Hephaestus was generally said to have been born parthenogenically, that is without the involvement of a father, making Ares the only son born within the marriage of Zeus and Hera.ĭespite this position, however, Ares was far from being his father’s favorite son. While the children born to the god’s affairs were blameless in their own births, Hera saw each as a threat to her own son, Ares. The sons of Zeus in particular earned her ire. The king of the gods had dozens of affairs, mistresses, and illegitimate children through the ages.Įach affair, and the birth of each child, incited jealousy and hatred in Hera. Her husband, however, was a known philanderer. Hera initially refused his advances, although she eventually entered into the marriage willingly. While a few of his children, such as Hera, were born before their union, many more were born after Hera became his wife. Officially, Zeus was married to his sister Hera. While his wife may have done everything in her power to stop him from fathering so many children with other goddesses and mortal women, the king of the gods was known as much for his varied offspring as his kingship.įrom great gods to forgotten kings, the sons of Zeus left their mark on the Greek world. Zeus was the father of gods, heroes, and kings.
The fact that so many of them could trace their family tree back to the king of the gods was more than a source of pride – it was a possible source of power.
The ancient Greeks, particularly members of the ruling classes, put a great deal of stock in their ancestry. The sons of Zeus in particular stand out as some of the most celebrated figures in Greek mythology. Zeus was, however, known for the prominence of his children. His uncle Oceanus, for example, was said to have fathered one thousand nymphs alone. Zeus was not the most virile of all the ancient deities. It was not unusual for a god to have dozens of children. Many of the gods of Greece were known for their prolific parenting.