Hephaestus was sometimes considered the son of both Zeus and Hera, though other accounts say that Hera gave birth to Hephaestus parthenogenically, in response to Zeus giving birth to Athena by himself. In some versions of his birth, Hephaestus was born lame, Hera was less than pleased and threw him off Mount Olympus [see Olympus Mons on map ]. Hephaestus and he landed in the sea where he was cared for by the sea goddesses, Thetis and Eurynome, while he grew.
He soon proved to be a master craftsman and he built a beautiful throne for his mother that trapped her when she sat in it.
Numerous gods tried to convince Hephaestus to release Hera, but he refused until Dionysus came and got Hephaestus really drunk. This aid rendered to her is often cited as the reason Hera put aside her hatred of Dionysus [see Dionysus ]. According to another version of his birth myth, Hephaestus was born perfectly healthy, but when he intervened on behalf of his mother in a dispute between his parents, Hera and Zeus, Zeus flung Hephaestus off Mount Olympus.
The marriage of Hephaestus and Aphrodite is unique in Greek mythology. While many gods and heroes had unhappy marriages, the smith and the goddess of beauty were among the few to have something that might be called a divorce. In other myths, marriages could end because of abandonment or a similar issue. Hephaestus and Aphrodite, however, both continued to live on Mount Olympus and be part of the same social and family group.
While some people believe that divorce is a recent phenomenon, it was actually relatively common in ancient Greece. Surviving texts from Athens show that a divorce could be initiated by either the husband or the wife.
Surviving legal texts show that this was how a husband could initiate a divorce in ancient Greece. A woman could also begin divorce proceedings by registering her complaint with the local ruler. As women had little control over property and wealth, they would need the support of their families to be divorced.
While this was likely a barrier for some women, legal records show that many were still able to successfully register their desire for a divorce with local authorities. This was allowed under the law only if the couple had not had any children together. There were even instances in which a divorce was mandatory. Divorce seems to have been normalized and culturally acceptable in ancient Greece. Surviving documents show little moral judgement about divorce itself.
Several accounts mention both Aphrodite and Ares avoiding the other Olympians for a time, presumably for the scandal of their affair to die down. In fact, some laws demanded that a man divorce his wife if she, like Aphrodite, was unfaithful to him. While many ignored the law to avoid a scandal, they risked losing their rights as a citizen if they remained with an unfaithful woman.
Since he had done nothing wrong in the marriage, Hephaestus faced no negative consequences from his divorce. He was free to remarry and go about his life. Just because divorce was socially acceptable, however, did not mean that it was amicable.
Hephaestus supposedly held such a strong grudge against Aphrodite and Ares that he gave their daughter Harmonia a cursed necklace that brought misfortune to her family for generations. Homer made it clear that Hephaestus had been the one to formally end his disastrous marriage to Aphrodite. Athenian law , however, shows that she could have initiated a divorce herself or even that Zeus could have done so after seeing how poorly suited Hephaestus and Aphrodite were for one another.
The marriage of Hephaestus and Aphrodite shows that, contrary to popular belief, divorce is not an invention of modern society. The marriage of Hephaestus and Aphrodite was notorious in Greek mythology. The two were poorly-suited for one another and Aphrodite was known to be in love with another man.
After Hephaestus won the right to marry her, Aphrodite continued her love affair with Ares. She and the god of war would soon be found out, however.
Hephaestus set a trap for his unfaithful wife and her lover. He publicly shamed them by inviting the other gods to laugh after he captured them beneath a net. Most sources are clear that the marriage between Hephaestus and Aphrodite ended after her affair came to light. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent.
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