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Their song is a theogony in its own right, in that they sing the genesis of the gods (105 ἀθανάτων ἱερὸν γένος αἰὲν ἐόντων). Their theogonic performance is thus the model for the performance of the Hesiodic Theogony. Singing the genesis of the gods, they show Hesiod how to sing it in his own right, specifying ...
- Authorship
- Homer vs Hesiod
- Hymn to The Muses
- Birth of The Gods
- Zeus & Kronos
- Atlas & Prometheus
- The First Woman
- The Battle with The Titans
- The Children of Zeus
The Theogony (from the Greek theogonia, meaning "generations of the gods") is an epic poem of 1,022 hexameter lines which describes the birth of the gods in the Greek pantheon. It is thought to have been composed c. 700 BCE (give or take a generation either side of that date). Little is known of Hesiod's life. His father emigrated from Cyme in Asia...
In the introduction to her translation of the Theogony, Wender compared the gods of Homer to those of Hesiod. Although Homer's Olympians may not have been admirable ethically - they lied, cheated, and stole - they were still civilized. Homer erased their sins with no mention of any "primitive behavior." However, Hesiod made no effort to "whitewash ...
In the opening lines of the poem, Hesiod gives credit to the nine Muses, who came to him while he was tending his sheep, for having taught him to sing. Speaking of himself in the third person, Hesiod wrote: However, Hesiod adds that while man knows enough to make up convincing lies, he still has the skill to speak the truth when needed. The Muses g...
After the hymn to the Muses, Hesiod describes the birth of the gods. He asks the Muses to "give me sweet song" to tell They spoke of Chaos and how from Chaos came night and day. From Chaos came Earth (Gaia) who bore Heaven or Sky (Ouranos) as well as other children including Eros (Desire), Tartarus (Underworld), Erebus (Darkness), and Nyx(Night). F...
Finally, Hesiod comes to the birth of Zeus: Rhea next gave birth to Hestia, Demeter, Hera, and Hades, However, Kronos seized each child and swallowed them, except, of course, Zeus who was stolen away by his mother to be reared in secret on the island of Crete. Kronos had learned from Earth and Heaven that his destiny was to be overthrown by one of ...
Later, the poet introduces other notable figures of Greek mythologysuch as the offspring of the Titans. One of these, Atlas, Next, there was the birth of the "brilliant" Prometheus. However, Prometheus had angered the mighty father of the gods. He had tried to deceive Zeus and had stolen a ray of fire and given it to humanity, but Zeus did not want...
In another important, if blatantly misogynistic episode, a young woman is created. Although not named, she was dressed by Athena in silverrobes and from her Later Greek mythology speaks of Pandora, the wife of Epimetheus, who opens Pandora's Box, an act that brought evil to the world. However, Pandora, by name, is not mentioned until Hesiod's later...
Long ago, a jealous and envious Ouranos had bound three of his sons - the Giants Kottos, Gyes, and Briateus - and However, Zeus was able to free them and a battle ensued between the Olympian gods, helped by the Giants, and the Titans. The war between the gods of Olympus and the Titans would last for ten years. The battle continued until The Titans ...
The remainder of the poem is concerned with Zeus and the birth of his many children. His first wife was Metis, who bore him Athena. With Leto, he sired the twins Apollo and Artemis, the huntress. With Hera, his sister, Hebe, Ares, and Eileithuia were born. To Hera, "without the act of love" the limping god Hephaistos was born. From Mnemosyne came t...
- Donald L. Wasson
The sweet song flows without pause from their mouths and the house of Father Zeus the Thunderer sounds with laughter at the voice of the goddesses as it spreads, soft as a lily. The peak of snowy Olympus and the homes of the immortals echo. The Muses send forth their immortal voices and first celebrate in song the revered race of the gods
Hesiod, Theogony, line 1. From the Heliconian Muses let us begin to sing, who hold the great and holy mount of Helicon, and dance on soft feet about the deep-blue spring and the altar of the almighty son of Cronos, [5] and, when they have washed their tender bodies in Permessus or in the Horse's Spring or Olmeius, make their fair, lovely dances ...
HESIOD: THEOGONY. "Theogony" means "birth of the gods." This thousand-line poem comes from the end of the 8th century bce. Most generally it is a hymn to Zeus, king of gods and men, but it encompasses the origin of the world (cosmogony) and of the other gods. As will be conventional in epic poetry hereafter, the work begins with honor to the ...
The Muses were the Greek goddesses of poetic inspiration, the adored deities of song, dance, and memory, on whose mercy the creativity, wisdom and insight of all artists and thinkers depended. They may have been originally three in number, but, according to Hesiod and the prevailing tradition he established, most commonly they are depicted as ...
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Let us begin our song with the Heliconian Muses, who hold great and holy Mount Helicon, and dance on soft feet around the deep-blue spring and the altar of Zeus. [1] [5] After they have washed their tender bodies in Permessus or in the Horse’s Spring [2] or Olmeius, they dance fair and lovely on the highest peak of Helicon, moving with vigorous feet.
