Hephaestus the Greek God of Fire and Metallurgy

Video

Kelly Macquire
by
published on 30 October 2022

Hephaestus is the Olympian god of metallurgy, smiths, craftsmen, and fire and is the blacksmith for the Olympian gods. In fact, many of the myths associated with Hephaestus have him crafting something, whether it be for his own use, or because another deity has requested it. Hephaestus did his crafting in workshops underneath volcanoes, with Mount Etna on Sicily being his favourite, and to the Romans, he was known as Vulcan.

Hephaestus is married to the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, which may seem like an odd couple… but the marriage only came about after Hephaestus captured his mother in a golden throne, and the price of her release was Aphrodite’s hand in marriage. So given that he wasn’t exactly Aphrodite's ideal choice of husband, she had numerous affairs with the god Ares and many other of the Olympian gods and mortals Hephaestus never seems to have known about.

Hephaestus didn’t have too many public temples dedicated to him throughout Greece, but was probably worshipped by craftsmen in scale rituals. His two main cult centres though were the city-state of Athens and the Island of Lemnos, and he was also revered at sites where fires occurred naturally such as Caria and Lycia, not to mention his general association with volcanoes since the god was thought to have his workshop beneath them.

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— CHAPTERS —
0:00​ Introduction
0:59 Who is the God Hephaestus?
3:30 Myths of Hephaestus
5:42 Cult and Worship of Hephaestus
7:56 Outro

— WANT TO KNOW MORE? —
Hephaestus https://member.worldhistory.org/Hephaistos/
Greek Mythology https://member.worldhistory.org/Greek_Mythology/
The 12 Olympian Gods https://member.worldhistory.org/collection/58/the-12-olympian-gods/

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— ATTRIBUTIONS —
You can find all attribution and credits for images, animations, graphics and music here - https://worldhistory.typehut.com/hephaestus-the-greek-god-of-fire-and-metallurgy-images-and-attributions-11463

The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on:
https://www.ancientlyre.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

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#hephaestus #greekmythology #greekgod

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About the Author

Kelly Macquire
Kelly is a graduate from Monash University who has completed her BA (Honours) in Ancient History and Archaeology, focussing on iconography and status in Pylos burials. She has a passion for mythology and the Aegean Bronze Age.

Cite This Work

APA Style

Macquire, K. (2022, October 30). Hephaestus the Greek God of Fire and Metallurgy. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2857/hephaestus-the-greek-god-of-fire-and-metallurgy/

Chicago Style

Macquire, Kelly. "Hephaestus the Greek God of Fire and Metallurgy." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified October 30, 2022. https://www.worldhistory.org/video/2857/hephaestus-the-greek-god-of-fire-and-metallurgy/.

MLA Style

Macquire, Kelly. "Hephaestus the Greek God of Fire and Metallurgy." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 30 Oct 2022. Web. 23 Nov 2024.

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