How the World
and Mankind
Were Created
“First there was Chaos, the vast
immeasurable abyss”
Two children of Chaos: Erebus and
Night
Erebus: becomes the depthless
world of death
Night: what it says
Death’s and Erebus’ Child
Love: the light in the darkness
Love created Light, and the
opposite of Night—Day
From the coming of Light and
Love, earth was created
No description of how Earth
was created given
Gaea and Ouranos (Uranus)
Mother Earth and Father
Heaven
Monsters: not in the sense that
they are bad.
First creatures to come to life
Giants
Gaea and Oranos were giants
These are creatures larger than
what we think of as normal
today
Includes cyclops
Creatures with a hundred hands
and fifty heads
Titans
Domestic Dispute
Oranos hated his children
Imprisoned the hundred-hand,
fifty-head creatures within the
earth (Gaea)
Gaea is enraged at the
maltreatment of her children
Cronus
A Titan who defeated Oranos
Drove the monsters from the world
Caused the creation of Erinyes
(Furies) from the blood of Oranus
Ensured the continued life of the
Furies as long as sin remained in
the world
Cronus becomes ruler of the
Universe
Cronus’ Children
Cronus learned one of his
children would rebel against
him
He swallowed them as they
were born
Zeus was born in secret
Zeus’ Rise To Power
Zeus enlists the aid of his five
brothers and sisters to wage war
with Cronus
Zeus released the hundred-headed,
fifty-handed monsters from their
prison to aid his cause
Zeus defeated Cronus and the
Titans
Zeus’ Punishment
The god was terrible in his punishment
The conquered were chained “as far beneath
earth as heaven is above”
9 days falling from earth
Atlas: Titan must hold the weight of Heaven
and Earth on his shoulders for all eternity; he
must stand in the nether regions, where it is
neither night or day—separation; utter
loneliness
The First Challenge
Zeus is challenged by the birth of his
last brother: Typhon
Zeus owns thunder and lightning
Zeus ensures his position as supreme
ruler by striking Typhon with “The bolt
that never sleeps,/Thunder with breath
of flame.”
Suggests that the power of heaven is
unquenchable
Another Challenge
The Giants, who helped Zeus
initially, rebel against him
**Hercules finally arrives to
help his father defeat the Giants
Zeus’ punishment is the same
for the Giants as it is for the
Titans and Cronus: banishment
to the uttermost nether regions
The Creation of Man
• Prometheus (forethought)
• Epimetheus (afterthought)
• Both are Titans who sided with
Zeus in his war against the Titans
• Epimetheus began man;
Prometheus finished him
 Initially, the animals had the superior
qualities of speed, endurance, etc.
 Prometheus gave man the “nobler
shape” of being upright like the
gods—thus they look like gods
The Creation of Man II
The gods themselves created man
The “Golden Race” – created from
gold
The “Silver Race” – created from
silver
This continues through all the
precious metals
These races departed the world in
pure spirit form
The Iron Race
The fifth race created
They must toil tremendously to
make a living on earth
They do not convert to pure
spirits when they die
Eventually, Zeus will destroy
them when “no man is angry
and more at wrongdoing”
Only Men
During the “Golden Age,” only men
inhabited the earth
The precious metal races were
entirely men
All new people had to be created
from scratch by the gods
Women were created by Zeus, in
anger at Prometheus’ love for
mankind
Prometheus’ Deceit
Prometheus gave fire to the
“Iron Race”
Prometheus nurtured
mankind by reserving the
best parts of the sacrifices
for men
Zeus’ Revenge
Zeus created Pandora—the gift of all
The first woman
Beautiful beyond all men’s dream
She is the wonder of the gods, and
an evil to men, with the nature to DO
evil
Pandora releases all the evil in the
world—plague, sorrow, misfortune
This is tempered only with Hope
Prometheus’ Punishment
Zeus had Prometheus bound in the
Causasus (mountains far away)
He was bound with unbreakable chains
(he is a Titan, afterall)
He would be bound until he submitted
to Zeus
Prometheus eventually had his liver
eaten by an eagle, which would return
every day to eat the newly re-grown
liver