with cunning words and
put her in his own belly, as Earth and starry Heaven advised. For they
advised him so, to the end that no other should hold royal sway over
the eternal gods in place of Zeus; for very wise children were
destined to be born of her,first the maiden bright-eyed Tritogeneia, equal to her father in
strength and in wise understanding; but afterwards she was to bear a
son of overbearing spirit king of gods and men. But Zeus put her into
his own belly first,that the
goddess might devise for him both good and evil.
Next he married bright Themis who bore the Horae (Hours), and
Eunomia (Order), Dikë (Justice), and blooming
Eirene (Peace), who mind the works of mortal men, and the
Moerae (Fates) to whom wise Zeus gave the greatest
honor,Clotho, and
Lachesis, and Atropos who give mortal men evil and good to have. And
Eurynome, the daughter of Ocean, beautiful in form, bore him three
fair-cheeked Charites (Graces), Aglaea, and Euphrosyne, and
lovely Thaleia,from whose eyes
as they glanced flowed love that unnerves the limbs: and beautiful is
their glance beneath their brows. Also he came to the bed of
all-nourishing Demeter, and she bore white-armed Persephone whom
Aidoneus carried off from her mother; but wise Zeus gave her to him.
And again, he loved
Mnemosyne with the beautiful hair: and of her the nine gold-crowned
Muses were born who delight in feasts and the pleasures of song. And
Leto was joined in love with Zeus who holds the aegis,and bore Apollo and Artemis
delighting in arrows, children lovely above all the sons of Heaven.
Lastly, he made Hera his blooming wife: and she was joined in love
with the king of gods and men, and brought forth Hebe and Ares and
Eileithyia. But Zeus himself gave birth from his own head to
bright-eyed Tritogeneia,I.e.Athena, who was born “on the
banks of the river Trito” (cp. l.
929l).
the
awful, the strife-stirring, the host-leader, the unwearying, the
queen, who delights in tumults and wars and battles. But Hera without
union with Zeus—for she was very angry and quarrelled with her
mate—bare famous Hephaestus, who is skilled in crafts more than
all the sons of Heaven.