Zeus
Roman: Jupiter
The story
Zeus is the head of the Olympian pantheon — god of sky, justice, kingship. He overthrows his father Cronos and rescues the siblings Cronos had swallowed. His most famous weapon is the thunderbolt; he decides, rewards, punishes. Equally famous are his romantic exploits: married to Hera, he takes mortals in the forms of swan (Leda), bull (Europa), golden rain (Danae), eagle (Ganymede), horse (Demeter, Hera's sister). These aren't in myth as "Zeus's deviations"; they're the motif of the divine gift descending to the mortal. Each Olympian god rules a domain; Zeus is the overall judge. In Rome he's "Jupiter" — same root as pater (father); the divine personification of Rome's "father state" ideology.
Why this planet
Jupiter is the Solar System's largest planet — truly "the king." The astrological themes of magnifying, protecting, expanding, justice come from Zeus's father-king legacy. Being the planet of fortune comes from the belief that good/generosity is a divine current.
Themes
- father god
- lightning
- justice and expansion
- king of the sky