History Chapter 4 - The Greek Pantheon PDF

# Chapter 4 - The Greek Pantheon The stories of the gods of Greece are much older than any of the cities of Classical Antiquity - even those of Ionia. Tablets containing their names even predate the form of Greek writing used by Homer. At least a dozen gods and goddesses, each with his or her own s...

# Chapter 4 - The Greek Pantheon The stories of the gods of Greece are much older than any of the cities of Classical Antiquity - even those of Ionia. Tablets containing their names even predate the form of Greek writing used by Homer. At least a dozen gods and goddesses, each with his or her own set of powers and characteristics, ruled ancient Hellas for thousands of years before the old ways broke apart and the age of Catholicism began. In fact, these beliefs were probably so strong and enduring because they were reinforced across the known world of the Greeks, including the cultures of the Norse, the Italians, and even the Indus River Valley civilization. Ancient migration and trade patterns almost certainly spread the stories of hundreds of different gods and goddesses from one end of Europe to another, stretching across western Asia and down into India. The creation story of the Greeks is one that still resonates with people of the Mediterranean. It begins with Chaos. ## Chaos Chaos was black nothingness, empty and void and without purpose. From its void, the Earth Mother, Gaia, sprang forth. She was the physical form of the Earth, a deity in itself that would come to nurture all the people and creatures of the world. She was the only form that appeared out of Chaos, either. Next, there was Eros, Abyss, and Erebus, the gods of love, the underworld, and the mysteries of death. As they all dwelt together in Chaos, Gaia became pregnant without taking a male counterpart and gave birth to Uranus, the sky god, as well as his brother Pontus, god of the ocean. Gaia and Uranus became lovers, and from their union, the twelve Titans were born. Their union also bore the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires. Though the Titans resembled giant humans, the Cyclopes had only one eye, and the three Hecatoncheires had a hundred hands and fifty heads each. Uranus was horrified with his offspring and decided to hide them away deep within Tartarus, the abyss inside Gaia, in exile. The first gods were not only sentient and powerful beings but the physical spaces that were the earth, sky, underworld, and greater universe. So, Uranus was able to lock his horrifying children up within the underworld of the earth that was also his wife. Gaia did not want to hide her children away, and she called down to them, advising them to rise up against their father and take their place among the gods. Only one of her children answered her plea: The Titan Cronus. Cronus fought his father and castrated him, throwing the god's genitals into the sea. He then took his place at the head of the gods and invited his Titan brothers and sisters to attend him as their king. Cronus married his sister Rhea, who became known as the goddess of motherhood and fertility. Soon, however, Cronus sent many of the Titans back into Tartarus, betraying and angering his mother. Despite his treachery, Cronus ruled over the universe for thousands of years in which multitudes of gods and creatures were born, including a line of humans who never aged. Cronus was told by his parents that he was destined to be overthrown by one of his own children since that was how he'd gained his own power. To avoid such disgrace, Cronus ate the children Rhea birthed, swallowing them whole. Five children were disposed of in this way until Rhea tricked her husband into eating a stone wrapped in a swaddling cloth instead of their sixth child, Zeus. Zeus was then secreted into a cave in Crete where he could grow to adulthood in safety. The baby matured well but came to hate his father, and he vowed to overthrow the Titan ruler. With the help of his wife, the Titan goddess of wisdom, Metis, Zeus fed Cronus a potion that caused him to purge all of his swallowed children. The plan worked, and out came all of Zeus' siblings: Hera, Hades, Poseidon, Demeter, and Hestia. In addition to Cronus' children came the stone wrapped in a blanket. ## Zeus and the Olympians Next, Zeus traveled to Tartarus and freed the rest of the Titans, Cyclopes, and Hecatoncheires. Together, the aunts, uncles, and siblings of Zeus hid themselves away in Mount Olympus to plan the overthrow of the cannibalistic ruler of the universe. While they remained hidden, the freed creatures showered gifts upon Zeus and his siblings in thanks for their freedom. For Zeus, they crafted a magical thunderbolt that he could throw at his enemies. For Hades, they fashioned a helmet of invisibility. Poseidon received a trident that could shake the earth. With these powerful tools, they sprang upon Cronus and began the ten-year war that would be known as the Titanomachy. The Titans whom Cronus had spared from the abyss fought on his side against the Olympians, but Prometheus and Themis defended Zeus. In the end, Zeus was victorious, and all the Titans except those who fought with him were sent back to Tartarus. The Hecatoncheires were stationed at its gates to ensure no one escaped. The Titan Atlas, for leading Cronus' army against the Olympians, was sentenced to hold up the sky for eternity. As for the valiant Olympians, Zeus gave each of his brothers and sisters their own realm over which to rule. For himself, he took the sky that burdened Atlas. Hades was granted the underworld, Poseidon gained dominion over the oceans and seas of the earth, Demeter was granted agriculture, and Hestia the home and hearth. As for Hera, Zeus tricked her into marrying him, and therefore she became the goddess of marriage and birth. Theirs was an unhappy marriage fraught with rebellion and treachery, as had been Zeus' first marriage. He had swallowed his first bride, Metis, when she became pregnant with their daughter Athena. Zeus and his growing family ruled from Mount Olympus and oversaw the world of men, whose lives were forever changed from the long war of the gods. Now, the humans lived short lives full of trials and tribulations, aging and weakening as the years moved on. Still, they were a favorite race of the Olympians, and Zeus himself created the Macedonian race, which was an integral piece of the Greek civilization located on the northern end of the Greek mainland. The mythology of the Greeks was just as influential as the ancient people themselves; in fact, early Romans took the Athenian creation story and nearly copied it word for word and god for god. The two are almost indistinguishable from one another, and together, they form the spiritual backdrop of the Greco-Roman civilizations of Classical Antiquity.