Hephaestus

Hephaestus was a skilled craftsman, who ruled over fire, volcanoes, the forge, and all forms of industry and metal-working. To assert her independence from her philandering husband, Hera conceived and gave birth to Hephaestus herself. Her plan backfired as he was born small and lame. Zeus felt that the plain Hephaestus would make a fine husband for Aphrodite, and forced the two to wed. Aphrodite had no children with Hephaestus and was well known for her adulterous affairs, usually with Ares.

Seen as a hard-working and industrious individual, Hephaestus was a God for the common man. Unlike the other shining and beautiful Olympian Gods, he was ugly and usually dirty from work. The Greeks believed that Hephaestus' workshop existed under the great Mount Etna, and the volcanic fires seen there were from his great forge.

His handiwork was legendary, even among the Gods. He crafted the scepter that Zeus then gave to Hermes, Achilles' armour, Zeus' thunderbolts, Athena's aegis, the arrows of Apollo and Artemis and the golden breastplate of Hercules. He also created Pandora, who was the first human woman, and who brought misfortune to all mankind in a box.

Hephaestus was honoured by the Greeks every year at a festival called the Chalkeia, which symbolized the attempted (and unsuccessful) union between Hephaestus and Athena. It was a fertility celebration. The Romans also had a festival called Vulcanalia, to honour the fire God.

In the Roman pantheon, Hephaestus was known as Vulcan.