Hephaestus

Hephaestus (hɪˈfiːstəs,_hɪˈfɛstəs; eight spellings; Hḗphaistos) is the Greek god of artisans, blacksmiths, carpenters, craftsmen, fire, metallurgy, metalworking, sculpture and volcanoes. Hephaestus's Roman counterpart is Vulcan. In Greek mythology, Hephaestus was either the son of Zeus and Hera or he was Hera's parthenogenous child. He was cast off Mount Olympus by his mother Hera because of his lameness, the result of a congenital impairment; or in another account, by Zeus for protecting Hera from his advances (in which case his lameness would have been the result of his fall rather than the reason for it). As a smithing god, Hephaestus made all the weapons of the gods in Olympus. He served as the blacksmith of the gods, and was worshipped in the manufacturing and industrial centres of Greece, particularly Athens. The cult of Hephaestus was based in Lemnos. Hephaestus's symbols are a smith's hammer, anvil, and a pair of tongs. Hephaestus is probably associated with the Linear B (Mycenaean Greek) inscription , A-pa-i-ti-jo, found at Knossos. The inscription indirectly attests his worship at that time because it is believed that it reads the theophoric name (H)āphaistios, or Hāphaistion. The Greek theonym Hēphaistos is most likely of Pre-Greek origin, as the form without -i- (Attic Hēphastos) shows a typical Pre-Greek variation and points to an original sy. Hephaestus is given many epithets. The meaning of each epithet is: Amphigyḗeis often translated as "the lame one"; literally "lame on both sides" vel sim. (Ἀμφιγυήεις) Kyllopodíōn "club-footed" or "of dragging feet" (Κυλλοποδίων) Khalkeús "coppersmith" (Χαλκεύς) Klytotékhnēs "renowned artificer" (Κλυτοτέχνης) Polýmētis "shrewd, crafty" or "of many devices" (Πολύμητις) Aitnaîos "Aetnaean" (Αἰτναῖος), owing to his workshop being supposedly located below Mount Aetna. Polýphrōn "ingenious, inventive" (Πολύφρων) Agaklytós "very famous, glorious" (Ἀγακλυτός) Aithalóeis theós "sooty god" (Αἰθαλόεις θεός) Hephaestus had his own palace on Olympus, containing his workshop with anvil and twenty bellows that worked at his bidding.