Hephaestus

No one celebrated the birth of Hephaestus. His mother, Hera, had awaited him with great eagerness, hoping for a child so beautiful, so gifted, that it would make Zeus forget his heroic swarm of children from lesser consorts. But when the baby was born she was appalled to see that he was shrilved and ugly, with an irratating bleating wail. She did not wait for Zeus to see him, but snatched the infant up and hurled him off Olyumpus.

For a night and day he fell, and hit the ground at the edge of the sea with such a force that both of his legs were broken. He lay there on the beach mewing piteously, unable to crawl, wracked with pain, but unable to die because he was immortal. Finailly, the tide came up. A huge wave wave curled under its arm and carried him off to sea. And there he sank like a stone, and was caught by the playful Thetis, a naiad, who thought he was a tadpole.

When Thetis understood it was a baby she had found she made a pet of him and kept him in her grotto. She was amazed at the way the crippled child worked shells and bright pebbles into jewelry. One day she appeared at a great feast of the gods wearing a neglace he had made her.Her noticed and and praised it asking where she got it. thetis told her of the crippled child whom someone had dropped into the ocean and now lived with her making her these wonderful jewels. Her told her it was her child and demanded to have him back.

Hephaestus returned to Olympus. There Hera presented him with a broken mountian nearby, where he could set up forges and bellows. She gave him the brawny Cyclopes to be his helpers, and promised him to Aphrodite as a bride, if he would labor in the mountain and make her fine things. Hephaestus agreed because he loved her, and excused her cruelty to him.

"I know that I am ugly, Mother," he said "but the fates would have it so. And I will make you gems so beautiful for youtaoering arms and white throat and black hair that you will forget my ugliness and rejoice that you have taken me back from the sea."

Although - or because - he was lame, Hephaistos is the builder and craftsman for the gods. He is also know as Hephaestus and Vulcan (Roman). His attributes in iconography include the axe and tongs. He is also known as the smith-god, the great artificer, and lord of mechanics. And the mountain always smoked and rumbled from his toil.

� 1998

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