Symbolism behind Hephaestus riding a donkey When Hephaestus returns to Olympus after being thrown out by Hera, some authors/artists portray him as riding a donkey:  Is there any reason why he rides a donkey? Why not a horse or a turtle?

According to Wikipedia (though I cannot confirm), it is a mule.

A donkey would actually make _more_ sense, as Dionysus was the one who helped Hephaestus return to Olympia after his fall (source), and **the donkey is associated with Dionysus** and his ways, according to _The Book of Symbols_ (316).