Hephaestus was the blacksmith of the gods, who created the wondrous armor that Achilles wore to kill Hector, as a favor to Achilles' mother, the nymph Thetis. Unlike the normally perfect-in-form Olympians, Hephaestus was lame. How he injured his legs is confusing, as is his birth story. According to one version, Zeus and Hera, who were always fighting -- frequently about the women in Zeus' life -- were Hephaestus' parents. Once, as a result of Hera's defiance of her husband in connection with his half-human son Hercules, Zeus chained her up. After Hera's dutiful son Hephaestus came to her rescue, a furious Zeus tossed him from Mt. Olympus. It took Hephaestus a day to fall, landing on Lemnos, with crippled legs.

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Hephaestus image © Clipart.com.