Zeus An Outline

Zeus An Outline
Copyright all rights reserved to Monica Pereira 2013
Smashwords Edition

Zeus was more then just an ordinary human being -  he was a god.  But he was also more then just a god -  he was the father of all gods, and that made him the Lord of the World.  He was the ruler of Olympus, he ruled the Olympians who lived on Mount Olympus.  He helped to develop the pagan tales which told fables of his Lordship, his family, and their activities.  Zeus was also the god of the sky -  he created thunder, lightning, rain, and shifted the clouds.  


Who gave this great god his life?  Why Cronus and Rhea.  Who were these ancient gods, surely they were great beings to be able to form such a great god as Zeus?  

Cronus was the youngest of the Titans.  The Titans were like mermaids and had great power.  They came from the mating of the earth and the sky.  This could have meant that they were made by mortal and god, or it could have meant they were made by mist on ground -  whatever the case these beings were born and they were malformed.  However no one called anything strange malformed, they just called them immortal beings.

Rhea was the mother of all gods.  She was born from Uranus and Gaia.  She was identified with the world 'flow', which may have meant she was changeable, associated with rivers, or gave life to the world.


There were special symbols associated with Zeus.  These items were either made from him, or they were items he had supernatural command over, or they were items that he favoured when he was presented gifts by cult worshippers; the symbols were the thunderbolt, eagle, bull, and oak.  The sceptre was also linked with Zeus and made him able to gather clouds as though they were sheep who waited for a shepherd to guide them into place. However more often then not Zeus's strength was shown when he carried his most treasured item the thunderbolt -  in artwork he often held a thunderbolt inside of his right hand.


Zeus had many brothers and sisters and they were Rhea, Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon.  However Zeus's evil father Cronus swallowed them all as soon as they were born.  Cronus was schizophrenic -  he had been told by an oracle that he would be overthrown by his own flesh and blood and lose his kingdom.  Cronus didn't want to lose his kingdom and so he ate his own children; he couldn't risk keeping a single one.

When Zeus was about to be born Rhea planned to hide her son out of sight of Cronus.  Rhea wanted Cronus to pay for his actions, and if the prophecies were correct then her unborn son would one day rise to challenge Cronus and fight until Cronus lost his kingdom.  

When Zeus was born Rhea wrapped a rock in a bundle and gave it to Cronus.  Cronus in return swallowed the bundle whole, and then he smiled -  he had no more to fear, his children were inside of his belly and he was safe. 

Rhea hid Zeus in a cave on Mount Ida in Crete.  Zeus was then raised by Gaia, he was then raised by a Goat (he was probably fed the goats milk in order to live), he was then raised by a nymph who hung Zeus on a rope from a tree so that he stayed invisible to his father who ruled the Earth, he was then raised by another nymph, he was then raised by Melissa who fed him goat milk and honey, and he was then raised by a shepherd who gave him the task of keeping their sheep away from wolves.

When Zeus was ready to be a man he walked up to Cronus and he made him throw up.  First Cronus threw up Zeus the stone-baby, then he threw up all of Zeus's brothers and sisters.  The siblings retaliated and threw Cronus off his throne.  Cronus and the other Titans were forced into the ocean where they settled in no-mans land in the murky dim of the dark and mysterious sea.  Zeus was then given a thunderbolt as gift, and he was allowed to rule the sky from then onwards.

Zeus married after he was turned into the sky-god.  He married Hera and had many kids.  However Zeus didn't sit still when he was married, he also had many mortal affairs which included nymphs, humans, and others.

Alexander the Great was said to have been created by Zeus or with Zeus's blessing.  He was considered to have been mighty because he had the same genetics as Zeus the god.  Alexander was given full Egyptian honours, and many believed this was because he was considered a God's son – Zeus's son.


Zeus was honoured frequently in cults.  Greeks often paid homage to the chief Olympian God, and they even held festivals and competed in Games.  An altar was dedicated to Zeus and it held the ash of sacrificed animals – white animals were the preferred sacrifice.
 
Zeus was identified with other Gods after Greek society lapsed.  Jupiter was a Roman god and like Zeus, and so was Ammon who was an Egyptian god.  However they were not the same as Zeus and many have claimed Zeus as a special god who was able to influence because he was immortal.

War broke up the temples which gave frequent honour to Zeus, and the cult of the Olympians have become myth. No follower honours Zeus any more, however supposedly he has never died and he lives somewhere in the world as an immortal.