Hephaestus

From birth, Hephaestus was weak and ugly, which is why Hera cast him off Olympus. But he was saved from death by the goddesses Thetis and Eurynome. Once Hera discovered that Thetis had a beautiful jewel created by Hephaestus, she brought him back to Olympus. Plus, she gave him a forge with everything Hephaestus could think of, including 20 bellows.

However, he was thrown off Olympus one more time and that was when he stood up for his mother Hera against his father Zeus. Zeus threw him off Olympus and Hephaestus landed on the island of Lemnos. He broke both his legs in the fall. On Lemnos, he was helped by the locals who loved him.

When Prometheus stole fire from the gods, it was from Hephaestus' workshop (in Mount Moschylos on the island of Lemnos).

Hephaestus had his workshop under Etna, where he ruled the fires and also had assistants named Kratos (Strength) and Biá (Violence). Here he created the armour for the hero Achilles, the armour for Diomedes, the helmet of invisibility for Hades, the chariot of Helios, the winged sandals and the helmet for Hermes. He also created the creature Pandora out of water at the challenge of Zeus. And last but not least, he built magnificent palaces for the gods on Olympus.

According to the Odyssey, his wife was the goddess Aphrodite. She cheated on him with Ares, the god of war. When Hephaestus discovered the infidelity, he summoned the gods to see it. But instead of help, all he got was ridicule.

His cult was centered on Lemnos. The Greeks held great festivals in his honour, attended mainly by blacksmiths. In Athens, his temple, called the Hephaisteion, still stands today.