Zeus

He will return to Olympus twelve days hence;

" "Dread son of Kronos," answered Hera, "what are you talking about?

"Wife," said Zeus, "I can do nothing but you suspect me and find it out.

named King by reason of his rule and power;

" Hermes, then, commended this and reported it to Zeus.

so likewise among kings, who, as I conceive, hold their power and stewardship from Zeus:

And Zeus said, "My child, what are you talking about?

may Zeus never grant you to be chief in Ithaca as your father was before you.

but the other gods met in the house of Olympian Zeus, and the sire of gods and men spoke first.

Because, by Zeus,

No, by Zeus, said he.

Yes, by Zeus, said he, I do.

Leto, indeed, is in the time of Tityus, for "Leto he dragged, the glorious consort of Zeus";

"To Zeus the Atlantid Maia bore glorious Hermes, the herald of the immortals, having mounted the holy bed;

Under Sthenelus were both the kingdom of Amphictyon and the coming of Danaus to the Peloponnese, and the founding of Dardania by Dardanus, whom "first," says Homer, "the cloud-gatherer Zeus begot," and the carrying back of Europa from Phoenicia to Crete.

for the Egyptians call Zeus “Amon”.

The people of the place worship no other gods but Zeus and Dionysus;

But one day a year, at the festival of Zeus, they cut in pieces and flay a single ram and put the fleece on the image of Zeus, as in the story;

There is, first of all, I said, the greatest lie about the things of greatest concernment, which was no pretty invention of him who told how Uranus did what Hesiod says he did to Cronos, and how Cronos in turn took his revenge;

But as to the violation of the oaths and the truce by Pandarus, if anyone affirms it to have been brought about by the action of Athena and Zeus, we will not approve, nor that the strife and contention of the gods was the doing of Themis and Zeus;

Then, though there are many other things that we praise in Homer, this we will not applaud, the sending of the dream by Zeus to Agamemnon, nor shall we approve of Aeschylus when his Thetis avers that Apollo singing at her wedding, foretold the happy fortunes of her issue — Their days prolonged, from pain and sickness free, And rounding out the tale of heaven’s blessings, Raised the proud paean, making glad my heart.

More than that, he did not even reverence Zeus, the god of hospitality;

and Xenophon said, I move, gentlemen, since at the moment when we were talking about deliverance an omen from Zeus the Saviour was revealed to us, that we make a vow to sacrifice to that god thank-offerings for deliverance as soon as we reach a friendly land;

but looking at it in another way he was fearful, since the dream came, as he thought, from Zeus the King and the fire appeared to blaze all about, lest he might not be able to escape out of the King’s country, but might be shut in on all sides by various difficulties.

Under this decree I urge you to try the generals, and, by Zeus, if it so please you, Pericles, my kinsman, first of them all;

Thereupon he went to Olympia and offered sacrifices to Olympian Zeus, and this time no one undertook to prevent him.

No, by Zeus, for it would be shameful for me, who have just sacrificed, to be entertained by you instead of entertaining you.

No, by Zeus, I wouldn’t.

No, by Zeus, at least not offhand.

By Zeus, I think it is a task for the very ablest.

For example, there are some who record three Zeuses:

The mysteries of Deo are the amorous embraces of Zeus with his mother Demeter, and the wrath — of the mother, or the wife, I no longer know which to call Deo — on account of which she is said to have been styled Brimo;

But Zeus, appearing later — if he was a god, perhaps having got a share of the savour of the roasting flesh, the privilege which your gods admit they are allotted — blasted the Titans with the thunderbolt and entrusted the limbs of Dionysus to his son Apollo for burial.

Zeus won't be in a hurry to hand over his scepter to the woodpecker.

Then, when this has been well done and completed, you demand back the empire from Zeus;

if a goat is being slain for King Zeus, there is a King-Bird, the wren, to whom the sacrifice of a male gnat is due before Zeus himself even.

this is why the poet makes Thetis not specify her services to Zeus;

This is why Homer styles Zeus father, for the ideal of kingship is paternal government.

It is quite clear therefore that all people have not the same claim upon us, and that even a father’s claim is not unlimited, just as Zeus does not have all the sacrifices.

The son of Zeus, of Zeus, brought me to the Nile.

And in turn the plans of Zeus added further troubles to these;

You were fated, fated to have a life full of pain, when Zeus begot you on your mother, shining through the air on the wings of a snow-white swan.

Xuthus, son of Aeolus, sprung from Zeus.

’tis blasting with its flame Mimas, that deadly foe.

Again, dost see the massy thunderbolt all aflame in the far-darting hands of Zeus?

Tantalus, the reputed son of Zeus, flies in the air, quailing at the rock which looms above his head;

sung O eternal might of Zeus, of Zeus, only come to help my friends!

O Zeus, god of my fathers, and holy Justice, give success to him and me and her;

The poet says, "Dear city of Cecrops";

"Rain, rain, dear Zeus, upon the ploughland of the Athenians and upon their plains.

What else than to revere and bless the gods, and to do good to men, to bear with them and to forbear;

Indeed, Socrates, you do seem to me to be uttering oracles, exactly like an inspired prophet.

And his father also, who is said to be Zeus, appears to have a very excellent name, but it is not easy to understand;

Zeus we discussed before.

Do not jest, Socrates, but, in the name of Zeus, the god of friendship, tell me truly, do you think any other of the Greeks could speak better or more copiously than this on the same subject?

The followers of Zeus desire that the soul of him whom they love be like Zeus;

Of the rest, those who are included among the twelve great gods and are accounted leaders, are assigned each to his place in the army.

O Zeus!

Zeus defend us!

O Zeus, may you be good to men such as these!

And no wonder, by Zeus!

And right he is, by Zeus, say I!

and this man himself, not yet, by Zeus, repulsive to the sight as he is now, but still usable, begged, touching the fellow’ s chin, and saying he would do anything Pittalacus pleased.

to Zeus, the giver of wealth, a white bull.

For health sacrifice and pray to Zeus Most High, to Heracles, and to Apollo the Protector;

he suffered me as head of the Sacred Embassy to lead it in the name of the city to the Nemean shrine of Zeus;

I do beseech you in the name of Zeus the god of friendship and by all the gods not to get me involved in any disagreeable and embarrassing predicament.

O yes, by Zeus, all will agree that you are faring better than these, but worse, they declare, than the Thessalians, Argives and Arcadians, or certain others, who had the luck to be in alliance with Philip.

As for me, I assume that your city is the most fortunate in the world and the dearest to the gods, and I know that Zeus of Dodona and Dione and the Pythian Apollo are always saying this in their oracles and confirming with the seal of their approval the opinion that good fortune has her abode in the city among you.

Chorus:

Zeus was to blame;

Outlive then Zeus himself!