness Thetis both had to be held tightly while quickly assuming a variety of shapes by those who wished to defeat them. Some older gods were even more accomplished shapeshifters than Zeus. Poseidon similarly used this ability to woo his lovers, while Athena and Hera both took on the forms of mortal women to interact with humans for other purposes. Shapeshifting, too, was a common power of the Greek gods. After the Trojan War, for example, Athena sends a storm of her own, usually outside of her attributed powers, to disperse the Greek fleet. This, however, was in conjunction with Poseidon who would send devastating waves and on land would bring floods.Įven this power was not completely unique. Poseidon and Hades had received tools from these giants as well, and Poseidon’s trident was at least as powerful as Zeus’s thunder.Īs the sky god, Zeus could also call up storms. The thunderbolt of Zeus had been one of three gifts crafted by the Cyclopes. It was used to great effect in battle and to punish others, but even this was not especially powerful for an Olympian. His ability to cast down thunderbolts was his most defining ability. Zeus certainly had impressive powers, but among the members of the Greek pantheon they were hardly unique. While the Furies attacked those who broke laws, they acted as agents of Zeus. ![]() In the Greek version of the flood myth, for example, it was Poseidon who sent waters to cover the world but he did so at Zeus’s command. As the king of the gods, he had the power to command other deities to use their own powers as he wished. Zeus, however, did not have to control abilities himself to make an impact. Zeus was a witness to all oaths and the origin of law, so anyone found to be violating either would be instantly punished. One of these less obvious powers was his role as the keeper of laws. In the Iliad, for example, Zeus is able to influence the actions of Menelaus by sending him a dream. Some writers occasionally gave Zeus powers that were less impressive, but no less powerful. Zeus made himself look like Artemis to gain the nymph’s trust. In one myth, his pursuit of Callisto, he even took on the form of his own daughter. He became a bull to abduct Europa, a swan to seduce Leta, an eagle to fly away with Ganymede, and even a shower of gold to reach Danae in her prison. Specifically, Zeus used his shapeshifting powers to gain access to those he desired. This was not uncommon among the Olympians, but the king of the gods used it often in his myths. Storms and thunder were thought to be signs of the sky god’s anger, and their frequency and unpredictability was attributed to his quick temper.Īnother of Zeus’s chief powers was his ability to shapeshift. Often he shared this ability with his brother Poseidon, and the two worked together to send wind and waves that would wreck ships or drive them off course. ![]() The son of Helios, Phaethon, was killed for scorching the earth with his father’s chariot, while Apollo’s son Asclepius was hit with lightning for bringing the dead back to life.Īlong with his thunder, Zeus also had the power to call up storms. In a few myths, the children of the gods themselves were struck down by such bolts. In some versions of his story, Bellerophon was thrown from the back of Pegasus by one of Zeus’s bolts for trying to reach Olympus without an invitation. In the Odyssey, for example, Zeus sends a thunderbolt at the request of Helios to wreck Odysseus’s ship as punishment for stealing the sun god’s cattle. Whether against a mighty foe like the giant Typhon or to punish the wrongdoing of humans, Zeus hurled a thunderbolt to smite his enemies. When Zeus overtly used supernatural abilities rather than more subtle displays of power, it was almost always in the form of thunder and lightning. Zeus’s primary, and most iconic, power was related to his role as the sky god. Among the Greek gods he was the highest authority, but that did not mean that his power was absolute. When Zeus himself did not have the power to accomplish a task, he could call upon another god that did.ĭespite all of this, however, Zeus’s powers were not necessarily exceptional. Others, like the ability to change his form, were used to seduce his many lovers.Īs the king of the gods, Zeus also had the power to command the other deities of the pantheon. Some, like his use of thunderbolts as weapons, were used to strike down his foes. The king of the Olympian gods, Zeus, had many powers that he used in mythology.
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