Digging Into The World of Myth

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Digging Into The World of Myth

Turalba, Jona Alliahna C. 
III -2 BEE

 

    The Theogony is a work of Hesiod, an ancient Greek poet, which describes the origin of the world and the interconnected family relationships of the gods and goddesses and their stories. Chaos provides the beginning of creation. From Chaos, the universe came into being, and there exists Gaia (earth), Tartarus (underworld), Erebus (darkness), Nyx (night), and Eros (desire). The story synthesizes the variety of local Greek traditions with the gods and goddesses and the universe. It is an organized poem that tells about the start of creation and how the cosmos shaped it. (Ancient Literature.com)

 

Photo Credits: Google Images 

    At first glance, the text is overwhelming and looks quite complicated since it consists of many paragraphs and names. However, as the story starts, it begins to unfold the nature of Greek mythologies. It also presents unique characteristics and issues in mythology.

    First, genealogy and family relationships. Theogony includes a detailed and extensive order of the family line of the gods and goddesses. It identifies and presents dozens of relationships between the immortals. It also reveals how the universe started with the creation of Chaos, followed by Gaia, Tartarus, and more. This suggests that they serve as the axis where the universe is organized. The genealogy holds the existence of many gods and goddesses and their aristocratic attitude because their lineage is powerful and rightful. Also, it extends to the human world-encompassing gods, goddesses, and heroes into one system like Zeus who becomes the father of Aphrodite, Artemis, Apollo, and the Muses. It also leads to having beings that are half-human and half-divine like Achilles.

    Second, relationships are incestuous. If one looks into the gods' and goddesses’ family tree, it is evident that marrying and having sexual relations with people who are related to one another is acceptable. For example, Nyx and Erebus are married siblings, Gaia has done intercourse with her son Pontos, and Persephone who becomes the daughter of Demeter and her brother, Zeus (Stone, 2011). This shows the difference between the mythology and the current generation because today, this type of relationship is considered sinful and unacceptable. 

    Third, their names carry symbolic and significant meanings that are used in today’s time. For example, the word erotic comes from the name of Eros, who is the god of love and sexual desire. Narcissism from the name of Narcissus, a half-nymph and half-god attractive man, who fell in love with his reflection. The word echoes come from a mountain nymph, Echo, who has a lovely voice, but talkative who eventually lost his ability to speak except in repeating the words of others (Harness, 2012). This reflects that the stories of gods and goddesses influence the words that are widely used in several generations.

    Lastly, power. Throughout the text, the one who has control uses violence to obtain power. The conflicts succeed from one generation to another which leads to more violent and brutal events. For example, when Zeus punishes Prometheus for stealing fire for humans. Zeus uses his power to order Hephaestus to create a beautiful woman and give a box as a gift that contains all the evil-like things in the world (White, 1914). However, not all parts in Theogony that depicts violence are negative, thus it is used as a tool to maintain power and make a change (Litcharts.com).

Photo Credits: Google Images 

    Overall, the Theogony is a good source for understanding Greek mythology. It presents complete narration and a detailed description of the gods and goddesses and their stories. It is fascinating to know how Hesiod was able to write all of the concepts considering that it remains a myth. The names and some events are still complex to remember. However, as I read through the text, I understand more ideas and I find it interesting to know more about mythology.

 


References:

Ancient Literature. (n.d). What is Theogony and why is it important? https://www.ancient-                                literature.com/greece_hesiod_theogony.html

Harness, J. (2012). 10 Words Originating From Greek Mythology.                                                                         https://www.neatorama.com/2012/01/19/10-words-originating-from-greek-mythology/

Litcharts. (n.d). Theogony Themes. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/theogony/themes

Stone, J. (2011). Social Anxieties in Hesiod's Theogony. http://www.quailbellmagazine.com/the-                          real/social-anxieties-in-hesiods-theogony

White, E. (1914). Hesiod, Theogony. https://www.theoi.com/Text/HesiodTheogony.html

 

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