Hesiod, the Theogony
Myths to Know:The Succession MythPrometheusPandoraThe Olympian Gods |
*Please note:The line numbers provided here are from a full version of the text; line numbers are different in An Introduction to Mythology because they only print and number parts of the larger text.
Some general questions and notes about the text: What is Hesiod's goal in the Theogony? Why is he writing this, and what does he intend to tell his readers? Note how the world came into being, and the order of the first gods. lines 116 - 506
The Succession Myth explains how Zeus and the Olympian gods came to power. It depicts a vicious cycle of violence, where father attempts to prevent son from coming to maturity and taking power, resulting in son violently overthrowing father. Ouranos refused to let Gaia give birth to her children, forcing her to keep them deep within the earth. Eventually, Gaia helped her son Kronos overthrow Ouranos. Kronos repeated the cycle, swallowing his children. Rhea tricked him into swallowing a stone instead of Zeus, who then overthrew Kronos. Finally, Zeus was able to resolve this cycle, and presumably his reign will be eternal. How did Zeus resolve the succession myth? How would you characterize the different generations of gods? Why do you think that this cycle of violent repression and revolution is so central to the ancient Greek conception of how the gods and the universe came to be? How would you characterize the rule of Zeus? Why do you think that it is his rule that will be eternal? lines 507 - 534
How was Prometheus punished by Zeus? Why did Zeus punish Prometheus? How did Prometheus "trick" Zeus? What choice did Zeus have, and what did he choose? Was Zeus really tricked, according to Hesiod? Who is the hero and who is the villain in Hesiod's narrative? Do you agree? What practice does this myth provide an explanation for? How did Zeus punish mortal men? What did Prometheus do in response? What is the significance of fire in the Prometheus narrative? What is the "moral" of this story? How is the relationship between Gods and Men described in this story? How are men different from Gods? Are there any ways in which they are similar? lines 535 - 616
Note: Hesiod provides two variants of the Pandora myth - the other is in his Works and Days What does Hesiod tell us about each of the 14 gods considered to be part of the pantheon of the Olympians? Make some notes about how each is described - this will be helpful later.
They are: Zeus Poseidon Hades Demeter Aphrodite Hera Hestia Ares Athena Apollo Artemis Dionysus Hephaestus Hermes Why is it Zeus who becomes king of the gods? Why do you think that the Greek gods are portrayed as a family - why not a group of close friends, or some other group of unrelated people? |
Characters to KnowChaos
Gaea / Ge Ouranos / Uranus The Titans Eros Rhea Cronus Metis Pandora Prometheus The Muses The 14 Olympians (listed below) |