Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

The marriage of Hephaestus and Aphrodite was arranged by Zeus; some versions of the myth say Zeus wanted her to marry so the other gods wouldn't fight over her, and found Hephaestus to be the most unfaltering. In another version, Hephaestus was given Aphrodite in exchange for releasing Hera after capturing her in revenge. In any case, Aphrodite resented the arrangement, and she had many affairs, most notably with Ares, through which they gave birth to Eros (who followed his mother), and the twins Deimos and Phobos (who followed their father). Other love affairs were with Dionysus and Hermes. She also had a few mortal lovers, such as Adonis.

In the episode, Hephaestus says, "If Zeus had been my father, maybe my life would be different." There are varying versions of Hephaestus' birth in Greek mythology. Some say he is the product of Hera and Zeus, but others say he was solely a product of Hera, who chose to create him without Zeus out of jealousy of Zeus' giving birth to Athena without her.

In Greek Mythology, Hephaestus was the god of blacksmithing, technology, invention and metallurgy. He was the son of Hera and Zeus (or in some versions, just Hera). He was lame and disfigured, causing Hera to throw him off Mount Olympus as a baby. However, he was later brought back when his skill with metal was demonstrated. He is credited with having made much of the equipment of the gods and heroes (Hermes' helmet and sandals, Eros' bow and arrows, Aphrodite's girdle, etc.).

Character Name: The evil henchman Iagos is meant to bring to mind another evil henchman named Iago, who is a the bad guy in Shakespeare's tragedy Othello.