Origin
Zeus is the last child of Cronus and Rhea. Warned that one of his sons would overthrow him, Cronus swallows each of his children at birth. To save Zeus, Rhea hides him in Crete and gives her husband a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes, which he swallows without suspicion.
The story
Raised in secret and fed by the goat Amalthea, Zeus returns as an adult, makes Cronus spit out his brothers and sisters, then leads a ten year war against the Titans. Victorious, he shares the world with his brothers: the sea for Poseidon, the underworld for Hades, the sky for himself.
From Olympus he rules over gods and men, armed with the thunderbolt forged by the Cyclopes. Protector of hospitality and oaths, he is also famous for his countless loves. The Romans made him Jupiter, the greatest of their gods.
The symbol
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system: it weighs more than twice as much as all the others combined. Its four great moons, discovered by Galileo in 1610, bear the names of figures loved by Zeus: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
In astrology, Jupiter stands for growth, confidence, luck and the meaning you give to your life. It rules Sagittarius and Pisces, and spends about a year in each sign.