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Robin250 — Zeus

#olympiangods #greekgods #greekmythology #olympians #zeus #dccomicsfanart #zeusdccomics
Published: 2020-05-14 13:57:51 +0000 UTC; Views: 3522; Favourites: 32; Downloads: 2
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Description "Behold:  The power of Olympus!"  

The youngest son of the Titan Kronos and Rhea, Zeus was hidden by his mother on the island of Crete to be spared being swallowed by his father, like his five siblings before him.  Growing up, Zeus yearned to free not just his siblings, but all the world from his father's clutches.  With the aid of his wife, Metis, he slipped a powerful emetic into Kronos' nectar, forcing him to vomit up all five of his siblings.  This act led to the Titanomachy: the first war in recorded memory.  For ten years, the Titans of Myth and the Olympians fought for control of Earth, until finally, Zeus freed the Cyclopes and Hekatonchieres from their subterranean imprisonment in order to turn the tide.  In gratitude, the Cyclopes forged for him a powerful sword, and granted him the power of thunderbolts.  With these new weapons, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades stormed Mount Othrys and defeated the Titans of Myth, imprisoning Kronos and his army in the pits of Tartarus for their cruelty.  After this, the three brothers divided the cosmos up between them.  Hades chose to take the Underworld, so as to keep watch over the Titans of Myth.  Yet he suggested that Zeus be given the skies and heavens, as the victory had been entirely his plan.  Poseidon was then given the sea.  And so did Zeus begin his eternal reign as king of the Olympian Gods!  

So, for this version of Zeus, I once again decided to stick faithful to the ancient sources, as a way to show his wisdom and insight. His appearance was hugely inspired by his outfit in God of War II, with a few features from the Injustice comic, such as the diadem.  Now, the pose I have him in was actually inspired by the great ivory statue of him that once was housed at the sanctuary of Olympia, in Greece: one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, completed around 435 BCE by the famed Greek sculptor, Phidias of Athens.  The coloration of his throne was actually inspired by Robert Graves' work: The Palace of Olympus.  While I was drawing this, I kid you not, I was actually listening to Iced Earth's cover of God of Thunder.  The eagle on his diadem is known as "The Eagle of Zeus", and was used on many coins from Ptolemaic Egypt.  Zeus' symbols are the eagle, the bull, the lion, the lightning bolt and the oak tree.  His major sacred sites are at Olympia and Dodona in Greece, Siwa in Egypt, and even Rome itself.  To the Egyptians, he was known as Amun, Tinia by the Etruscans, Taranis by the Celts, Tarḫunna by the Hittites, and as either Jupiter or Jove by the Romans.  In combat, Zeus relies on his thunderbolts, superhuman abilities and his sword to face his enemies.   

Infamous for his many escapades with mortal women and other goddesses, many of the children born of this union have become great heroes or gods in other pantheons: such as Hercules, Perseus, Horus and more recently Diana of Themyscira, AKA Wonder Woman, Donna Troy, AKA Troia, Maria Mendoza, AKA Warmi Qhapaq, and Cassie Sandsmark, AKA Wonder Girl.  On occasion, Zeus has also lent his power to a champion who will act as the Gods' representative on Earth: Captain Marvel.  Currently, the title belongs to Billy Batson, who has also passed it on to his sister, Mary, as well as his foster siblings.  Zeus is also quick to anger whenever certain mortals dare to try and outsmart him.  Such was the case with Maxie Zeus, who was dragged down to Tartarus for daring to impersonate the King of the Gods.  Yet for the most part, Zeus is a benevolent, magnanimous and generous ruler, and as such, the Amazons continue to shower his temples on Themyscira with goods from all over the world.  Even in Atlantis and Khandaq is he still worshiped in temples dedicated in his honor.  He is the father-in-law of Steve Trevor and Roy Harper, AKA Arsenal, thus making him the grandfather of Lian Harper, AKA Speedy.  


Disclaimer:  This take on Zeus belongs to DC Comics, Jerry Siegel and Ira Yarbrough.
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Comments: 17

CrazyInc2222 [2023-12-11 11:52:14 +0000 UTC]

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Robin250 In reply to CrazyInc2222 [2023-12-12 14:05:17 +0000 UTC]

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GokuMartin [2022-11-11 20:05:14 +0000 UTC]

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GokuMartin In reply to GokuMartin [2022-11-11 20:30:29 +0000 UTC]

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mindmaster123 [2020-05-22 15:38:10 +0000 UTC]

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Robin250 In reply to mindmaster123 [2020-05-22 15:40:50 +0000 UTC]

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worldpeace2 [2020-05-16 17:05:44 +0000 UTC]

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Robin250 In reply to worldpeace2 [2020-05-16 17:11:23 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!

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worldpeace2 In reply to Robin250 [2020-05-16 17:11:49 +0000 UTC]

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Robin250 In reply to worldpeace2 [2020-05-16 17:13:29 +0000 UTC]

So, what do you find appealing about this take on Zeus?

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worldpeace2 In reply to Robin250 [2020-05-16 18:39:20 +0000 UTC]

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Robin250 In reply to worldpeace2 [2020-05-16 18:50:14 +0000 UTC]

As he should. The King of the Gods sees and knows all that goes on.

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worldpeace2 In reply to Robin250 [2020-05-16 18:57:44 +0000 UTC]

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1987man [2020-05-15 02:03:14 +0000 UTC]

Truly magnificent. Commanding, as the king of the Gods should be.

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Robin250 In reply to 1987man [2020-05-15 02:14:48 +0000 UTC]

Thank you! I am actually really pleased how this version turned out, especially since I had one of the Seven Wonders of the World to use as reference for the pose. The actual statue was destroyed back in the fourth century CE, but I do believe I saw a smaller copy of it when my father and I visited the Capitoline Museum, in Rome last year. I initially wanted to draw him flying in midair ready to unleash the fury of a thunderstorm, but that would make him too much of a villain, in my opinion. Perhaps down the line, that could be another potential pic. It should be noted that the tidbit with Maxie Zeus was inspired by the tale of King Salmoneus, who suffered a similar fate for his tyranny, egocentricity and pride. Needless to say, Zeus does not take it well when it comes to anyone impersonating him, or heresy, murder, blasphemy, fraud, deceit and treachery.

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MegaBrony95 [2020-05-14 17:13:51 +0000 UTC]

This Zeus seems a lot nicer than the Zeus from original Mythology and even in the DC canon.

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Robin250 In reply to MegaBrony95 [2020-05-14 17:19:12 +0000 UTC]

Well, he’s definitely more benevolent. In fact, this is the version of Zeus from the original mythology, as it was back in the days of Ancient Greece. The version we are more familiar with in more modern times is actually the Romans’ interpretation of him, specifically the one done by Ovid. Later, Christian monks basically copied Ovid’s version of Zeus down into mainstream classics. However, the Ancient Greeks and many other Roman poets, such as Virgil, wrote Zeus out this way. Benevolent, magnanimous, generous and just.

That said, he does have a nasty temper, as Maxie Zeus learned...

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