Nonlinear Realm
Nonlinear Realm
A Reflection Paper about Hesiod's Theogony
Hesiod’s Theogony undeniably transcended time, and was able to disseminate a large-scale synthesis of a vast narrative about the Greek gods, as well as the ancient Greek's concepts of the world. Thus, serving its purpose as the Greek poet claimed that he had been given the authority and responsibility to relay these stories, putting him in the position of a prophet, which I must say is somehow similar to how God's words were disseminated (Monaghan, 2014). And although the didactic poem attempted to describe the origin,---if not lineage of the gods and goddesses, it did not follow a linear pattern as to how the succession and all these counterpart stories happened, which makes it more complicated yet interconnected. Interestingly, the complexity of this genealogy highlighted a lot of concepts that may seem peculiar to others but just basically reflects the dynamic tradition of myths.
Genealogy and Succession
In the very beginning, from nothingness, the first objects of existence arose spontaneously out of Chaos, and these parthenogenetic offspring eventually multiplied to a great number which has resulted in the Gods and Goddesses' entangled family tree. But what's really interesting about this is that they multiply for a purpose, and that is to preserve the power that they have by creating successors right here and there. In which, during those times they do not have any way to procreate but have incestuous union with each other. And when it comes to the concept of reproduction in Greek Mythology, Zeus was known for his flirtatious epithet because he did not only had union with one woman but countless of them, including the ones who are mortals. (Monaghan, 2014) Let alone his affairs to other women who were yet to be named. This crossover between Gods and mortals lead to the existence of demigods in the realm of mythology which makes their lineage more complicated. This also highlighted the link between the divine and natural worlds where we can say that humans are forced to rely on two forces more powerful than themselves in order to thrive.
Power, Rivalry, and Violence
Another concept that is apparent in Hesiod's Theogony is power and rivalry that causes such a huge fuss between members of the family. One good example of that is when Ouranos was so disgusted with the Hecatonchires that he pushed them back into Gaia’s womb. This incident enraged Gaia so much that he begged the Titans to punish their father, which was gladly accepted by Kronos who was known for his ambitious trait. He then castrated---an act of removing the testicles of a male animal or human, (Cambridge Dictionary, 2020) which was excessively violent. This is not to mention that they are blood related only proves that treachery was quite a thing back then, too where they could just get rid of each other whenever they like, can get easily taken over by wrath and declare war between each other. Therefore, it is predominantly observed that violence was used as a necessary tool in order to obtain and preserve the power that these gods have. A tool that is used to achieve and maintain power, catalyze change, and guarantee a lineage, regardless of the consequences that it may bring. LitCharts (2020)
In a nutshell, the Greek gods' bloodline was presented in a way that its branches do not always go in one direction, therefore nonlinear in nature. Studying Hesiod's Theogony is still as relevant as it was before because it presented a lot of concepts that still transcend up to this day. Let alone that this was regarded as a social fabric of ancient Greece, wherein this genealogy serves as a map for people who are trying to understand how individuals fit into their family, community, and the wider world multiple successions that occur in the realm of the gods. (Monaghan, 2014)
References:
Atsma, A. (2017). Hesiod, theogony. THEOI GREEK MYTHOLOGY - Exploring Mythology in Classical Literature & Art. Retrieved from: https://www.theoi.com/Text/HesiodTheogony.html?fbclid=IwAR2uJ8ODc3LFkrL4_FyAGiwd8-PoIvoyiiksl1PT9GO0CQwfgbV9OxsV8ng
Cambridge Dictionary (2020). Meaning of castrated in English. Retrieved from: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/castrated
LitCharts (2020). Theogony Themes. Retrieved from: https://www.litcharts.com/lit/theogony/themes
Monaghan, P. (2014). The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore. Infobase Publishing. p. 259. ISBN 978-1438110370.
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