Hephaistos - My Favourite Planet People

Hephaistos (Ἥφαιστος; Latin, Hephaestus), the son of Zeus and Hera, was the Greek god of metalworkers and sculptors, the archetypal maker of fine and extravagant metal objects, including armour for gods and heroes (e.g. Achilles, see below), Hermes' winged helmet and sandals, Aphrodite's girdle, as well as the chariot of Helios. He was also the god of fire and volcanoes, his Roman equivalent being Vulcanus.

"The bellows blew on the crucibles, twenty in all, sending forth well-blown blasts of every degree sometimes in a hurry, at other times in whatever way Hephaistos wanted and demanded. He threw weariless copper in the fire and tin and precious gold and silver; and then he set a great anvil on its block, and grasped in one hand the mighty hammer, and in the other the tongs."

Homer, Iliad, Book 18, lines 470-477.

He was even credited with the invention of bronze. Pliny the Elder alluded to this belief when discussing the decline in his time (first century AD) of the art of bronze-making:

"Formerly a mixture was made of copper fused with gold and silver, and the workmanship in this metal was considered even more valuable than the material itself; but, at the present day, it is difficult to say whether the workmanship in it, or the material, is the worst. Indeed, it is wonderful, that while the value of these [ancient] works has so infinitely increased, the reputation of the art itself is nearly extinct.

For whereas this art was ascribed to the gods themselves [i.e. Vulcanus], and men of rank in all countries endeavoured to acquire fame by the practice of it, we have now so entirely lost the method of making this valuable compound by fusion, that, for this long time past, not even chance itself has assumed, in this department, the privilege which formerly belonged to art."

Pliny the Elder, Natural History, Book 34, chapter 3. At Perseus Digital Library.

Hephaistos was worshipped at many places around the Greek world, particularly on the northern Aegean island of Lemnos (Λήμνος; Ancient Greek, Λῆμνος), on which Hephaistia (Ἡφαιστία), one of its two cities, was named after the god [1]. In Athens, where the Doric Temple of Hephaistos (the Hephaisteion, see photo below), built in the second half of the 5th century BC (around the same time as the Parthenon), stands in the Athenian Agora and is the best preserved Classical temple. It housed statues of Hephaistos and Athena who was sometimes known as Athena Ergane (the Worker), patron of crafts. The two deites were celebrated at an annual festival known as the Chalkeia (Greek for copper or bronze; chalkeus was a title for a bronzeworker), which included torch races.

"Sing, clear-voiced Muse, of Hephaestus famed for inventions. With bright-eyed Athena he taught men glorious crafts throughout the world, - men who before used to dwell in caves in the mountains like wild beasts. But now that they have learned crafts through Hephaestus the famed worker, easily they live a peaceful life in their own houses the whole year round.

Be gracious, Hephaestus, and grant me success and prosperity!"

Homeric Hymn 20, to Hephaistos [2]

Hephaistos was associated with Athena's birth: ancient vases and reliefs show him with an axe, splitting open Zeus's head, from which Athena springs fully armed (see the illustration on Athens Acropolis page 13).

Zeus married Hephaistos with Aphrodite (Ἀφροδίτη; her Roman equivalent was Venus), the goddess of love and beauty, to prevent quarrels over her between the male deities. But repulsed by Hephaistos' ugliness and lameness, she had many other divine and mortal lovers, notably Ares (Αρης; Roman equivalent, Mars), the god of war. The jealous smith learned of her infidelity from the all-seeing sun god Helios, and used his skills to set a trap for them. When Aphrodite and Ares were in bed they were ensnared in the metal net made by Hephaistos, much to the amusement of the other Olympians.

Although in some myths he was said to have lived and worked on Mount Olympus, several volcanoes around the Mediterranean, especially Aetna on Sicily and the nearby Lipari islands, were believed to be locations of his fiery workshop and foundry.

In early Greek art Hephaistos was depicted as lame, sometimes as a dwarf; dwarf-like statuettes of him were placed before hearths. His lameness was the result of falling from Mount Olympus, or being thrown down soon after his birth by his mother Hera, who was enraged by his imperfect form. He refused to return to Olympus, but was persuaded by Dionysus, who got him drunk, put him on a mule and led him home in a procession of Satyrs and Maenads (see photos below).

The myths concerning Hephaistos' relationship with his mother, and his return to Olympus were discussed by Pausanias, who described a painting of his return with Dionysus displayed in the sanctuary of Dionysus near the theatre in Athens:

"The oldest sanctuary of Dionysus is near the theatre. Within the precincts are two temples and two statues of Dionysus, the Eleuthereus and the one Alcamenes made of ivory and gold. There are paintings here – Dionysus bringing Hephaestus up to heaven. One of the Greek legends is that Hephaestus, when he was born, was thrown down by Hera. In revenge he sent as a gift a golden chair with invisible fetters. When Hera sat down she was held fast, and Hephaestus refused to listen to any other of the gods save Dionysus – in him he reposed the fullest trust – and after making him drunk Dionysus brought him to heaven."

Pausanias, Description of Greece, Book 1, chapter 20, section 3. At Perseus Digital Library.

In works of the 5th century BC onwards he becomes more heroic, shown wearing a chiton (tunic), sometimes with his right shoulder bare, and often wearing a pilos (πῖλος, conical cap).

An early 5th century BC Athenian red-figured cup by the Foundry Painter, now in Berlin (Staatliche Museen, Berlin), shows Hephaistos sitting in his workshop with hammer and anvil, presenting the armour he has made for Achilles to the hero's mother Thetis (see photo below).

"And when the renowned smith, lame in both legs, had wrought all the armour, he lifted it and placed it in front of the mother of Achilles."

Homer, Iliad, Book 18, lines 614-615.

The 5th century BC Athenian sculptor Alkamenes is said to have made a statue of Hephaistos, probably for the Hephaisteion, which subtly indicated the lameness in his legs (Cicero, de natura Deorum, 1.30, 83; Valerius Maximus, 8.11, ext. 3).