If one were to choose a place to begin to study and understand Greek mythological figures then the logical place to start would be to study the role of Zeus in Greek mythology. The ancient Greeks viewed their gods as being a large interrelated group or society that had a very complex hierarchical system in which they all functioned collectively. At the very top of the gods hierarchical pyramid stood Zeus who was for all intents and purposes "the boss" of all the gods that lived and operated in and around Mount Olympus.

The ancient Greeks viewed their gods as being anthropomorphic, meaning that they all had human like forms to one degree or another. The Greeks saw Zeus as being a very large muscular man with a beard and caricatures of him that have been found in archaeological excavations show him to be somewhere in his mid to late thirties in age.

Zeus was the god of the sky and thunder and was though to have a short explosive temper. When and if he was angered and he often was, he would vent his rage by throwing down explosive spears from the sky and that was what the ancient Greeks attributed lighting and thunder to.

Zeus came to power after the war of the Titans in which the Titans Cronos and Rhea who were his mother and father were overthrown. At one point at the end of the war of the Titans it was believed that Cronos swallowed all of Zeus's siblings but Zeus was able to overpower Chronos and force him to regurgitate them after conquering his father in battle.

Zeus installed some of his siblings as gods on mount Olympus and he also married his elder sister Hera. Through the union with his wife Hera, he fathered Ares, Hebe and Eileithyia. History tells that Zeus had a previous wife by the name of Dione but very little is known about this mythological character.

What is known however, is that Zeus and Dione did produce one offspring by the name of Aphrodite who was the Olympic goddess of amorous affairs. According to Greek mythology Zeus fathered many offspring by a number of consorts and goddesses including Hermes with Maia, Dionysus with Semele, Artemis and Apollo with Leto, Perseus with Danae among others.

Zeus was viewed by the ancient Greeks as a very powerful god who had the ability to create change in areas where other gods couldn't such as the ability to transform mortals and even other gods.