Zeus is the king of the Greek gods, the ruler of the skies, and the god of thunder! There’s a little more to him than just that though – did you know where he was raised, what his connection to the Olympics is, how many wives he had – and how many kids? Read on to learn it all and more with these amazing, mythological facts of epic proportion! Don’t forget to check out our other amazing facts – learn all about China, archaeology, or Cleopatra!

1. He’s the god of sky and thunder

Zeus’s job in the pantheon of Greek gods was to control the weather. His name reflects this: it comes from the Greek word di̯ēus, which means “sky father”!

2. His father almost swallowed him

All things considered, Zeus had a pretty weird childhood! He was the youngest child of Cronus and Rhea, two of the Titans. The Titans were the 12 children of Uranus and Gaea (Heaven and Earth), and the most powerful beings in the universe. Cronus believed that one day one of his children would overthrow him – so he started eating them (obviously!). He had already eaten Zeus’s siblings Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Hestia and Hades, but Rhea managed to sneak Zeus out of there!

3. He was raised by nymphs

Rhea hid Zeus on Crete, where he was raised by nymphs who fed him goats milk! He was hidden in a cave, and warriors stood guard, beating their spears on their shields to hide the sound of the baby Zeus crying. This is also where Zeus met his first love, a sea nymph named Metis.

4. He defeated the Titans

Cronus’s biggest fear ended up coming true! Metis and Zeus cooked up a plan to overthrow Cronus by disguising Zeus as a cupbearer, with a cup of poisoned wine. Cronus drank it and threw up Zeus’s siblings, who were still alive in there (hey, it’s mythology – don’t think about any of it too hard). This kicked off a 10-year power struggle between the Titans and the new gods, and Zeus came out on top!

5. He was the king of the gods

Zeus took his place as the king of the gods, with his siblings also becoming powerful gods at his side. According to Greek poet Homer, the brothers drew lots to decide who got what – Zeus got the sky, Poseidon got the sea, and Hades got the underworld. His rule wasn’t entirely unchallenged – later on he fought in a war against the Giants (more on that later!), and one time Hera, Poseidon and Athena chained him to his bed to try and overthrow him!

6. He had a LOT of kids

Zeus had SO many kids, it’s actually hard to keep track! Accounts vary because myths change depending on who’s telling them, but it may be as many as 92! These included Ares (god of war), Hephaestus (god of fire), Apollo (god of the sun), Artemis (goddess of the hunt), Hermes (the messenger of the gods), and Dionysius (the god of festivals), and the Nine Muses. It’s said that his favourite child was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, who was his child with his first wife Metis. According to legend he swallowed Metis when she was pregnant because he was worried his first child would dethrone him, and later Athena was born from Zeus’s head. Again, don’t think about it too hard.

7. And a lot of girlfriends!

With that many kids, it’s a sure bet that Zeus liked the ladies! He was involved with goddesses and human women. He was married seven times as well, though he didn’t stay faithful to any of his wives!

8. Hera was his wife

Hera is Zeus’s best-known wife and the one who really took issue with all his flirting! Hera (Juno in the Roman pantheon) was the queen of the gods and the goddess of women, marriage, family and childbirth. She was also a little bit jealous of the women that Zeus pursued and of his other children, and often punished them for his misdeeds. One of these kids is very well known…

9. Hercules was his son

Zeus also had a lot of mortal kids. They include Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world, and Perseus, the hero who slayed Medusa; but the most famous is probably Herakles! Herakles (Hercules in Roman) was Zeus’s son with the mortal woman Alcmene. Hera was insanely jealous, and sent two snakes to kill him as a baby. Herakles was so strong, he killed them first! Hera later drove him mad, which led him to kill his whole family and then have to atone for this by completing 12 terrible tasks. Some myths say that they eventually made up though, when Herakles helped his father defeat the Giants.

10. He was a shapeshifter

Zeus could take on many forms, including a normal mortal man and any animal he wanted. Some of his disguises included a snake, a cuckoo, a swan, a satyr, a shepherd, an ant, a bull, an eagle, and a shower of gold coins.

11. He has a lot of symbols

Gods usually have a lot of items that are used to symbolise them and their powers, and Zeus was no exception. His include the bull, the eagle, the oak tree, and most famously the thunderbolt. The thunderbolt was also Zeus’s weapon of choice. He received his as a gift from the Cyclopes after freeing them from imprisonment under the Titans. His brothers Poseidon and Hades received a trident and a helmet of invisibility respectively.

12. He was a pretty angry guy

Zeus was said to be VERY hot-tempered. In fact, the Ancient Greeks believed that storms, lightning and thunder were caused by his bouts of rage, and that poor crops brought on by bad weather happened because they had offended him. All the Greek gods were known to be temperamental, but because Zeus was the most powerful his rages could cause the most damage! Some of his biggest tantrums ended in flooding the earth, setting the earth on fire, and hurling his son Hephaestus off Mount Olympus after Hera tried to overthrow him.

13. He’s a key figure in the myth of Prometheus

One of Zeus’s most famous fits of rage is told in the myth of Prometheus. Prometheus was a Titan who had previously tricked Zeus into allowing humans to receive better portions of food after a sacrifice. In retalitation, Zeus banned humans from using fire. Prometheus stole fire from Olympus and gave it to the humans. Zeus was infuriated, and punished Prometheus by chaining him to a rock where eagles would eat him for all eternity. He was eventually freed by Herakles, which made Zeus SO mad he created a beautiful woman named Pandora, offered her to Prometheus’s brother as a wife, and tricked her into opening a box that would release all the evils of the world. This ended mankind’s previous state of total happiness – so, Zeus was a pretty vengeful guy!

14. And in the Iliad!

The Iliad is an epic poem by Greek poet Homer, and it tells the story of the Trojan War. Zeus plays a major role in the story, appearing throughout to comment on the events, send aid to the Greeks, and also to promise Hera that he’ll destroy Troy when the war is over.

15. The Olympic games are in his honour!

You may know that the Olympic Games are a VERY old – dating back to 776 BC, in fact! They were originally held in Zeus’s honour, and just like today they were held every four years – but they also involved sacrifices! The origins of the games are steeped in myth, and according to the legend the first games saw demigods racing to entertain Zeus. He crowned the winner with an olive wreath – the first gold medal!