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Zeus, son of Kronos and the great mother goddess, was the king and supreme ruler of the Greek gods. However, he is not famous for is leadership. Zeus's stories relate to his love of and lust for womenmany women. He married Hera (his second marriage, although most of the folklore about his first wife has bee lost). Supposedly, he truly loved her. Yet he continued having numerous affairs, and thereby fathering many illegitimate children. In the stories, Zeus or his lover often shift shapes or assume other identities. This results from Zeus's desire to hide the relationship from his wife. He uses his powers to disguise himself to avoid further marital strife, while still enjoying a variety of lovers.

Some of Zeus's most important affairs are the subject of many stories, artwork, and literature. With Europa, he disguised himself as a beautiful white bull. The cow appears again with Io, when he disguised her as a white cow to avoid Hera's suspicion. The plan failed, however, and he was forced to give Hera the cow as a gift. Some of his other affairs include Semela, Callisto, and Leto. He constantly oscillated between a variety of lovers, both mortal and not, and his wife.

In most versions of the story, Danae was an intelligent princess. All of the variations discuss her tremendous beauty. To protect her from Zeus's amorous advances, or perhaps just from the corruptive influence of the world, she was locking into a tower with no doors. Her only connection to the outside world was a small window. Zeus, disguised as a shower of gold, came through the window and seduced her. As a result, she bore his son Herakles. Their relationship ended as quickly as it had begun. Zeus returned (temporarily) to his wife, and Danae was left alone with the infant.

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