Hephaestus (Vulcan) Sightings
- The Iliad by Homer 800BC - 600BC
Hephaestus forges some top-notch armor for the kick-butt hero Achilles in this epic poem.
- Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus 430BC
The smith god reluctantly chains the Titan Prometheus to a rock in this classic Greek tragedy.
- The Aeneid by Virgil 29BC - 19BC
In Book 8, the goddess of love uses her feminine wiles to get her husband to forge fabulous armor for her son, Aeneas.
- The Metamorphoses by Ovid 2
The Roman poet Ovid collected all kinds of wild stories about the gods in The Metamorphoses. Here you'll find myths about Vulcan (a.k.a. Hephaestus), but be sure to check out Book 4, where Vulcan catches his wife cheating with Mars (Ares).
- Orlando Furioso by Ludovico Ariosto 1532
Mars and Venus just can't live down their affair. In this epic poem, the net Vulcan used to catch the lovers is stolen. Unfortunately for the thief, he's caught in the net himself.
- Fantasia 1940
The blacksmith god gets to work in Disney's Fantasia. He's busily making lightning bolts for Zeus to toss at the drunken Dionysus. Watch his scene here.
- Thor #129 – Marvel Comics 1968
The Greek god of fire makes an appearance in this comic book starring the Norse god of thunder. According to these comics, Hephaestus' blacksmith hammer may be the equal of Thor's hammer, Mjolnir.
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan 2005 - 2009
Hephaestus is mentioned in places throughout the series, but only puts in an appearance in three books: The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian.
- God of War III 2010
Hephaestus is a major character in the third installment of this video game series. The game's antihero, Kratos, kills Hephaestus in the end, though (along with almost all of the other Olympians).
- The Heroes of Olympus Series by Rick Riordan 2010 - 2011
Hephaestus and his mechanically-minded kids also show up in Riordan's second Percy Jackson series, especially in the first book, The Lost Hero. His demigod son Leo is one of the stars.