Download The Greek Story of Creation

The Greek Story of Creation
As taken from Hesiod’s Theogony
By Mrs. Johnson
Credits to Carlos Parada author of a Genealogical Guide to Greek Mythology
The classical Greek creation
story is taken from Hesiod’s
tale entitled, Theogony (ca. 750
B.C.E.) .
From Theogony - theos means
“god” and gon means “birth.”
Theogony
Theogony simply means the
genealogy of the gods. It is the
creation story of the gods.
Additional terms:
– Greek for the
expression of a thought
Logos
Theology
– the study of the
gods
Mythos
“beliefs”
– Greek for “tale” or
Hesiod and the “Theogony”
There are said to be at least six
different mythical accounts of creation
by the Greeks. Hesiod’s is one that is
often cited since it specifically gives the
genealogy of the gods and is a key
source document.
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.
Cosmogony
Cosmos - harmony of the
universe with order
-gon – birth or creation
Cosmogony – creation of the
world
According to Hesiod…
In the beginning, there was
only
Today we know that chaos
means “lacking order or to
have confusion.”
Chaos was a shapeless mass
of darkness and
meaninglessness.
Chaos
Offspring of Chaos
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Nyx Erebus Tartarus Eros Gaia
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.
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.
Erebus is the darkness of
the Underworld.
Do not confuse Erebus with the
Underworld. We will discuss
the Underworld later.
Eros
Eros is seen as a
youth and known
as the god of
Love.
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.
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.

Gaia (Gaea or Ge)
Mother Earth
Parentage
procreation
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.
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.
The offspring of Gaia and
Uranus
Gaia and Uranus mate to have the
following offspring:
 The Cyclops
 The Hecatoncheires
 The Titans
Uranus
Uranus becomes an equal to
Gaia and will become her mate.
Pontus
Though not much is said of
Pontus, he is the god of the Sea.
He is known more for his
offspring.
The Cyclops
Cyclopes
Wheel-eyed
The Cyclops were three
brothers known for the
one large eye in the
center of their foreheads.
They were giants in size.
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.
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.
12 Titans
Cronus, Rhea, Oceanus, Tethys,
Hyperion, Mnemosyne, Themis,
Iapetus, Coeus, Crius, Phoebe, and
Thea were the children of Gaia and
Uranus…of these, Cronus was the
youngest and considered the wiliest.
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.
Cronus attacked his father with the
sickle.
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.
Aphrodite
After Cronus struck Uranus, some of the
blood fell into the sea. A foam appeared
and from that foam, Aphrodite emerged
fully grown.
Erinyes
From the blood that
fell to the earth came
the Erinyes (or
Furies). These 3
sisters became the
avengers of sin and
crime.
One of the Erinyes
The Giants
The Giants were
large creatures,
sometimes
described as having
serpent feet and a
thousand hands.
And now the rest of the Titans…
Remember…there were 12
Titans born to Uranus and
Gaia…6 boys and 6 girls.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mnemosyne - the Titaness of
memory and the mother of the
Muses.
Crius – Little known of this Titan.
Phoebe – Titaness of the Moon.
Rhea and Cronus
Cronus had taken each
of his five children and
swallowed them to
prevent them from
overthrowing him.
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
The Age of the Titans
They ruled from
Mt. Othrys
in central Greece
Review
Genealogical Chart
Chaos
Nyx
Erebus
Tartarus
Eros
Gaia
Offspring of Gaia
Gaia
Uranus
Pontus
Offspring of Gaia and Uranus
Gaia & Uranus
Hectoncheires
Cyclops
Titans
Titanomachy
The war between the Titans and
the Olympians.
Stay tuned!
Vocabulary Words
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
TheosCosmosTheogony
Cosmogony
-gon
-ology
Chaos
GeEros –
Tartarus
Vocabulary Words cont.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
Cyclops (Cyclopes)
Titan
Hecta
Furies
Chronus
Scythe
-ess
Titanomachy
Characters
Gaia
 Uranus
 Cronus
 Rhea
 Zeus
