Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained.
In today’s video, We’re going to discuss what is most widely regarded as the most powerful
weapon in Greek mythology, Zeus’ lightning bolts.
More specifically, where they came from, who made them, who transported them, and if their
supply was limitless.
Let’s get into it.
On the whole, Zeus’ lightning bolts are presented as the most powerful weapon in Greek
mythology.
There are arguments to be made for others, such as the head of Medusa, which, in one
version, Perseus used to turn the Titan Atlas to stone, and the entrails of the Ophiotaurus
- a topic we just covered - which, if burned, bestowed the power to defeat the gods.
Hades' helm of darkness and Poseidon’s trident also come to mind, though, for these two,
I think it’s safe to say they’re in the tier below.
Zeus’ lightning bolts allowed him to bring the universe under heel and to put down any
and all threats to his rule, no matter how overwhelming or monstrous.
They were instrumental in winning the Titanomachy, the war against the titans, in which Zeus
supplanted his father, Cronus, to become the new ruler of the cosmos; they were indispensable
in winning the Gigantomachy, the war against the giants, in which the giants were utterly
destroyed; and unequivocally, without them, Zeus never would have defeated Typhon, the
most powerful monster in all of Greek mythology and the last major threat that Olympus had
to overcome.
Given how the singular might of the lightning bolt was one of the chief factors that organized
the cosmic hierarchy, trouncing anyone and anything that came into Zeus’ crosshairs,
it seems only natural that we want to know more about it, and the first place we’re
going to start is its origin.
In Greek mythology, Thunder and lightning were phenomena as old as the earth, but for
millennia in the primordial past, even though they technically existed, they weren’t able
to be heard and seen.
Gaia thought them such destructive forces that she hid them away.
It wasn’t until the Titanomachy, when the cyclopes were forging weapons for the gods,
that Gaia allowed thunder and lightning back into the world.
Here’s a passage from Hesiod’s Theogony that speaks to this:
“He set his father’s brothers free from their baneful bondage.
The sons of Heaven whom their father in his folly had imprisoned; and they returned thanks
for his goodness by giving him thunder and lightning and the smoking bolt, which mighty
Earth had kept hidden up to then.
With these to rely on he is lord of mortals and immortals.”
Also mentioned in that passage are the three Cyclopes, who are really at the heart of this
topic.
In the context of Zeus’ lightning bolts, when we say cyclopes, we aren’t referring
to every one-eyed giant in Greek mythology.
Polyphemus, the cyclops blinded by Odysseus, is an example of a cyclops that’s irrelevant
to our conversation.
The pertinent cyclopes are the trio born to Gaia and Uranus.
Their father thought them abominations, so he imprisoned them in the earth, where they
stayed, except for one brief above-ground sojourn, until Zeus ventured into the cavernous
depths, slayed the dragon Campe, the jailor, and rescued them.
The cyclopes were incredibly grateful and, from that point onwards, basically beholden
to Zeus and the gods.
The cyclopes joined the war effort, but their contributions didn’t include strength or
savagery on the field of battle; they were master craftsmen, so they put their talents
to use and crafted a trinity of awesome weapons for the gods: the smoking bolt for Zeus, the
trident for Poseidon, and the helm of darkness for Hades.
The three cyclopes born to Gaia and Uranus were godlike giants.
They were called Arges, “The Flashing One”, Brontes, “The Thunderer, and Steropes, “Lightning
Bolts.
By the account of the Roman poet Virgil, their forge was located in Sicily under Mount Etna,
where even long after the Titan war was won, they continued the unending labor of crafting
fresh bolts for the king of the gods.
Now, there was a fair bit of distance that separated the volcanic forges beneath Mount
Etna from the Pinnacle of Mount Olympus, and I’m sure Zeus wouldn’t have relished the
mundane duty of fetching his own bolts, which is why there was probably a delivery system
in place.
We know from Hesiod’s Theogony and other sources that Pegasus, the winged horse that
sprung from the gory stump of Medusa’s neck after she was decapitated, was the creature
that carried thunder and lightning to Zeus, keeping the clouds crackling like a well-stocked
quiver, so it could be that Pegasus was making trips to and from the forge.
An interesting turn of events with regards to the creation and supply of thunder and
lightning centers on Asclepius, a son of Apollo and a hero renowned for his skill as a healer.
Like many other heroes, Asclepius, in his youth, was under the tutelage of Chiron, who
taught and raised him.
Asclepius became so adept at healing that, by using the Gorgon’s blood Athena gave
him, he could not only bring back people from the brink of death, he could actually revive
people who had passed on.
In another version, the ability revealed itself to him as if by providence.
He was tasked with restoring Glaucus’, King Minos’ son, to life.
A snake wound its way up the staff Asclepius was holding, so the hero killed it.
Not long after, another snake with a herb in its mouth slithered near.
It placed the herb on the head of the deceased snake, bringing it back to life.
Asclepius, understanding, took the herb and used it on Glaucus, resurrecting him.
And ironically, this great power would prove the cause of his own destruction.
Unfortunately for Asclepius, Zeus concluded that such power in the hands of a mere man,
even one who was the son of Apollo, would set a troublesome precedent and would blur
the divide between mortal and divine, a divide that Zeus wanted stark and crystalline.
Here is where this story ties in with the topic of this video.
Taking matters into his own hands, Zeus killed Asclepius with a lightning bolt, and as you
can imagine, having his son smote for being too good at healing didn’t sit well with
Apollo.
In retaliation, Apollo killed the Cyclopes that made thunder and lightning for Zeus.
Naturally, Zeus wasn’t thrilled about having the wellspring of his power destroyed by the
vengeful rage of his son, so Apollo was made to serve Admetus, a mortal king, for one year
as penance.
The fallout from this as it pertains to Zeus’ thunder and lightning production isn’t elaborated
on, but it does raise some interesting questions about supply.
presumably the death of the three cyclopes responsible for making thunder and lightning
must have really thrown a wrench in things.
Maybe Hephaestus stepped in and kept the old factory running.
In truth, as far as the mythology is concerned, I’m sure the skies were bristling with bolts
and rumbling with thunder like always, but still, I do wonder how they ramped production
back up; maybe Zeus outgrew the system and simply conjured it himself, which could explain
why Apollo was given such a light sentence.
A year for an immortal relative to our lifespans would be like a day for us.
If our sentences were that lenient, our streets would be hunting grounds for murderers, and
we’d all be the thralls of warlords.
And that’s it for this video!
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