The following article is the product of chance and curiosity. As I mentioned in my previous post, I have always had a fascination with Greek mythology. I have read many books that address different ways of understanding and studying the subject. On one occasion I stumbled by mere chance with a rather light, and a little "self help" style, of interpreting the Greek archetypes. This way of studying the Greek gods is identified as part of modern psychology and the "New Age" style. I do not know how real this classification is, but I can tell you that it is an interesting way to see the subject.
Remember that an archetype is a pattern from which other forms and ideas are molded. The archetypes are in the collective unconscious of humanity. It can be said that the personalities of all human beings are the representation of a particular archetype. The way of being of each one of us is influenced by a specific model.
The aim of a series of articles that I am going to publish, starting from the present, is to describe the Greek archetypes and how are the characteristics of the people who identify with each one of them. It is a kind of horoscope of the Greek archetypes, or something similar. I think it can be interesting, at least it was for me, while I was doing the task of seeing which of the Greek gods resembles my personality.
As I most likely suspect, I will start with the most famous of the Greek gods, because there is no other, I choose to respect the hierarchy they decided and start with their leader: Zeus.
Let's take a short account of the myth of Zeus before defining what its characteristics are:
Zeus was the youngest son of Cronus and Rhea. He was the only one of his brothers who was not devoured by his father, who felt threatened by the idea that one of his sons would take away his throne.
Zeus' mother deceived Cronos by giving him some rocks to devour instead of the younger son. Later he hid the infant god until he was old enough to return and overthrow his father with the help of other titans. He freed all the brothers that his father swallowed before he was born. The dominion of the world was shared with his brothers; Hades obtained the Underworld; Poseidon the seas and Zeus touched the heavens.
From then on, he dedicated himself to governing the rest of the gods through alliances and strength. He was married several times to forge alliances. He had many children of different women. Some of his children include Athena, Hermes, Apollo, Dionysus, Ares, Hephaestus, among others. But the most relevant union of all, was the one he had with his wife, Hera. It was the most important of all, he always recognized her as his consort, although on innumerable occasions he was unfaithful to many other goddesses and mortal women. He was a severe and difficult god who always had favorite children.
In short, Zeus was the leader of the gods and also of men, he was a very unfaithful husband, a stern and at the same time consenting father, depending on the son with whom he interacted. He always took advantage of every opportunity to take advantage and never missed an opportunity to impose his authority and show who was in charge.
Qualities of the of Zeus man.
These are the characteristics that identify a Zeus man. I'll start with the positive qualities and then move on to the negative traits.
- It is the father god by definition. One who likes to have control over everything around him. That is why he imposes rules and punishes when they disobey him. The Zeus man is like that, he likes to have control over his family and everyone around him. He is the one who always wants to be the center of attention in a meeting, in his home. He is the one who always wants to impose the rhythm and the rules.
- The Zeus man will probably see fatherhood as something important in his life. He will want to have children and the more they are, the better. He will want to be admired, loved and respected by them.
- He is a leader by nature that demonstrates control and decision. He always imposes his reason, he is ambitious and possesses a triumphant thought. His goal at all times is Olympus, the summit of all. The bird that represents it is the eagle, and Zeus, from his throne, was able to see in the distance his objectives with the sharp vision of one of these birds. The Zeus man is charismatic and diplomatic, moves with intelligence and knows how to make alliances to achieve the goal he wants.
- In general, the Zeus man represents the most celebrated figure within patriarchal societies. Usually they are rulers, heads of armies, successful and aggressive executives, owners or presidents of companies, and any other position representative of power. They are men who need a space where to be the chiefs, they require a kingdom where to command.
- They are charming and great conquerors of women.
Negative traits of the man Zeus.
- The man Zeus, imitating the behavior of the god, can come to see women as mere objects of seduction and conquest. Having many loving women can become a way to demonstrate power and influence. As the god was transformed into different things to seduce women, the Zeus man can disguise himself as loving, tender and be a knight to conquer them, but once he achieves his goal, he forgets this facet forever, and simply becomes dominant.
- It can become hurtful when interacting with the people around you, to the point of not measuring the things you say or your actions. Never, or in few and few occasions, he will ask for forgiveness for making mistakes or he will assume his mistakes.
- It has a very developed and evident sense of superiority. Not only is he a great ruler of his life, but he also governs that of others. It will always be seen as a dominant being before everyone because its presence imposes. According to his vision of the world, he is always right and very difficult to give in to the ideas of others.
- You can also take such a controlling position with your family, which will impose your decisions sharply. You may choose to look for an absolutely submissive woman who is incapable of contradicting you or making you see your mistakes.
Recommendations for a Zeus man.
As you can see the man Zeus has positive and negative elements. This way of studying the Greek archetypes recommends some procedures to diminish or overcome the negative traits. This can be achieved by bringing characteristics of other gods that help to forge a balance in a certain person.
For the archetype of Zeus, for example, they recommend developing characteristics of Poseidon that will help him to better develop his feelings and passions; of Hades, he must learn to be more spiritual and less materialistic; Dionysus must learn to enjoy life more with the senses and to give it a more playful tone. In other articles I will talk about the rest of the gods so that they understand better what their characteristic features are and how they should be interpreted.
Example of Zeus man:
Donald Trump seems the perfect example of the archetype of Zeus. He started as a real estate developer, he moved with astuteness, he made strategic alliances and he managed to amass a fortune. He made his image and name a symbol of success. But one day, eager for a bigger kingdom, he launched himself into the US presidency and won it. He became the most important leader in the world. He has the reputation of a womanizer and a tough man when negotiating, and he also shows an eagle vision that allows him to clearly identify his goals. He always wants to impose his point of view as the best, and does not admit that his ideas could be wrong, for example, the issue of the wall on the border with Mexico. Insist on the wall despite being a terrible idea. He has many children who apparently admire him, to whom he shapes his likeness. It never leaves aside its airs of superiority. He thinks himself lord and master of lightning, and believes that this world is his Olympus.
