Zeus was the king of the Olympian gods and the supreme deity in Greek Religion. Often referred to as the Father, as the god of thunder and the ‘cloud-gatherer’, he controlled the weather, offered signs and omens and generally dispensed justice, guaranteeing order amongst both the gods and humanity from his seat high on Mt. Olympus.
Along with Hades and Poseidon, Zeus shared the rule of the world and became king of Olympus as the children of Cronus were filled with admiration for their noble brother and sided with him against their unjust father – even following Zeus into The Battle of the Titans.
Though he is mostly well known as god of the sky and thunder, Zeus had many epithets that emphasized different aspects of complete and wide ranging authority such as:
· Zeus Olympios, which refered to his rule over the gods.
· Zeus Xenios, Zeus was a symbol of hospitality and guests.
· Zeus Tallaios, the one that was worshipped in Crete.
· Zeus Georgos, god of agriculture in Athens
· Zeus Agoraeus, Zeus watched over the markets (agora).
· Zeus Horkios, keeper of Oaths.
· Astrapios, (Lightning bringer)
· Brontios, (Thunder bringer)
Sites that were sacred to Zeus are:
· Dodona in northern Greece
· Olympia, where every 4 years from 776BCE the Olympic Games were held. (Also the gigantic gold & ivory statue of the god by Pheidias).
