Vulcan also known
as Hephaestus was the god of the forge. Hephaestus is the son of
Zeus and Hera. Sometimes it is said that Hera alone produced him
and that he has no father. He is the only god to be physically ugly.
He is also lame and accounts as to how he became lame varies. Some
say that Hera, upset by having an ugly child, flung him from Mt Olympus
into the sea, breaking his legs. Others say that he took Hera's side
in an argument with Zeus and Zeus flung him off Mount Olympus. He
is the god of fire and the forge. He is the smith and armorer of
the gods. He uses a volcano as his forge and is the patron god of both
smiths and weavers. He is kind and peace loving. His wife is named Aphrodite.
Sometimes his wife is identified as Aglaia. He was a bearded man,
held a smith’s hammer, and wore an oval cap.