The Golden Net:

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The Golden Net

• Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Ares

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Known as the lame god, Hephaestus was born weak
and crippled. Displeased by the sight of her son,
Hera threw Hephaestus from Mount Olympus, and he
fell for a whole day before landing in the sea.
Nymphs rescued him and took him to Lemnos, where
the people of the island cared for him.
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It was on Lemnos where he built his palace and
his forges under a volcano. To gain revenge for
his rejection by Hera, Hephaestus fashioned a
magic throne, which was presented to her on Mount
Olympus. When Hera sat on the throne, it
entrapped her, making her a prisoner.
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The gods on Mount Olympus pleaded with Hephaestus
to release Hera, but he refused. Dionysus tricked
Hephaestus into drinking wine. After Hephaestus
became drunk, Dionysus took him back to Mount
Olympus slumped over the back of a mule.
Hephaestus released Hera after being given the
beautiful Aphrodite as his bride.
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From the aphros ("sea foam") arose Aphrodite, and
the sea carried her to either the island of
Cyprus or Cythera. The poet Homer calls her a
daughter of Zeus and Dione.
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Hephaestus could hardly believe his good luck and
used all his skills to make the most lavish
jewels for her. He made her a girdle of finely
wrought gold and wove magic into the filigree
work. That was not very wise of him, for when she
wore her magic girdle no one could resist her,
and she was all too irresistible already. She
loved gaiety and glamour and was not at all
pleased at being the wife of sooty, hard-working
Hephaestus. Aphrodite loved and was loved by many
gods and mortals, especially Ares, the god of
war.
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Ares is the Greek god of war and battle and the
instigator of violence, a son of Zeus and Hera.
Because of his cruel and war-like nature he was
despised by all the gods even his own father
disliked him. Ares could be bloody, merciless,
fearful and cowardly and possessed no moral
attributes. He was, however, unable to resist the
loveliness of Aphrodite, who became his lover.
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Ares was of giant stature and had a loud voice,
and surpassed the other gods in speed. He usually
fought on foot, but could sometimes be found
riding a chariot. On the battlefield Ares was
accompanied by Phobos ("Fear") and Deimos
("Terror"), two lesser divinities who are
sometimes given as his sons. He was furthermore
attended by the goddesses Eris ("Strife") and
Enyo ("Horror").
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Hephaestus became suspicious that Aphrodite had
been committing adultery. To catch her being
unfaithful he fashioned an extraordinary
chain-link net, so fine and strong no one could
escape from it. Then one day he surprised
Aphrodite and the war god Ares as they lay
together in bed. He threw his magic net over them
and hauled them before the Olympian gods and
exhibited them as they were, naked and wrapped in
each others arms. Hephaestus asked the assembled
gods for just retribution, but they did the total
opposite. The gods roared with laughter at the
sight of the naked lovers, after which they
allowed the couple to go free.
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Works Cited

• http//www.pantheon.org/articles/h/hephaestus.html
  
• http//www.theoi.com/Olympios/HephaistosLoves.html
  Aphrodite
• http//www.theoi.com/Olympios/Aphrodite.html
• http//www.pantheon.org/articles/a/aphrodite.html
• http//www.theoi.com/Olympios/Ares.html
• http//www.pantheon.org/articles/a/ares.html

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Please write in your notes

• Hephaestus God of Fire/forge (blacksmith)
• symbols forge, tongs, hammer

Ares God of War (quarrelsome, cowardly Symbols
vulture, dog, shield, helmet
Aphrodite Goddess of Love and Beauty married to
Hephaestus Symbols shell, dove, swan, roses