Hephaestus | Definition & Mythology (2024)

Hephaestus, in Greek mythology, the god of fire. Originally a deity of Asia Minor and the adjoining islands (in particular Lemnos), Hephaestus had an important place of worship at the Lycian Olympus. His cult reached Athens not later than about 600 bce (although it scarcely touched Greece proper) and arrived in Campania not long afterward. His Roman counterpart was Vulcan.

According to myth, Hephaestus was born lame and was cast from heaven in disgust by his mother, Hera, and again by his father, Zeus, after a family quarrel. He was brought back to Olympus by Dionysus and was one of the only gods to have returned after exile. A blacksmith and craftsman, Hephaestus made weapons and military equipment for the gods and certain mortals, including a winged helmet and sandals for Hermes and armour for Achilles. Traditionally, his ill-matched consort was Aphrodite, though Homer lists Charis, the personification of Grace, as Hephaestus’s wife in the Iliad.

Britannica Quiz

An Odyssey of Grecian Literature

As god of fire, Hephaestus became the divine smith and patron of craftsmen; the natural volcanic or gaseous fires already connected with him were often considered to be his workshops. In art Hephaestus was generally represented as a middle-aged bearded man, although occasionally a younger, beardless type is found. He usually wore a short sleeveless tunic and a round close-fitting cap on his unkempt hair.