Hephaestus, who goes by many other names, is one of the Olympian Gods which feature prominently in Classical Greek mythology.
Description[]
Although normally depicted as a man who was lame in one foot, Hephaestus was held as being the god of volcanoes along with the various forms of craftsmanship, especially the art of the blacksmith. He worked his numerous forges from a private palace on Mount Olympus, where he created most of the mighty artefacts of the Gods, along with a throne for each of the Olympians, and numerous metal automatons to act as guardians and servants.
History[]
There are two conflicting myths about the parentage of Hephaestus. One of them has King of the Gods Zeus and his wife Hera as Hephaestus's parents. He was cast down from Mount Olympus when he attempted to protect his mother from Zeus's amorous advances), but eventually regained residence in his celestial home. While there, he bedded many of his fellow gods and produced offspring far too numerous to name here.
Another source claims that Hephaestus was an offspring of Hera, and Hera alone with no father involved. This was a revenge for Zeus having slept with Metis. However, Hephaestus was ugly, and because of this Hera cast him down from Mount Olympus. The fall caused the deformity of his leg.
In this version of the myth, the workshop of Hephaestus is located below mount Aetna, where imprisoned Typhon fuels its fires with his rage.