Coloured Statue of God Zeus

Coloured statue of the father of all gods, Zeus, who ruled the world from mount Olympus. He was the son of Cronus and Rhea, and his children amongst others were Athena, Ares and Hercules. He was the lord of storms and the protector of the foreigners.

His symbols were the thunderbolt and the eagle. Hera was considered his legal and eternal wife. Another tradition, mentions Dione as his first wife, who gave him a daughter, Goddess Aphrodite. The defence of the Greek cities was one of his responsibilities, which is why he was worshiped like Goddess Athena, as a Promachos. His other surnames were Eleftherios (which means liberator in Greek), because he gave freedom to those that he protected. Zeus was invoked by humans on numerous occasions. He protected, among other things, the houses. Yet, foreigners, the poor and the fugitives were also under Zeus's protection, which is why he was also called Xenios (which is derived from the Greek word "philoxenia", which means hospitality). Zeus's justice was also striking. The gods resorted to him when they had differences between them; and the people as well begged him to take care of their rights. He, with his infallible judgment, always resolved disputes without dissatisfying either side. His punishments may have been severe or excessive, but he was always willing to forgive if mortals showed their remorse and prayed to him. Ηe was the God of heavenly light and he regulated the meteorological phenomena such as the wind, the clouds, the rain, and the lightning. As said above, one of his symbols was the eagle for it was the sacred bird which flies higher and faster than all other birds in the sky. The Greeks honoured the leader of all gods with impressive ceremonies, celebrations and sports. Two of the biggest events in his commemoration, were the Olympic and the Nemean games.