Hephaestus, Greek God of Fire & Forge (Vulcan)

Hephaestus was the Greek god of fire and forge and the patron god of blacksmiths and artisans. He made many of the treasures of the gods. But Hephaestus struggled to find his place in Olympus. As a baby, he was cast and despised for his deformity. Uniquely among the perfect Olympian gods, he was crippled. But he would eventually get his revenge and force the gods to accept him in heaven. Discover the role of Hephaestus, known as Vulcan to the Romans, in Greek mythology.

Hephaestus had a great gift: he could craft anything imaginable. This earned him the title of smithing god, and he was revered as the god of fire, the forge, craft, and creation. Without him, the gods would not even have their greatest symbols of power. Zeus, king of the gods, would not have the mighty lightning bolt. Apollo and Artemis, divine twins, would not have their spectacular archery sets. Athena, goddess of wisdom and war, would not have her infamous spear. Hermes, god of travelers, would not have his winged helmet and sandals that gave him the power to be so fleet of foot.

Hephaestus was also the manager of the Forge of the Cyclopes. This is usually depicted as being inside a volcano, where the hot lava was used, and his work caused frequent eruptions. Under his direction, the Cyclopes created even more wonders for the gods. This included the petrifying shield, named Aegis, which Zeus and Athena took turns using. This shield had the face of a gorgon, some say Medusa, implanted in the center. To gaze upon the eyes would strike fear into the hearts of the enemy.

Hephaestus’ other creations included armor and weaponry for heroes, palaces for kings, homes for gods, and statues so lifelike they appeared real. In addition, Hephaestus manufactured automatons, which were basically primitive robots shaped like men. The creations of Hephaestus were marvelous, and he gained the titles Polymêtis “ingenious / of many crafts,” Klytomêtis “famed for skill,” and Aithaloeis Theos “the sooty god.”

Another famous piece wrought by Hephaestus was the shield and armor of Achilles. Achilles was a mortal hero who fought in the Trojan War for the Greeks. He was such a formidable fighter that he was named “best of the Achaeans (Greeks).”

Hephaestus was beseeched by Thetis, the mother of Achilles, to create for her son the most splendid armor, better than any that had been made before. This creation was before its time; artists’ descriptions of the shield appear to describe a moving image on the shield’s surface.

“And first Hephaestus makes a great and massive shield, …There he made the earth and there the sky and the sea and the inexhaustible blazing sun and the moon rounding full and there, the constellations, …And he forged on the shield two noble cities filled with mortal men. With weddings and wedding feasts in one …But circling the other city camped a divided army gleaming in battle-gear.”
(Homer, Iliad, Book 18 558-594)

The images on the shield illustrated the varying aspects of life and the world as the ancient Greeks knew it: war and peace, civilization and wilderness, creation and chaos, and so on. In Roman mythology, Virgil wrote a similar scene in the Aeneid. Hephaestus creates wondrous armor for Aeneas, son of Venus.

Hephaestus and Thetis’ Friendship 

Hephaestus had agreed to Thetis’ request for the armor because she had been kind to him when others had turned their back on him, specifically his own mother, Hera. When Hephaestus was born, Hera threw him from Olympus because he had a deformity.

Hephaestus tells his wife the story in the Iliad:

“She [Thetis] saved me when I suffered much at the time of my great fall through the will of my own brazen-faced mother, who wanted to hide me for being lame. Then my soul would have taken much suffering had not Eurynome and Thetis caught me and held me, […] With them I worked nine years as a smith, and wrought many intricate things; pins that bend back, curved clasps, cups, necklaces, working there in the hollow of the cave, […] No other among the gods or among mortal men knew about us except Eurynome and Thetis. They knew since they saved me.”
(Homer, Iliad, Book 18.136)

This passage exposes the loneliness of Hephaestus, who was hurt by his mother’s rejection. He remained alone, without the other gods, working on his creations. Only the occasional visits from Eurynome and Thetis would alleviate his isolation.

What Did Hephaestus Look Like?

So what did Hephaestus look like? And what happened in that myth when he was born?

According to ancient mythology, Hera, Queen of Heaven, Goddess of Marriage, and Hephaestus’ mother, was enraged when Zeus birthed Athena on his own, without Hera. Determined to produce a child without the help of Zeus, Hera impregnated herself. The sources are unclear on how this happened. Some say with herbs, some say with sheer willpower, as a powerful goddess. When Hephaestus was born, he had a deformity. There are different interpretations of what this deformity was. Some say it was a crippled foot, others an odd-shaped head, others a humped back. In any case, Hera believed he did not fit with her family’s perfect image.

In one adaptation of the myth, Hera says, “My son Hephaistos whom I bare was weakly among all the blessed gods and shriveled of foot, a shame and a disgrace to me in heaven [Mount Olympus], whom I myself took in my hands and cast out so that he fell in the great sea. But silver-shod Thetis the daughter of Nereus took and cared for him with her sisters: would that she had done other service to the blessed gods!” (Homeric Hymn 3 to Pythian Apollo 310). In another story, he landed on the island of Lemnos, and became the apprentice of the master craftsman of the Sintian tribe.

It is noteworthy that in ancient Greek society, it was believed that some city-states would throw unhealthy or deformed children from mountains. In particular, Greeks in ancient Sparta were said to have done this, as they wished to cultivate the “strongest” race, with no “weak links.” However, Spartans did not tend to write their own histories, and so this should not be readily believed.

In artwork, Hephaestus is often depicted with an unruly beard and sometimes long hair under a blacksmith’s cap. He is usually accompanied by his tools, commonly a pair of tongs, an anvil, and a hammer.

Hephaestus was angry at being cast out of the heavens, so he planned his revenge on his mother Hera. He made a stunning golden throne for Hera and gifted it to her. But when Hera sat on the throne, unbreakable chains grabbed her and imprisoned her in the chair. Nothing the gods did could free her. The gods begged Hephaestus to return to Mount Olympus and release Hera, but Hephaestus refused.

Ares was sent to fetch Hephaestus, but Hephaestus threatened Ares with torches. Next, Dionysus was sent, and his plan was to get Hephaestus drunk and bring him back to Mount Olympus. He carried the inebriated god on the back of a mule surrounded by revelers. This scene is often depicted in Greek vases, and the donkey and crane were considered his sacred animals.

While on Olympus, Hephaestus, with the encouragement of Poseidon, asked for the hand of Aphrodite in marriage in exchange for freeing Hera. Zeus begrudgingly agreed, and so Aphrodite was married off to Hephaestus. Unsurprisingly, Aphrodite was not happy about this trickery, as she had been dating Ares, the God of War. This led to a very unhappy marriage with many affairs. Eventually, Hephaestus divorced Aphrodite.

After this incident with Hera, Hephaestus was also given his own palace on Olympus. It included a workshop with an anvil with 20 bellows that did his bidding. He also had a workshop on Lemnos, where he grew up before his return.

In other myths, Hephaestus also admired Athena, and he believed that they had a connection due to their shared interest in craft and creation. However, Athena was a maiden goddess, and as such, had vowed to remain a virgin, hence her epithet Parthenos (Virgin). When Hephaestus made advances, she rejected him.

Hephaestus pursued many women, but to no avail. Eventually, in some myths, Hephaestus managed to find a happy and fulfilling romance with Kharis, also known as Aglaea. Kharis was one of the three Charites, and so she was a goddess of splendor, glory, and adornment. Together, they had many daughters.

Hephaestus was often unappreciated and devalued in comparison to his other divine relatives. While his appearance was not perfect like the other gods, his skills were not to be misjudged. His power and expertise to create things of wonder could be both awe-inspiring and terrifying. According to Greek myth, the human race owes its very creation to him.

“And Zeus who thunders on high was stung in spirit . . . and he made an evil thing for men as the price of fire; for the very famous Amphigueeis (Limping God a.k.a Hephaestus) formed of earth the likeness of a shy maiden as the son of Kronos (Zeus) willed. And the goddess bright-eyed Athene girded and clothed her with silvery raiment, and down from her head she spread with her hands an embroidered veil.”

Hephaestus did not let his position as an outsider hinder his potential. He worked day and night on his craft and made himself indispensable to his fellow divinities. In the end, the myths show that without Hephaestus and his crafts, the gods would hardly have been superior to humankind at all. Hephaestus’ gifts enabled the elevation of the gods, and his gifts to humankind bestowed valuable and priceless favor.

Temple & Worship

The surviving Temple of Hephaestus in Athens is one of the best-preserved ancient Greek temples. Built between 460 and 420 BCE, it was dedicated to Hephaestus and Athena Ergane, Athena in her guise as goddess of craftsmanship and weaving. Numerous workshops were located in he vicinity of the temple. The temple contained cult statues of both gods and reliefs illustrating the labors of Heracles and Theseus.

Hephaestus was widely revered, particularly in manufacturing and industrial centers like Athens, but his main cult center was on Lemnos. Both celebrated Hephaestia, a festival held every five years that involved sacrifices, musical competitions, and a torch race to honor Hephaestus’ association with fire. On Lemnos, they would extinguish all fires for nine days until a new flame arrived from the sacred island of Delos.