Module 1.1 - 1.

Generations of the Greek Gods

(According to Hesiod)

Spontaneous appearance
Gaia (Earth)
Chaos (Chasm/Abyss)
Tartaros (underworld)
Eros (lust)

Abyss: place between Earth and Tartaros

1st ruling couple

Gaia + Ouranos

Children of the 1st ruling couple

Gaia + Ouranos = Titans (12)
Gaia + Tartaros = Typhaon (monster)

Titans
Kronos
Rhea

2nd ruling couple

Kronos + Rhea (Titans)

Children of the 2nd ruling couple

Olympians:
- Zeus
- Hera
- Demeter

3rd ruling couple

Zeus + Hera (OLympians)

Zeus' Children
"Younger" Olympians
+Hera = Ares
+[Metis] = Athena
+Demeter = Persephone
+Leto = Apollo, Artemis
+Maia = Hermes
+Semele = Dionysus

Zeus + Hera
Hephaestus

What is a theogony?
a. A story about the origins of the gods

 Hesiod's /Theogony/
 theogony (god + birth, generation)
 cosmogony
 genealogy of the Greek gods
 creation of natural phenomena and social institutions
 application of a human model to natural forces (gods are immortal – cannot
have natural generational succession)

"And [the Muses] once taught Hesiod the art of singing verse,
While he pastured his lambs on holy Helikon's slopes."
- Theogony, lines 33-34

"That's what Pa used to do, Perses, you know,

Sail on ships, trying to make ends meet,
Till one day he came here—crossed a deal
Of open water in a black ship—and left
His hometown of Aiolian Kyme for good.
You can bet he wasn't running from prosperity
But from the awful poverty Zeus gives to men.
He settled by Helikon, in this woebegone town,
Askra, bad in winter, godawful in summer, nice never."
- Works and Days, lines 699-710

How do you imagine that someone might make a living with his poetry in the ancient Greek
world?
a. winning contests
b. having rich patrons
and more

What did /Works and Days/ earn as a prize from a contest?

a. A tripod
"Crossed over to Khalkis, I did, to the funeral games
For old Amphidamas. The great man's sons had put up
Prizes aplenty for the contests, and I'm proud to say
I won in the songfest and took home an eared tripod.
Dedicated it to the Helikonian Muses, on the very spot
Where they first set me on the road to clear song."
- Works and Days, lines 725-730

 Hesiod and the End of the Early Iron Age in ancient Greece
 late 8th century BCE (c. 700 BCE)
 oral tradition – use of alphabetic writing is rare.
 Panhellenism: creation of Panhellenic sanctuaries (to celebrate gods; drew ppl from all
over medt.)
 mobile professionals (craftsman, potters, sculpters, poets)
 urbanization (increasing; "real" cities)
 colonialism

Where a poet originated and where they were performing played a role in theogony?
TRUE

Canonical theogony: transition to written work

Mobile professionals were not tied to the land like farmers (common occupation)
TRUE

Succession Myth: stories about how each generation of gods displaced previous divine order
Narrative Patterns: Succession myth, Generational conflict
Natural generational succession: Human world
Generational conflict: Divine world

"Ouranos used to stuff all his children

Back into the hollow of Earth soon as they were born,
Keeping them from the light, an awful thing to do,
But Heaven [=Ouranos] did it, and was very pleased with himself.
Vast Earth groaned under the pressure inside,
And then she came up with a plan, a really wicked trick.
She created a new mineral, grey flint, and formed
A huge sickle from it and showed it to her dear boys."
- Hesiod, Theogony, lines 156-163

 Ruling Pair #1: Gaia/Earth and Ouranos/Heaven, part 1

Which one of Gaia's "dear boys" agrees to wield the sickle against his father?
a. Kronos

Which god of the Olympian order in ancient Greece grows out of the severed genitals of
Ouranos?
a. Aphrodite

Ouranos can't produce kids so he goes to play part in physical world

Ouranos = Heaven

"And Kronos swallowed them all as soon as each

Issued from Rheia's holy womb onto her knees,
With the intent that only he among the proud Ouranians
Should hold the title of King among the Immortals.
For he had learned from Earth [Gaia] and starry Heaven [Ouranos]
That it was fated for him, powerful though he was,
To be overthrown by his child, through the scheming of Zeus."
- Hesiod, Theogony, lines 463-469

 Ruling Pair #2 (Titans): Kronos and Rhea, part 1

 Kronos trying to prevent succession

In the next round of generational conflict and succession, which of his children overthrows
Kronos?
a. Zeus

“It wasn't long before the young lord [=Zeus] was flexing
His glorious muscles. The seasons followed each other,
And great devious Kronos, gulled by Earth's
Clever suggestions, vomited up his offspring,
[Overcome by the wiles and power of his son]
The stone first, which he'd swallowed last.
Zeus took the stone and set it in the ground at Pytho [=Delphi]
Under Parnassos' hollows, a sign of wonder for men to come."
- Hesiod, Theogony, lines 495-502

 Ruling Pair #2: Kronos and Rhea, part 2: beginnings of more generational conflict
 (Titanomachy)
 Rhea gives birth to youngest son Zeus (secret); Kronos wallows rock instead of Zeus.
(Zeus is able to grow up & defeat his father after the Titanomachy)
Titanomachy: great battle of the gods

Which gods are the final ruling pair who represent the status quo for Hesiod?
a. Zeus and Hera

Now king of the gods, Zeus made Metis his first wife,
Wiser than any other god, or any mortal man.
But when she was about to deliver the owl-eyed goddess
Athena, Zeus tricked her, gulled her with crafty words,
And stuffed her in his stomach, taking the advice
Of Earth and starry Heaven. They told him to do this
So that no one but Zeus would hold the title of King
Among the eternal gods, for it was predestined
That very wise children would be born from Metis,
First the grey-eyed girl, Tritogeneia [=Athena],
Equal to her father in strength and wisdom,
But then a son with an arrogant heart
Who would one day be king of gods and men.
But Zeus stuffed the goddess into his stomach first
So she would devise with him good and evil both."
- Hesiod, Theogony, lines 891-905

 Ruling Pair #2 (Titans): Kronos and Rhea, part 1

 Kronos trying to prevent succession

Tritogeneia: Athena
Zeus: thunder and lightning (pegasus brings lightning)
Hera: lifespan of women (stages of their lives)
Ares: war
Athena: war
Demeter: harvest, vegetables
Persephone: Hades wife; underworld
Leto: mother of famous twins
Apollo: PROPHECY, POETRY, medicine, music
Artemis: hunt/hunting; protecting young/small animals
Hermes: Messenger
Dionysus: Wine and festivals
Hephaestus: forage/crafts
Gaia: Creates Ouranos
Aphrodite: aka Kythereia

Module 2.1
Learning Objectives
 - Remaining aspects of generational conflict in Theogony
- Key episodes of myth originating in Theogony
- Concept of “Plurality of Myth”

What is the narrative pattern called “succession myth”?

a. There is a series of generational conflicts among the gods until the present-day order is
reached

Near Eastern Succession Myth 1: the Babylonian Enuma elish

“Tiamat and Marduk, the wisest god, locked together.

They tangled in the hand-to-hand, clasped in battle.
Marduk spread out his net to catch her.
The storm that followed behind him, he splashed in her face.
When Tiamat opened wide her mouth to swallow him,
he drove down the storm so she could not close her lips.
The savage winds swelled her belly,
Her body puffed up and her mouth opened wide.
He fired his arrow, it burst her belly,
Carved through her guts and split the heart,
Wrecked and extinguished her life.”

- Powell, 2004: 100.

 storm god becoming ruler after defeating an earlier generation

 styling of this story = culture of succession myth

Reveals the common narrative pattern of generational conflict succession. In both cases, a
storm god becomes the final ruler. Unlike the Greek succession told by Hesiod, the Babylonian
seems to have a primordial goddess die (she lost her living qualities and became an inanimate
ocean water)

Which god of the Olympian order in ancient Greece grows out of the severed genitals of
Ouranos?
a. Aphrodite

Aphrodite, Goddess of sex rose out of Ouranos’ severed genitals in Hesiod’s Theogony and
provides just one example of the concept called the Plurality of Myth.

Plurality of Myth: accepting different versions of a story as equally authoritative. (refers to the
fact that ancient Greeks accepted different versions of the story of Aphrodite’s creation as
equally authoritative)
Near Eastern Succession Myth 2: the Hittite Kingship in Heaven

“Anush the eagle flew in the sky

And Kumarbi closed in behind him,
grabbed his feet
and pulled him down from the sky
He [Kumarbi] bit off his genitals,
His [Anush’s] sperm went into Kumarbi’s stomach.”
Anush then tells Kumarbi:
“You really are pleased about your stomach.
It swallowed my sperm.
You should not rejoice”
I have placed a burden in your middle.
First, I have made you pregnant with the storm god [Teshub] . . .”

- Powell, 2004: 101.

 story about castration

 swallow sperm to impregnate to produce storm god
 similar elements:
 final order has ruling storm god
 oral tradition --> poem

Teshub overthrows his father Kumarbi and becomes king of heaven. Teshub is a storm god who
disposes the previous generation similar to the way the Greek Zeus and Babylon Marduk came
to power. As well as dealing with the narrative pattern of generational conflict succession.

Common features of the Greek and Near Eastern traditions include that the stories are all
preserved in poetry that was originally transmitted through linguistically related oral traditions.
All illustrate a pattern of conflict between older and younger generations of gods, with the
younger generation taking of the universe in the end. In all cases the final order is ruled by a
storm god.

Zeus establishes his rule…

- Titanomachy
- Making deals
- Hundred-handers
- Styx
- Defeating his grandmother’s monster Typhoios / Typhaon, who provides additional
examples of the plurality of myth

Titanomachy
“For a long time they fought, hearts bitter with toil,
Going against each other in the chock of battle,
The Titans and the gods who were born from Kronos [=Olympians].

They battled each other with pain in their hearts

Continuously for ten full years, never a truce,
No respite from the hostilities on either side,

 Hesiod, Theogony, lines 634-643

 Titanomachy
 10 full years
 the war's outcome balanced between them

The war’s outcome balanced between them.”

- Hesiod, Theogony, lines 634-643, Lombardo (trans.)

Which monstrous children of Ouranos become allies of Zeus in the Titanomachy?

a. The Hundred-Handers

The Hundred-Handers (also see lines 148-152)

“Thus Zeus [made his offer], and the blameless Kottos replied:
‘Divine one, what a thing to say. We already realize
That your thoughts are supreme, your mind surpassing,
That you saved the Immortals from war’s cold light.
We have come from under the moldering gloom
By your counsel, free at last from hands none too gentle,
O Lord, Son of Kronos, and from suffering unlooked for.
Our minds are bent, therefore, and our wills fixed
on preserving your power through the horror of war,
We will fight the Titans in the crush of battle.”

- Hesiod, Theogony, lines 658-667, Lombardo (trans.)

The Hundred-Handers are monster sons of Gaia and Ouranos who had been locked away under
the earth by their father. Zeus makes a deal to free them in exchange for their aid. With their
help they’re able to defeat the Titans. Zeus locks them away in Tartarus, so they’re not dead
but they are no longer ruling.

More plurality of myth: The monster on the vase below is labeled “Typhoios.” How is the
representation different from the way Hesiod describes him (lines 826-835}?
a. In the vase-painting, he has dragon bodies rather than dragon heads
Which child of the Titans tricks Zeus into giving humans the edible portion of sacrifices?
a. Prometheus

1st culture hero

 - Prometheus (for tricking Zeus into giving humans the edible portion of sacrifices)

Prometheus and the RelationshipBetween Gods and Men

 culture-hero
 settlement at Mekone
 punishment by Zeus for theft of fire = Pandora

"That happened when the gods and mortal men were negotiatingAt Mekone. Prometheus
cheerfully butchered a great oxAnd served it up, trying to befuddle Zeus' wits.For Zeus he set
out flesh and innards rich with fatLaid out on the oxhide and covered with its paunch.But for
the others he set out the animal's white bonesArtfully dressed out with shining fat.. . .This was
Prometheus' trick. But Zeus, eternally wise,Recognized the fraud and began to rumble in his
heartTrouble for mortals, and it would be fulfilled.With both of his hands he picked up the
gleaming fat.Anger seethed in his lungs and bile rose in his heartWhen he saw the ox's white
bones artfully tricked out.And that is why the tribes of men on earthBurn white bones to the
immortals upon smoking altars."

- Hesiod, Theogony, lines 537-549

 Settlement at Mekone
 Humans can eat meat, burn bones

Why did Zeus apparently allow Prometheus to trick him?

a. Zeus wanted mankind toreceive the edible portions of sacrifices
b. Zeus wanted an excuse todeprive mankind of fire
c. Zeus wanted an excuse tochain Prometheus to a rock

"From then on [Zeus] always remembered this trickAnd wouldn't give the power of weariless
fireTo the ashwood mortals who live on the earth.But that fine son of Iapetos [=Prometheus]
outwitted himAnd stole the far-seen gleam of weariless fireIn a hollow fennel stalk, and so bit
deeply the heartOf Zeus, the high lord of thunder, who was angryWhen he saw the distant
gleam of fire among men,And straight off he gave them trouble to pay for the fire."

- Hesiod, Theogony, lines 563-572

 Round 2: Theft of Fire

 Humankind is punished with trouble for stealing fire
 in a hallow fennel stalk = fire stored in trees; old tale

Son of Iapetos: Prometheus

What is the "trouble" that Zeus givesto men in retaliation for Prometheus'gift of fire?
a. Pandora, the first woman

"The famous Lame God plastered up some clayTo look like a shy virgin, just like Zeus wanted,
And Athena, the Owl-Eyed Goddess,Got her all dressed up in silvery clothesAnd with her hands
draped a veil from her head,An intricate thing, wonderful to look at.". . ."He made this lovely
evil to balance the good,Then led her off to the other gods and menGorgeous in the finery of
the owl-eyed daughterSired in power. And they were stunned,Immortal gods and mortal men,
when they sawThe sheer deception, irresistible to men.From her is the race of female
women. . ."

- Hesiod, Theogony, lines 573-594

 Pandora
 Athena crafts Pandora's clothing
 Aphrodite - sex appeal
 Hermes "bitchy mind, cheating heart”

Lame god: Hephaestus

Module 2.2

Apollo, God of Delos and Delphi

"I will be patron of the lyre and curved bow,

And prophet of the changeless will of Zeus."
Hymn to Apollo, lines 131-132

 oral tradition, c. 750-650 BCE

 Epiphany (god's first appearance in human world)
 aetia (etiologies: stories of origins)
- origins of Panhellenic sanctuaries
- main powers

"Apollo the far-shooter I'll fix in mind.

All gods but one rise quickly from their seats,
All but one shake while he is striding toward them
Through Zeus' house, drawing his glittering bow.
Leto remains by Zeus who loves the thunder.
She first unstrings the bow and shuts the quiver,
Then takes the weapon off his burly shoulders
And hangs it from a gold peg, on a pillar
Of his father's hall, and leads him to his throne.
His father offers him nectar in a gold cup,
Greeting his cherished son. The gods around them
Can now sit down. And joy fills lady Leto
At the great power of her bowman offspring."

- Hymn to Apollo, lines 1-13

 Consider what it suggests about Apollo’s status in the Olympian order

 Privileged

What do you think the description of Apollo entering Zeus' court on Mt. Olympus suggests
about Apollo's status in the Olympian order?
a. Apollo has privileged status in his father’s court
b. The other gods stand up when he enters
c. Zeus offers Apollo a cup of nectar by his own hand

Apollo’s Domain
“Yours is the grassy reach of singing, Phoebus,
Across the fertile mainland and the islands.
...
Should I tell how you, the world’s joy, came from Leto,
Who leaned on Cynthus on the rocky island,
Delos in flowing seas”? On both sides’ black waves
Rushed toward the dry land under the shrill winds’ power.
So, you were born to be the lord of mortals
Through Crete and to the polity of Athens,
Euboea known for ships, Aegine island,
Aegae, Eiresiae, sea perched Peparethus,
. . .”
- Hymn to Apollo, lines 20-32, Ruden (trans.)

Why do you think the poet might include such a long list of places (a catalog) in a poem like
this?
 In a devotional song it's important to name the god's cult places.
 catalog episodes are common
 demonstrates Apollo's influence

Click on the first site of a sanctuary for Apollo that is addressed in this hymn
a. Delos

Apollo's Panhellenic Sanctuaries

Delos and Delphi
  folks come to hear famous poets reading myths
 central location for people to gather
 Apollo - 2nd gen Olympian god; doesn't pose a threat to Zeus' ruling; PROPHECY, poetry,
music, medicine

A Barren Island Developed

"Delos, if you allow Phoebus Apollo,

My son, to make his temple and his home here--
Because, you know, no other god will take you--
Never will you have wealth in sheep or cattle
Or grain, or any green thing in abundance;
But with Apollo the far-worker's temple,
All humankind will gather here and bring you
Hundred-strong herds. Wonderfully rich, the savor
Of burning fat will rise. Those living in you
Will eat the gifts of strangers, not your thin yields."
- Hymn to Apollo, lines 51-60

 Small, rocky island

 very little freshwater
 no agricultural land
 not good for humans

Apollo’s Birth

"[Leto] grasped a palm tree in her arms, knees driven

Into the soft grass. Earth, beneath her, smiled.
...
Apollo of the gold sword never nursed.
Themis instead gave nectar and ambrosia,
Sweet offerings from holy hands, and Leto
Rejoiced to be the forceful archer's mother."
- Hymn to Apollo, lines 117-126

 Greek gods do not take the same kind of nourishment as humans

Sanctuary of Apollo: Pan-lonian Festival (precursor to the Panhellenic Festival)

"And yet you have your greatest joy in Delos.

To worship you, the trailing-robed Ionians
Gather there--men, their shy wives, and their children.
There boxing, dancing, and the work of singers
Commemorates you in diverting contests.
Whoever sees this people all together
Would say that they were ageless and immortal.
Their grace would hold his eyes, his heart would relish
The sight of men and suavely belted women,
And the wealth brought with them in their speedy ships."
- Hymn to Apollo, 146-155

Regional festival at Delos

On a purely human level, what do you think might be a benefit of people from different
communities gathering at a central location?
a. It would be an opportunity to discuss common interests and form alliances.
b. It would be an opportunity to become famous as an athlete or poet.
c. It would be an opportunity to party without worrying about reputation.

Delian Maidens

"There is one more imperishable wonder:

The Delian entourage of the far-striker,
The girls who sing, to start, about Apollo,
Next Leto and her arrow-pouring daughter;
They call to mind all the men and women
Of the time gone, to charm the gathered nations."
- Hymn to Apollo, lines 156-161

The Island and the Singers

"Singers, goodbye, but keep memory of me;
And when, out of earth's people, there arrives here
A foreigner with hard-earned knowledge, asking
Whom you young girls like best among the singers
Who visit, whom you find most entertaining,
All of you give this man a single answer:
'A blind man, and he lives in rugged Chios:
All of his songs will be the best forever.'
And I in turn will carry your fame with me
To every well-built city where I wander."
- Hymn to Apollo, lines 166-175

Where is Apollo's second sanctuary described in this hymn located?

a. Delphi

Sanctuary and Oracle of Apollo at Delphi

"I mean to build a graceful temple here,
An oracle for humankind, who always
Will drive me herds of a hundred cattle.
Inhabitants of the rich Peloponnesus
And Europe and the islands ringed with currents
Will seek my oracle. I will give these
True guidance for the future in my rich shrine."
- Hymn to Apollo, lines 287-293

The Omphalos Stone

 Hesiod, Theogony: on stone vomited up by Cronus
 Vase painting representing story of eagles released by Zeus that "met" at Delphi

Who gave birth to Typhoios in Hesiod’s Theogony?

a. Gaia with Tartarus

Origin of Hera’s Jealousy (Hera is the mother in this hymn)

"[The snake/she-dragon] took as foster child from gold-throned Hera

Fierce Typhaon [=Typhoios], hateful hurt for mankind,
Born out of Hera's rage at Zeus the father,
When he gave birth to glorious Athena
From his own head. The lady Hera, furious,
Blurted in the assembly of immortals:
'All of you, gods and goddesses, take notice:
Cloud-gathering Zeus is first to mortify me.
I was the one he made his honored wife.
Without me, though, he had gray-eyed Athena,
Shining even among divine immortals.
But out of me the maimed child you can all see . . .
Hephaestus with his warped legs is what I have."
- Hymn to Apollo, lines 3-5-317

Consulting the Oracle

Pythia (woman, 50+ years old) was the priestess who held court at Pytho, the sanctuary of the
Delphinians, a sanctuary dedicated to the Greek god Apollo

How did Apollo acquire priests at Delphi according to the Hymn to Apollo?
a. He abducted sailors in a boat from Crete

Pythian from Pythein

"She festered there beneath the holy Sun's strength,
Pytho is named from this. They call Apollo
Pythian lord because in this spot rotted
The grisly creature in the stabbing Sun's glare."
- Hymn to Apollo, lines 371-374

 Pythian from pythein

 Delphi from delphis
 Etymologies ('real' meanings) of Apollo's Epithets (1 of 2)

Delphi from delphis

"Since at the very start, on murky ocean,

My dolphin form jumped into your fast vessel,
Pray to me as the Dolphin god. The altar
Will be the Dolphin's lookout through the ages."
- Hymn to Apollo, lines 493-496

 Delphi from delphis

 Etymologies ('real' meanings) of Apollo's Epithets (2 of 2)

Argus-killer
Hermes
Argeiphontes (= Argus-killer,
epithet of Hermes)
Helios: Sun god
Hermes: messenger, god of thieves & travelers

What are Apollo's main powers? (multiple correct answers)

a. PROPHECY
b. POETRY
c. Music
d. Medicine

Where are Apollo's 2 main Panhellenic sanctuaries?

a. Delos and Delphi
Hymn to Hermes
 dated c. 650 BCE
 Indo-European cattle-raiding motif
 Vedic Indra and Ahi

io
affair with Zeus, Hera walked in and turned io into a cow. Hera asked for cow, Zeus did. Hera
makes argus as a guard for io. Zeus sends Hermes to kill argus to free io.