Hephaestus, immaculately conceived by the goddess Hera, is the god of
fire, volcanoes, metals, metallurgy, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans,
sculptors and technology. Worshiped in manufacturing and industrial
centers, Hephaestus serves as the blacksmith of the gods. Hephaestus
forged impenetrable armor for the hero Achilles at the behest of his
mother Thetis. When Achilles was an infant, Thetis dipped him in the
river Styx, which forms the boundary between earth and the underworld
(Hades), making him invulnerable, except for the heel by which she held
him.
A late archaic Attic red figure cup
[
Berlin F 2294] shows Thetis receiving the armor of Achilles from Hephaestus.