Odyne Zeus

Odyne Zeus

Epithets:

*Alfodr Asagrim (Allfather Lord of the Æsir)
*The Hero of the Titanomachy
*Exalted son of Cronus
*King of the Gods
*Hoárr Svidur (One eyed Wise One)
*Divine Retribution Incarnate
*Ragnarok Preventer
*He who finally defeated Typhon
*Sidhott Gangari (Broad Hat Wanderer)
*Supreme Commander-in-chief of the Gods of War
*Zeus Chrysaoreus (Zeus of the Golden Sword)
*Har Geirvaldr (High Spear Master)
*Sky Father
*Oath-breaker
*Hypsistus Zeus (Most High Zeus)
*He who marshals the thunderheads
*Zeus Ceraunius (Zeus of the Thunderbolt)
*Zeus Astrapaeus (Zeus of the Lightning)
*Runni vagna (Mover of Constellations)
*Lord of the Valkyries
*Lord of the Einherjar
*Unn Havi (Beloved High One)
*Divine Smiter of the Wicked
*Deus Agathus (The Good God)
*Archon of the Universe
*Jörmunr Bileyg (Cosmic Wavering Eye)
*The Father of a Thousand Heroes
*The Great Womanizer
*Sworn blood brother of the Trickster Shapeshifter

Bio:

Known by many names, Odyne Zeus is the eponymous "King of the Gods". He rules over the Zenith Pantheon, the largest Æsar organization dedicated to the rule and protection of the various realms under them. He came to his position after the Titanomachy. Many mortal myths state that he acquired this after he united the various Gods and usurped his tyrannical father, Cronus, and his Titan brethren. The actual truth of how he came to power is actually much more complex than that and is unfortunately lost to time for most mortal civilizations. What can be agreed upon however is that through his efforts and the efforts of those under him, the universe was able to recover from the devastating aftermath of the primordial war. While some would argue that the universe is still recovering, the general consensus stands. Because of this, Zeus has been heralded by many and is considered as a wise and powerful paragon by most despite his flaws.

Among his powers Odyne Zeus is most famous for his control over lightning. With it, he has been known to hurl lightning bolts across the vast reaches of space to smite the wicked. Once Zeus has his eye set on a wrongdoer, it does not matter how much protection they have or how far they are from him. Zeus's lightning bolts will always find their mark with deadly accuracy. Whether they be mortal or immortal, none can escape from the being that has been named "Divine Retribution Incarnate" among other things. On the matter on whether or not one can survive being hit by Zeus depends on Zeus' mood when he threw the lightning bolt. The voltage of his bolts tend to be more higher if he is angry. Immortality can help somewhat dull the pain from being hit but it usually just incites Zeus to hurl another more powerful bolt. The notion that lightning never strikes the same place twice fails in lite of Zeus' accuracy. For this many rightfully respect and fear Zeus.

While a lightning bolt from Zeus can hurt, it is not the full expression of his mastery of this particular power of his. That would be Gungnir, Zeus' spear of power which when thrown amplifies Zeus' power to unquantifiable amounts. Also unlike Zeus' regular lightning bolts, it will always return to his hand with the same amount of electricity from when it was thrown. A chilling thought as it means that anyone who has been skewered by Gungnir will get shocked again even before Zeus decides to throw it a second time. Furthermore, if Zeus focuses enough of his power in Gungnir, he can not only blast a planet with a two large continent sized explosion and cause said planet to temporarily lose orbit, but the power released will also cause a temporary flux in the fabric of space and time in the general area within and surrounding the impact zone. To add more terror, such a use of this power will happen twice given Gungnir's nature. The power of Zeus when using Gungnir is thus frightening. Fortunately, Zeus never uses Gungnir unless in the direst of situations. However, if Zeus is ever seen holding it, it only means the direst of thresholds has been reached.

Odyne Zeus is also renowned for his wisdom. It is stated that he was a wise God before the primordial war who became even wiser when he sacrificed his eye sometime after it. While some may question exactly how wise he is, it is generally accepted that he is at least wiser than the average God. His wisdom manifests itself most prominently in military tactics. When dealing in situations which require a large number of Gods or mortal armies, Zeus is a brilliant tactician. In fact, it has often been stated that the reason that most of the known universe has been protected to an extent from various demonic forces, most notably the Abaddon Ordu of Akgrizzleos, is thanks to Zeus. As a matter of fact, he is such a brilliant tactician that he became the honorary God that the Valkyries answer to most prominently despite certain flaws. In other areas besides military, Zeus is a wise leader who justly rules over all those under him. He punishes the wicked and rewards the just. He is often heralded as a just and fair ruler. However how just and fair, and for that matter how wise, a ruler Zeus is subject to interpretation. While it may be cultural thing, there has been more than one occasion wherein Zeus' actions have been questioned. Some of Zeus' actions could be seen as morally just in the eyes of a God or any other immortal, however in the eyes of a mortal, those very same actions could be seen as too extreme. Of course, Gods and immortals aren't exactly exempt from what Zeus does. Some of his actions really make them question what he was thinking in the first place. Its one thing to do something that would be disagreeable with a puny mortal but to do something that would be disagreeable with your divine kin is another thing. In the end though, what Zeus does is usually for the greater good which is often quite shown. Although, it is rather clear that there is some dissonance between Zeus and most people in one way or another.

One of the things Zeus that puts his wisdom in question is what he does in his spare time. Zeus often travels the mortal realms in the disguise of an old man which often looks like stereotypical wizard. While it is not uncommon for a God to go incognito among mortals, the frequency in which Zeus does so would make anyone wonder. While in disguise, he would often ask to be invited to stay the night in a house or two. Depending on whether his request was accepted and the hospitality of his hosts, he would either reward them or punish them cruelly. Now this too is not uncommon for a God to do as it is generally accepted as a form of doing their duties as a divine being. However, what makes it all questionable is sometimes it seems less like Zeus performing his divine duties or more like Zeus doing something related to what he unfortunately infamous for. That being scouting for beautiful mortal women for him to seduce.

Despite all his virtues and paragon status, Zeus is unfortunately infamous for seducing mortal women, a lot of mortal women. The practice itself is not looked down by most Gods and some mortals due to a double standard. Its however the frequency that Zeus does this that what shocks most people. He does this so often that he has earned the title of "The Great Womanizer". Adding more fire to the issue is the number of kinky ways Zeus does it with the women for which he is also infamous for. Some worth mentioning is turning himself into a swan, turning himself into a shower of gold, turning both himself and his lover into ants, turning himself into a rather endowed satyr, and turning himself into one of his daughters in order to seduce one of her female worshipers. This issue with Zeus is just that big and unsubtle to the point of being utterly depraved. Its something that most who are associated with Zeus aren't proud of, most notably the Valkyries. What's more it has more than often hurt those who are closest to Zeus. None more so than the lovers he leaves behind and his bastards.

After a shag or two with a mortal woman, Zeus would usually leave them just as suddenly as he had met them, sometimes to never associate with them ever again. Most often than not, they would soon give birth to a bastard child of Zeus'. This Demigod would exhibit some traits commonly associated with Zeus. How evident the traits are and which traits inherited varies amongst children, however certain patterns would show that they are definitely a child of Zeus. Now depending on the culture of the mother, those around the mother, and the mother herself, this child was either a good thing or a bad thing. Sometimes, the child would be heralded right away as divine gift usually thanks to people realizing who the child's father was. Other times, the child would be branded as a demon usually thanks to people not realizing the aforementioned fact. In either case, it doesn't matter whether or not the child is recognized as a child of Zeus. Zeus pretty much does not even recognize his bastard children.

The consensus is that Zeus generally does not recognize his own children with mortal women. He may know who they are, however he would often not see them as worthy. His children thus have to prove their very worth and existence to their father. Many have tried achieving so by becoming heroes who do mighty deeds. These deeds are often so extraordinary that many are still sung to this day. Though they struggle through life while doing these deeds, they however are still not recognized by Zeus. It is only however when they die with a lifetime's worth of honor are they finally accepted by Zeus and invited to his side as they ascend and become immortal Einherjar. This has always been the way Zeus treats his bastard children. There might be some deviations with how he treats each one but the constants are always the same. He may occasionally help some one way or another, however those he helps just show some potential in his eye, not necessarily something worth recognition. What's more, only those who actually do something extraordinary are recognized. Those who do not just die normally.

Why does Zeus do these shameful things with his multiple lovers and his bastard children? While Zeus himself is not willing to state his reasons, they are two theories. The first theory is that because of the limits of what the "King of the Gods" is allowed to do, he wants to do more good in the universe even if its indirectly. He has so many lovers because he saw in them the potential to give birth to heroes with the right upbringing. He does not recognize his bastards as he wants them to be independent and struggle through the hardships of life on their two feet without being cradled by him. He only recognizes those who have done extraordinary things as they have fully achieved something in life and thus earned their happy ending. It is this theory and its apparent proof what with all the extraordinary things Zeus' children have done, that Zeus has been called "The Father of a Thousand Heroes".

The other theory is that Zeus is in reality cultivating an all powerful army loyal to him. He has so many lovers because he saw in them the potential to give birth to warriors with the right genes. He does not recognize his bastards because he wants to mold them into the perfect warriors. He only recognizes those who have done extraordinary things as they are the only ones with the experience to fight for him. Why does he want such an army, its because he is preparing something that will happen. Something big that requires all these powerful warriors. This theory is rather pessimistic to some degree but its hard to argue against considering since Zeus in the past has been known to be a well-intentioned extremist in the past.

While both these theories may conflict some ideologies and beliefs about Odyne Zeus, they may not be mutually exclusive at least for some. For those that believe in both, they see Zeus both wanting to do more good indirectly and prepare an army for something truly heroic. Then again, there are those that see both theories as wrong and that say Zeus is just a jerk. They may have a point to some extent but its hard to say otherwise definitely when dealing with the complexities of the "King of the Gods".

Notes:

*I generally combined Odin and Zeus together similar to how others took artistic license and combined different gods to either give more aspects to one god, or create a new god. I basically did what the Romans did when faced with multiple gods over multiple cultures. What I did with Zeus here is also similar to what Terry Pratchett, creator of Discworld, apparently did with
Blind Io.
*The thing on his head is a laurel wreath made from lightning.
*The lightning bolt in his hand is not Gungnir. It is a generic lightning bolt. If he was wielding Gungnir, it would mean something serious was happening.