Classical Mythology

(^118) THE MYTHS OF CREATION: THE GODS
him drunk and brought him back to Olympus triumphantly. On vases this scene
is variously depicted with a tipsy Hephaestus on foot or astride a donkey, led
by Dionysus alone or with his retinue.
We are also told that he was hurled to earth (presumably on an another oc-
casion?), this time by Zeus. Hephaestus landed on the island of Lemnos, was
rescued, and eventually returned home. Lemnos in classical times was an im-
portant center of his worship. Other volcanic regions (e.g., Sicily and its envi-
rons) were also associated with this divine smith; these places bore testimony
to the fire and smoke that at times would erupt from his forge.
At the close of Book 1 of the Iliad, Hephaestus himself recounts the episode
of Zeus' anger against him. We excerpt this passage because it illustrates many
The Return of Hephaestus, detail from an Attic black-figure column-krater by Lydos, ca. 550
B.c.; circumference 74 in., height 23 in. The procession is painted round the vase, with
Dionysus on one side and on the other (shown here) Hephaestus riding on a mule and
accompanied by Sileni, satyrs, and dancing maenads. A snake, bunches of grapes, and
wineskins emphasize the role of Dionysus in the myth of the drunken Hephaestus' re-
turn to Olympus. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fletcher Fund, 1931 (31.ll.Uobv.). All
rights reserved, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.)