When Was Zeus Born and When Did He Die?
Zeus is a fictional mythological figure who is said to have been born in some undefined prehistoric period, and as such, there is no exact date for the character’s supposed birth; additionally, there is no widely known classical reference to Zeus’s death, which is perhaps unsurprising given that he was supposed to be an immortal god. There are multiple classical sources for the myth of Zeus’ birth, including Hesiod’s “Theogony,” which states that Zeus was the son of Rhea, a child of Mother Earth, and Cronus, a Titan. Hesiod gives no specific date for this event, implying only that the birth of Zeus and other gods took place before mankind existed.
According to classical Greek mythology, Zeus is considered the king of the gods. His equivalent in classical Roman mythology is Jupiter. Though Zeus has multiple conflicts in mythology, he is never in mortal peril and does not have a death mythology thanks to his immortality. Zeus is said to have been raised by Mother Earth, or Gaia, and eventually overthrew his father Cronus for control of the world. Zeus rules over Olympus, the mythical home of the Greek pantheon of gods and goddesses. His creation story is not detailed in the same way as other creation myths for other gods and goddesses, such as Athena, who is said to have been born out of Zeus’ head.
