The deformed god symbolising social redeeming: Hephaestus, among the 12 great gods of Olympus, is a symbol of redemption.
Marked by a malformation in his feet that made them appear crooked and him lame, Hephaestus metaphorically represents “the redemption of uniqueness”.
Because of his disability, he was expelled from Olympus by his father Zeus himself, throwing him into the ocean, but then rescued by the sea goddesses and raised by the sea nymphs Nereids who taught him the art of metalwork.
He redeems himself to the world becoming over time to be an extremely valuable craftsman.
Efesto becomes simultaneously the archetype of individual redemption and of the deep human need to transform matter, of making through genius and manual dexterity, of creating functional and beautiful objects. He represents profound values, which we identify in the individual’s ability to react to adversity and in passion for beauty, for creativity and for valuable things conceived and made with one’s own hands.