eus was the supreme ruler of the Olympian dynasty, mightier than all of the other divinities put together, ruler of the sky, the rain god and clouds (wielder of the thunderbolt), whose name means "the bright shining light of heaven".

Very quickly after Zeus' birth, his mother, Rhea, secreted him in a cave on Mount Dicte in Crete to prevent his father, Cronus, from swallowing him as he had already done with his other five children as a result of a prophecy that one-day he would be over thrown by one of them. In Crete, Amalthea, a goat suckled Zeus, and the Curetes, friendly demi-gods, drowned his cries by clashing their brass weapons against their shields. It was generally believed that one of the horns of Amalthea, was always filled with the food and drink of one’s choice. The Latins called this cornucopia – the horn of plenty.

Upon his return home, Zeus forced his father to disgorge his brothers and sisters and in the ensuing war, deposed his father. Following the war, the heavens were left without rule, so Zeus and his brothers drew lots for their share of the universe. His brothers, Hades and Poseidon drew the underworld and the sea respectively. Zeus’s sisters, who were Hera, Demeter and Hestia received nothing.

Zeus' responsibilities were many, he was responsible for the changes in nature, the weather; bringing storms and tempests as well as the blue skies and the gentle winds. At his command, the clouds would gather, and growth-giving rain would fall, along with thunderbolts that would kill his enemies or those that aroused his wrath.

Zeus was a god of two extremes, his punishments were extremely severe, but his rewards were extremely generous. Two of the most famous (unfortunate) of his victims were Prometheus, one of the demi-gods, and Ixion the king of Lapithae in Thessaly.

Prometheus dared to fall in love with Athene; he also stole heavenly fire from the gods for the use of mankind. For these acts, being chained to Mount Caucasus, to have an eagle tear at his liver by day, and have his liver renewed by night, was his punishment.

Ixion had married Dia, the daughter of Deioneus whom he had murdered, Zeus purified Ixion of Deioneus' murder, and even invited him to join him at the gods' table in heaven. When Ixion proved to be too arrogant and foolish by trying to win Hera's love, Zeus dispelled all kindly feeling of Ixion, he punished Ixion for his lack of friendliness by forming a cloud, Nephele, in the likeness of Hera. So deceived, was Ixion, by this cloud that he became the father of the Centaurs, half-man, half-horse creatures. Zeus was still not satisfied with Ixion's punishment, so he ordered Hermes to chain him to a wheel that turned forever over the hellish flames of Tartarus.

Zeus' generosity showed itself in the treatment of some mortals who had won his approval. Zeus was very fond of earthly visits - just to check on his minions, and to see what they were all up to - and on one such visit he took with him Hermes, both disguised of course as mortals, he came to Phrygia. Unrecognised and turned away roughly and rudely by their human subjects, the two gods at last found welcome, food and shelter in the humble cottage of a pious couple, the aged Philemon and Baucis. In disgust at the treatment that had be given to the gods by their subjects, Zeus decided that the country would be a much better place without them, so he flooded the country drowning all living things in it. Zeus rewarded the pious couple by lifting their house high above the waters and transforming it into a magnificent temple of which the couple was made priest and priestess. The couple was also granted one further wish - fulfilled many years later - that they should die at the same moment so that neither one of them would know the grief of the other. When death finally did come, Zeus changed them both into trees; an oak and a linden. The trees grew and flourished side by side - their branches intertwining.

Zeus's children were many, some by other gods and others by lesser deities

Zeus was also the father of many children by mortal women, to whom he appeared in various guises:

It is said that Zeus' first wife Metis (meaning prudence), daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, and mother of Athene, was swallowed by him to prevent a prophecy that he was to be overthrown by a child born of her. See Athene.