Hesphatus

Hesphatus

Oh what a sad, sad tale; maimed and abandoned at birth, a beaten and forgotten child who from the lowliest of conditions rose to dwell with the gods. This is Hesphateus, God of Fire and Smiths, ugly in appearance but a creator of beauty. Some say he is the son of Zeus and Hera and others say he is the son of Hera alone. He is the only god who suffered from physical deformity, yet he is oft times mentioned in Greek poems, songs and tales.

So why is this Hesphateus such an important and influential character? How is it that he influenced so much in Greek life, from the entrance of a new member of the community to the local blacksmiths? A master artisan and blacksmith, he crafted not only decorative jewelry, drinking vessels and furniture, but also weapons like Zeus' thunderbolts and Achilles' armor. He built marvelous palaces for the gods on Mount Olympus. When children were formally admitted to the city organization, he was at the head of the ceremony. He also had such a wonderful nature. His kind and gentle spirit won him Aphrodite, the most beautiful thing ever to live, and he was popular both on earth and on Olympus. He showed great loyalty and friendship to Prometheus. Whenever a job needed to be done, both mortals and immortals alike turned to him because he was great builder.

Hespateus is so different from all the other gods. He had to overcome his deformities and prove his worth before being accepted. He could have become bitter because he was ugly, deformed and unwanted by his parents, but instead he chose to be kind and peace-loving. His noble character and gifted abilities set him in a class by himself among the gods and is why he was highly esteemed by the Greeks.

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