Nationalgeographic.co.id—In Greek mythology, Zeus is an extraordinary and powerful god of the sky and thunder. “Leader on Mount Olympus, Zeus rules over all the other gods,” Laura Hayward says on The Collector’s page.
This supreme power gave him the freedom to behave as he pleased, whenever he wished. Zeus was famous for his passion for women. As a supreme deity, it is not difficult to move from one love affair to another.
So it is not surprising that he fathered many children throughout his long life. Some of the children he obtained from relationships with Greek goddesses and others with ordinary humans. From those love relationships, how many children does Zeus have?
Records vary, but Zeus is estimated to have had 92 children
Like many ancient Greek characters, different stories over the centuries have presented different stories about the life of Zeus. But some scholars researched his story and tried to find evidence to reveal the exact number of children Zeus may have had.
Extensive research suggests that he may have fathered 92 different children. “This is an achievement, even for the leader of the ancient Greek gods,” said Hayward.
There are at least 41 children of Zeus who have immortality
Most of Zeus’s known love relationships are with goddesses who possess immortality. This means that their children inherit power from their parents.
The most famous princesses include Aphrodite, the goddess of love, Athena, the goddess of war, as well as Persephone, the goddess of spring.
There are also many famous sons of Zeus. You know Apollo, the god of the sun, light, music and poetry, Ares, the god of war, and Hermes, the messenger of the gods.
Kharites, 9 Musai, Horai and Morai are among the children of Zeus who have immortality and were blessed with strength from both parents.
51 children (or even more) are ordinary people
Zeus noticed women from all walks of life and his dealings with humans often produced human children.
Does this mean they don’t have powers or something special inherited from their father?
Another famous child of Zeus was the enchantingly beautiful Helene of Troy. He ran away with his girlfriend. The lover’s forbidden affair led to the outbreak of the Trojan War.
Who is Zeus’ favorite child?
“Athens is described as fully clothed in armor and ready for battle at ‘birth’,” added Mark Cartwright, quoted from the World History Encyclopedia page.
Perhaps because of her strange birth process, Athena is often mentioned as Zeus’ favorite child.
Due to the many different accounts of Zeus’ life, the exact number of children is not known with certainty. 91 is a known number from his relationship with his legal partner.
Most likely Zeus had countless different love relationships. So, he might not even be aware of having children with certain humans or gods. If this were the case, Zeus could have had thousands of different children.
Imagine, Zeus could be the father of most people in ancient Greece.
