Child of Zeus and Hera, craftsman and smith of the Gods and, as is so often the case among Aryan smithy Deities, lame. Among the
Hellenes, he was something of a hapless fool, a figure of jest and contempt. This stems from the very strong Classic Mediterranean attitude which held
manual labor to be an unworthy thing, fit only for slaves and others of little importance. His lameness is said by some to be from birth, but by others to
be a result of Zeus casting him off Olympus in a fit of rage, owing to Hephaestos' siding with Hera in an argument.
