Zeus

Summary
Zeus is the god of sky and thunder, ruler of the Olympians of Mount Olympus. He is the son of Cronus and Rhea, and the youngest of his siblings. He is married to Herra, although he has many partners. Humans considered him the King of the Gods, who oversaw the universe.

Zeus' Birth
Cronus sired several children with his wife, Rhea: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon, but swallowed them all as they were born to prevent his foretold destiny of being overthrown by his own son, as he had previously overthrown his own father Uranus. When Zeus was about to be born, Rhea sought Gaia's help and devised a plan to save her youngest son. Rhea gave birth to Zeus in Crete, handing Cronus a rock wrapped in swaddling clothes, which he promptly swallowed.

Rhea then hid Zeus in a cave on Mount Ida in Crete. There are varying stories as to his upbringing, however, the most popular are:
 * 1) He was then raised by Gaia
 * 2) He was raised by a goat named Amalthea, while a company of soldiers danced and shouted so Cronus would not hear the baby cry.
 * 3) He was raised by a nympth named Adamanthea.  Since Cronus ruled over the Earth, the heavens and the seas, she hid him by dangling him on a rope from a tree so he was suspended between the earth, sea and sky, therefore, invisible to his father.
 * 4) He was raised by a nymph named Cynosura.  In gratitude, Zeus placed her among the stars.
 * 5) He was raised by Melissa, who nursed him with goat's milk and honey
 * 6) He was raised by a human shepherd family under the promise that their sheep would be saved from wolves.

King of the Gods
After reaching manhood, Zeus forced Cronus to disgorge first the stone, then his siblings in reverse order of swallowing. Zeus then released the brothers of Cronus, the Gigantes, the Hecatonchires and the Cyclopes, from their prison in Tartarus, killing their guard, Campe.

As a token of their appreciation, the Cyclopes gave him thunder and the thunderbolt and lightning. Together, Zeus and his siblings, along with the Gigantes, Heecatonchires and Cyclopes overthrew Cronus and the other Titans, in the combat called the Titanomachy. The defeated Titans were then cast into Tartarus, where they were imprisoned. Atlas, one of the Titans who fought against Zeus, was punished by having to hold up the sky.

After the battle was over, Zeus shared the world with his elder brothers, Poseidon and Hades, by drawing lots: Zeus got the sky and air, Poseidon the waters, and Hades the world of the dead (underworld). The ancient Earth, Gaia, could not be claimed so she was left to all three, each according to their abilities, Poseidon became the god of earthquakes and Hades claimed the souls of humans that died.

Gaia resented the way Zeus had treated the Titans, because they were her children. Soon after taking the throne as king of the gods, Zeus had to fight some of Gaia's other children, the monsters Typhon and Echidna. He vanquished Typhon and trapped him under Mount Etna, but left Echidna and her children alive.

Divine Children of Zeus
Zeus was both brother and husband to Hera. By Hera, Zeus sired three children: Ares, Hebe, and Hephaestus. His conquests with other goddesses and mortals alike produced numerous other children.
 * 1) Aegipan, with Aega
 * 2) The Moirai (Fates), with Themis
 * 3) Atropos
 * 4) Clotho
 * 5) Lachesis
 * 6) Tyche (possibly) with Aphrodite
 * 7) Persephone, with Demeter
 * 8) Aphrodite, with Dione
 * 9) Limos, with Eris
 * 10) The Charites (Graces), with Eurynome
 * 11) Algaea
 * 12) Euphrosyne
 * 13) Thalia
 * 14) Manes, with Gaia
 * 15) Ares, Eileithyia, Eris, Hebe, Hephaestus, and Angelos, with Hera
 * 16) Apollo and Artemis, with Leto
 * 17) Hermes, with Maia
 * 18) Athena, with Metis
 * 19) The Muses (all twelve), with Mnemosyne
 * 20) Aoide
 * 21) Melete
 * 22) Mneme
 * 23) Calliope
 * 24) Clio
 * 25) Euterpe
 * 26) Erato
 * 27) Melpomene
 * 28) Polyhymnia
 * 29) Terpsichore
 * 30) Thalia
 * 31) Urania
 * 32) Helen of Troy (possibly), with Nemesis
 * 33) Zagreus and Melinoe, with Persephone
 * 34) Palici, with Thalia
 * 35) Astaea, the Nymphs of Eridanos, Nemesis, and the Horae (all three generations), with Themis
 * 36) Carae, with Eos
 * 37) Aletheia, with an unknown mother
 * 38) Ate, with an unknown mother
 * 39) Caerus, with an unknown mother
 * 40) Litae, with an unknown mother

Semi-Divine or Mortal Chidren of Zeus
Zeus was well known to interact with mortals, producing numerous children.
 * 1) Aeacus and Damocrateia, with Aegina
 * 2) Heracles, with Alcmene
 * 3) Amphion and Zethus, with Antiope
 * 4) Olenus, with Anaxithea
 * 5) Acragas, with Asterope (or Oceanid)
 * 6) Arcas, with Callisto
 * 7) Aethlius (possibly), with Calyce
 * 8) Britomartis, with Carme
 * 9) Atymnius, with Cassiopeia
 * 10) Solymus and Milye, with Chaldene
 * 11) Perseus, with Danae
 * 12) Pirithous, with Dia
 * 13) Tityos, with Elara
 * 14) Dardanus, Iasion, and Harmonia, with Electra
 * 15) Minos, Rhadamanthus, Sarpedon, Alagonia, Carnus, and Dodon, with Europa
 * 16) Myrmidon, with Eurymedousa
 * 17) Arcesius, with Euryodeia
 * 18) Kronios, Spartaios, and Kytos, wtih Himalia
 * 19) Cres, with Idaea (a nymph)
 * 20) Epaphus and Keroessa, with Io
 * 21) Orchomenus, with Isonoe
 * 22) Achilleus and Herophile, with Lamia
 * 23) Sarpedon, with Laodamia
 * 24) Pollux and Helen of Troy, with Leda
 * 25) Locrus, with Maera
 * 26) Argus and Pelasgus, with Niobe
 * 27) Meliteus, with Othreis
 * 28) Graecus and Latinus, with Pandora
 * 29) Achaeus (possibly), with Phthia, daughter of Phoroneus
 * 30) Tantalus, with Plouto
 * 31) Balius and Xanthus, with Podarge
 * 32) Aethlius (possibly) and Opus, with Protogeneia
 * 33) Hellen, with Pyrrha
 * 34) Dionysus, with Semele
 * 35) Lacedaemon, with Taygete
 * 36) Magnes and Makednos, with Thyia
 * 37) Carus, with Torrhebia
 * 38) Iarbas, with an African nymph
 * 39) Saon (possibly) with a Samothracian nymph
 * 40) Megarus, with a Sithnid nymph
 * 41) Calabrus, Geraestus, and Taenarus, with an unknown mother
 * 42) Corinthus, with an unknown mother
 * 43) Crinacus, with an unknown mother