Olympian God Zeus. Not All Thunder and Lightning
Summary of Contents: Zeus in Mythology | Arrival and Appearance | Zeus' Feast Test | God of Lightning | Zeus & Homer's Iliad | Rainforest Revenge Will Be Hot | Obvious Consequence | What a God Expects from Humans
Festival Day - 2 February.
Olympian God Zeus in Mythology
God Zeus is listed by Hesiod as youngest son of Titan god Cronus and goddess Rhea; brother of Hades, Hera, Poseidon, Hestia and Demeter.
In Hesiod’s creation-of-the-world story Zeus removed his father as the ruling God, bound him in chains in the Underworld, and assumed control over heaven and earth. Zeus’ name often was combined with the epithets: “Astrapaios” (Lightner) and “Bronton” (Thunderer). In ancient Rome, Zeus was honoured in the name Jupiter.
Olympian God Zeus Mythological references
Goddesses, Gods and You
What kind of Heaven do you expect. Soft fluffy paradise of eternity, or oblivion of nothingness? Out-of-body survival expert Margo Williams discovered a surprisingly simple system of management and afterlife recycling.
There are many goddesses and gods in the community. Speaking their name aloud evidently sends a signal; creates a link to wherever they are at any given moment. If it works for you as it worked for Margo, and they respond, be respectful but be yourself. Honesty and thoughtfulness are appreciated.
Sacrifice nothing but your time. Most of them seemed approachable and appreciated being remembered.
The ancient temples that still can be found in some places, although mostly broken, are huge monumental structures; impressive sacred spaces, their scale designed to impress, to be worthy of divine visitation.
However, it is not the size and splendour of any sacred space but the sincerity of the person seeking contact.
"Is Zeus King of the Gods?" asked Nick Hammond.
Zeus' Arrival and Appearance
With trepidation I awaited Zeus' arrival. Thursday was chosen; Jeudi, or “Jupiter’s day”.
Pale mauve light, patches of gold and deep royal purple here and there. A tall white-robed figure appeared; muscular physique; silver-grey hair and beard, sparkling eyes. He towered over me; a big God, huge presence.
"I am pleased," he boomed. "Mortals do not have the time or respect for the Gods, therefore it is unusual to see."
I was surprised. Zeus looked the older than Cronus.
"I am pleased to accept the homage that is mine by rights. I am the mightiest of all the Gods, let no one say otherwise." He gestured. "You have taken great strides on the silver path of truth."
"The gods and goddesses you pay homage to are astounded and joyful over this. We are aware of your needs, and in time these will be met. Come."
We arrived on the jagged edge of a high mountain cliff. The fall below looked a thousand feet and more. A dangerous wind whipped dust and grit into my eyes. I felt thirsty, desperate for something to drink.
He seemed to have anticipated that need.
A row of five silver goblets stood on a table-sized flat topped rock that formed the very edge of the precipice. The sky dark grey, storm-heavy, threatening.
Zeus beckoned me forward. "There is an old saying: 'Those whom the Gods love, they chastise.' You are loved and so you are tested."
Zeus' Feast Test
He didn’t sound so friendly, now. "Others have tested you. I have not." He gestured to the goblets. "Two of those contain water, and three contain deadly poison. Choose one and drink it."
I stepped to the rock, the ledge-top was waist-height to me, and stared into the goblets. They all looked clear as water, no obvious difference. The metal of the goblet shielded the liquid’s consistency. I sniffed; each was odourless.
Zeus gestured impatiently for me to get on with my choice.
I swept the row of goblets over the cliff edge.
He looked angered by that response. Waved his hand. A feast appeared on the flat dark rock, laid out on a brilliant white table cloth. A gold candelabra illuminated an astonishing display of food arrayed around a whole boar’s head with an apple wedged in its mouth, and a roasted swan.
Closest to me, in a row, stood ten bowls; each contained a dull brown liquid that looked like oxtail soup.
"You were smart with the goblets. Now, how will you deal with those?" Zeus pointed. "Seven bowls contain poison, three do not. They are small bowls, so you partake of two."
Same problem: no way to know which bowls were safe. I grabbed the tablecloth, yanked it upward, sent the whole lot flying; candelabra, roast swan and everything; all of it lost over the edge.
It crashed and tinkled for a moment then silence as the wind and distance snatched it away.
Zeus’s face glowered dark with fury.
I shook with fear.
To my surprised relief, he heaved and roared with laughter. "I like the way you deal with life," he boomed. Lightning flashed.
God of Lightning
Every Thursday of every week I ran Zeus' lightning-bolt test.
Sometimes in an open field as he summoned a ferocious storm. Sometimes in the desert where sand dunes provided some shelter but mostly it was flat ground.
Winter storms in frozen landscapes I dug deep into snow for cover. Lightning storms on the ocean were terrifying: left alone on a tiny boat surrounded by huge waves.
So too alone in a mountain cable car high above ground in a lightning storm. Zeus was creative in the terrifying conditions of his tests.
The upside? After that, anything less barely frightened me though that didn’t mean the next time, in my home town, when lightning fizzed and tore the sky, I stood outside with an umbrella thinking I was lightning-proof.
Zeus and Homer's Iliad
Zeus said nothing to me, ever on the story told in Homer’s Iliad.
Some old stories tell of Zeus’ shape-changing nature. He transformed into a swan; a satyr; a dove and even on one occasion, an ant. At no time did I ever see Zeus in any other form than big, silver-haired, silver-bearded god.
Friendly sometimes but mostly ferocious.
"You take these tests very easily now," he said. We arrived on a rock-strewn beach. A storm quickly moved away from us out to sea, its lightning ever more distant.
"Watch the patterns." The light-show displayed in dazzling spectacle; a fork flash hit something on the water, a ball of fire lit the surface.
"Fishing boat, they rob the ocean," Zeus said coldly. "Those who annoy the Gods of the seas annoy me."
The halo of lightning around his head diminished as the storm vanished beyond the horizon. Above us spanned clear blue sky; not a cloud to be seen, only black smoke plumes of pyres from the forest behind us.
Zeus’ interest turned to a pair of butterflies, huge bright-coloured vivid-blue beauties sipping from wet flower blooms. I was transfixed watching them; it was a moment of delicate earthly miracle after the wildness of lightning storm.
Zeus smiled. "It’s not all thunder and lightning." He gestured me to follow. "Come."
Fallen Trees' Revenge Will Be Hot
The tree-line above the beach was little more than lush rainforest curtain to a bare landscape of stalks and mud that stretched for miles.
A fast-flowing swollen river looked ready to flood. Lower ground already had flooded; the higher ground was barren landscape of tree stumps and burnt trunks.
A buzz-saw whined nearby. Zeus stopped to look at the swollen river. "Your world appears to be drowning."
We followed a deep-rutted vehicle track, approached two men working at a tree; a discarded chain-ruptured buzz-saw lay on the ground. They pushed and heaved a two-handed saw blade.
In the brief silences between their chatter I heard a curious noise, it sounded like someone sobbing tears. I assumed it to be blade-squeak in sap, until Zeus shook his head.
The sound of distress grew more intense as the saw-blade cut through the heartwood, then fainter, and then silence as the tree fell crashing to the ground.
One of the loggers took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit two and threw the empty crumpled package on the ground.
They didn’t see the big god stood behind them, or hear his prediction. "They are not sorry for what they do. But they will be when they meet the Lord of the Underworld."
The Obvious Consequence
Unaware of that consequence, the loggers walked away through the broken landscape. Zeus turned to me. "There are other planets, once inhabited by intelligent beings who built cities. Now there is nothing through explosions. All life gone."
I stared at the world around us; it looked like a nuclear bomb had struck the forest.
"On another," Zeus continued as he strode through the sawdust and mud, neither of which adhered to his massive sandalled feet. "All life was wiped out by disease brought about by experiments. Is this what your world is coming to?"
I had no answer. We followed the two loggers over a scorched barren plain of burnt stumps; huge tree-destroying machines rumbled in the distance. We arrived at a clustered compound of box cabins surrounded by wire fence.
Unnoticed, Zeus strode through the gate to a cabin; he banged open the door. I followed inside.
We entered an office heavy with cigar smoke and stench of sweat; stiflingly hot.
An overweight black haired man sat at an untidy desk; wads of money piled close to his fat belly. As we stepped inside, he pulled the cigar from his mouth, yelled something, then looked up. Irritation and surprise in his eyes.
He stared at Zeus like he saw him, rose from his chair, wide eyed. Then clutched at his chest. He grunted, toppled forward and lay still in the heap of paper money. The cigar embered his cheek.
Zeus gazed down at the corpse. "Trees suffer for this man’s greed. Such cruelty and suffering to innocent creatures and to the trees has to stop."
I don’t know if Zeus caused that fatality, or whether the logger manager was due a heart failure. He looked ripe. No thunderbolt or lightning flash, all Zeus did was open the door.
No one else suffered that day, so far as I was aware; only the trees and animals whose homes they were. And maybe a fisher-person or two. We left the cooling manager in his office, walked out through the gate. No one saw us.
What a God Expects From Humans
The road carved away through low hills; gargantuan trucks lumbered past, transporting equipment and timber; workers coming and going in vans and jeeps.
I guessed Zeus, like those many goddesses and gods of the oceans recognises that one such business loss does not save a forest or an endangered coral reef. Zeus’ reason for accompanying me was communication, so I guessed.
"I implore you, never be cruel and never be deceitful," he said as we arrived in the outskirts of a town. We stopped outside the ornate gate of a large old building busy with black-wrapped people, mostly women. It looked like a convent.
Zeus watched them for a while. "We do not expect and do not wish any mortal, male or female, to shut themselves away from the world, thinking they please us," he said.
"To be honoured at certain times; the thought of us for a few moments each day is what we expect, that is all. Even those like you should have plenty of time for enjoyment and a domestic life."
We left the dying rainforest to the influence of their prayers.
"You will have no more tests from me, no more storms. I give you my gift of being aware of all that goes on around you; the good as well as the not so good. There is more good than bad."
He paused, thoughtful. "Had I not been created much would have been different."
Zeus said nothing more to me of his origin or of how things might have been, without his presence. He embraced me and kissed the side of my head.
"You have my love, which is something worth keeping." As he faded into invisibility Zeus added. "I am everywhere. You will find me if you wish to."
Thank you for your company on this short introduction to god Zeus. If you would like to know more about Margo Williams' experiences and suggestions for how to survive in the hereafter, read this book. Now available from Amazon.
