The Theogony of Hesiod - Ancient Greek Mythology - PDF Notes

The Theogony of Hesiod Divine Myth -​ Tales that are primarily concerned with the gods or supernatural beings -​ Stories concerning them can take place outside of the chronology of humans -​ They are barely mentioned -​ Divine myths often explain why the world is the way it...

The Theogony of Hesiod Divine Myth -​ Tales that are primarily concerned with the gods or supernatural beings -​ Stories concerning them can take place outside of the chronology of humans -​ They are barely mentioned -​ Divine myths often explain why the world is the way it is Etiological Myth -​ Etiology is from the Greek word meaning “cause” -​ The use of myth to explain facts concerning aspects of the natural or social world that cannot otherwise be explained within the knowledge of society at the time -​ Because people didn’t have any other way to explain the world around them, they created etiological myths to try and make sense of the unknown -​ It does not explain the real cause of a practice -​ Most applicable interpretation of myth Hesiod -​ Father migrated from Cyme in Aeolia to Ascra in Boeotia -​ When his father died the inheritance was not split evenly with his brother, Perses -​ He presents himself as a shepherd -​ The historical tradition places his life in the late 8th century -​ Depicted as Homer’s contemporary or just a little after -​ Active around ca. 700BC  -​ First Greek to give literary expression to the origins of the physical world, the gods, and the origins of the customs of humans -​ He is most famous for this -​ His version is not the first/original version but it’s the first ever versions written down Theogony -​ Theogony = Origin of the gods (Theo = gods, ogony = origin) -​ Cosmogony = Origin of the world -​ Hesiod is an organizer in that he arranges divine abstractions, monsters, gods, and heroes into a lineage of genealogy -​ He not only defines each abstraction, but places them in relation to each other, which adds further significance The First Abstract Being -​ From Chaos (void/chasm) came Gaia, Tartarus, and Eros -​ Then Erebus (the gloom of Tartarus) and Nyx (Black Night), from which came Hemera (Day) and Aether (upper atmosphere) -​ Gaia gave birth to Ouranos, who became her equal and consort Offspring -​ Children of Ouranos and Gaia -​ 12 Titans including Cronos and Rhea, Oceanus and Thethys, Hyperion and Theia  -​ Helius, Selene, and Eos -​ 3 Cyclops: Brontes (Thunderer), Steropes (Lightning/flasher), and Arges (Brightener) -​ 3 Hecatonchires: Cottus, Briareus, and Gyes -​ Hectata = 1 hundred in greek Aphrodite -​ Foam (Aphros) born goddess -​ Other tradition says she was born from Zeus and Dione -​ Cytherea, Cyprogenes, and Philommedes (genital-loving) Offspring Born of Ouranos’ Castration -​ Born from the blood from the castration which mixed with the earth (Gaia) -​ Erinyes - the furies - gods of divine retribution -​ Giants -​ Nymphs called Meliae - Woodland Spirits Cronos and Rhea -​ Rhea gives birth to the first 6 Olympian gods -​ Hestia -​ Demeter -​ Hera -​ Hades -​ Poseidon  -​ Zeus Divine Conflicts -​ Titanomachy (mache = war) - war with the Titans -​ Typhonomachy - War with Typhoeus, the offspring of Gaia and Tartarus Altar of Pergamum (180 - 159 BC) Homeric Hymn to Athena -​ Tells the story of Athena being born from Zeus’ head. She is immediately shown to be powerful. This is different from other origin stories because other gods had to prove their worth (Hephaestus, Dionysus, Hermes, Zeus, etc) -​ When Athena is born everything is described to have erupted in chaos and the gods are all in awe. Things are shifting and another mache could be taking place. Athena’s birth disrupts the universe because that’s how important and powerful she is -​ However, after she is born, she takes off her armour, indicating that she isn’t here to fight, and Zeus rejoices and everything goes back to the way it was. Everything returns back to normal because Zeus is not going to be challenged -​ Typhoeus is born in a similar way to Athena but Zeus defeats him Works and Days -​ Written for Perses (Hesiod’s brother): To help reconcile their dispute and to give him advice on truth, justice, and proper behaviour  -​ Zeus upholds justice (Hesiod wants to emphasize that you can’t escape the justice of Zeus) -​ Explains why there is hardship: -​ Two Types of Strife (Eris): -​ One compels men to work and compete for riches (to see what others have and to work harder so you can do and be better) -​ The other makes battle thrive and war (To take things away from others) -​ Zeus’ conflict with Prometheus -​ Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans -​ Prometheus is the archetypal “trickster”. He tried to out smart Zeus, but according to Hesiod, he was unable to -​ Also archetypical culture hero/god -​ Prometheus is described as kind and wise so he’s not necessarily a bad person or a villain. Hesiod is saying that even a kind person like Prometheus cannot escape Zeus’ wrath Pandora -​ Pan = all, dora = gifts -​ Reference to all the divine beings that created her -​ Story from the Theogony 570-617 -​ In this version, Hephaestus and Athena creates Pandora -​ Story from Works and Days 60-105 -​ Hephaestus, Athena, Aphrodite, and Hermes all contributed to the creation of Pandora  -​ Hesiod clearly hates women in a society that is already pretty misogynistic. He sees the creation of women as being bad Pandora (Works and Days) -​ Gave her and a pithos (storage vessel) to Epimetheus -​ Prometheus said not to accept gifts from Zeus -​ The pithos ended up being full of all the evils in the world. It was opened and all of these things were released but when it was finally closed, there was one thing left in the pithos - hope. -​ There are many different interpretations as to why hope could be the only thing left but Hesiod and Greek society might have seen hope as a negative thing at the time. (*Story about having rice stored up to make it through the winter) -​ “There is no way to escape the will of Zeus” -​ A punishment/trade off for the gift of fire Pandora (Theogony) -​ Pandora is made because Prometheus stole fire -​ Hephaestus and Athena contributed to her creation -​ In the Theogony, Hesiod emphasizes the importance of work and building your own wealth. Also emphasizes the importance of justice, bearing children, marriage, sacrifice to the gods, and fire. He doesn’t care about the creation of humans in Works and Days or the Theogony Pandora as “Anesidora” (Sender-up of Gifts) - an Epithet also of Gaia and Demeter -​ *She is an Epithet (also like Gaia and Demeter) because she is made of clay (from the earth), a fertility figure, agricultural aspect, etc