Archetypal relationships: Aphrodite, Ares & Hephaestus

Ares

Mythology

Ares was the god of war, or, more precisely, warlike frenzy and the warrior. His tutor Priapus (a fertility god renowned for his huge penis) first trained Ares to be a dancer, and later trained him to be a warrior.

You don't give a man a weapon until you've taught him how to us it.

—Celtic proverb

Emotional Control System

Anger and rage, when confined, thwarted, or frustrated.

Life Purpose

Ares's life purpose is independence. Ares men use courage and initiative to gain freedom. Ares men can be leaders, or work independently. Ares is a soldier - a fighter and a lover.

Shadow

Ares men can't stand being controlled, especially by anonymous strangers. They'll sacrifice their best interests for freedom. E.g., they'll take a cut in pay to work independently rather than work for a big corporation. They underestimate things in their path-other people, time requirements, mountains. They challenge people. They use "anger as a greeting," but respect individuals who stand up to them. They always feel they're right, but don't hesitate to change their views when they receive new information.

Under Stress

Under stress, Ares becomes Apollo. Watch Muhammad Ali's 1973 fight against George Foreman, in the movie When We Were Kings. Ali came into the ring with a plan, and coolly kept to his plan even as Foreman pummeled Ali in the initial rounds.

When Safe

When safe, Ares men become Demeter. They can be generous and supportive to a child or employee. Justice concerns them. They support underdogs.

Sex

Ares was Aphrodite's favorite lover.

Hephaestus

Mythology

Hephaestus was the craftsman, the god of the forge. He built tools, weapons, chariots and everything else the other gods used. The Romans knew Hephaestus as Vulcan. Hephaestus had a clubfoot. The other gods rejected him because of his disability. He lived alone in a volcano. As god of volcanoes he had immense destructive power.

Emotional Control System

Speculatively, the use of tools and the control of fire may be hardwired into our brains.

Life Purpose

A Hephaestus man's life purpose is to develop skills and competence. He wants to make useful things.

Shadow

Hephaestus men are nerdy - good with machines or computers, but not with people. They can be insensitive about their powerful creations hurting people. E.g., Robert Oppenheimer and the atomic bomb, or Bill Gates building his empire.

Under Stress

Under stress, Hephaestus becomes Apollo. Take him to a weird party, and he'll act like an anthropologist visiting an exotic tribe - observing, occasionally talking to people, but staying detached and emotionally uninvolved.

When Safe

When safe, a Hephaestus man becomes Demeter. He offers his skills to help other people.

Sex

Engineers use "elegant" and "beautiful" to describe well-built things. Engineers talking about computer code sound like women talking about cocktail dresses.

Meeting

To meet Hephaestus men, go to a computer conference or Star Trek convention. Look for the men with no social skills and multitudinous stock options. Show off your golden hair, and ask him to fix your computer. When he finishes, your computer will do stuff that you never imagined, or wanted it to do.

Aphrodite

Mythology

Aphrodite was the goddess of feminine love and beauty. She had the power to cause mortals and deities to fall in love. The Romans knew Aphrodite as Venus.

Emotional Control System

Aphrodite is a combination of two emotional control systems: sexuality and homeostasis. No one has ever referred to Aphrodite as the "goddess of homeostasis" but this is the nature of pleasure: when our bodies are out of balance, we suffer. When we get, do, or consume what we need to return to homeostasis, we feel pleasure. E.g., when you're cold, nothing is so pleasurable as a hot drink. When an Aphrodite woman's body signals that it's out of balance, she looks for an opportunity to experience the pleasure of returning to homeostasis. E.g., jumping into a cool creek on a hot day. Her pains and pleasures are immediate, not some time in the future. Sexuality is a different emotional control system.

Life Purpose

The goddess of love's life purpose is to be charming and attractive.

Shadow

The goddess of love's shadow side is shallow, uncommitted relationships. An Aphrodite woman may sleep around.

Under Stress

Under stress, Aphrodite becomes Athena. Invite an Aphrodite woman camping. She'll come up with a list of fears, from snakes to not being able to wash her hair.

When Safe

When safe, Aphrodite becomes Hestia. She'll make her home and garden as beautiful as herself.

Sex

Expect great sex with an Aphrodite woman... while the relationship lasts.

Ares-Hephaestus-Aphrodite Marriage

An Ares-Hephaestus-Aphrodite marriage works hard and plays hard. On weekdays, Hephaestus and Aphrodite get the work done that's necessary for homeostasis (e.g., food, shelter, clothing). At night and on weekends, Ares and Aphrodite have passionate romance and great sex.

Ares

An Ares man can be a good husband, if his wife doesn't try to control him. He can be a good citizen in a community that looks to him as a leader.

Hephaestus

Hephaestus men live for women. They need women to appreciate the beautiful things they make. They need women to inspire their creativity, to teach them social skills, and to tell the world that they're brilliant. Hephaestus men are the best husbands. They never argue. Any problem is an opportunity to invent something to fix the problem. Hephaestus men are faithful to their wives, usually because no other woman wants them. But Hephaestus men can neglect their wives, spending too much time at work. A Hephaestus man's wife may not get the passion and fireworks that she wants, but this doesn't mean that he doesn't treasure his wife more than anything in the world. Hephaestus built golden maidservants that could talk and perform household tasks. A Hephaestus man might buy a Russian mail-order bride, expecting a golden maidservant. He's more likely to get Pandora, the first mortal woman, whom Hephaestus also built. Pandora had not only domestic skills and sex appeal, but also "shamelessness, cunning use of language, lies, and deceitfulness."

Aphrodite

Aphrodite women shouldn't marry Hermes men. They'll have fun for a while, but the marriage will lack commitment. Avoid Poseidon men, unless you think Courtney Love enjoyed scraping Kurt Cobain's brains off the wall. Just as Aphrodite is a combination of two goddesses, her marriage involves two gods. Aphrodite married Hephaestus, god of the forge. Aphrodite women love the beautiful things Hephaestus men make for their wives. But Aphrodite's lover was Ares, god of war. They shared intensity, sensuality, immediacy, and passion.

Ares men often have Hephaestus jobs (jobs that use tools), e.g., auto mechanics. Many Hephaestus computer nerds become Ares weekend warriors, enjoying flying, mountain biking, etc.

Marital success for an Aphrodite woman requires bringing out the Hephaestus in her Ares man, or the Ares in her Hephaestus man. Aphrodite and Ares had two sons, Fear and Panic. If you don't want TV crews asking why your sons blew up their high school, have your Ares husband channel your sons' energy into Hephaestus skills (e.g., building a really cool car for Mom).

To bring out the Ares in your Hephaestus nerd, suggest that he buy a motorcycle. Don't ride on the back until he passes the Motorcycle Safety Foundation course, and buys you a helmet, leather jacket, and cool new boots. Then suggest a drive up to the city for spicy Thai food, and return on Skyline with a starry stop at a scenic overlook. Suggest watching a swing dance video. Watch it in his living room. Don't take him dancing in public yet. You'll embarrass him. He'll need a lot of practice before he's ready to lead you on a dance floor. But when he figures out that leading means that you'll do whatever swings and spins he wants you to do, watch Ares come out. Combined with Hephaestus's 900 megahertz learning skills, once he's interested in swing dance he won't stop until he's mastered every move.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Relationships/Ares-Hephaestus-Aphrodite

Art, craft, and creation

I was thinking about Athena and her love of crafts (like weaving, but anything practical and beautiful is ok with her.) And then I thought about how different Athenian crafts are from Aphroditian art.

Art, which is from Aphrodite, is an ecstatic act of self expression. This is also different from Hephaestus's act of creation. Hephaestus is like the wizard in that Walt Disney movie (or just about any wizard) who takes the elements of the universe and focuses them and, with his skill and his will, creates something new. "Art" is, in it's act, also a creation but you're creating yourself, drawing from deep within you to express what's down there. In Hephaestus creation there is no confusion - he's the master, here. And both of these are different from Athena, who neither creates something never before seen, nor does she get lost in self expression, although the act of crafting can be a meditative, ego suppressing activity; something always thinking, always on the go, hip deep in the world Athena can really use. Athena can find the meditative act of crafting a way to center and refresh herself between bouts of activity.

Hestia is different from Athena in that she's not making something, she's maintaining it. If Athena weaves the cloth and sews the dress, it's Hestia who's cleaning and ironing it and repairing any tears.

I see them like this: Hephaestus comes up with the cool idea to create a loom - Wouldn't it be AWESOME if you could make this machine that could make it a jillion times easier to weave than by laboriously threading the yarn by hand? Athena sees Hephaestus's loom and loves it - it's so practical! While she's weaving, Aphrodite is buzzing around, telling her to use this kind of silk, in that color, turning Athena's practical cloth into a sensuous luxury fit for a queen. Hestia stays in the background, making sure everyone has tea, and learning from Hephaestus how to keep the loom in working order for Athena.

Hephaestus in myth

From Wikipedia

Hephaestus was the son of Zeus and Hera, the King and Queen of the Gods or else (according to some accounts) of Hera alone. He was the god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes. Like other mythic smiths but unlike most other gods, Hephaestus was lame, which gave him a grotesque appearance in Greek eyes. He served as the blacksmith of the gods, and he was worshipped in the manufacturing and industrial centers of Greece, particularly in Athens. Hephaestus's symbols are a smith's hammer, an anvil and a pair of tongs, although sometimes he is portrayed holding an axe.

Parentage

In one tradition clearly attested in Homer's Odyssey and perhaps also in the Iliad, Hephaestus was born of the union of Zeus and Hera. In another tradition, which was only unambiguously recorded in late texts, but which may be an archaic survival of an autonomous Hera, she bore Hephaestus parthenogenetically; she is given the motivation in Hesiod's Zeus-centered cosmology that she was engaged in a competitive quarrel with Zeus for his "birthing" of Athena, but Attic vase-painters illustrated the mainstream tradition that Hephaestus was already present at the birth of Athena, seen to be wielding the axe with which he had split Zeus' head to free her

Fall from Olympus

Hera threw Hephaestus out of heaven in disgust because he was lame (even though Hera was the goddess of family); alternatively, he was rendered lame by the fall. In the Homeric account, he then fell nine days and nights and landed in the ocean, where he was brought up by the Oceanids Thetis (mother of Achilles) and Eurynome.

Another explanation states that he was flung by Zeus, because he came to his mother’s rescue when Zeus had her in fetters for opposing him. Another account says that he fell for only a day and landed on the island of Lemnos, where he was cared for and taught to be a master craftsman by the Sintians, an ancient tribe native to that island. In every case, he remained forever lame as a result of the fall.

Volcano god


An Athenian founding myth tells that Athena refused a union with Hephaestus because of his unsightly appearance and crippled nature, and that when he became angry and forceful with her, she disappeared from the bed. His ejaculation landed on the earth, impregnating Gaia, who subsequently gave birth to Erichthonius of Athens; then the surrogate mother gave the child to Athena to foster, guarded by a serpent. Hyginus made an imaginative etymology for Erichthonius, of strife (Eris) between Athena and Hephaestus and the Earth-child (chthonios). There is a Temple of Hephaestus, the Hephaesteum miscalled the "Theseum", located near the Athenian agora, or marketplace.

On the island of Lemnos, his consort was the sea nymph Cabeiro, by whom he was the father of two metalworking gods named the Cabeiri. In Sicily, his consort was the nymph Aetna, and his sons two gods of Sicilian geysers called Palici.

Homer makes Charis the wife of Hephaestus. However, according to most myths, Hephaestus is a husband of Aphrodite, who commits adultery with Ares.

The craft of Hephaestus

Hephaestus crafted much of the other magnificent equipment of the gods, and almost any finely-wrought metalwork imbued with powers that appears in Greek myth is said to have been forged by Hephaestus: Hermes' winged helmet and sandals, the Aegis breastplate, Aphrodite's famed girdle, Agamemnon's staff of office, Achilles' armor, Heracles' bronze clappers, Helios' chariot as well as his own due to his lameness, the shoulder of Pelops, Eros' bow and arrows. Hephaestus worked with the help of the chthonic Cyclopes, his assistants in the forge. He also built automatons of metal to work for him. This included tripods that walked to and from the Mount Olympus. He gave to blinded Orion his apprentice Cedalion as a guide. In one version of the myth, Prometheus stole the fire that he gave to man from Hephaestus's forge. Hephaestus also created the gift that the gods gave to man, the woman Pandora and her pithos. Being a skilled blacksmith, Hephaestus created all the thrones in the Palace of Olympus.

Return of Hephaestus

Hephaestus was the only god said to have returned to Olympus after his or her exile.

In an archaic story, Hephaestus gained revenge against Hera for rejecting him by making her a magical golden throne, which, when she sat on it, did not allow her to leave it. The other gods begged Hephaestus to return to Olympus to let her go, but he refused, saying "I have no mother."

At last Dionysus, sent to fetch him, shared his wine, intoxicating the smith, and took him back to Olympus on the back of a mule accompanied by revelers, a scene that sometimes appears on painted pottery of Attica and in Corinth, as well.

"There are paintings here – Dionysus bringing Hephaestus up to heaven. One of the Greek legends is that Hephaestus, when he was born, was thrown down by Hera. In revenge he sent as a gift a golden chair with invisible fetters. When Hera sat down she was held fast, and Hephaestus refused to listen to any other of the gods save Dionysus – in him he reposed the fullest trust – and after making him drunk Dionysus brought him to heaven."

Hephaestus and Aphrodite

Hephaestus, being the most unfaltering of the gods, was given Aphrodite’s hand in marriage by Zeus in order to prevent conflict over her between the other gods.

Hephaestus and Aphrodite had an arranged marriage and Aphrodite, disliking the idea of being married to unsightly Hephaestus, began an affair with Ares, the god of war. Eventually, Hephaestus found out about Aphrodite’s promiscuity from Helios, the all-seeing Sun, and planned a trap for them during one of their trysts. While Aphrodite and Ares lay together in bed, Hephaestus ensnared them in an unbreakable chain-link net so small as to be invisible and dragged them to Mount Olympus to shame them in front of the other gods for retribution. However, the gods laughed at the sight of these naked lovers and Poseidon persuaded Hephaestus to free them in return for a guarantee that Ares would pay the adulterer's fine. Hephaestus states in the Odyssey that he would return Aphrodite to her father and demand back his bride price: this is the one episode that links them.

In Homer's Iliad the consort of Hephaestus is a lesser Aphrodite, Charis "the grace" or Aglaia "the glorious", the youngest of the Graces, as Hesiod calls her. Hephaestus fathered several children with mortals and immortals alike. The Thebans told that the union of Ares and Aphrodite produced Harmonia, as lovely as a second Aphrodite. But of her union with Hephaestus, there was no issue, unless Virgil was serious when he said that Eros was their child. Later authors might explain this statement when they say the love-god was sired by Ares but passed off to Hephaestus as his own son.

Epithets

Hephaestus is given many epithets, some of which include:

    * Åmphigúeis “the lame one”
    * Kullopodíon “the halting”
    * Chalkeús “coppersmith”
    * Klutotéchnes “renowned artificer”
    * Polúmetis “shrewd, crafty” or “of many devices"

Symbolism and possible inspiration

Hephaestus was reported in myth as cholōs, "lame", and depicted with crippled feet, said to be halting (ēpedanos) and misshapen, whether from birth or as a result of his fall; in the vase-paintings, Hephaestus is shown lame and bent over his anvil, hard at work on a metal creation, his feet sometimes back-to-front: Hephaistos amphigyēeis. He walked with the aid of a stick. The Argonaut Palaimonius, "son of Hephaestus"— which is to say a bronze-smith— was also lame. Other "sons of Hephaestus" were the Kabeiroi on the island of Samothrace; they were identified with the crab (karkinos) by the lexicographer Hesychius, and the adjective karkinopous, "crab-footed" signified "lame", Detienne and Vernant have observed: the Kabeiroi were seen as lame too. In some myths, Hephaestus built himself a "wheeled chair" or chariot with which to move around, thus helping him overcome his lameness while showing the other gods his skill. In Homer's Iliad it is said that Hephaestus built some bronze human machines to help him get around.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hephaestus


From Men, Myths & Mind

Hephaestus, Greek God of the Fire and Forge

    The Greek god Hephaestus was the only on of the Greek gods of Mount Olympus who had a "regular" job and actually worked with his hands. Hephaestus was also the only one of the Olympians who was born with a physical defect. It is unclear exactly how Hephaestus came to be lame. Several different explanations are given in different versions of his myths.

    In one version, he was born with a clubfoot and then thrown out of Mount Olympus because his parents could not accept his imperfection. In another version, the infant Hephaestus was injured in the fall after he was thrown out by Zeus, who was angry at his mother for having the nerve to conceive the baby without his help.

    

    Hera, with the help of a magical herb, had managed to "get herself pregnant" with the help of Zeus or any man, a process called parthenogenesis. (Note: Many myths name Hephaestus as the son who was born as a result of this immaculate conception, but in some versions the son was Ares.)

    Hera had done this to even the score with her husband for having given birth to Dionysus by himself. Here is short version of that story: Semele, one of Zeus' many lovers, lay dying while pregnant with Zeus' son Dionysus. With the help of Hermes, Zeus removed the unborn child and implanted him under the skin of his thigh where he remained until he was ready to be born.

    In an account written by Hesiod, Zeus cast Hephaestus out because he had attempted to rescue his mother from Zeus’ anger. Zeus had strung Hera from the starts for having caused the wreck of a sailing ship under Zeus’ protection during the Trojan war. Hephaestus had tried to free her from her bonds, was caught, and punished with expulsion from the heavens.



    Some versions of the myths name Zeus as the one who cast him out, others say it was Hera, and still others tell that both parents rejected him. The bottom line . . . Hephaestus got off to a rocky start in life, unwanted son of rejecting parents who saw no beauty in their little son. Not to mention ending up with a physical defect that left him lame.

    Whatever the reason, Hephaestus fell to earth, landing in the sea near the Island of Lemnos. He had the good fortune to be rescued and nursed back to health by a group of sea nymphs and Titan goddesses. They went to great lengths to keep him hidden from his parents, hiding him in their underwater cave.

    Living there, Hephaestus began his career of craftsmanship. Collecting coral, pearls, and precious metals from the ocean floor, he began to fashion exquisite jewelry. He even built little robots made of gold to help him get around. With the help of the one-eyed Cyclopes who were master metal smiths themselves, Hephaestus built a set of golden thrones for the Olympian gods and goddesses.

    



    Soon his creations were all the rage. Hera, wanting some of the marvelous jewelry that all the goddesses were wearing forced the goddess Thetis, who was one of the goddesses who had cared for Hephaestus while he was in hiding, to tell her who had made her gorgeous jewelry. Thetis told her that it was made by her own talented son.

    Hera saw that they had been wrong to reject Hephaestus, that in spite of his imperfections, he had the talent (not to mention good taste) of a god. She persuaded Zeus to welcome him back. And so, Hephaestus was invited to return to Mount Olympus and to take his place among the gods.

    


    Hephaestus politely declined, saying he was quite happy where he was. He set to work and fashioned a beautiful golden throne and sent it to Hera as a “thank you” for the invitation. The instant she sat on it, golden ropes flew out and entwined her, locking her into the chair. (We can safely assume that Hephaestus was still rather miffed with Hera over his earlier rejection.)

    Though everyone tried to free Hera from the fetters, Hephaestus’ design was so clever that none could master the trick. So Zeus sent his son Ares, god of war, to bring Hephaestus back to let Hera loose. Instead Hephaestus ran him off by hurling firebrands at him, and Ares made a hasty retreat.

    Zeus resorted to trickery next, sending Dionysus, the god of wine, to get Hephaestus drunk. Never much of a drinker, it didn’t take much wine for Hephaestus to get intoxicated. Soon he was making his triumphant return to Mount Olympus, passed out and slung over the back of a donkey.

    


    Not one to enjoy the pomp or the hustle and bustle of the royal palace, Hephaestus built an underground workshop and spent much of this time there working undisturbed. He initially refused to forgive Hera, saying only that he “had no mother”. Feeling very guilty about having abandoned him, Hera showered him with tools, materials, and helpers for his workshop. There he continued to invent and craft beautiful furniture, jewelry, armor, and weaponry of the highest quality. Eventually he and his mother were reconciled.

    His creations were truly marvels of function and beauty and are feature in many of the stories in Greek mythology.

    They included: the silver bows and arrows of Apollo and Artemis, the golden chariot of Apollo that pulled the sun across the sky, the Shield of Achilles, Athena’s spear, Hercules’ breastplate, the Aegis and Scepter of Zeus, and the battle armor of the Olympian armies, and the palaces of all the deities, complete with unbreakable locks.

    In addition to all this, Hephaestus is credited with the invention of the three-legged stool and the world’s first robots (his helpers, including a complete set of life-size golden handmaidens who helped around the house).



    Not all of Hephaestus’ powers were invested in the tools he created. As god of fire, he had immense powers like the other gods. When the river god Scamander attempted to drown Achilles, Hephaestus used his fire to dry up the river, saving the hero’s life.

    Although he was a recluse, happy to spend long hours in his workshop alone, Hephaestus was sometimes lonely and missed having a woman in his life. Attracted to the golden Athena, the goddess of wisdom, he sought to impregnate and marry her. Though Athena was fond of the gentle and talented Hephaestus, she had no interest in romance or marriage and turned him down. When she cast him aside, his semen fell to the ground and fertilized the earth, producing a son, who later became the first ruler of the city of Athens. Athena graciously reared the child.

    


    When the drop-dead-gorgeous Aphrodite arrived in their midst, Zeus, fearful that all the gods would be warring over her, arranged for her to marry Hephaestus. Zeus felt that the solid, dependable Hephaestus would make a good mate for Aphrodite, and perhaps even "settle her down" a bit. Aphrodite didn't refuse the ceremony but felt she was married "in name only" and had several love affairs, often leaving the miserable Hephaestus the unfortunate butt of everyone's jokes.

    Faithful, loving, and generous, Hephaestus showered his wife with his best creations. . . the finest furnishings, stunning jewelry, and even a magic girdle (bodice) that would make her irresistible to men (as if she needed any help in that department!) Aphrodite treasured all these gifts, but they did nothing to halt her amorous escapades.

    


    But at some point, Hephaestus could bear her affairs no longer and decided to shame her into putting a stop to them . . . or so he hoped. He fashioned an invisible, unbreakable net made of the finest silver threads. Pretending that he was going to his workshop for the day, he loudly called out his good-byes, and hid in the bushes near the front of the house. Soon he saw her current lover, Ares, the god of war, sneaking into the house. A few minutes later, Hephaestus burst into the bedroom and dropped the net over the lovers.

    While they lay trapped, nude and shivering, beneath the net, Hephaestus summoned all the gods and goddesses to come and see what he had caught in his net. It was quite a show, and they all were immensely amused.

    

    Hephaestus insisted the pair be called into court, charged with adultery, and ordered to stop their affair. He literally got “laughed out of court” when Ares pointed out that it was Hephaestus himself who had fashioned the magic girdle that made Aphrodite irresistible - whatever could he have been thinking? After the court fined Hephaestus for bringing such a frivolous suit. Poseidon paid the fines, saying that having the chance to look at Aphrodite in the nude was worth every penny of the cost!

    


    Talented, kind, and generous, Hephaestus was well-liked by all the Olympians even though he was not very involved in their plots. Simply put, he was, by nature, not very gregarious and generally preferred to spend his time being creative in his workshop.

    As the patron of all crafts, Hephaestus was beloved by the citizens of Greece who depended largely upon agriculture and handicrafts for their livelihood. More importantly, the average Greek held the Greek god Hephaestus in high regard because he was a "working man", proof that those who labor are also noble.

    Hephaestus reminds us of the value, and dangers, of losing ourselves in our work. Focusing intently on production, creativity, he was able to garner respect from others and build a genuine self-respect, and (almost) keep all his problems at bay.

Copyright©2002-2003 The Goddess Path
http://www.men-myths-minds.com/Hephaestus-greek-god.html

Exploring the archetypes: Hephaestus

This series of posts is going to be both collections of all information about a particular archetype in one place as well as an ongoing exploration of the archetype, it's mythological history, relations with other archetypes, whatever comes up

Hephaestus in myth: a synopsis

Hephaestus was the great Olympian god of fire, metalworking, stonemasonry and the art of sculpture. He was usually depicted as a bearded man holding hammer and tongs--the tools of a smith--and riding a donkey.

Some of the more famous myths featuring the god include:

   * His fall from Olympos in which he was cast away by Hera at birth;
    * The trapping of Hera in a cursed throne and his return to Olympos;
    * The adultery of his wife Aphrodite who was trapped with Ares in a golden net;
    * The crafting of Pandora, the first woman, at the command of Zeus;
    * The attempted rape of Athena which resulted in the impregnation of Earth and the birth of Erikhthonios;
    * The crafting of the cursed necklace of Harmonia which doomed her descendants to a cycle of tragedy;
    * The Trojan War in which he fought the river-god Skamandros with fire;
    * The crafting of the armour of Akhilleus at the request of the hero's mother Thetis.

 http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Hephaistos.html


From the Library of Halexandria

A rejected son.  He was [is] physical, manual rather than mental, motivated by emotions, did not use his mind or words.  “Rejected and betrayed, Hephaestus put his feelings into the objects he made, using tools for a creative purpose.”  Often ridiculed or called names by others, yielding low self-esteem.  One who identified himself exclusively with his work, was at a total loss without it.  Craftsman, inventor, artisan, loner, unvalued and rejected by the culture, earthy, passionate, creative, intense sexual and erotic fire, deeply introverted but would suddenly and unexpectedly erupt, crippled craftsman (or wounded artist, writer, healer, inventor, manufacturer) whose creativity was inseparable from his or her emotional wounds, sensitive to impending conflict, peacemaker, hard physical work saved him from depression, strong feelings not articulated, instinctual in his creativity, ill at ease, inner directed, bottled up his feelings, monogamous and faithful and expected his partner to reciprocate, here-and-now intensity, lacked a basic trust due to maternal rejection and neglect, his memory was not facts but events colored by emotions, could be emotionally crippled, constricted in expression, and alienated from others, might have become the buffoon or clown (hey fes' tus), TV couch potato, the strong silent man stereotype.  Son of devalued, angry, impotent mom.  Given a genuine admiration for women with intelligence, assertiveness, or beauty, he was drawn to women with these qualities and then would often give them power over him.  Hephaestus didn't strike back with his fists; instead, he devised elaborate plans to humiliate his persecutors.  

http://www.halexandria.org/dward373.htm 


Tarot Correspondences

Each archetype has two corresponding Tarot cards: one from the Minor Arcana, which shows the archetype at it's healthiest - it's the way we can manifest their power and energy. The corresponding card from the Major Arcana, on the other hand, is the divine gift of the spiritual realm that they're seeking to manifest through us.

Knight of Pentacles

Though his visions may not be earth-shattering, and his methods are certainly not original, the Knight of Pentacles sees that everything he undertakes will meet with nothing but success. He is the least kinetic of the four Knights, probably the least ambitious, though he carries the burden of responsibility that the other Knights often throw away in their haste to find glory and excitement. Where another man will charge in head-first, and end up doing little more than hurting himself, the person represented by the Knight of Pentacles will assess the situation. And then he will strike with the force of a hurricane, decisively and implacably. He is a dedicated worker and a loyal servant; when he says something will get done, it will. His persistence is virtually inexhaustible and he'll keep at a task until it's complete. His word is as strong as his hand, and he takes all of his promises seriously. The Knight of Pentacles likes doing things the old-fashioned way, and it could be said that his weakness is his lack of imagination. The old ways work fine for him, and he dislikes those who cannot keep their heads out of the clouds. There are many reasons to be like the Knight of Pentacles. In times when few people honor promises and value responsibilities, his energy is a welcome breath of duty and loyalty. When his energy is strong within you, never back down from responsibility and hold true to your word. Others will respect you if you give them reason to, and once they are your friends, never let them down and they will stay at your side through anything. Hard work produces the results you desire, if you are realistic in the pursuit of your goals. Leave nothing to chance, make plans and outline objectives. You have great potential for success if you stay firmly grounded.

The Magician (I)

The Magician's number is One, the number of creation and individuality; his power is transformation through the use of his will. He can take the Nothing from which the Fool emerged and shape it into Something, making one out of zero. A nearly universal association with the Magician is the red-and-white color scheme. This theme recurs throughout the Tarot and it is very symbolic that it starts with this card and not the Fool. For while the Fool was the potential for positive and negative, the Magician is the union of positive and negative. He creates and he preserves; he destroys and he redeems. His true power is that he not only knows what he must do, but he knows how he must do it, and why he must do it. Then he does it. The Magician reminds us that a wish alone will change nothing, but a decision can change everything. A desire to create is nothing without an ability to create, and vice-versa. Go out into the world, set your mind to whatever goal you are interested in, and then just stand back and watch as everything falls into place under your command. Ultimately, the message of the Magician is a simple one despite his limitless and infinitely complex power. Your life is under your control. Your life is what you want it to be. Your life is what you make it.

http://www.ata-tarot.com/resource/cards/index.html


Other Hephaestus posts

The Hephaestus archetype: a deeper look
Hephaestus in myth
Archetypal relationships: Aphrodite, Hephaestus and Ares
Musings on Hephaestus

Again, much of the above descriptions comes from The American Tarot Association, Goddess Power, The Library of Halexandria and from Wikipedia pages on the various tarot cards. All credit goes to them for their brilliant explorations of the archetypes and tarot cards. Make sure you check them out yourself and get their wisdom first hand (links are over there to the right.)