Ancient Greek Gods for Kids - The Mighty Zeus, King of all the Greek Gods Illustration

Ancient Greek Gods for Kids
The Mighty Zeus - King of all the Greek Gods

Zeus, King of the Gods
Roman name: Jupiter

Zeus was the king of all the gods. Zeus ruled the entire universe - no one was mightier than the mighty Zeus.  Zeus was not afraid of anything except possibly his wife, the horrible Hera.

Magically, Zeus was the only god who could throw lightning bolts. He could shape shift, and look like anybody. He could throw his voice and sound like anybody.

As king, he had powers that came from being king of all the gods. These were powers of government. He could give other gods titles and jobs. He could take those titles and jobs away. He could direct other gods, like any leader. His was an elected position. There were 12 gods on the council. They could have voted someone else king. But they never did. And Zeus never retired.

There are many myths, of course, about the king of all the Greek gods. Here are just a few of them:

Zeus, Hera, and Little Io

Zeus and Prometheus and the Gift of Fire

Zeus and Pandora

Zeus and the Great Flood

Zeus, Helios & Phaethon

Zeus, Hades, and the King of Corinth

See Also: Zeus' wife, Hera