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

Hephaestus is the Greek god of artisans, blacksmiths, carpenters, craftsmen, fire, metallurgy, metalworking, sculpture and volcanoes. In Greek mythology, Hephaestus was the son of Hera, either on her own or by her husband Zeus. He was cast off Mount Olympus by his mother Hera because of his lameness, the result of a congenital impairment; or in another account, by Zeus for protecting Hera from his advances (in which case his lameness would have been the result of his fall rather than the reason for it). He was brought back to Olympus by Dionysus and was one of the only gods to have returned after exile.

As a smithing god, Hephaestus made all the weapons of the gods in Olympus. He served as the blacksmith of the gods, and was worshipped in the manufacturing and industrial centres of Greece, particularly Athens. The cult of Hephaestus was based in Lemnos. Hephaestus's symbols are a smith's hammer, anvil, and a pair of tongs. In Rome, he was equated with Vulcan.

A blacksmith and craftsman, Hephaestus made weapons and military equipment for the gods and certain mortals, including a winged helmet and sandals for Hermes and armour for Achilles. Traditionally, his ill-matched consort was Aphrodite, though Homer lists Charis, the personification of Grace, as Hephaestus’s wife in the Iliad.

Originally a deity of Asia Minor and the adjoining islands (in particular Lemnos), Hephaestus had an important place of worship at the Lycian Olympus. His cult reached Athens not later than about 600 bce (although it scarcely touched Greece proper) and arrived in Campania not long afterward.

In art Hephaestus was generally represented as a middle-aged bearded man, although occasionally a younger, beardless type is found. He usually wore a short sleeveless tunic and a round close-fitting cap on his unkempt hair.

Below are characters from Greek mythology who are considered children of Hephaestus. In some cases there are conflicting stories about who their parents are. A complete list is here.
* Thalia
* Erichthonius
* Cabeiri

While not yet summoned by Carter, Hephaestus was among the mythological figures that could be summoned forth from Craig Carter's magic ring.

All published appearances of Hephaestus from before January 1, )-(95)}} are public domain in the US.

Notable appearances are listed below:

* Iliad
* Odyssey
* Theogony
* Fabulae
* Dionysiaca
* Argonautica
* Dialogues of the Gods by Lucian

* Kid Eternity #14

* The minor planet 2212 Hephaistos, discovered in 1978 by Soviet astronomer Lyudmila Chernykh, was named in Hephaestus' honour.

Hephaestus - Kid Eternity -14.jpg|From Kid Eternity #14

* Wikipedia
* [https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hephaestus,_Greek_god_of_blacksmiths.jpg Wikimedia Commons]
* [https://comicvine.gamespot.com/hephaestus/4005-2857/ Comicvine]
* [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/ClassicalMythologySecondGenerationOlympians TV Tropes]
* Myths in Media Wiki
* Myth & Folklore Wiki
* [https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Hephaistos.html Theoi]
* [https://www.giantbomb.com/hephaestus/3005-14609/ GiantBomb]
* Religion Wiki
* Gacha Games Wiki
* [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hephaestus Britannica]
* DC Wiki
* Marvel Wiki
* Ultimate Pop Culture Wiki
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