Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today's video, We're going to discuss what is most widely regarded as the most powerful weapon in Greek mythology, Zeus' lightning bolts. More specifically, where they came from, who made them, who transported them, and if their supply was limitless. Let's get into it.On the whole, Zeus' lightning bolts are presented as the most powerful weapon in Greek mythology. There are arguments to be made for others, such as the head of Medusa, which, in one version, Perseus used to turn the Titan Atlas to stone, and the entrails of the Ophiotaurus - a topic we just covered - which, if burned, bestowed the power to defeat the gods. Hades' helm of darkness and Poseidon's trident also come to mind, though, for these two, I think it's safe to say they're in the tier below. Zeus' lightning bolts allowed him to bring the universe under heel and to put down any and all threats to his rule, no matter how overwhelming or monstrous. They were instrumental in winning the Titanomachy, the war against the titans, in which Zeus supplanted his father, Cronus, to become the new ruler of the cosmos; they were indispensable in winning the Gigantomachy, the war against the giants, in which the giants were utterly destroyed; and unequivocally, without them, Zeus never would have defeated Typhon, the most powerful monster in all of Greek mythology and the last major threat that Olympus had to overcome.
