The Wives of Zeus: The Mythology Behind Zeus’ Lovers

Zeus is arguably the most prominent figure in all of Greek mythology. Aside from his role as the king of the gods, one of the most famous things about Zeus is that he had a lot of lovers. His affairs often made his wife, Hera, very angry. However, what is not so well known is the fact that Greek mythology actually speaks of Zeus as having more than one legitimate wife. There were sixth others before Hera. The Greek poet Hesiod, writing in the seventh century BCE, preserved the tradition of the seven wives of Zeus. This article will provide an overview of who these wives were and what the mythology behind them is.

Metis

According to Hesiod’s version, Metis was the first wife of Zeus. She was the goddess of wisdom and thought. She helped Zeus win the Titanomachy, the grand war between the Titans and the younger generation of gods. Cronus had eaten all of Zeus’ siblings, but then Metis gave Zeus a concoction that would make Cronus vomit them up. This plan worked, and the recovery of his siblings was a key part of what enabled the gods to win the Titanomachy.

After the war ended, Zeus pursued Metis and eventually married her. However, Zeus was made aware of a prophecy that she would bear a son (after first bearing a daughter) who would be more powerful than his father and overthrow him as king of the cosmos, just as Zeus had done to his own father. 

To avert the fulfilment of this prophecy, Zeus swallowed Metis after she had turned herself into a fly. She was already pregnant when this happened. Living inside his mind, she raised their daughter, who turned out to be Athena. She eventually emerged from Zeus’ mind and became the goddess of wisdom. Because of Zeus’ strategy, the foretold son was never born, and Zeus maintained his position.

Metis’ Family

Metis was from an extremely large family. She was the daughter of Oceanus, a Titan ruler of the seas and the personification of the world-encircling river called Oceanus. Metis’ mother was Tethys, the Titaness sister of Oceanus. As such, Metis was one of Zeus’ cousins. Together, Tethys and Oceanus were the parents of 3000 ocean nymphs called the Oceanids. Metis was one of this astonishing number of nymphs, or lesser deities. 

But these were not all of Metis’ sisters. Oceanus and Tethys were also the parents of the Potamoi, the gods of rivers and streams. They, too, were 3000 in number.

As well as being the mother of Athena, Metis was also the mother of Porus, a minor god who represented expediency or resourcefulness. Little to nothing is known about how this god came to be, nor how his existence is consistent with the myth of Zeus and the prophecy of Metis’ son overthrowing his father. 

Themis

Themis was the goddess of law and justice. Based on this, Greek art often depicts her as holding a pair of scales. Sometimes she is shown with a blindfold over her eyes to represent her impartiality.

Hesiod does not present any story concerning Themis as Zeus’ wife, beyond the simple fact that they got married. Pindar, the Greek poet who lived in c. 400 BCE, provided a bit more information. He explains that the Moirai (the Fates, personifications of destiny) brought Themis up to Mount Olympus, where she became Zeus’ bride.

Although not many myths about Themis’ role as Zeus’ wife survive, one very early record (perhaps contemporary with Homer and Hesiod) called the Cypria relates how Themis and Zeus plotted the start of the Trojan War together.

Zeus’ First Wife?

According to Hesiod’s version, Themis was the second wife of Zeus. In contrast, a fragment from Pindar states that Themis was his first wife. Some scholars believe that Pindar simply wanted to reduce the number of Zeus’ wives. On the other hand, some scholars believe that Pindar had a more precise reason for this change.

Pindar assigns to Themis the epithet ‘of good counsel’. Recall that Metis was the goddess of wisdom and thought. Therefore, there is the suggestion that Pindar omitted Metis because he viewed her as a mere extension of Themis, the goddess of law and justice who by necessity already had wisdom or ‘good counsel’.

Still, this is a peculiar change, given the important story regarding the relationship between Metis and Zeus. In any case, Hesiod’s version can be assumed to be closer to the original tradition concerning Zeus and his many wives.

Themis’ Family

Themis was a Titaness, the daughter of the primordial gods Uranus and Gaia. She was thus the sibling of the other Titans, such as Oceanus, Cronus, Rhea, and others. Since Zeus was the son of Cronus, this means that Themis was actually Zeus’ aunt.

With Zeus, Themis bore at least six children. They were the three Moirai and the three Horae. The Moirai were the Fates, personifications of Destiny. Their names were Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. However, in Pindar’s version, the Moirai are not the children of Themis. The Horae were the personifications of the seasons, being named as Dike, Eunomia, and Eirene.

Some later traditions make her the mother of other deities, but these are isolated traditions with little to no support elsewhere.

Eurynome 

Hesiod tells us that Zeus’ third wife was Eurynome. She was an Oceanid, like his first wife Metis. What is particularly interesting about her is that she appears to have become queen of the cosmos twice. According to Apollodorus, before Cronus and Rhea ruled the cosmos, a Titan named Ophion was king and Eurynome was his queen.

Apollodorus’ account specifically calls this Eurynome the daughter of Oceanus, confirming that it is the same Eurynome, the Oceanid. Apollodorus goes on to tell us that Eurynome and her husband were cast down to the world-encircling river, Oceanus, presumably joining her thousands of sisters.

The only other notable story involving Eurynome is that she received Hephaestus when he was cast down from Olympus by his mother Hera. She then nursed the god back to health, and eventually he married Eurynome’s daughter Aglaea. There do not appear to be any stories about how she came to be Zeus’ wife (and thus the queen of the cosmos for the second time), nor of the activities of Zeus and Eurynome together.

Eurynome’s Family

Eurynome was the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. She was one of the Oceanids and thus a sister of Zeus’ first wife, Metis. She had thousands of sisters, with the Oceanids numbering 3000 and the Potamoi, or river gods, numbering the same.

Eurynome bore Zeus three children, collectively known as the Charites. Their names were Aglaea (the wife of Hephaestus), Euphrosyne, and Thalia. Their name ‘Charites’ translates to ‘Graces’. They were the goddesses of charm, beauty, and fertility.

Demeter 

Hesiod explains that Zeus’ next wife was Demeter. She was the goddess of agriculture and the harvest. She was also the goddess of several other concepts too, such as marriage, health, and birth. In line with her role as the provider and protector of grain, one of her titles was ‘She of the Grain’. She also had a title meaning ‘Legislator’, in reference to her connection to sacred, unwritten law.

The most famous myth involving her is connected to her daughter, Persephone. She was a fertility goddess who helped her mother, Demeter, with the harvest. Hades, the god of the Underworld, fell in love with her and wanted to take her as his wife.

With Zeus’ permission, Hades kidnapped Persephone. Demeter was distraught and spent all her time looking for her daughter. By neglecting the crops, she caused humanity to experience terrible famines. Due to the outcry, Zeus was compelled to ask Hades to return Persephone. Hades released her, but by tricking her into eating some food from the Underworld, she was compelled to spend some time in the Underworld every year. 

Demeter’s Family 

Demeter was a daughter of Cronus and Rhea. As such, she was the sister of Zeus. When she was young, her father Cronus swallowed her along with almost all her other siblings, but then they were all released by Zeus.

Demeter was closely associated with her daughter, Persephone. In most accounts, she was born from the union of Demeter and Zeus. However, there is an alternative version of Persephone’s birth. In this version, Zeus has relations with his mother, Rhea, who then gives birth to Persephone. This version then states that Rhea thereafter transformed into Demeter.

Diodorus Siculus recorded a tradition that Demeter was the mother of the wine god Dionysus, although most other traditions make him the son of Zeus and a different lover. Demeter is also depicted as the mother of Plutus, the god of wealth. This child was not fathered by Zeus, though – he was fathered by a mortal named Iasion.

Mnemosyne

Zeus’ fifth wife, according to Hesiod’s account, was Mnemosyne. She was a Titaness who represented memory. Unlike the other Titans, she was actively worshipped by the ancient Greeks in real life.

Mnemosyne was thought of as the personification of a river in the Underworld. Normally, dead souls would drink from a river called the Lethe, which would wipe away their memory so that they would not remember their past lives when they were resurrected. If they drank from Mnemosyne instead, they could avoid this.

Regarding her relationship with Zeus, Hesiod tells us that Zeus ‘entered her holy bed’ on nine consecutive nights. This union led to the nine Muses.

Mnemosyne’s Family 

As a Titaness, Mnemosyne was the daughter of Uranus and Gaia. Her siblings were the other Titans, including Cronus, the father of Zeus. This makes her one of Zeus’ aunts. 

Her most famous family relation by far are her daughters, the nine Muses. These were the goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They had a strong presence in Greek society, given the Greek love of knowledge and poetry.

In contrast to their mother, Mnemosyne, the Muses also represented forgetfulness, in that they helped people to forget their worries.

Leto

The sixth wife of Zeus according to Hesiod’s tradition was Leto. She was the goddess of motherhood and a protector of the young. She was usually depicted by the Greeks without any distinctive characteristics, meaning that she generally has to be identified in artwork based on the overall context. Sometimes, however, she is shown lifting her veil over her face, interpreted as a sign of modesty.

Leto appears in Greek mythology as the subject of much persecution. One of the most famous stories about her relates how the goddess Hera persecuted her while she was pregnant. Leto eventually fled to the island of Delos, where she gave birth to twins. Later, the giant Tityos tried to kidnap and violate Leto, but her son Apollo saved her.

On another occasion, Hera sent the monster Python against her. However, she is not always subject to difficulties. In some myths, she takes an active role. For instance, Homer mentions her as supporting the Trojans during the Trojan War.

Really the Wife of Zeus? 

It is interesting to note the difference between what Hesiod recorded and what all later tradition recorded. Hesiod definitely presents Leto as Zeus’ wife before his marriage to Hera. Yet, the story about her fleeing Hera’s wrath while pregnant is not consistent with this. Leto was said to be pregnant after having relations with Zeus, and it is for precisely this reason that Hera hates her, since Hera is the wife of Zeus.

Having Leto be the wife of Zeus before Hera appears to be completely incompatible with this persistent later tradition about Hera’s jealously of their liaison. Whether Hesiod really does preserve a version of the myth closer to the original in this instance is difficult to say. 

Perhaps the list of Zeus’ seven wives was originally not meant to be strictly chronological, but Hesiod misinterpreted it and thus presented it as such. Interestingly, certain Homeric texts portray Leto as positioned with Zeus during Hera’s absence, as if she were his actual wife, not merely a lover or mistress. 

Maybe, then, Leto was originally a wife whom Zeus took while Hera was away for a while. Hesiod’s account would then preserve one evolution of this belief, while other Greek traditions preserve a different evolution of it.

Leto’s Family

Leto was the daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe. Virtually nothing is known about the father, and the mother similarly plays little to no role in Greek mythology. Leto’s sister was Asteria, the mother of Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft.

Like Mnemosyne, Leto’s most famous family relations were her children. She was the mother of the twins Apollo and Artemis. The former was the god of the sun and of healing, while the latter was the goddess of hunting and of wild animals. She is frequently associated with her children in Greek mythology.

Hera, Zeus’ Main Wife 

Finally, Hesiod explains that Zeus took Hera as his seventh wife. In the overwhelming majority of ancient Greek traditions, Hera is the one mentioned as the wife of Zeus. As his wife, she was the queen of the gods. She was a goddess and ruled over the sky, with a special association with the stars in particular. She was also the goddess of women and marriage.

Greek art sometimes depicts her sitting on a throne with a crown, showing that she was not merely the wife of a king, but was a ruling queen in her own right. She is also shown holding a royal sceptre with lotus leaves on the end.

Hera famously persecuted Heracles (whose own name means ‘Glory of Hera’, perhaps ironically) and, less famously, Dionysus. She also supported the Greeks during their war against Troy. Furthermore, she supported the Argonauts on their quest to obtain the Golden Fleece.

Hera’s Family

Hera was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea. Cronus was a Titan and the king of the cosmos before he was overthrown by Zeus. Rhea was a Titaness, the mother of the gods. Thus, Hera was the sister of many of the gods (including Zeus).

Hera herself was also the mother of many other gods. One of her most remarkable children was Hephaestus, the god of fire and metallurgy and the creator of Pandora, the first human woman. According to the most ancient traditions, Hera gave birth to Hephaestus by herself, without Zeus. The same also occurred with the monster Typhon (although most other traditions do not make Hera the mother of Typhon).

However, the majority of Hera’s children were fathered by Zeus. There was Hebe, a goddess of youth and the wife of Heracles. There was Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth and the attempted murderer of Heracles as a baby. A late tradition also presents Hera as the mother of the Charites, three goddesses of beauty, joy, and dance. Yet, the most famous and important of Hera’s children with Zeus was Ares, the god of war.

Conclusion

In summary, Greek mythology states that Zeus had seven wives. His first wife was Metis, his second was Themis, his third was Eurynome, his fourth was Demeter, his fifth was Mnemosyne, his sixth was Leto, and his seventh was Hera. This last wife, Hera, is presented as his wife in the majority of stories.

Who Was Zeus’ Most Loved Wife?

Ancient Greek writers did not explicitly say which wife Zeus loved the most. However, the fact that he remained with Hera and did not move on to an eighth wife indicates that he loved Hera the most.

Were Zeus’ Seven Wives His Only Lovers? 

No, Zeus had many other lovers beyond just his seven wives. One of the most famous was Alcmene, a mortal woman. His union with her led to the birth of the famous Heracles. Another mortal lover was Io, a priestess of Argos. She became the ancestor of various important heroes. A non-mortal lover was Maia, from the group of nymphs known as the Pleiades. With her, Zeus fathered Hermes, the messenger of the gods.

Sources

https://www.thecollector.com/who-was-zeus-married-to/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zeus

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hera

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Leto

https://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanisMetis.html

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Themis-Greek-goddess

https://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanisEurynome.html

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mnemosyne

https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Demeter.html