The Greek Story of Creation

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The Greek Story of Creation

• As taken from Hesiods Theogony

By Mrs. Johnson Credits to Carlos Parada author
of a Genealogical Guide to Greek Mythology
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The classical Greek creation story is taken from
Hesiods tale entitled, Theogony (ca. 700 B.C.E.)
. From Theogony - theos means god and gon
means birth.
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Theogony

• Theogony simply means the genealogy of the gods.
  It is the creation story of the gods.

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Additional terms

• Logos Greek for the expression of a thought
• Theology the study of the gods
• Mythos Greek for tale or beliefs

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Hesiod and the Theogony

• There are said to be at least six different
  mythical accounts of creation by the Greeks.
  Hesiods is one that is often cited since it
  specifically gives the genealogy of the gods and
  is a key source document.

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Cosmogony

• "Creation" means, in this context, Creation of
  the World, which is also called Cosmogony or
  Origin of the Universe (Cosmos). Cosmogony
  normally includes, not only an account of the
  origin of the world, but also a description of
  its physical qualities.

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Cosmogony
Cosmos - harmony of the universe with
order -gon birth or creation Cosmogony
creation of the world
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According to Hesiod
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In the beginning, there was only
CHAOS
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Today we know that chaos means lacking order or
to have confusion.

• Chaos was a shapeless mass of darkness and
  meaninglessness.

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Chaos

• Offspring of Chaos
• Nyx -
• Erebus -
• Tartarus -
• Eros -
• Gaia

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Children of Chaos
Out of Chaos came Nyx (night),Erebus (the
unfathomable deep), Eros (love), Tartarus (lowest
region of the world) and Gaia (earth). It is not
said how these elements or characters came to be,
only that they followed Chaos.
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Nyx is Night, a powerful goddess whose dark light
falls from the stars, and who dictates not only
to men but also to gods. Even Zeus does not wish
to upset Night.
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Erebus is the darkness of the Underworld.

• Do not confuse Erebus with the Underworld. We
  will discuss the Underworld later.

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Eros

• Eros is seen as a youth and known as the god of
  Love.

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Tartarus

• Tartarus is described as a dank, gloomy pit,
  surrounded by a wall of bronze, and beyond that a
  three-fold layer of night.
• According to the Greek poet Hesiod, a bronze
  anvil falling from heaven would take nine days
  and nights to reach earth, and an object would
  take the same amount of time to fall from earth
  into Tartarus.

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Tartarus

• Tartarus is the lowest abyss beneath the earth
  where all waters originate all rivers flow into
  the chasm of Tartarus and flow out of it again.
• Tartarus is also a place of punishment.
• Tartarus is also the father of many monsters such
  as Typhon.

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Gaia (Gaea or Ge)Mother Earth
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Parentageprocreation

• It is not uncommon for some of the gods to
  reproduce with just one parent. This is known as
• parthenogenic birth (i.e., only one parent
  needed). Gaia reproduced some of her children in
  this manner.

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Gaia

• Gaia creates without a mate, Uranus (the sky) and
  Pontus (the sea). Later she has other offspring.
• Gaia was also the first to have prophetic powers.

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The offspring of Gaia and Uranus

• Gaia and Uranus mate to have the following
  offspring
• The Cyclops
• The Hecatoncheires
• The Titans

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Uranus
Uranus becomes an equal to Gaia and will become
her mate.
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Pontus

• Though not much is said of Pontus, he is the god
  of the Sea.
• He is known more for his offspring.

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The CyclopsCyclopesWheel-eyed

• The Cyclops were three brothers known for the one
  large eye in the center of their foreheads. They
  were giants in size.

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Hecatoncheires 50 Headed Hundred Hands

• Another offspring of Uranus and Gaia were the
  Hecatoncheires. These three large sons had 50
  heads each and 100 hands. They were large, ugly
  creatures who had great strength.

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The Titans powerful ones

• The Titans were born huge and powerful like the
  Hecatonchieres, but they were not as hideous in
  appearance and uncontrollably destructive.

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12 Titans

• Cronus, Rhea, Oceanus, Tethys, Hyperion,
  Mnemosyne, Themis,
• Iapetus, Coeus, Crius, Phoebe, and Thea were the
  children of Gaia and Uranusof these, Cronus was
  the youngest and considered the wiliest.

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Cronus

• After Uranus had banished many of his children to
  Tartarus, Gaia sought the help of Cronus to
  overthrow Uranus and release her children from
  Tartarus.

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Cronus attacked his father with the sickle.
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Cronus (Chronus)Personification of time

• In most images of Cronus, he is seen with the
  sickle (scythe) and as Father Time, the sickle
  is still prominent.

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Aphrodite

• After Cronus struck Uranus, some of the blood
  fell into the sea. A foam appeared and from that
  foam, Aphrodite emerged fully grown.

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Erinyes

• From the blood that fell to the earth came the
  Erinyes (or Furies). These 3 sisters became the
  avengers of sin and crime.

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One of the Erinyes
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The Giants

• The Giants were large creatures, sometimes
  described as having serpent feet and a thousand
  hands.

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And now the rest of the Titans

• Rememberthere were 12 Titans born to Uranus and
  Gaia6 boys and 6 girls.

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Rhea

• She became the wife of Cronus and the queen of
  the universe. She is the Titaness of fertility.
• She along with Cronus will create the Olympians.

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Oceanus and Tethys

• Oceanus the Titan of the unending stream of
  water that encircles the earth.
• Tethys Titaness, wife and sister of Oceanus.
  Together they produce the rivers and the sea
  nymphs.

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Hyperion Thea

• Hyperion - the Titan of light and the father of
  the sun, moon, and the dawn.
• Thea (Thia) a Titaness and wife of Hyperion.

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• Themis - Titaness of justice and order. She is
  the mother of the Fates and the Seasons.
• Iapetus Titan who was the father of Prometheus,
  Epimetheus and Atlas.
• Coeus - the Titan of Intelligence.

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• Mnemosyne - the Titaness of memory and the mother
  of the Muses.
• Crius Little known of this Titan.
• Phoebe Titaness of the Moon.

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Rhea and Cronus

• Cronus had taken each of his five children and
  swallowed them to prevent them from overthrowing
  him.

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The Golden Age

• As Cronus ruled with his siblings this was a
  period known for harmony and no wars. A great
  time for humans
• The Golden Age

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The Age of the Titans

• They ruled from
• Mt. Othrys
• in central Greece

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Review

• Genealogical Chart

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Offspring of Gaia
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Offspring of Gaia and Uranus
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Titanomachy

• The war between the Titans and the Olympians.

Stay tuned!
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Vocabulary Words

• Theos-
• Cosmos-
• Theogony
• Cosmogony
• -gon
• -ology
• Chaos
• Ge-
• Eros
• Tartarus

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Vocabulary Words cont.

• Cyclops (Cyclopes)
• Titan
• Hecta
• Furies
• Chronus
• Scythe
• -ess
• Titanomachy

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Characters

• Gaia
• Uranus
• Cronus
• Rhea
• Zeus

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