Temple of Hephaistos Polumetis

Hephaistos, the god of fire, was also the master of smithing, sculpture and stone masonry, and therefore a good patron for mortal craftsmen of all kinds. Both volcanoes and forges were his responsibility, and the god was usually depicted with the humble tools of a blacksmith to hand. He was also depicted as being remarkably ugly and lame, but he had an arranged marriage to Aphrodite arranged by his father, Zeus, even though she strayed from the path of marital fidelity with monotonous regularity. The gods could be somewhat whimsical, at times. He was considered to be the Greek counterpart, or original, to the Roman god Vulcan, and was honoured by all sensible craft workers.