Hephaestus, the god of the fire, especially the blacksmith's fire,was the patron of those principally those working with metals. He was worshiped often in Athens, but also in other manufacturing centres. He was the god of volcanoes. Later, the fire inside them represented the smith's furnace. Hephaestus was associated with Mount Etna, which is on the island of Sicily. Known as the lame god, Hephaestus was born weak and disabled. Displeased by the sight of her son, Hera threw Hephaestus from Mt. Olympus, and he fell for a day before landing in the sea. Nymphs rescued him and took him in, where the people of the island cared for him. But other versions say Zeus threw him from Mt. Olympus after he had sided with his mother in an arguement. This myth says that Hephaestus fell for nine days and nine nights, and he landed on the island of Lemnos. It was on Lemnos where he built his palace and forges under a volcano. To gain revenge for his rejection by Hera, Hephaestus made a magic throne, which was presented to her on Mount Olympus. When Hera sat on the throne, it trapped her, making her a prisoner. The gods on Mt. Olympus pleaded with Hephaestus to return to their heavenly domain, as to release Hera, but he refused. Dionysus gave the Hepheastus wine, and when Hephaestus was drunk, Dionysus took him back to Mt. Olympus thrown over the back of a mule. This scene was a favorite in Greek art. Hephaestus released Hera after being given the beautiful Aphrodite as his wife. Dionysus was rewarded by being made one of the Olympians. Hephaestus is known as the son of Hera and Zeus, although Zeus had nothing to do with the birth. Hephaestus was parthenogenetic. Hera was jealous of Zeus after he had an affair with Metis. However, Gaia had warned Zeus that Metis would bear a daughter, whose son would overthrow him. To prevent this, Zeus ate Metis, so he could carry the child through to the birth himself, although Zeus could not give birth naturally. For retribution Hera produced (parthenogeny) Hephaestus, and legend says, that Hephaestus split the head of Zeus with an axe, from which Athena appeared in full battle armor. One particular myth says that Hephaestus wished to marry Athena, who was also a patron of smiths, but she refused because she found him ugly. Another legend says that Athena disappeared from their bridal bed but Hephaestus did not see her vanish, and spilt his seed on the floor. In a similar version the semen fell from Athena's thigh and from it was produced Erechtheus, who became a king of Athens. (This relates to Erechtheus being the son of Gaia, Earth.) Aphrodite, in some versions, was the wife of Hephaestus, and he was 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. According to Homer's Iliad Hephaestus had a wife called Aglaea, who was one of the Graces. Being a great craftsman Hephaestus made wonderful articles from various materials, mostly from metal. With help from the Cyclopes, who were his workmen and assistants, he fashioned the thunderbolts for Zeus. He made weapons and armour for the other gods and heroes. For Athena, he made her shield, for the god of love, Eros, he made the arrows. The chariot which the sun god Helios rode across the sky was made by Hephaestus and in some myths it was a golden goblet. He also made the invincible armor of Achilles. Hephaestus helped to create the first woman, with the help of other gods, after Zeus had ordered that there be a new kind of human. Zeus plotted against Prometheus because he and his race of mortals had only included one gender, which was man, and so Hephaestus formed the first woman. Hephaestus is usually shown as an animated cripple bent over his anvil. He wears a beard and is normally depicted as being ugly. Homer describes Hephaestus as lame. Hepheastus was worshiped mainly in Athens, where the Temple of Hephaestus and Athena still stands. It was built in 449 BC and stands on a hill close to the Agora at the foot of the Acropolis. The Romans took Hephaestus as one of their own gods attaching the myth to their god of fire and calling him Vulcan. http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/hephaestus.html