The mythical God of Olympus Zeus was well known to be a man with many wives. Not only did he have the charms and charisma to lead the Gods of Olympus to prosperity, but he was definitely a lady’s man as he ruled from his throne. Exactly how many wives did he have that were recorded in the slabs of mythology?
Zeus was known to have 7 wives in the annals. They are Metis, Themis, Eurynome, Demeter, Mnemosyne, Hera, and Leto. Each of Zeus’ wife has their own unique stories that will keep you invested in the rich mythologies of the Greek Gods.
The almighty Zeus is known to have seven immortal wives. Each of them has their own unique story as to why Zeus chose them as the wives to the God of Lightning.
The 7 Immortal Wives Of Zeus
To talk about Zeus’ Immortal Wives, we’ll have to start from the first…
Metis – Goddess of Wisdom
The first wife of Zeus, and a mythical Titaness from the second generation of titans, Metis was hailed as the mother of wisdom and deep thought. Her name is associated with a combination of wisdom and cunning, which was considered to be a very admirable quality.
She was an Oceanid, one of the three thousand daughters of the Titan Oceanus, and his sister Tethys. She also came to be known as the mother of Athena, one of the most powerful among the Gods of Olympus.
The story goes that when the Titan, Cronus, swallowed all of his children except for Zeus, the God of Thunder, the young God sought Metis for help in freeing his siblings. Together, they devised a plan to make Cronus regurgitate the siblings, freeing them from his grasp.
On that fateful day, Zeus disguised himself to deceive Cronus into hiring him, with Zeus later successfully making the Titan drink a potion given by Metis, making Cronus throw up all of his children. Metis will later become the first wife of Zeus, his most indispensable aid, but also his most threatening woe.
A vision showed Zeus that Metis would one day bear two incredibly powerful children for him, with the second one powerful enough to overthrow Zeus one day. Fearing his destiny, Zeus turned Metis into a fly and instantly swallowed her, trying to prevent his fate.
Unfortunately, Metis had already conceived the first child, Athena, who then was born from Zeus’ head. The son that was destined to overthrow his father never came to be but was supposedly name Porus by the philosopher, Plato.
Themis – Goddess of Good Counsel
Known as the Titaness of divine law and order, Themis was one of Zeus’ early brides and his first counselor. She is often seen sitting beside the throne of the King of the Gods, advising him on the many divine laws and the rules of fate.
She was the daughter of Ouranos and the mother earth Gaia, and lead the ancient oracles of Greece. While leading the oracles, Themis was the divine voice that instructed man in the fundamental laws of justice and morality.
This includes piety, governance, the rules of hospitality, conduct of assembly, and how to offer the gods. With Zeus, they gave birth to the twelve Horae, each of them representing the twelve months and were Goddesses of the seasons.
She also planned the Trojan War with Zeus which was a war waged in the city of Troy. It has been coined as one of the most important events in Greek mythology. The events of the war have been narrated countless times in Greek literature across history.
Eurynome – Goddess of Water
Once known as the Queen of the Titans, Eurynome was an Oceanid as well that later became the third wife of Zeus. When the deformed son of Zeus, Hephaestus, was thrown off Mount Olympus for his deformities, it was Eurynome that accepted him and raised him.
During her earlier years, Eurynome ruled the Titans alongside her then-husband, Ophion, but was then overthrown by the Titan Cronus and his spouse Rhea. It is believed that she may have been the Goddess of the pasturelands as well.
Eurynome had three children with Zeus, known as the Charities. They were known as the Goddesses of charm, beauty, goodwill, human creativity, and fertility with one of them even wedding the disowned son of Zeus, Hephaestus, later on.
Demeter – Goddess of Agriculture
The Goddess of agriculture and grain, Demeter is often known as the representation of Mother Earth. She brings humanity bountiful harvests and fruitful crops when favored but drought, blight, and famine when angered.
Demeter is not only the wife of Zeus but also his sister as well since she too was born to Cronus and Rhea. Using her mother’s powers of productiveness, she took over her role when the Titan lost her position as a ruling divinity.
Her daughter to Zeus was named Persephone, who she absolutely adored and bound her whole life to, knowing no other happiness in the world.
Unfortunately, Persephone’s beauty attracted her uncle, Hades, who then pulled her down into the underworld, keeping her in the depths of hell forever as his Queen.
Mnemosyne – Goddess of Memory
Mnemosyne, Goddess of remembrance, time, and memory, is a Titaness that was not one of the most popular divinities, but still had a small following among the Greeks. It is said in Hesiod’s poems that many poets and kings gain their speech from her.
The daughter of Uranus and Gaia, she is the cousin of Zeus who was also her husband according to Hesiod in his Theogony. She is the mother of the Nine Muses all of which are daughters of Zeus who were all Goddesses of the liberal arts and sciences.
It was said that during nine consecutive nights in Pieria, Zeus disguised himself as a mortal shepherd and slept with Mnemosyne, who bore 1 muse each night.
Hera – Goddess of Marriage
Not the first but definitely the most famous of all of Zeus’ wives, Hera was the Greed Goddess of Marriage and Queen of Olympus in the Greek Pantheon. Ironically, Zeus’ numerous attempts of adultery has turned her jealous and vengeful towards all of his affairs and offspring.
She was born to Cronus and Rhea which means that she is also a sister of Zeus. With Zeus, she gave birth to prominent Gods like Ares, the God of War, and Hephaestus, the God of the Forge, who was also so deformed at birth that she banished him from Olympus.
She is known to absolutely hate all of the offsprings that result from Zeus’ adultery, with the most famous example being Heracles. It was said that during his 12 labors, Hera sent a storm at sea that threw him off his course to kill him.
This was retaliated by Zeus who hung her to the clouds on a golden chain, with heavy anvils attached to her feet to drag her down. She was then released by her son, Hephaestus, who was banished from Olympus once again, breaking his legs in the process.
Her relationship with Zeus started when the God of Thunder flew towards her as a bird and injured himself. Hera nursed this bird back to health just for Zeus to transform back into his godly stature to seduce her.
Leto – Goddess of Motherhood
Leto was the Goddess of motherhood who was also thought to be the Goddess of modesty and womanly demure. She gave Zeus the legendary twins Apollo and Artemis who would, later on, become the Gods of the Sun and the Moon respectively.
It was said that when she had the twins, Hera was so angry that she chased her relentlessly from land to land, not allowing her a moment of peace to give birth. Eventually, she was provided refuge on the island of Delos where she eventually rested.
Why Did Zeus Have So Many Affairs?
According to Greek Mythology, it can be said that Zeus’ promiscuity is linked to two reasons.
Zeus Loved Sex
It is believed that in-terms of virility, Zeus was second to only Aphrodite, the Goddess of love and fertility. He loved it so much that he would often seduce mortals into bed simply for the sake of amusement.
Zeus enjoyed the thrill of having affairs as well. Hera was known to be incredibly jealous of all his affairs and would take measures to either kill all of Zeus’ lovers or prevent him from seeing them.
It wasn’t just humans either as Zeus was known to occasionally seek out animals for perverted pleasures as well.
Zeus Wanted to Be Legendary
In Greek mythology, heroes are always descendants of gods, and the more glory a God sought, the more offspring they would need to do so. With each affair Zeus committed in the mortal realm, a legend is born from it either praising him as a god or deterring him as a man.
With that said, as long as his divine blood is passed around the mortal realm, there is a chance that a hero would be born from it. It reflects the humanism of the Greeks which has the idea that every man can potentially be a hero.
The only problem was the fact that Hera would relentlessly chase these offspring down and pour her wrath onto them, trying to eradicate them from the realms.
How Many Times Did Zeus Cheat On Hera?
There is no official count as to how many times Zeus committed adultery. It is only known that Zeus has taken the form of multiple things to enjoy the pleasures of sex.
He has done it to countless beings, immortal or otherwise, and it even extends to animals as well. It is said that legendary beings such as minotaurs and centaurs are none other than the product of Zeus’ virility.
Who Does Zeus Love The Most?
Out of all the lovers he has found, his favorite was always his first wife, Metis. It was her that helped him free his siblings, which started the great Titan war where he won and gained control of Mount Olympus.
Tragically, it was also Metis that made Zeus fear the most because of a vision that prophesied his downfall to her child. They gave birth to one of the most powerful gods in the Greek Pantheon, Athena.
Why Did Zeus Marry His Sister?
If you recall, Hera was fooled by Zeus in the form of a bird which he then reverted from and seduced Hera. Ashamed of this, Hera was forced to marry Zeus. Though Zeus pursued his sister and successfully possessed her, he never gave up his lust.
He continued to seduce and bed women throughout his entire marriage to Hera. Bewildered by this, Hera never stopped pursuing his lovers, torturing them and the offspring of their relationships.
Conclusion
Zeus was a God that charmed everything below the heavens and had 7 immortal wives. Each of them is a powerful God on their own accord, all falling into the charisma of the King of Gods.
They birthed powerful gods that shape what is known as the Greek Pantheon today. The God of Thunder had an insatiable lust and need for the glory that has persuaded him to pursue this life of virility.
He has cheated on the Goddess Hera countless times and has even birth abominations from his actions. Though he had many lovers, his favorite will always be his first, Metis, due to the bond they built as she helped him to free his sibling and overthrow Cronus.
He would, later on, marry his sister, Hera, due to his tendency to possess her, with this marriage being the most well-known of them all.
