Zues obtains the hundred-handers' assistance
since from the first their father Ouranos was angry at heart with
Briareos, Kottos, and Gyges, he bound them in bondage secure,
for their overpowering strength, the shapes of their bodies, their hugeness
[620] held him in awe; he kept them under the wide-wayed earth,
sitting at earth's end, at the great earth's ultimate limits,
being for a long time in much anguish, having great grief in their hearts.
But then Zeus, son of Kronos, and the other immortal gods
[625] whom the lovely-haired Rhea bore of her union with Kronos,
following Gaia's advice, led them back to the light,
for she had told them all that would happen, the course of events,
how with these aiding them they would win victory and glorious fame.
Now for a long time they had been fighting in heart-rending battle,
[630] coming against each other in mighty encounters of war,
they the immortal Titans and they who are children of Kronos,
they who fought from lofty Mount Othrys, the illustrious Titans,
they who fought from Olympus, the gods who are givers of good things,
whom the lovely-haired Rhea bore of her union with Kronos.
[635] These had fought with each other for ten continuous years,
striving in heart-rending battle and never relenting at all;
and for this difficult strife there was no solution or end in
either side's favor in sight; the balance of battle seemed equal.
But when he had regaled them with the appropriate nourishment
[640] of ambrosia and nectar, which are the foods of the gods,
and the spirit of courage had grown in the breasts of them all
from having eaten of nectar and of delicious ambrosia,
then the Father of Gods and of Men addressed them as follows:
"Listen to me, O glorious children of Gaia and Ouranos,
[645] while i say what the heart in my breast is urging upon me.
Now for a very long time we have fought for victory and mastery,
coming against each other in battle day after day,
they the immortal Titans and we who are children of Kronos.
Come, I beg you, and show your mighty power to the Titans,
[650] show your invincible hands against them in terrible warfare;
think of my kindness, my friendship to you, how after much suffering
you have returned to the light from torturous bondage below and
risen out of invisible darkness because I devised it."
Thus he spoke, and noble Kottos immediately answered him:
[655] "What are you saying? We acknowledge your claim. We by experience
know of ourselves your superior mind, your superior sagacity.
You have become a shield for immortals from chilling disaster;
by your careful devising out of invisible darkness
we have returned, we have been freed from bondage secure,
[660] we, unexpectedly blessed, are here, O Lord, Son of Kronos.
So now in purpose unbending, with spirits eager to help you
we shall grant your power our strength in terrible warfare,
fighting against the Titans in might encounters of battle."
Thus he spoke, and the gods, the givers of good things, applauded,
[665] hearing his words; and now their spirits were eager for war
more than ever before. On that day they all together
stirred up horrible battle, both the males and the females,
they the immortal Titans and they who are children of Kronos and
those whom Zeus had brought to the light from below earth in Erebos,
[670] who were frightening, mighty, of overpowering strength.
Each of them had one hundred arms which shot from his shoulders -
so many each of them had - and each of them had fifty heads
growing out of his shoulders over his powerful limbs.
Since he first saw them, their father Ouranos had been angry with his sons Briarios, Kottos, and Gyges. He locked them away in secure bondage, because their overpowering strength, their huge forms, and the shapes of their bodies held him in awe; he kept them under the earth, at earth's end, at the ultimate limit, causing them much grief and anguish.
But then Zeus and the other gods, who were the children of Kronos and Rhea, led them back to the surface, out of their bondage, following Gaia's advice. Gaia had told them that this would happen, told them the course of events; how, with these creatures aiding them, they would win victory over the Titans, and gain glorious fame.
Now, they had been fighting for a long time, coming against each other in mighty and ferocious battles, the immortal Titans and the gods. They who fought from Mount Othrys, the Titans, and they who fought from Mount Olympus, the gods who give all good things, the children of Kronos and Rhea.
These two groups had fought for ten continous years, both striving to overcome the other and never relenting. For this war, there was no end in sight; they were too evenly matched.
When Zeus had fed the Hundred-Handers with Ambrosia and Nectar (the foods of the gods), and the spirit of courage had grown in their breasts, Zeus said to them "Listen to me, Oh glorious children of Gaia and Ouranos, while i tell you what I feel in my heart. For a very long time, we have fought for victory against the Titans and for mastery over our foes, fighting against each other in battle day after day. Come, I beg you, show your mighty power to the Titans, show them your invincible hands in terrible warfare. Think of my kindness, my friendship, how I released you from your bondage and brought you back into the light through my wisdom."
Noble Kottos immediately answered "What are you saying? We acknowledge your claims. We know you posses superior intelligence, superior cleverness. You are now a shield for immortals against disaster. by your shrewdness we have been freed from our bondage. We have been blessed unexpectedly; we are here because of you, Oh Zeus. Now in return, we will lend you our power and strength in war, we will help you fight against the Titans in battle."
Hearing this, the gods, who give all good things, applauded, and their spirits were heartened, and they were eager for war more than ever before. That day, they all stirred up horrible battle together; The immortal Titans, and the gods, the children of Kronos and Rhea, and the frightening and mighty Hundred-Handers whom Zeus had brought to the light from Erebos.
Each of them had a hundred arms, which shot from the shoulder (so many each of them had!) and each of them had fifty heads growing out of the shoulders, over their powerful limbs.
Frazer's Comment ::
We turn somewhat abruptly from the bondage of Prometheus at the end of the last passage to the bondage of the Hundred-Handers (a link is provided, as West points out, by the motif of bondage) and so back to the Succession Myth. On the advice of Gaia (a prophetic power) Zeus frees the Hundred-Handers after the gods and Titans have been fighting for ten long years.
That zeus needs the Hundred-Handers in order to defeat the Titans seems to throw a shadow on his power. But perhaps their role is owing to an epic motif according to which, in a long, evenly fought battle, one side finally wins by taking the advice of an oracle and bringing in aid from the outside. We can compare the store of how the gods finally defeated the Giants by bringing in the aid of Herakles on the advice of an oracle; compare Apollodoros Bibliotheka 1.6.1. Hesiod mitigates the fact of Zeus's dependency on the Hundred-Handers by emphasizing that they owe their freedom to his superior wisdom.
Line 668 is a repetition of lines 631 and 648: "they the immortal Titans and they (we) who are children of Kronos." But the earlier occurrences are used to describe the fighting as equally balanced, wheras here the Hundred-Handers are added (669), thus tipping the balance in favor of the gods.
The battlefield is the plain of Thessaly, at the north of which is Mount Olympos from which the gods fight, and at the south of which is Mount Othrys from which the Titans fight. On a clear day Mount Olympos is visible from Mount Othrys about seventy miles away.
this part is confusing, with all the repetition, ne? oh man.
so, the hundred-handers's NAMES are Briareos, Kottos, and Gyges (bree-are-ee-ohs, koh-toes, and guy-jeez), and they have 50 arms coming out of each shoulder blade, and 50 heads on those huge shoulders.
do they ever disagree? making a pizza order must be hell.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Zeus Outwits Prometheus
The Creation of Woman
[535] For when the gods and mortal men fell to disputing
at Mekone, Prometheus, acting in a spirit of kindness,
divided and dished up a great ox, deceiving the mind of Zeus.
On the one side he put the flesh and the rich and fat inner parts
hidden under the skin, concealed in the paunch of the ox;
[540] on the other side he put the ox's white bones, arranging them
well with skillful deception, concealed in silvery fat.
Then the Father of Gods and of Men addressed him as follows:
"Son of Iapetos, lord surpassing all others in glory,
ah my good fellow, how very unfairly you make this division!"
[545] Thus did Zeus, whose plans are unfailing, chidingly speak.
And Prometheus, the clever deviser, made him this answer,
gently smiling the while and mindful of skillful deception:
"Zeus, most glorious and greatest of gods eternally living,
choose for yourself of these helpings the one that your heart desires."
[550] Thus he spoke with deceit, but Zeus, whose plans are unfailing,
saw through the trick and wasn't deceived, but planned in his heart
evil which he would bring to fulfillment for mortal men.
Then as in both hands he took up the helping shining with fat
anger swelled in his breast, wrath entered into his heart,
[555] for he beheld the white bones of the ox and the skillful deception.
(This explains why the tribes of men who dwell on the earth burn white bones on the fragrant altars to the immortals.)
Then, greatly angered, Zeus of the Storm Cloud addressed him as follows:
"Son of Iapetos, you who surpass all others in planning,
[560] ah my good fellow, you ever are mindful of skillful deception!"
Thus in his wrath Zeus, whose plans are unfailing, spoke.
And he never forgot this act of deception but thereafter
no longer gave to the ash trees the strength of weariless fire,
which is a boon for mortal men who dwell on the earth.
[565] But the goodly son of Iapetos deceived him by thievery,
stealing the strength of weariless fire, that far-shining brightness,
caught in a fennel stalk's hollow - a deed that pierced to the heart
Zeus the Thunderer on High, stirring his spirit to anger,
when he beheld among men the far-shining brightness of fire.
[570] Immediately he made in payment of fire an evil for men,
for the famous Lame-Legged One fashioned of clay,
as Zeus decreed, and image resembling a virgin demure.
And the goddess gray-eyed Athena girdled and dressed her
in a silver-white gown and over her head dew a veil,
[575] one that was woven with wonderful skill, a marvel to look at;
and over this a garland of spring flowers, bright in their freshness,
Pallas Athena set on her head, a lovely adornment;
and a gold crown, encircling the brow, she put in its place,
which had been made by the famous Lame-Legged One himself,
[580] using the skill of his hands, gladly obliging Zeus Father.
On it were made many intricate shapes, marvels to look at,
resembling the terrible monsters spawned by earth and sea;
many of these he put there, all of them breathing with charm,
marvelous beings which seemed ot be living and able to roar.
[585] When he had finished this beauty, this evil to balance a good,
Hephaistos brought her among the other gods and men,
glorying in her adornment by the gray-eyed Daughter of Great Zeus.
Then the gods and mortal men were struck with amazement
when they beheld this sheer inescapable snare for men.
[590] From her descend the race of women, the feminine sex;
from her come the baneful race and types of women.
Women, a great plague, make their abodes with mortal men,
being ill-suited to Poverty's curse but suited to Plenty.
Compare how the honey bees in the protected cells of the hives
[595] garner food for the drones, conspirers in evil works-
all day long they are active until the sun goes down
busily working and storing white honey during the daylight-
while the drones keep within the protected cells of the hives and
garner into their stomachs the food that the others have worked for.
[600] Even so Zeus the Thunderer on High created women
as an evil for men and conspirers in troublesome works.
And in exchange for a good he gave a balancing evil.
Whoever flees from marriage and women's mischevious works,
being unwilling to wed, comes to baneful old age with
[605] no one to care for his needs, and though he has plenty to live on
while he is living, collateral heirs divide his possessions
when he is dead. As for the man who is fated to marry,
if he obtains a virtuous wife, one endowed with good sense,
throughout his life evil and good alternate endlessly.
[610] But that man who obtains a wife who is thoroughly bad
lives having deep in his breast a pain which never subsides
fixed in his innermost heart, and this is an evil incurable.
Thus to deceive Zeus's mind is impossible or to get round it,
for not even the son of Iapetos, crafter Prometheus,
[615] avoided his deep wrath, but he in spite of his shrewdness
suffers under compulsion great inescapable bondage.
When the gods and mortal men began fighting at Mekone, Prometheus, acting as a mediator, served a large ox, with the intent of deceiving Zeus. On one side, he put the meat and the edible inner parts, hiding them under the skin, concealed in the belly of the ox; on the other side, he put the ox's bones, arranged skillfully and concealed with the silvery fat.
Then Zeus said to him, chiding, "ah, Prometheus my good fellow, how very unfairly you've divided this!"
Prometheus responded, smiling slyly, "Zeus, go ahead and choose what you'd like from the helpings."
He spoke with deceit, but Zeus saw through Prometheus' trick and, instead of being deceived, planned a punishment for mortal men. Then Zeus took in both hands the helping shining with silvery fat, and finding that they were only bones, he became enraged and full of wrath.
Zeus shouted, "Prometheus, you tricked me!", and he never forgot the deception. (This explains why men burn the bones of the sacrifice on the altars to the immortals. The gods get the essence of the sacrifice, the men get the physical parts. The sacrifices were "burnt" because they burnt the bones and cooked the meat.)
As man's punishment for Prometheus' trickery, he took the fire from the ash trees, which was a very good thing for men. But Prometheus deceived Zeus again, this time by stealing fire from the gods, hiding it in the hollow of a fennel stalk. When he saw this, Zeus became enraged once again, and devised another punishment for man.
He went to Hephaistos and had him fashion a beautiful and demure woman out of clay. Athena dressed her in a silvery white gown and a beautiful veil, held in place with a garland of spring flowers in blume. Finally, Athena placed a gold crown, also made by Hephaistos, on her head. The crown was intricately carved and adorned with incredibly lifelike representations of the terrible monsters spawned by earth and sea. They were so lifelike that they seemed to move and even roar. When he'd finished this beauty, an evil to balance a good, Hephaistos brought her among the gods and men, praising Athena's skill in clothing and adornments. Then the gods and men alike were struck with amazement when they saw this beautiful, inescapable snare for men.
From her descend the race of women, the feminine sex; from her come the baneful race and types of women. Women, a great plague, make their home with mortal men, being badly-suited to poverty, but well-suited to plenty.
Compare how the honey bees in the protected cells of the hives eat the food for the drones, conspiring in evil works - all day long they're active, until the sun goes down, busily working and storing white honey during daylight - while the drones keep within the protected cells of the hive and eat all the food that the others have worked for.
Even so, Zeus created women as an evil for men. In exchange for the good of fire, he gave the evil of women.
Whoever flees from marriage and women's mischeif, being unwilling to wed, will become an old man with no one to care for him, though he has plenty to live on while he's still living, and brothers or cousins will divide his possessions when he's dead. As for the man who marries, even if he gets a good wife, one with good sense, throughout his life good and evil will alternate in an endless cycle. But the man who gets a bad wife lives with a pain in his heart that never subsides, and this is an evil that is incurable.
Thus to deceive Zeus is impossible, physically or mentally, for not even crafty Prometheus avoided Zeus' wrath, and in spite of his shrewdness, he suffers under a great and inescapable bondage (he's chained to a rock and an eagle eats his liver every day.).
Frazer's Comment ::
Prometheus tries to trick Zeus at Mekone (Identified with Sikyon, in the Peloponnese) by making him choose the bones instead of the meat. But Hesiod's Zeus (probably contrary to an earlier version) is not tricked; he chooses the bones with the intention of punishing men, for whom Prometheus has gained the meat. This is an aetiological myth used to explain why men obtain the meat of sacrificial victims but the gods only the bones.
Zeus punishes men by taking fire from the ash trees (which are especially good for kindling) and so men are unable to cook the meat. Prometheus counters by stealing fire in a fennel stalk, an appropriate vehichle, for we elsewhere hear of the stalk of the giant fennel being used for carrying fire. This theft results in Zeus's final punishment: woman is sent to man and (though this is not said here) Prometheus is bound and afflicted with the eagle.
Woman is created out of clay by the Lame-Legged One (Hephaistos) and dressed by Athena. Her last adornment is a crown made by Hephaistos showing representations of monstrous animals. Hesiod's remark on the very lifelike appearance of these animals is inconsistent with the fact that the art of his time was highly stylized. As Marg notes, it was an old, naïve way of praising a work of art, found also in Homer (Iliad 18.478ff.) and often in later Greek literature, to say that its representations were lifelike.
Women are an economic burden, that is, drones. Compare W.D. 302ff., where lazy men are equated with drones. Moreover, the creation of woman raises the problem of marriage, and this problem shows how the lives of men are circumscribed by fate.
A man will have a mixed life of good and bad whether he refuses to marry or even if, choosing to marry, he obtains a good wife. But if he chooses to marry and finds a bad wife, he will have an entirely bad life. These are the only two kinds of life available to him. This view of man's fate seems to have been common in Hesiod's time as well as in later Greek history. As noted in the Introduction, it occurs in the description of the jars of Zeus in Iliad 24.525ff.
The moral of the whole Prometheus story is that no one is able to defeat Zeus. A similar idea is expressed in Proverbs 19:21: "A man's heart may be full of schemes, but the Lord's purpose will prevail." The present passage should be compared with that on the creation of Pandora in W.D. 42-105, which ends with the same moral. There man's fate is explained by Pandora's opening of a great jar of evils.
Hesiod really doesn't like women much, huh?
also, he doesn't know how a bee hive works.
[535] For when the gods and mortal men fell to disputing
at Mekone, Prometheus, acting in a spirit of kindness,
divided and dished up a great ox, deceiving the mind of Zeus.
On the one side he put the flesh and the rich and fat inner parts
hidden under the skin, concealed in the paunch of the ox;
[540] on the other side he put the ox's white bones, arranging them
well with skillful deception, concealed in silvery fat.
Then the Father of Gods and of Men addressed him as follows:
"Son of Iapetos, lord surpassing all others in glory,
ah my good fellow, how very unfairly you make this division!"
[545] Thus did Zeus, whose plans are unfailing, chidingly speak.
And Prometheus, the clever deviser, made him this answer,
gently smiling the while and mindful of skillful deception:
"Zeus, most glorious and greatest of gods eternally living,
choose for yourself of these helpings the one that your heart desires."
[550] Thus he spoke with deceit, but Zeus, whose plans are unfailing,
saw through the trick and wasn't deceived, but planned in his heart
evil which he would bring to fulfillment for mortal men.
Then as in both hands he took up the helping shining with fat
anger swelled in his breast, wrath entered into his heart,
[555] for he beheld the white bones of the ox and the skillful deception.
(This explains why the tribes of men who dwell on the earth burn white bones on the fragrant altars to the immortals.)
Then, greatly angered, Zeus of the Storm Cloud addressed him as follows:
"Son of Iapetos, you who surpass all others in planning,
[560] ah my good fellow, you ever are mindful of skillful deception!"
Thus in his wrath Zeus, whose plans are unfailing, spoke.
And he never forgot this act of deception but thereafter
no longer gave to the ash trees the strength of weariless fire,
which is a boon for mortal men who dwell on the earth.
[565] But the goodly son of Iapetos deceived him by thievery,
stealing the strength of weariless fire, that far-shining brightness,
caught in a fennel stalk's hollow - a deed that pierced to the heart
Zeus the Thunderer on High, stirring his spirit to anger,
when he beheld among men the far-shining brightness of fire.
[570] Immediately he made in payment of fire an evil for men,
for the famous Lame-Legged One fashioned of clay,
as Zeus decreed, and image resembling a virgin demure.
And the goddess gray-eyed Athena girdled and dressed her
in a silver-white gown and over her head dew a veil,
[575] one that was woven with wonderful skill, a marvel to look at;
and over this a garland of spring flowers, bright in their freshness,
Pallas Athena set on her head, a lovely adornment;
and a gold crown, encircling the brow, she put in its place,
which had been made by the famous Lame-Legged One himself,
[580] using the skill of his hands, gladly obliging Zeus Father.
On it were made many intricate shapes, marvels to look at,
resembling the terrible monsters spawned by earth and sea;
many of these he put there, all of them breathing with charm,
marvelous beings which seemed ot be living and able to roar.
[585] When he had finished this beauty, this evil to balance a good,
Hephaistos brought her among the other gods and men,
glorying in her adornment by the gray-eyed Daughter of Great Zeus.
Then the gods and mortal men were struck with amazement
when they beheld this sheer inescapable snare for men.
[590] From her descend the race of women, the feminine sex;
from her come the baneful race and types of women.
Women, a great plague, make their abodes with mortal men,
being ill-suited to Poverty's curse but suited to Plenty.
Compare how the honey bees in the protected cells of the hives
[595] garner food for the drones, conspirers in evil works-
all day long they are active until the sun goes down
busily working and storing white honey during the daylight-
while the drones keep within the protected cells of the hives and
garner into their stomachs the food that the others have worked for.
[600] Even so Zeus the Thunderer on High created women
as an evil for men and conspirers in troublesome works.
And in exchange for a good he gave a balancing evil.
Whoever flees from marriage and women's mischevious works,
being unwilling to wed, comes to baneful old age with
[605] no one to care for his needs, and though he has plenty to live on
while he is living, collateral heirs divide his possessions
when he is dead. As for the man who is fated to marry,
if he obtains a virtuous wife, one endowed with good sense,
throughout his life evil and good alternate endlessly.
[610] But that man who obtains a wife who is thoroughly bad
lives having deep in his breast a pain which never subsides
fixed in his innermost heart, and this is an evil incurable.
Thus to deceive Zeus's mind is impossible or to get round it,
for not even the son of Iapetos, crafter Prometheus,
[615] avoided his deep wrath, but he in spite of his shrewdness
suffers under compulsion great inescapable bondage.
When the gods and mortal men began fighting at Mekone, Prometheus, acting as a mediator, served a large ox, with the intent of deceiving Zeus. On one side, he put the meat and the edible inner parts, hiding them under the skin, concealed in the belly of the ox; on the other side, he put the ox's bones, arranged skillfully and concealed with the silvery fat.
Then Zeus said to him, chiding, "ah, Prometheus my good fellow, how very unfairly you've divided this!"
Prometheus responded, smiling slyly, "Zeus, go ahead and choose what you'd like from the helpings."
He spoke with deceit, but Zeus saw through Prometheus' trick and, instead of being deceived, planned a punishment for mortal men. Then Zeus took in both hands the helping shining with silvery fat, and finding that they were only bones, he became enraged and full of wrath.
Zeus shouted, "Prometheus, you tricked me!", and he never forgot the deception. (This explains why men burn the bones of the sacrifice on the altars to the immortals. The gods get the essence of the sacrifice, the men get the physical parts. The sacrifices were "burnt" because they burnt the bones and cooked the meat.)
As man's punishment for Prometheus' trickery, he took the fire from the ash trees, which was a very good thing for men. But Prometheus deceived Zeus again, this time by stealing fire from the gods, hiding it in the hollow of a fennel stalk. When he saw this, Zeus became enraged once again, and devised another punishment for man.
He went to Hephaistos and had him fashion a beautiful and demure woman out of clay. Athena dressed her in a silvery white gown and a beautiful veil, held in place with a garland of spring flowers in blume. Finally, Athena placed a gold crown, also made by Hephaistos, on her head. The crown was intricately carved and adorned with incredibly lifelike representations of the terrible monsters spawned by earth and sea. They were so lifelike that they seemed to move and even roar. When he'd finished this beauty, an evil to balance a good, Hephaistos brought her among the gods and men, praising Athena's skill in clothing and adornments. Then the gods and men alike were struck with amazement when they saw this beautiful, inescapable snare for men.
From her descend the race of women, the feminine sex; from her come the baneful race and types of women. Women, a great plague, make their home with mortal men, being badly-suited to poverty, but well-suited to plenty.
Compare how the honey bees in the protected cells of the hives eat the food for the drones, conspiring in evil works - all day long they're active, until the sun goes down, busily working and storing white honey during daylight - while the drones keep within the protected cells of the hive and eat all the food that the others have worked for.
Even so, Zeus created women as an evil for men. In exchange for the good of fire, he gave the evil of women.
Whoever flees from marriage and women's mischeif, being unwilling to wed, will become an old man with no one to care for him, though he has plenty to live on while he's still living, and brothers or cousins will divide his possessions when he's dead. As for the man who marries, even if he gets a good wife, one with good sense, throughout his life good and evil will alternate in an endless cycle. But the man who gets a bad wife lives with a pain in his heart that never subsides, and this is an evil that is incurable.
Thus to deceive Zeus is impossible, physically or mentally, for not even crafty Prometheus avoided Zeus' wrath, and in spite of his shrewdness, he suffers under a great and inescapable bondage (he's chained to a rock and an eagle eats his liver every day.).
Frazer's Comment ::
Prometheus tries to trick Zeus at Mekone (Identified with Sikyon, in the Peloponnese) by making him choose the bones instead of the meat. But Hesiod's Zeus (probably contrary to an earlier version) is not tricked; he chooses the bones with the intention of punishing men, for whom Prometheus has gained the meat. This is an aetiological myth used to explain why men obtain the meat of sacrificial victims but the gods only the bones.
Zeus punishes men by taking fire from the ash trees (which are especially good for kindling) and so men are unable to cook the meat. Prometheus counters by stealing fire in a fennel stalk, an appropriate vehichle, for we elsewhere hear of the stalk of the giant fennel being used for carrying fire. This theft results in Zeus's final punishment: woman is sent to man and (though this is not said here) Prometheus is bound and afflicted with the eagle.
Woman is created out of clay by the Lame-Legged One (Hephaistos) and dressed by Athena. Her last adornment is a crown made by Hephaistos showing representations of monstrous animals. Hesiod's remark on the very lifelike appearance of these animals is inconsistent with the fact that the art of his time was highly stylized. As Marg notes, it was an old, naïve way of praising a work of art, found also in Homer (Iliad 18.478ff.) and often in later Greek literature, to say that its representations were lifelike.
Women are an economic burden, that is, drones. Compare W.D. 302ff., where lazy men are equated with drones. Moreover, the creation of woman raises the problem of marriage, and this problem shows how the lives of men are circumscribed by fate.
A man will have a mixed life of good and bad whether he refuses to marry or even if, choosing to marry, he obtains a good wife. But if he chooses to marry and finds a bad wife, he will have an entirely bad life. These are the only two kinds of life available to him. This view of man's fate seems to have been common in Hesiod's time as well as in later Greek history. As noted in the Introduction, it occurs in the description of the jars of Zeus in Iliad 24.525ff.
The moral of the whole Prometheus story is that no one is able to defeat Zeus. A similar idea is expressed in Proverbs 19:21: "A man's heart may be full of schemes, but the Lord's purpose will prevail." The present passage should be compared with that on the creation of Pandora in W.D. 42-105, which ends with the same moral. There man's fate is explained by Pandora's opening of a great jar of evils.
Hesiod really doesn't like women much, huh?
also, he doesn't know how a bee hive works.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
The Rise of Zeus
Zeus Obtains the Kyklopes' (the Cyclops) Thunderbolts
And he loosed from their terrible bonds his father's brothers,
the children of Ouranos, who in his madness had kept them in bondage.
And in return for this kindness they showed themselves grateful to him by
giving him both the crash of the thunder and the smoldering bolt and
[505]flash of lightening - these until then huge Gaia had hidden -
which are the weapons Zeus uses to rule all immortals and mortals.
Zeus released his father's brothers from their bonds. These children of Ouranos, who were kept in bondage because he wasn't himself. In return for their freedom, and to show their gratitude for his kindness, they gave him the crash of the thunder and the burning bolt and flash of the lightening (Gaia had these hidden until then). These are the weapons that Zeus uses to rule all immortals and mortals.
Frazer's Comment ::
It is not clear that this passage is concerned only with the Kyklopes, and not with the Hundred-Handers as well, until the thunder and lightening are mentioned. Perhaps this confusion is intentional. The present section and that in which the Hundred-Handers are freed, can be thought of as framing the very important next section that deals with the fate of man and shows that no other power is able to outsmart Zeus.
The thunderbolt, by means of which Zeus will defeat the Titans and Typhoeus, was for the ancient Greeks a frightening proof of his power. In later antiquity the philosophers were eager to explain thunder and lightening and natural phenomena in order to liberate men from the fear of the gods.
And Iapetos took as his wife a trim-ankled girl, Klymene,
one of the daughters of Okeanos, and went with her into their bed.
And she produced four sons: strong-hearted, enduring Atlas;
[510]Menoitios, who was swollen with arrogance; forethoughtful Prometheus,
cunning and devious-minded; and erring-in-thought Epimetheus,
who from the first was an evil for men who are eaters of bread,
being the first to receive from Zeus, when she had been fashioned,
woman, the maiden. Hybristic Menoitios was cast into Erebos by
[515]far-seeing Zeus, who hurled a smoldering bolt against him,
that he might pay for his blindness of heart and towering arrogance.
And Atlas is forced to sustain the burden of broad heaven,
standing at earth's end before the clear-voiced Hesperides,
using his head and the weariless power of his arms to support it;
[520]this is the fate that Zeus of the Counsels apportioned to him.
And in fast bondage he bound Prometheus, the devious planner,
whipping the painful bindings over a column at midpoint,
and against him sent a long-winged eagle to feed on his liver,
which was immortal; but whatever this long-winged bird ate
[525]during the day grew during the night again to perfection.
This evil plague of a bird was finally slain by Herakles,
the lovely-ankled Alkmene's valiant son, who kept it from
further attacks on Iapetos's son and freed him from pains.
This it was willed by Zeus the Olympian, the ruler on high,
[530]so that the glory of Herakles, the Theban-born hero's renown,
might be greater than even before on the life-giving earth.
So by this honor Zeus showed his regard for his glorious son,
relenting, though angry still, from his earlier wrath at Prometheus's
matching wits with himself, the mighty son of Kronos.
Iapetos married Klymene, a beautiful girl and a daughter of Okeanos. She gave birth to four sons: enduring Atlas, arrogant Menoitios, devious Prometheus, and erring Epimetheus, who was from the first an evil for men. Evil because Epimetheus was the one to receive Woman (Pandora) from Zeus.
Too-proud Menoitios was cast into the darkness by Zeus, who hurled a lightening bolt against him, to make Menoitios pay for his blind heart and his incredible arrogance.
Atlas was forced to hold up broad Heaven, standing at the end of the Earth, in front of the singing Hesperides, using his head and powerful arms to support it.
In tight chains Zeus bound Prometheus, the devious planner, wrapping the chains around a great column at it's middle, and Zeus set an eagle to feed on Prometheus' liver. Because Prometheus was immortal, so too was his liver, so whatever the eagle ate during the day would grow back during the night, and the bird would return at first light to begin his feast again.
This plague of a bird was finally slain by Hercules, Alkmene's valiant son, who kept the bird from attacking Iapetos' son and freed him from pains. This, Zeus willed, so that the glory of Hercules, the hero's renown, would be even greater on the Earth than before. By this honor, Zeus showed his high regard for his glorious son, relenting, though still angry, from his wrath at Prometheus for matching of wits with himself, the mighty son of Kronos.
Frazer's Comment ::
This passage brings to an end the genealogy of the Titans. Iapetos's sons are all in some way punished by Zeus. Of special importance to Hesiod because of their connection with the creation of woman are Prometheus, "The Forethinker"; and Epimetheus, "The After-Thinker".
Prometheus is treated as a very unsympathetic character who is deservedly punished for trying to outwit Zeus. He is bound to a column, and an eagle is sent to feed on his liver. The place of his binding is probably in the Caucasus mountains, and so he is situated out in the east, apparantly balancing Atlas who holds up the sky out in the west. Although Zeus permits Herakles to slay the eagle, nothing is said about the release of Prometheus, and, as West points out, Hesiod seems to imagine his bondage as an eternal punishment.
wow, another fairly short one! my fingers can take that. ^___^
And he loosed from their terrible bonds his father's brothers,
the children of Ouranos, who in his madness had kept them in bondage.
And in return for this kindness they showed themselves grateful to him by
giving him both the crash of the thunder and the smoldering bolt and
[505]flash of lightening - these until then huge Gaia had hidden -
which are the weapons Zeus uses to rule all immortals and mortals.
Zeus released his father's brothers from their bonds. These children of Ouranos, who were kept in bondage because he wasn't himself. In return for their freedom, and to show their gratitude for his kindness, they gave him the crash of the thunder and the burning bolt and flash of the lightening (Gaia had these hidden until then). These are the weapons that Zeus uses to rule all immortals and mortals.
Frazer's Comment ::
It is not clear that this passage is concerned only with the Kyklopes, and not with the Hundred-Handers as well, until the thunder and lightening are mentioned. Perhaps this confusion is intentional. The present section and that in which the Hundred-Handers are freed, can be thought of as framing the very important next section that deals with the fate of man and shows that no other power is able to outsmart Zeus.
The thunderbolt, by means of which Zeus will defeat the Titans and Typhoeus, was for the ancient Greeks a frightening proof of his power. In later antiquity the philosophers were eager to explain thunder and lightening and natural phenomena in order to liberate men from the fear of the gods.
Zeus Outwits Prometheus. The Maleficent Sons of Iapetos.
And Iapetos took as his wife a trim-ankled girl, Klymene,
one of the daughters of Okeanos, and went with her into their bed.
And she produced four sons: strong-hearted, enduring Atlas;
[510]Menoitios, who was swollen with arrogance; forethoughtful Prometheus,
cunning and devious-minded; and erring-in-thought Epimetheus,
who from the first was an evil for men who are eaters of bread,
being the first to receive from Zeus, when she had been fashioned,
woman, the maiden. Hybristic Menoitios was cast into Erebos by
[515]far-seeing Zeus, who hurled a smoldering bolt against him,
that he might pay for his blindness of heart and towering arrogance.
And Atlas is forced to sustain the burden of broad heaven,
standing at earth's end before the clear-voiced Hesperides,
using his head and the weariless power of his arms to support it;
[520]this is the fate that Zeus of the Counsels apportioned to him.
And in fast bondage he bound Prometheus, the devious planner,
whipping the painful bindings over a column at midpoint,
and against him sent a long-winged eagle to feed on his liver,
which was immortal; but whatever this long-winged bird ate
[525]during the day grew during the night again to perfection.
This evil plague of a bird was finally slain by Herakles,
the lovely-ankled Alkmene's valiant son, who kept it from
further attacks on Iapetos's son and freed him from pains.
This it was willed by Zeus the Olympian, the ruler on high,
[530]so that the glory of Herakles, the Theban-born hero's renown,
might be greater than even before on the life-giving earth.
So by this honor Zeus showed his regard for his glorious son,
relenting, though angry still, from his earlier wrath at Prometheus's
matching wits with himself, the mighty son of Kronos.
Iapetos married Klymene, a beautiful girl and a daughter of Okeanos. She gave birth to four sons: enduring Atlas, arrogant Menoitios, devious Prometheus, and erring Epimetheus, who was from the first an evil for men. Evil because Epimetheus was the one to receive Woman (Pandora) from Zeus.
Too-proud Menoitios was cast into the darkness by Zeus, who hurled a lightening bolt against him, to make Menoitios pay for his blind heart and his incredible arrogance.
Atlas was forced to hold up broad Heaven, standing at the end of the Earth, in front of the singing Hesperides, using his head and powerful arms to support it.
In tight chains Zeus bound Prometheus, the devious planner, wrapping the chains around a great column at it's middle, and Zeus set an eagle to feed on Prometheus' liver. Because Prometheus was immortal, so too was his liver, so whatever the eagle ate during the day would grow back during the night, and the bird would return at first light to begin his feast again.
This plague of a bird was finally slain by Hercules, Alkmene's valiant son, who kept the bird from attacking Iapetos' son and freed him from pains. This, Zeus willed, so that the glory of Hercules, the hero's renown, would be even greater on the Earth than before. By this honor, Zeus showed his high regard for his glorious son, relenting, though still angry, from his wrath at Prometheus for matching of wits with himself, the mighty son of Kronos.
Frazer's Comment ::
This passage brings to an end the genealogy of the Titans. Iapetos's sons are all in some way punished by Zeus. Of special importance to Hesiod because of their connection with the creation of woman are Prometheus, "The Forethinker"; and Epimetheus, "The After-Thinker".
Prometheus is treated as a very unsympathetic character who is deservedly punished for trying to outwit Zeus. He is bound to a column, and an eagle is sent to feed on his liver. The place of his binding is probably in the Caucasus mountains, and so he is situated out in the east, apparantly balancing Atlas who holds up the sky out in the west. Although Zeus permits Herakles to slay the eagle, nothing is said about the release of Prometheus, and, as West points out, Hesiod seems to imagine his bondage as an eternal punishment.
wow, another fairly short one! my fingers can take that. ^___^
Sunday, September 26, 2010
The Rise of Zeus
The Birth of Zeus and the Other Olympians, the Children of Kronos and Rhea
And Rhea, mating with Kronos, bore him glorious children:
Hestia, Demeter, and Hera, who walks on sandals of gold;
[455]powerful Hades, who dwells in a mansion under the earth and
has a pitiless heart; the roaring Shaker of Earth; and
Zeus of the Counsels, who is the Father of Gods and of Men
and at the sound of whose thundering a trembling seizes the broad earth.
Great Kronos swallowed each of these children as each of them came
[460]out of the holy womb of their mother and fell at her knees,
this his set purpose, that no other lordly descendant of Ouranos
should possess the honor of kingship among the immortals.
For he had learned of the future from Gaia and star-studded Ouranos,
how he was destined to meet with defeat at the hands of his son;
[465]this was to be in spite of his strength, for great Zeus would plan it.
Therefore no blind man's lookout was his, but he being watchful
swallowed his children, and Rhea was seized with a grief unforgettable.
But when she was finally about to give birth to Zeus,
the Father of Gods and of Men, then she begged her mother and father,
that they should tell her how she might secretly bear her dear baby,
and how her father's Erinys might be an avenger against
great Kronos, the clever deviser, in payment for swallowing her children.
They then heeded their daughter's request and did as she asked them,
[475]telling her all that was destined to be, revealing the future,
what was to happen to Kronos the king and her stout-hearted son.
And they sent her to Lyktos, off in fertile-soiled Krete,
when she was going to bear him, her youngest, the last of her children,
Zeus, great Zeus. There in the broad isle of Krete huge Gaia
[480]received him from her in order to nurse him and rear him to manhood.
Bringing him there she came in the covering darkness of swift night
first to Lyktos, and taking him into her hands she put him
into a cave under the holy earth high up
on Mount Aigaion, where is abundant thickly grown forest.
[485]And she swaddled a great stone and put it into the hands of
Ouranos's son, the great lord, king of the earlier gods,
who, having taken it from her, sent it down into his stomach,
hardhearted wretch, nor did he foresee what was going to happen,
that his son, replaced by the stone, unconquered and carefree,
[490]still surviving, would prove himself victor by force of his hands and
drive him out of his honor and rule as king of the gods.
Then the strength and the glorious power of the limbs of this king
rapidly grew and, the circling year having come to completion,
great Kronos, the clever deviser, being the dupe of Gaia's
[495]very superior advice, sent up his children again,
for he was brought to defeat by the trickery and force of his son.
First he was forced to spew up the stone - he had swallowed it last - and
this was established and fixed by Zeus in the wide-wayed earth at
holy Pytho down in the hollow beneath Mount Parnassos,
[500]there to remain as a sign, a marvel for mortal men.
Rhea, sleeping with Kronos, gave birth to glorious children: Hestia, Demeter, and Hera, who has golden sandals. Hades, who is powerful and lives in a mansion under the earth with a pitiless heart, Poseidon, who shakes the earth, and Zeus, the father of gods and men, who makes the earth tremble with his thundering.
Great Kronos swallowed each of his children as they came out of the womb of their mother and fell at her knees. He did this because he had learned from Gaia and Ouranos that his youngest son would overthrow him, and he wanted to prevent it. This was supposed to happen despite Kronos' great strength, for Zeus would plan it.
Kronos knew what was coming, so he swallowed his children, causing Rhea a deep and lasting grief. But, when she was about to give birth to Zeus, Rhea begged her mother and father to tell her how to secretly have her baby, and how her father's Furies might avenge themselves on Kronos, for swallowing her children.
Gaia and Ouranos did as their daughter asked them, and told her all that was destined, revealing the future, and telling what was to happen to Kronos and her son. They sent her to Lyktos, off in Crete, to give birth to Zeus, her last child. There on Crete, Gaia received him from Rhea in order to nurse him and rear him to manhood. Bringing him there, Rhea came at night first to Lyktos, and then, taking him in her arms, she put him in a cave under the holy earth, high up on mount Aigaion, in the thick forest. Then, she swaddled a great stone, and put it in the arms of Ouranos' son, Kronos, who, having taken it from her, sent it down into his stomach, the hardhearted wretch. He didn't know what was to happen, that his son, replaced by the stone, still living, would depose his father and become king of the gods.
Zeus rapidly grew, becoming stronger and glorious, and, the circling year having come to completion, great Kronos, clever deviser but dupe of Gaia's advice, sent up his children again, for he was defeated by the trickery and force of his son.
First, he was forced to spew up the stone - he had swallowed it last - and this was placed by Zeus in the wide earth at holy Pytho, down in the hollow beneath Mount Parnassus, as a sign and marvel for mortals.
Frazer's Comment ::
Kronos and Rhea produce a triad of females and a triad of males. The first female, Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, is a vague figure about whom there is very little mythology. Demeter, the second female, is the goddess of the grain; she is married to Zeus, by whom she produces Persephone (912ff.). The third female, Hera, becomes the last wife of Zeus, by whom she produces Hebe, Ares, and Eileithyia (921ff.).
The first male is Hades, the king of the Underworld; his name is often used to stand for the Underworld itself. The second male, Poseidon, is the god of the sea and the waters under the earth; he is called the Shaker of Earth because he sometimes causes earthquakes. Zeus, who is the greatest of the gods, surpassing all others in wisdom and power, holds the last and most important position. His power is made manifest by his thunderbolts, which he obtains from the Kyklopes [cyclops] in the next section. With the birth of Zeus, Theog. reaches the goal toward which the preceding sections have been pointing. From now on he will dominate the stage as he defeats all his enemies and consolidates his government in the final events of the Succession Myth.
The story of the birth of the gods has several parallels with that of the birth of the Titans. Kronos and Ouranos both try to supress their children and so cause their wives great pain, but finally their youngest sons take vengeance upon them and drive them from power. The two stories are closely connected by the theme of vengeance. We remember that the Erinyes (furies), who are spirits of vengeance, spring up from the blood of Ouranos's castration.
Greek civilization was greatly influenced by earlier Minoan civilization on Krete (Crete), and the Greek Zeus was identified with a Minoan god of vegetation who was thought of as dying and being born again every year. Thus Krete became the birthplace of Zeus. Some Greeks also spoke of a tomb of Zeus on Krete, but most found this impossible to believe, for Zeus was immortal. Plutarch (Moralia 153F) tells how, at the funeral games of Amphidamas, Homer challenged Hesiod with the following words:
Muse, tell me such things as never have happened before and never will happen in future.
To which Hesiod answered:
But when horses with clattering hoofs run their course around Zeus's tomb and shatter their chariots striving for victory.
It was for this answer, Plutarch says, that Hesiod was awarded the prize of the tripod-cauldron. Although this story is probably apocryphal, it is a good illustration of the fact that most Greeks, and certainly Hesiod, believed in the immortality of Zeus. There never had been and never would be a tomb of Zeus on Krete or anywhere else. There never would be a funeral games, such as the race with horse and chariot, held in his honor.
When Zeus has forced Kronos to spew up the stone along with his brothers and sisters, he sets it up at Pytho (an ancient name for Delphi) to be a memorial of his victory. It was a common practice for victors, whether in war or at the Panhellenic games, to set up tokens of their victory at Delphi for all the world to see.
heyheyhey, a short one!
And Rhea, mating with Kronos, bore him glorious children:
Hestia, Demeter, and Hera, who walks on sandals of gold;
[455]powerful Hades, who dwells in a mansion under the earth and
has a pitiless heart; the roaring Shaker of Earth; and
Zeus of the Counsels, who is the Father of Gods and of Men
and at the sound of whose thundering a trembling seizes the broad earth.
Great Kronos swallowed each of these children as each of them came
[460]out of the holy womb of their mother and fell at her knees,
this his set purpose, that no other lordly descendant of Ouranos
should possess the honor of kingship among the immortals.
For he had learned of the future from Gaia and star-studded Ouranos,
how he was destined to meet with defeat at the hands of his son;
[465]this was to be in spite of his strength, for great Zeus would plan it.
Therefore no blind man's lookout was his, but he being watchful
swallowed his children, and Rhea was seized with a grief unforgettable.
But when she was finally about to give birth to Zeus,
the Father of Gods and of Men, then she begged her mother and father,
that they should tell her how she might secretly bear her dear baby,
and how her father's Erinys might be an avenger against
great Kronos, the clever deviser, in payment for swallowing her children.
They then heeded their daughter's request and did as she asked them,
[475]telling her all that was destined to be, revealing the future,
what was to happen to Kronos the king and her stout-hearted son.
And they sent her to Lyktos, off in fertile-soiled Krete,
when she was going to bear him, her youngest, the last of her children,
Zeus, great Zeus. There in the broad isle of Krete huge Gaia
[480]received him from her in order to nurse him and rear him to manhood.
Bringing him there she came in the covering darkness of swift night
first to Lyktos, and taking him into her hands she put him
into a cave under the holy earth high up
on Mount Aigaion, where is abundant thickly grown forest.
[485]And she swaddled a great stone and put it into the hands of
Ouranos's son, the great lord, king of the earlier gods,
who, having taken it from her, sent it down into his stomach,
hardhearted wretch, nor did he foresee what was going to happen,
that his son, replaced by the stone, unconquered and carefree,
[490]still surviving, would prove himself victor by force of his hands and
drive him out of his honor and rule as king of the gods.
Then the strength and the glorious power of the limbs of this king
rapidly grew and, the circling year having come to completion,
great Kronos, the clever deviser, being the dupe of Gaia's
[495]very superior advice, sent up his children again,
for he was brought to defeat by the trickery and force of his son.
First he was forced to spew up the stone - he had swallowed it last - and
this was established and fixed by Zeus in the wide-wayed earth at
holy Pytho down in the hollow beneath Mount Parnassos,
[500]there to remain as a sign, a marvel for mortal men.
Rhea, sleeping with Kronos, gave birth to glorious children: Hestia, Demeter, and Hera, who has golden sandals. Hades, who is powerful and lives in a mansion under the earth with a pitiless heart, Poseidon, who shakes the earth, and Zeus, the father of gods and men, who makes the earth tremble with his thundering.
Great Kronos swallowed each of his children as they came out of the womb of their mother and fell at her knees. He did this because he had learned from Gaia and Ouranos that his youngest son would overthrow him, and he wanted to prevent it. This was supposed to happen despite Kronos' great strength, for Zeus would plan it.
Kronos knew what was coming, so he swallowed his children, causing Rhea a deep and lasting grief. But, when she was about to give birth to Zeus, Rhea begged her mother and father to tell her how to secretly have her baby, and how her father's Furies might avenge themselves on Kronos, for swallowing her children.
Gaia and Ouranos did as their daughter asked them, and told her all that was destined, revealing the future, and telling what was to happen to Kronos and her son. They sent her to Lyktos, off in Crete, to give birth to Zeus, her last child. There on Crete, Gaia received him from Rhea in order to nurse him and rear him to manhood. Bringing him there, Rhea came at night first to Lyktos, and then, taking him in her arms, she put him in a cave under the holy earth, high up on mount Aigaion, in the thick forest. Then, she swaddled a great stone, and put it in the arms of Ouranos' son, Kronos, who, having taken it from her, sent it down into his stomach, the hardhearted wretch. He didn't know what was to happen, that his son, replaced by the stone, still living, would depose his father and become king of the gods.
Zeus rapidly grew, becoming stronger and glorious, and, the circling year having come to completion, great Kronos, clever deviser but dupe of Gaia's advice, sent up his children again, for he was defeated by the trickery and force of his son.
First, he was forced to spew up the stone - he had swallowed it last - and this was placed by Zeus in the wide earth at holy Pytho, down in the hollow beneath Mount Parnassus, as a sign and marvel for mortals.
Frazer's Comment ::
Kronos and Rhea produce a triad of females and a triad of males. The first female, Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, is a vague figure about whom there is very little mythology. Demeter, the second female, is the goddess of the grain; she is married to Zeus, by whom she produces Persephone (912ff.). The third female, Hera, becomes the last wife of Zeus, by whom she produces Hebe, Ares, and Eileithyia (921ff.).
The first male is Hades, the king of the Underworld; his name is often used to stand for the Underworld itself. The second male, Poseidon, is the god of the sea and the waters under the earth; he is called the Shaker of Earth because he sometimes causes earthquakes. Zeus, who is the greatest of the gods, surpassing all others in wisdom and power, holds the last and most important position. His power is made manifest by his thunderbolts, which he obtains from the Kyklopes [cyclops] in the next section. With the birth of Zeus, Theog. reaches the goal toward which the preceding sections have been pointing. From now on he will dominate the stage as he defeats all his enemies and consolidates his government in the final events of the Succession Myth.
The story of the birth of the gods has several parallels with that of the birth of the Titans. Kronos and Ouranos both try to supress their children and so cause their wives great pain, but finally their youngest sons take vengeance upon them and drive them from power. The two stories are closely connected by the theme of vengeance. We remember that the Erinyes (furies), who are spirits of vengeance, spring up from the blood of Ouranos's castration.
Greek civilization was greatly influenced by earlier Minoan civilization on Krete (Crete), and the Greek Zeus was identified with a Minoan god of vegetation who was thought of as dying and being born again every year. Thus Krete became the birthplace of Zeus. Some Greeks also spoke of a tomb of Zeus on Krete, but most found this impossible to believe, for Zeus was immortal. Plutarch (Moralia 153F) tells how, at the funeral games of Amphidamas, Homer challenged Hesiod with the following words:
Muse, tell me such things as never have happened before and never will happen in future.
To which Hesiod answered:
But when horses with clattering hoofs run their course around Zeus's tomb and shatter their chariots striving for victory.
It was for this answer, Plutarch says, that Hesiod was awarded the prize of the tripod-cauldron. Although this story is probably apocryphal, it is a good illustration of the fact that most Greeks, and certainly Hesiod, believed in the immortality of Zeus. There never had been and never would be a tomb of Zeus on Krete or anywhere else. There never would be a funeral games, such as the race with horse and chariot, held in his honor.
When Zeus has forced Kronos to spew up the stone along with his brothers and sisters, he sets it up at Pytho (an ancient name for Delphi) to be a memorial of his victory. It was a common practice for victors, whether in war or at the Panhellenic games, to set up tokens of their victory at Delphi for all the world to see.
heyheyhey, a short one!
Friday, September 3, 2010
Beneficient Titanic Powers
The children of Okeanos and Tethys
Tethys bore to Okeanos the rivers that swirl in their courses:
Nile and Alpheios and deep Eridanos swirling with eddies,
Strymon, Maiander, and Ister flowing with beautiful waters,
[340]Phasis and Rhesos, Acheloos the silvery swirler,
Nessos and Rhodios, salt-rich Haliakmon, and the Heptaporos,
then the Granikos and the Aisepos, divine Simois,
and the Peneios and Hermos, the beautifully flowing Kaikos,
and the mighty Sangarios, Ladon and the Parthenios,
[345]and the Euenos and the Ladeskos and godlike Skamander.
and she bore daughters, a race that is holy, who over the earth,
helped by lordly Apollo and by the rivers, act as
nurses to men, for Zeus has granted this office to them:
Peitho, a nymph of persuasion, Admete, Ianthe, Elektra,
[350]Doris, Prymno who dwells in the foothills, godlike Ourania,
Hippo and Klymene, rosy Rhodeia, lovely Kallirhoe,
Zeuxo, Klytie, knowing Idyia, nimble Pasithoe,
splashing Plexaura and bright Galaxaura and lovely Dione,
Melobosis, swift Thoe, shapely Polydora,
[355]and Kerkeis, a beautiful girl, and the soft-eyed Pluto,
and Perseis, Ianeira, Akaste, and Xanthe,
lovely, rock-haunting Petraia, steady Menestho, Europa,
Metis the wise one, lawful Eurynome, bright-robed Telesto,
and the golden Chryseia and Asia and charming Kalypso,
[360]and Eudora and Tyche, Amphirho, Okyrhoe, and finally
Styx, the water of hate, the most revered of them all.
These are the most illustrious daughters of all those produced by
Okeanos and Tethys, but there are many others besides them,
for there are three thousand daughters of Okeanos, trim-ankled girls,
[365]scattered abroad on the earth and dwelling in the depths of the water,
everywhere showing their power, glorious children divine.
No less numerous than these are those others, the rivers that roar,
who are the sons whom her majesty Tethys produced with Okeanos.
Hard would it be for one mortal to tell all the names of these sons,
[370]but everyone everywhere knows the river he happens to live by.
Okeanos, with Tethys, fathered the rivers that swirl: The Nile, The Alpeios, and The deep Eridanos, which has many eddies, The Strymon, The Maiander, and The Ister, which has beautiful waters, The Phasis and Rhesos, The silvery swirling Acheloos, The Nessos and Rhodios, the salt rich Haliakmon, and The Heptaporos. Then The Granikos and The Aisepos, The divine Simois, and The Peneios and The Hermos, The beautiful Kaikos, The Mighty Sangarios, The Ladon and The Parthenois, and The Euenos and The Ladeskos and The Godlike Skamander.
Tethys also had daughters, a holy race, who, over the Earth, and helped by Apollo and the Rivers, act as nurses to men, for Zeus has granted this power to them ::
Peitho - a nymph of persuasion, Admete, Ianthe, Elektra, Doris, Drymno (who dwells in the foothills), godlike Ourania, Hippo and Klymene, rosy Rhodeia, lovely Kallirhoe, Zeuxo, Klytie, knowing Idyia, nimble Pasithoe, splashing Plexaura and bright Galaxaura and lovely Dione, Melobosis, swift Thoe, shapely Polydora, and Kerkeis (a beautiful girl), soft-eyed Pluto, Perseis, Ianeira, Akaste, and Xanthe, lovely and rock-hunting Petraia, steady Menestho, Europa, Metis the wise, lawful Eurynome, bright-robed Telesto, and the golden Chryseia and Asia and charming Kalypso, and Eudora and Tyche Amphirho, Okyrhoe, and finally Styx, the water of hate, the most revered of them all.
These are the illustrious daughters of all of those produced by Okeanos and Tethys, but there are many others besides them, for there are 3,000 daughters of Okeanos, beautiful girls all, scattered abroad across the earth and dwelling in the depths of the water, everywhere showing their powers, glorious divine children. No less numerous than these are those others, the rivers that roar, who are the sons whom her majesty Tethys had with Okeanos. Hard would it be for 1 mortal to tell all the names of these sons, but, everyone everywhere knows the river he happens to live by.
river locations are soon to be a page in the sidebar. there's too many of them to put here.
Frazer's Comment ::
Okeanos and Tethys have as their sons the rivers and as their daughters the springs. Hesiod gives us the names of only 25 rivers, beginning with the Nile, the great river of Egypt, and ending with the Skamander, the famous river of Troy. Most of these rivers can be located in the east, in Greece or Asia Minor or along the coast of the Black Sea. The Hermos and the Kaikos, for instance, are near Kyme, in Asia Minor, the town from which Hesiod's father originally came; and the Ister can be identified with the Danube. Only the Eridanos, perhaps to be identified with the Po, perhaps with the Rhone, belongs in the west.
The catalog of springs begins with a sentence on the function of springs (and also of rivers) in the government of Zeus: they (along with Apollo and the rivers) are nurses of men. Perhaps Hesiod connected Tethys, their mother's name, with tithene, "nurse". Two or more divinities often work together in the performance of a single service. Just as Apollo helps the Muses to inspire poets (94ff., so he helps the rivers and springs to rear the young. Rivers and springs are easy to imagine as life-giving nurses, for they flow through the land bringing nourishment to fields, flocks, and men.
Hesiod lists 41 springs, the last one being Styx, the most important of all. Later in Theog., Styx and her children are the first to side with Zeus against the Titans (383ff.), and we are told how her water is used in the oath of the gods (790ff.). Many of the springs have names that show them to be suitable nurses, such as Peitho, "The Persuader"; Doris, "The Giver"; Polydora, "Giver of Many Things"; Eudora, "Giver of Good Things"; Idyia, "The Knowing One"; Metis, "The Wise One"; and Tyche, "Fortune". Closely connected with these are Melobosis, "The Persuader"; Doris, "The Giver"; Polydora, "Giver of Many Things"; Eudora, "Giver of Good Things"; Idyia, "The Knowing One"; Metis, "The Wise One"; and Tyche, "Fortune". Closely connected with these are Melobosis, "Flock Tender"; and Pluto "Wealth Bringer". Others have names that show them to be beautiful girls or swift and bright spirits of the water. We should note that the names Europa and Asia are not connected in Hesiod with continents, and that Kalypso, "The Concealer", perhaps so called because she flows for part of her course under the earth, is not the famous nymph of the Odyssey. Okyrhoe, "She Who Flows Swiftly", is the next to the last to be listed, and her name apparantly echoes that of her father, Okeanos, in the same way as Nemertes, the last to be named of the Nereids, does Nereus.
Okeanids make excellent wives. As we have already seen, Foris is married to Nereus (241), Elektra to Thaumas (266), and Kallirhoe to Chrysaor (288). Later we shall find that Metis and Eurynome are married to Zeus (886 + 907), and that Perseis is married to Helios (957) and Idyia to Aietes (960).
The children of Hyperion and Theia
Theia gave birth to mighty Helios and beaming Selene and
Eos the bright one, who shines for every mortal on earth
and for the immortal gods who dwell in broad heaven above;
these were her children when she had yielded in love to Hyperion.
Theia gave birth to mighty Helios (the sun), beaming Selene (the moon), and Eos (the dawn) the bright one, who shines for everyone on earth and for the immortal gods who dwell in broad heaven above; these were Theia's children when she had slept with Hyperion.
Frazer's Comment ::
Helios (sun), Selene (moon), and Eos (dawn) are a natural threesome. as we have already seen in the case of the Kyklopes [cyclopes], the Hundred-Handers, and the children of Thaumas and Elektra, Hesiod likes triads. As an early riser, he seems to have felt a special reverence for Dawn, whom he praises in W.D. 578ff. for starting the farmer on his work.
The descendants of Krios and Eurybia. Styx and her children.
[375]And Eurybia, a goddess divine, when she had mingled with
Krios in love, bore him mighty Astraios, Pallas, and
Perses, who is a power surpassing all others in wisdom.
And Eos bore to Astraios the winds who are mighty in spirit,
sky-clearing Zephyros, swiftly moving Boreas, and Notos;
[380]these she, a goddess, produced, having lain in love with a god.
Then, after these, the Early Born bore the star named Eosphoros
and the sparkling stars with which high heaven is crowned.
And Styx, the daughter of Okeanos, mingling with Pallas, produced
Zelos and beautiful-ankled Nike at home in her palace;
[385]and she gave birth to Kratos and Bia, glorious children.
Theirs is no house which is far off from Zeus, nor have they a seat nor
make they a journey inless they are following this god as their leader,
but they are always seated beside loud-thundering Zeus.
So Styx arranged it, the unfailing daughter of Okeanos,
[390]when the Olympian One, Zeus, the Lord of the Lightening, having
summoned all the immortal gods to lofty Olympos,
promised not to deprive of his power any god who would give him
aid in the war with the Titans, but that each one would retain
whatever earlier honor he had among the immortals;
[395]as for those who were lacking in honor and power under Kronos,
these would then enter on honor and power, as would be right.
Then the unfailing Styx, following her father's advice, was
first to come to Olympos, bringing her children along.
So she was granted by Zeus honor and gifts in abundance,
[400]for he established her water for use in the gods' mighty oath and
made her children to be dwellers forever with him.
Thus in like manner for all he exactly brought to fulfillment
what he had promised, and his is the great power, his is the kingship.
Eurybia made love with Krios, and gave birth to mighty Astraios, Pallas, and Perses, who is a power surpassing all others in wisdom. Then Eos (dawn) bore to Astraios the winds who are mighty in spirit: sky-clearing Zephyros, swiftly moving Boreas, and Notos. Then, the Early Born (dawn, again) gave birth to the star called Eosphoros and the rest of the stars in the night sky.
Styx, sleeping with Pallas, gave birth to Zelos and pretty Nike at home in her palace; and she gave birth to Kratos and Bia, glorious children.
Their house is close to Zeus, and they don't sit or make a journey unless they are following him as their leader, for they're always seated beside Zeus. Styx arranged this for them when the Olympian One, Zeus, the Lord of Lightening, having summoned all the immortal gods to lofty Olympus, promised not to deprive of his power any god who gave him aid in the war against the Titans. Each would retain whatever earlier honor they had among the immortals; those who were lacking in honor and power under Kronos would be given both, as it would be right.
Styx, following her father's advice, was the first to come to Olympus, bringing her children with her. So she was granted by Zeus honor and gifts in abundance, for he established her water for use in the gods' mighty oath and allowed her children to live with him on Olympus forever. Thus in this way for all he brought to fulfillment what he had promised, and thus his is the great power, his the kingship.
Frazer's Comment ::
Eurybia and Krios produce the triad of Astraios, Pallas, and Perses. Perses, who is praised for his wisdom, becomes (in the next section) the father of the great goddess Hekate. Perhaps Hesiod's brother was named after him in the hope - proved false in the event - that he would turn out to be wise.
Eos (dawn), who is called the Early Born, and Astraios ("The Starry One") produce the triad of winds and also the stars. Among the stars Eosphoros, the dawn or morning star, the brightest of them all, receives special mention. Hesiod was probably unaware that the morning and evening stars are the same planet (Venus). Perhaps the three winds are related to Eos and Eosphoros because they start blowing at dawn. The north wind Boreas is associated with winter, the west wind Zephyros with summer, and the south wind Notos with Autumn; compare W.D. 506ff., 594, and 675. In Theog. 870 these winds are distinguished from the wild winds that arise from the defeated Typhoeus.
The children of Styx by Pallas are Zelos (The spirit of Zeal in the Vindication of one's rights), Nike (Victory), Kratos (Sovereignty), and Bia (power). Perhaps the name of their father, Pallas, can be connected with the verb Pallo, "brandish", in the sense of brandishing a spear, which would suit their warlike character. We are told, in a narrative that refers to the beginning of the war with the Titans (a part of the succession Myth), how they became the constant companions of Zeus. Their attendance upon him reminds us of the description of God in Psalm 96:6 : "Majesty and splendor attend him, might and beauty are in his sanctuary."
The gods swear by the water of Styx, whose name, being connected with the verb "hate", shows that she is hateful to them. This oath is a reflection of oaths among men, for men were accustomed to swear by the water of springs, whose subterranean depths were thought to house divinities capable of punishing perjury. In Theog. 780ff. we are given a description of the oath by Styx and of the punishment that false-swearing gods are forced to endure.
The descendants of Koios and Phoibe. The Great Goddess Hekate.
Then bright Phoibe came to Koios's much-desired bed
[405]and conceiving, a goddess laying in love with a god,
bore him black-robed Leto, who is gentle forever,
being kindly disposed both to immortals and mortals,
one who was gentle from the beginning, the kindest Olympian.
And she gave birth to Asteria of good name, who was by Perses
[410]led to his great house that she might be acclaimed as his dear wife.
And she, Asteria, conceiving bore Hekate, who more than all others was
honored by Zeus, son of Kronos: he gave her glorious rights,
so that she shares in the powers of the earth and the exhaustless sea;
and she also shares in the honors of star-studded heaven;
[415]and she is held especially in honor among the immortals.
Such are her powers, for now when any man living on earth,
making beautiful sacrifice, prays with ritual due, he
calls upon Hekate; and great is the honor he very easily
gains if only this goddess propitiously answers his prayer and
[420]grants him a blessed existence, for she possesses such power.
She has a share in the power of every immortal who,
being descended from Gaia and Ouranos, came into honor.
Nor did Zeus, son of Kronos, constrain her nor take away any
right which was hers among the earlier gods, the Titans,
[425]but she has just what she got when the first division was made.
Nor in view of the fact that she was an only child
did she obtain less honor on earth or in heaven or sea,
but much more than before, for Zeus has granted her honor.
She is abundantly present to bless whomever she wills to.
[430]He whom she wills to be eminent saand out in the people's assembly;
and when they've put on their armor and gone into man-slaying war,
there is this goddess at hand for men on whom she is willing
graciously to bestow victory, granting superior power;
and in decisions of justice she sits by the honorable kings.
[435]Good is she too whenever the athletes compete in the games,
where for whomever this goddess is present, granting him aid,
he, by his force and strength being victor, easily, joyfully
wins the beautiful prize and gives delight to his parents;
and she is good to stand by the charioteer whom she wills to.
[440]And for those who are working the boisterous, dark-blue sea and
call upon Hekate and the loud-roaring Shaker of Earth,
easily does she, a glorious goddess, grant them a large catch or
easily take one away that seemed likely, should she so will to.
And she is good in the stables with Hermes to bring the stock increase:
[445]herds of cattle, flocks of goats that spread out to feed, and
flocks of sheep with their deep wooly fleeces, should she so will it,
grow from a few to be many of fall off from many to few.
So in spite of her being the only child of her mother,
honor and power are vouchsafed to her among all the immortals.
[450]And Zeus made her a nurse of the young, who having her aid were
able to see the light which the far-seeing dawn emits.
So from the first she was nurse of the young, and these were her honors.
Then bright Phoebe slept with Koios, whom she loved, and bore him black-robed Leto, who is the kindest Olympian. And Phoebe, who married Perses, gave birth to Asteria. Asteria bore Hekate, who more than all others was honored by Zeus, son of Kronos: he gave her glorious rights, so that she shares in the powers of the Earth, the Sea, and in the honors of the heavens.
Hekate is especially honored by the immortals, such are her powers. For now, when any man living on Earth, making sacrifice, prays with ritual due, he calls upon Hekate; and great is the honor he gains if this goddess answers his prayer, and grants him a blesséd existance, for she possesses such power.
Hekate shares the power of every immortal who, being descended from Gaia and Ouranos, came into honor. Zeus didn't limit her or take away any power or right which was hers among the Titans, but she has what she was given when the first division of power was made.
The fact that she was an only child doesn't matter on earth, in heaven, or in the sea. She is abundantly present to bless whomever she pleases. He whom she chooses to bless stands out in assembly; when they go to war, this goddess is at hand for the men she is willing to grant victory, granting superior power; in decisions of justice, she sits beside the honorable kings.
She's good to athletes when they come together to play the Games, because for whomever this goddess favours, granting him aid, he, by his force and strength being victor, easily and happily wins the beautiful prize and gives delight to his parents. Hekate is also good to the charioteer she chooses.
For sailors on the rowdy sea who call on Hekate and Poseidon, easily does she, a glorious goddess, grant them a large catch, or take one away that seemed likely, should she wish to. She, with Hermes, in the stables works to increase the stock: herds of cattle, flocks of goats and sheep, should she will it, grow from just a few to many, or fall from many to only a few.
So, in spite of her being the only child of her mother Asteria, honor and power are granted to her among all the gods. Zeus made her a nurse of the young, who having her aid, are able to make it through their most dangerous first night of life and see the light of Dawn. So from the first, she was nurse of the young, and these were her honors.
Frazer's Comment ::
Phoibe and Koios produce two daughters, Leto and Asteria, Leto is later described as the mother of Apollo and Artemis (918-20), but here she is praised entirely on her own account as the gentlest and kindest of all divinities. Asteria, "The Starry One", an appropriate daughter for Phoibe, "The Bright One", is the mother by Perses of the great goddess Hekate. Hesiod apparently thinks of Hekate as inheriting the brightness of her mother and the wisdom of her father (377). He rejects the idea of her as a goddess connected mainly with the Underworld and worshipped especially by witches.
Hekate is described as sharing in the powers of all the other gods and goddesses, whether of heaven, earth, or sea. We are reminded of the fact that two or more divinities often share in the performance of the same activity. Zeus, after the defeat of the Titans, confirms her in all her earlier rights - a theme we saw in the passage on Styx and her children - and even adds to these. We are twice told that she is an only child. This shows her uniqueness, but it also seems to mean that since she has no brothers she must depend on Zeus to protect her interests. Thus Hesiod is able to praise her as a universal divinity while at the same time maintaining the preeminence of Zeus.
How can we explain Hesiod's glorification of Hekate? She was probably never so important in actual cult as he would have us believe. Perhaps his family was especially devoted to her as a tradition derived from Asia Minor, where her cult seems to have originated. I like the suggestion, for which Marg argues, that Hesiod connects her name with the participle Hekon, "being willing", and the preposition Hekati, "by the will of", which is used with the names of gods (see also P. Walcot, "Hesiod's Hymns to the Muses, Aphrodite, Styx and Hecate", Symbolae Osloenses 34 [1958], 11). Hekate thus represents the divine will upon which every worshipper must be admitted, however, that the words hekon and hekati do not appear in our text. But Hesiod repeatedly uses the verb ethelo, "will", in such phrases as "whomever she wills to" and "should she so will to". The emphasis on her will is also seen in statements that describe her as being able to do either of two exactly opposite things. She can grant fishermen either a good catch or no catch at all, and can cause the herds and flocks either to increase or decrease; compare W.D. 2ff. on the will of Zeus.
Hesiod's praise of Hekate reminds us of the hymn to the Muses at the beginning of Theog. and of the passage on the birth of Aphrodite. This is especially true of the description of her various functions, a feature typical of hymns. We are finally told, at the end of the list of her functions, that she is a nurse of the young. Thus not even the 3000 rivers and 3000 springs, who are also nurses of the young, are more universal than she is.
wow, that one was long! you'd think that those gods and goddesses could keep it in their pants, ne? :P
Sunday, August 1, 2010
The Descendants of Pontos
His Children: Nereus, Thaumas, Phorkys, Keto, and Eurybia
Pontos begot as his oldest child unlying and truthful
Nereus, which is the name by which the Old Man is called
[235]because he's nemertes, "unerring", and gentle, and isn't forgetful of
righteousness, but is a knower of just and gentle proposals.
And there are others whom Pontos begot by mingling with Gaia:
mighty Thaumas, lordly Phorkys, lovely-cheeked Keto,
and Eurybia, who has an adamant heart in her breast.
Pontos fathered as his oldest child Nereus, who never lies and is always truthful, which is what the Old Man is called, because he's 'nemertes', he's unerring and gentle, and doesn't forget righteousness, but he knows about just and gentle proposals.
And Pontos fathered other children, by sleeping with Gaia: Thaumas the mighty, Phorkys the lordly, beautiful Keto, and cold-hearted Eurybia.
Frazer's Comment ::
Gaia, who is the mother of Pontos's other children, is also probably the mother of Nereus. Hesiod emphasizes Nereus's thruthfulness by punning on his name with the adjective nemertes, "unerring". The gentleness of Nereus's speech and his concern for truth and justice remind us of the Muses' inspiration of the nobles (called "kings" in the text) acting as judges.
Hesiod probably connected the name Thaumas with the Greek word for wonder. The derivation of Phorkys is uncertain; it may come from the name of a fish or from an epithet of the sea meaning "gray". The name Keto can be connected with the Greek word for sea monster. Eurybia gets her name from an epithet of sea divinities meaning "wide-ruling".
The Daughters of Nereus
[240]Nereus begot a numerous progeny, goddesses all,
bourne to him in the exhaustless sea by lovely-haired Doris,
the daughter of Okeanos, the river that flows in unending completion:
Protho, Eukrante, Sao the savioress, Amphitrite,
Thetis, Eudora, peaceful Galene, sea-green Glauke,
[245]Kymothoe, Speio the swift one, beautiful Thalia,
holy Pasithea, Erato, Eunike, a rosy-armed goddess,
charming Melite, protecting Eulimine, noble Agaue,
Doto the giver and Proto, Pherousa, mighty Dynamene,
isle-haunting Nesaia, shore-haunting Aktaia, Protomedeia,
[250]bountiful Doris, Panope, beautiful Galateia,
and lovely Hippothoe, Hipponoe, rosy-armed goddess,
and Kymodoke (who with wave-calming Kymatolege and
fair-ankled Amphitrite easily gentles the waves on
the misty face of the sea and the blasts of the raging winds), and
[255]Kymo, Eione, and lovely-crowned Halimede,
and the smile-loving goddess Glaukonome, Pontoporeia,
and Leiagore and Euagore, Laomedeia,
knowing Poulynoe, thoughtful Autonoe, Lysianassa,
buxom Euarne, a shapely and very beautiful girl,
[260]Psamathe, graceful nymph of the strand, goddess Menippe,
Neso, Eupompe, righteous Themisto, provident Pronoe,
and Nemertes possessing the mind of her father immortal.
These, then, are the daughters who were begotten by blameless Nereus,
fifty daughters in all, knowers of blameless works.
Nereus fathered many children, daughters all, born in the sea, mothered by Doris who has beautiful hair, the daughter of Okeanos, the un-ending river: Protho, Eukrante, Sao the savior, Amphitrite, Thetis, Eudora, peaceful Galene, sea-green Glauke, Kymothoe, Speio the swift, beautiful Thalia, holy Pasithea, Erato, Eunike who has beautiful arms, charming Melite, protecting Eulimine, noble Agaue, Doto the giver and Proto, Pherousa, mighty Dynamene, isle-haunting Nesaia, shore-haunting Aktaia, Protomedeia, bountiful Doris, Panope, beautiful Galateia, and lovely Hippothoe, Hipponoe who also has beautiful arms, and Kymodoke (who with wave-calming Kymatolege and Amphitrite easily calms the waves on the face of the sea and the blasts of the raging winds), and Kymo, Eione, and Halimede who has pretty hair, and the smile-loving goddess Glaukonome, Pontoporeia, and Leiagore and Euagore, Laomedeia, knowledgeable Poulynoe, thoughtful Autonoe, Lysianassa, buxom Euarne (a shapely and very beautiful girl), Psamathe a graceful nymph, Menippe, Neso, Eupompe, righteous Themisto, provident Pronoe, and Nemertes who is like her father in mind. These are the daughters of blameless Nereus, fifty in all, who know about the blameless works of men.
Frazer's Comment::
The Nereids are fifty beautiful girls who live in the sea near the shore and bestow blessings on men. The remind us of the Muses and the Okeanids. One of them is named Erato, "Lovely One", like one of the Muses; another Eudora, "Giver of Good", like one of the Okeanids; and their mother is Doris, after whom one of them is named, is an Okeanid.
Their names suggest that they preside over two main areas, the sea and the councils of men. The latter group, which is distinguished by being listed last, take after their father in that they are gentle speakers concerned with justice and truth. Most significant are Leiagore and Euagore, whose names I interpret with Marg to mean "Gentle in Speech" and "Good in Speech"; and Themisto, "Righteousness"; Pronoe, "Foresight"; and Nemertes, "The Unerring One", whose name is derived from the adjective used in line 235 to describe her father.
Hesiod seems very close to imagining the state as a ship, a metaphor first found in Alkaios. Vergil is much in the spirit of Hesiod when in Aeneid 1.142, he describes Neptune, with the help of Triton and one of the Nereids, calming the storm, and compares him to an orator bringing a rioting mob under control.
The Children of Thaumas
[265]Thaumas took as his wife the daughter of deep-swirling Okeanos,
shining Elektra, and she gave birth to Iris, the swift one,
and the lovely-haired Harpies, Aello and Okypete,
who contend with the blasts of the winds and the birds as they fly on
wings that are swift; rapidly do they swoop from on high.
Thaumas married Elektra, the shining daughter of Okeanos, and she gave birth to Iris, the swift, and the Harpies, who have beautiful hair, Aello and Okypete, who deal with the gusts of the winds and the birds as they fly on swift wings; quickly they dive from on high.
Frazer's Comment::
Thaumas ("Wonder") and Elektra ("Shining") are fitting parents for bright divinites that strike men with wonder: the rainbow Iris and the winds Aello ("Whirlwind") and Okypete ("Swift to Attack"), called Harpies ("Snatchers") probably because they snatch men off the face of the sea. The idea of brightness is closely associated with that of swiftness, which is another characteristic of both Iris and the Harpies. Hesiod apparantly thinks of their swiftness as an inheritance from their grandfather, Okeanos, for the adjective okus, "swift", which appears in the first part of the name Okypete and is used of Iris and the wings of the Harpies, can be thought of (wrongly) as also appearing in the first part of the name Okeanos.
The Progeny of Phorkys and Keto: The Monsters
[270]Then Keto, mating with Phorkys, produced the lovey-cheeked Graiai,
who were gray-haired from birth and so are called by the name of
Graiai both by gods immortal and earth-going men:
beautifully gowned Pemphredo, Enyo in gown of bright saffron.
And she gave birth to the Gorgons, who dwell across glorious Okeanos
[275]at earth's end near Night and the beautifully singing Hesperides:
Sthenno, Euryale, and she who grievously suffered, Medusa.
She (Medusa) was mortal, they (the other two Gorgons)
immortal and ageless. He of the Black Mane lay with Medusa,
in a soft meadow reclining, in blossoming flowers of the spring,
[280]so that when Perseus came and cut off her head from her body
out of her mighty Chrysaor leaped and the horse we call Pegasos.
Pegasos was named from his birth by the pegai, the "streams", of Okeanos,
Chrysoar from the aor chryseion, the "gold sword", he weilded.
Pegasos, leaving the earth, the mother of flocks, flew off and
[285]went to the gods, and there he dwells in the palace of Zeus and
brings the bolts of thunder and lightening to Zeus of the Counsels.
And Crysoar begot the three-headed creature named Geryon
on Kallirhoe, who is a daughter of glorious Okeanos.
Geryon it was whom the mighty strength of Herakles slew
[290]by his shambling cattle off in the isle Erytheia
on that day when Herakles drove those broad-faced cattle
back to sacred Tiryns; going over Okeanos,
there he slew both Orthos and the herdsman Eurtion
in that shadowy steading far over glorious Okeanos.
[295]And she gave birth to another uncontrollable monster,
who in no way resembles either immortals or mortals,
in a great hollow cave: the divine and powerful Echidna,
who is a creature half girl, a glancing-eyed, lovely-cheeked girl,
half a serpent of monstrous size, frightening, enormous,
[300]flashing, an eater of raw flesh, under the holy earth.
There is her hollow below, her cave down under the rock,
far away from gods immortal and mortal men;
there have the gods apportioned to her her glorious palace;
baneful Echidna dwells below in the land of the Arimoi,
[305]being a nymph immortal and ageless all of her days.
And they say that Typhaon mingled with her in love,
he who is frightening, evil, and lawless with her of the bright eyes,
and that having conceived she bore him powerful children.
First she produced the dog Orthos to serve as Geryon's helper.
[310]Then she gave birth to one uncontrollable, not to be mentioned:
Kerberos, a feeder of raw flesh, Hades' brazen-voiced dog,
who is possessed of fifty heads and is shameless and mighty.
The third child of Echidna was Hydra, a pain-devising monster,
Hydra of Lerna, whom Hera, the goddess with white arms, reared
[315]out of her unappeasable anger at Herakles' strength - but
Hydra was slain with the pitiless bronze by Zeus's son Herakles,
the heir of Amphitryon; stalwart Iolas assisted him,
and Athena, the driver of spoils, gave him her counsels.
And she gave birth to Chimaira, the breather of fire irresistible,
[320]who was a creature frightening and huge, swift-footed and mighty,
and possessed of three heads: that of a fierce-eyed lion,
that of a she goat (chimaira), and that of a powerful serpent;
in front a lion, a serpent behind, in the middle a she goat,
she breathed forth the frightening strength of blazing fire.
[325]Valiant Bellerophon slew Chimaira with Pegasos's help.
And, when she had mated with Orthos, she bore him baneful
Phiz, the Thebans' destroyer, and also the lion of Nemea,
who was reared by Hera, the glorious consort of Zeus, and
placed in the hills of Nemea to be a plague unto men.
[330]There he dwelled and cheated the race of men of their lives,
lording it over the area of Nemea, Tretos, and Apesas,
but he was brought to submission by powerful Herakles' strength.
Keto's last child, her youngest, by mingling in love with Phorkys,
was the terrible serpent who lives in a lair of the dark earth
[335]out at the world's farthest limits and guards the apples of gold.
These, then, are all the monsters whom Keto and Phorkys produced.
Then Keto, with Phorkys, produced the beautiful Graiai,who were born with grey hair, and so are called Graiai by both men and gods alike: Pemphredo in beautiful gowns, Enyo in saffron robes. And Keto gave birth to the Gorgons, who live across the Great River Okeanos at the end of the earth, near the home of Night, and the Hesperides who have beautiful singing voices: Sthenno, Euryale, and Medusa, who suffered greatly. Medusa was mortal, while the other two were immortal and ageless.
Poseidon slept with Medusa in a beautiful spring meadow with blossoming flowers in the spring, and, when Perseus came and cut off Medusa's head, he released Chrysoar and Pegasus. Pegasus was named by the pegai, the streams of Okeanos. Chrysoar from the aor chryseion, the gold sword he weilds. Pegasus left the earth and flew to the gods, and there he lives, in Zeus' palace, where he brings Zeus the bolts of thunder and lightening. Chrysoar slept with Kallirhoe, a daughter of Okeanos, and they produced the 3-headed creature named Geryon. Geryon was slain by Hercules when he drove the killer horses of Diomêdes across Okeanos to the city of Tiryns (east of Tripoli, south of Argos); there he slew both Orthos and the herdsman Eurytion in the shadowy fields where the cattle resided.
Keto gave birth to another uncontrollable monster, who isn't like mortals OR immortals, in a huge cave: the divine and powerful Echidna, who is half beautiful girl, half huge serpent. She's huge, and eats raw flesh, living under the holy earth. There, under the earth, far from both gods and men, the gods have given her a glorious palace; terrible Echidna lives under the land of the Arimoi (either ancient Armenia or part of the southern coast of Modern Turkey), because she's still a nymph, immortal and ageless. And they say that Typhoeus made love to her; he who is frightening, evil, lawless, with she of the bright eyes; and that she gave birth to powerful children by him.
First, she produced Orthos, the dog companion of Geryon. Then she gave birth to the uncontrollable Cerberus, who eats raw flesh; Hades' dog, who has 50 heads and no shame. Echidna's third child was the Hydra, that monster who dreams up pains. Hydra of Lerna (across the lake from Tiryns, basically), who Hera raised and sent against Hercules because she hated his strength - but Hydra was killed with Hercules' bronze sword. Hercules, the heir of Amphitrion; loyal Iolaos helped him, and Athena gave him advice.
And Keto gave birth to the Chimera, who breathes fire, who is a frightening, huge, swift, and mighty creature with 3 heads. Chimera's heads are that of a lion, a female goat, and a snake. Chimera's body is a lion in front, a snake behind, and between is the middle of a female goat, and yet she breathes fire. Chimera mated with Orthos the dog, and gave birth to the Sphinx, who destroyed Thebes, and the Lion of Nemea, who was raised by Hera and placed in the hills of Nemea to torment and torture the men there. There the Lion dwelled, killing men and lording it over Nemea, Tretos, and Apesas (all are in or around modern-day Corinth). The Lion was slain by powerful Hercules. Chimera was slain by the valiant hero Bellerophon.
Keto's last child, her youngest, from making love to Phorkys, was the Serpent who lives in a cave at the end of the world and guards the Golden Apples of the Hesperides.
These are all of the monsters that Keto and Phorkys produced.
Frazer's Comment::
It is not clear who the mothers of Echidna, Chimaira, and Phix and the Nemean Lion are, but i think that the following outline of the genealogy of the monsters (based on E.Siegmann, Hermes 96[1968]) probably acribes them correctly. Keto is the mother of Echidna and Chimaira, and Chimaira is the mother of Phix and the Nemean Lion. There are four lines of descent from Keto and Phorkys:
First that of the Graiai and the Gorgons. One of the Gorgons, Medusa, gives birth by Poseidon (He of the Black Mane) to Pegasos and Chrysaor; and Chrysaor begets Geryon.
Second that of Echidna. She gives birth by Typhaon (an alternate form of Typhoeus) to Orthos, Kerberos, and Hydra.
  Third that of Chimaira. She gives birth by Orthos to Phix (an alternate form of Sphinx) and the Nemean Lion.
Fourth that of the serpent who guards the golden apples of the Hesperides.
The first three lines of descent end with the description of a labor of Herakles in which a monster is slain; and the last reminds us of another of his labors, that of bringing back the golden apples of the Hesperides. Hesiod probably omits this labor because its performance did not entail the slaying of the serpent who guards the apples. The mention of the serpent and the apples at the end of the catalogue of monsters looks back to the mention of the Hesperides at its beginning (275), thus enclosing this section in a neat ring-composition.
We are told of three monster-slayers, Herakles, Perseus, and Bellerophon, by far the most famous of whom is Herakles. Later in Theog., Zeus even allows him to slay the eagle that preys on the liver of Prometheus (526-33).
Although Hesiod does not describe the death of Phix (Sphinx), his audience probably knew the story of her fatal encounter with Oidipous (Oedipus). But in the earliest version of the story, to which Hesiod may be alluding, Oidipous may have slain her in combat instead of forcing her to commit suicide by solving her riddle.
The monsters tend to live in the far west across Okeanos where the Underworld begins (the idea that the far west, the place of the setting sun, is where the Underworld begins is found in Egyptian literature of a very early date). But monsters can also live in caves on the earth, which are thought of as leading into the world below. Thus we are asked to imagine Echidna gloriously housed ina hollow somewhere under the earth, probably in Asia Minor.
We know that Greek stories about monster-slayers owe a great deal to Near Eastern mythology. The Near East, which was the great breeding ground of the composite monster, gave birth to Chimaira, Sphinx, Echidna, and Typhoeus. The idea of the sphinx seems to have come to Greece from Egypt by way of Phoenicia, for the original Egyptian one has a wingless lion's body and the head of a man (the pharaoh), while later Phoenician ones resemble the Greek Sphinx in having winged Lion's bodies and women's heads.
The monster-slayers of the present section foreshadow Zeus as the slayer of Typhoeus. Just as Hera rears Hydra and the Nemean Lion to test the strength of Herakles, so Gaia will produce Typhoeus to be the last enemy of Zeus.
omijesus, that's a lot of writing, ne? >.<
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Progeny of Night
Night bore stygian Moros and black Ker, the spirit of death,
Thanatos (Death) and Hypnos (sleep) and the race of Dreams.
Then, after these, dark Night, a goddess not lying with anyone,
brought forth Momos, the spirit of blame, and burdensome Misery,
[215]and the Hesperides, who over glorious Okeanos guard
the beautiful apples of gold and the trees producing this fruit.
And she bore the Morai and Keres, avengers of evil,
[220]who pursue the transgressions both of men and of gods,
never relenting until as demons of terrible wrath
they have wreaked a dire retribution on whoever sins.
Baneful Night also bore Nemesis, and avenging plague for
mortal men; and then Deceit and Sexual Love and
[225]baneful Old Age and Eris (Strife), a hard-hearted demon.
And the stygian Eris produced burdensome Labor
and the curse of Forgetfulness, Hunger, and lachrymose Pains,
Conflicts of Battle and Fights and Murders and Killings of Men,
[230]Disorderly Government and her accomplice, the power of Ruin,
and the oath-god Horkos, who is the greatest plague for
every man on the earth who wilfully swears a false oath.
Night had hellish Moros and Ker, who is the spirit of death,
Thanatos (who IS Death) and Hypnos (who is Sleep)* and Dreams.
Then, alone, Night gave birth to the spirit of blame, and Misery, and the Hesperides, who guard the golden apples and the trees they come from, over Water personified.
She also gave birth to the Moirai and Keres, avengers of evil, they pursue the crimes of both men and gods, never relenting, until, acting as demons of wrath, they've gotten retribution for the sin(s) committed.
Night also had Nemesis, who is an avenging plague for man; Then Deceit and Sexual Love, Old Age and Strife, who is a hard-hearted demon.
Then the hellish Strife gave birth to Labor, who is a burden, and the curse of Forgetfulness, Hunger, and Melancholy Pains,
Conflicts of Battle and Fights and Murders and Killings of Men,
Disorderly Government and her accomplice, the power of Ruin,
and the oath-god, Horkos, who haunts and terrorizes any man who swears a false oath knowingly.
*Hypnos is where we get the word Hypnotize. Hypnos is not the god of natural slumber. a Hypnos sleep is an unnatural sleep, usually brought on by a spell or a drug.
Frazer's Comment::
The children of Night are powers connected with darkness, whether physical or spiritual. The Hesperides, for instance, live in the darkness on the other side of Okeanos near the house of Night, while Momos (Blame) and Misery darken man's spiritual life.
The Morai (Fates) and the Keres are similar to the Erinyes in that they are avengers of trespasses. I have omitted the description of the Morai in lines 218f.: "Klotho, Lachesis, Atropos, powers that determine the fates of / mortals at birth and grant them to have both good things and bad." These lines are almost identical to likes 905f., where the Moirai are again being described, but as children of Zeus and Themis; and it seems likely that they have been interpolated into the text here from that source. But the question remains why Hesiod gives the Moirai two different parentages in Theog. Perhaps, as suggested in the introduction (soon to be a link?), he is trying to solve the problem posed by the belief that the Moirai and Zeus are equally responsible for men's fates. But perhaps he is also distinguishing between two different functions of the Moirai. Those who are daughters of Night are avengers of evil, while those who are daughters of Zeus and Themis allot good and bad to men in the nature of things and not as punishments.
The powers of Deceit and Sexual Love are listed together. We can compare the coupling of deceit and love in the story of the creation of woman (pandora) and in the enumeration of Aphrodite's powers (205).
Night's last child is the bad Eris (strife), who in turn has a number of children, among whom are spirits of killing and, last but not least, the oath-god Horkos, who punishes perjury (for more on oaths and perjury see Theog. 399f. and 780ff., which deal with Styx; and W.D[the works and days] 194, 219, and 282ff.). At the beginning of W.D. (11f.) Hesiod introduces another Eris, the good spirit of peaceful competition, with whom he contrasts the bad Eris of the present passage.
right now, i don't have any plans to do The Works and Days, but i may later.
also, he mentions the introduction in this comment. i haven't copied that out, and i'm not sure i will, to be honest. if you really want it up here, i will though.
Thanatos (Death) and Hypnos (sleep) and the race of Dreams.
Then, after these, dark Night, a goddess not lying with anyone,
brought forth Momos, the spirit of blame, and burdensome Misery,
[215]and the Hesperides, who over glorious Okeanos guard
the beautiful apples of gold and the trees producing this fruit.
And she bore the Morai and Keres, avengers of evil,
[220]who pursue the transgressions both of men and of gods,
never relenting until as demons of terrible wrath
they have wreaked a dire retribution on whoever sins.
Baneful Night also bore Nemesis, and avenging plague for
mortal men; and then Deceit and Sexual Love and
[225]baneful Old Age and Eris (Strife), a hard-hearted demon.
And the stygian Eris produced burdensome Labor
and the curse of Forgetfulness, Hunger, and lachrymose Pains,
Conflicts of Battle and Fights and Murders and Killings of Men,
[230]Disorderly Government and her accomplice, the power of Ruin,
and the oath-god Horkos, who is the greatest plague for
every man on the earth who wilfully swears a false oath.
Night had hellish Moros and Ker, who is the spirit of death,
Thanatos (who IS Death) and Hypnos (who is Sleep)* and Dreams.
Then, alone, Night gave birth to the spirit of blame, and Misery, and the Hesperides, who guard the golden apples and the trees they come from, over Water personified.
She also gave birth to the Moirai and Keres, avengers of evil, they pursue the crimes of both men and gods, never relenting, until, acting as demons of wrath, they've gotten retribution for the sin(s) committed.
Night also had Nemesis, who is an avenging plague for man; Then Deceit and Sexual Love, Old Age and Strife, who is a hard-hearted demon.
Then the hellish Strife gave birth to Labor, who is a burden, and the curse of Forgetfulness, Hunger, and Melancholy Pains,
Conflicts of Battle and Fights and Murders and Killings of Men,
Disorderly Government and her accomplice, the power of Ruin,
and the oath-god, Horkos, who haunts and terrorizes any man who swears a false oath knowingly.
*Hypnos is where we get the word Hypnotize. Hypnos is not the god of natural slumber. a Hypnos sleep is an unnatural sleep, usually brought on by a spell or a drug.
Frazer's Comment::
The children of Night are powers connected with darkness, whether physical or spiritual. The Hesperides, for instance, live in the darkness on the other side of Okeanos near the house of Night, while Momos (Blame) and Misery darken man's spiritual life.
The Morai (Fates) and the Keres are similar to the Erinyes in that they are avengers of trespasses. I have omitted the description of the Morai in lines 218f.: "Klotho, Lachesis, Atropos, powers that determine the fates of / mortals at birth and grant them to have both good things and bad." These lines are almost identical to likes 905f., where the Moirai are again being described, but as children of Zeus and Themis; and it seems likely that they have been interpolated into the text here from that source. But the question remains why Hesiod gives the Moirai two different parentages in Theog. Perhaps, as suggested in the introduction (soon to be a link?), he is trying to solve the problem posed by the belief that the Moirai and Zeus are equally responsible for men's fates. But perhaps he is also distinguishing between two different functions of the Moirai. Those who are daughters of Night are avengers of evil, while those who are daughters of Zeus and Themis allot good and bad to men in the nature of things and not as punishments.
The powers of Deceit and Sexual Love are listed together. We can compare the coupling of deceit and love in the story of the creation of woman (pandora) and in the enumeration of Aphrodite's powers (205).
Night's last child is the bad Eris (strife), who in turn has a number of children, among whom are spirits of killing and, last but not least, the oath-god Horkos, who punishes perjury (for more on oaths and perjury see Theog. 399f. and 780ff., which deal with Styx; and W.D[the works and days] 194, 219, and 282ff.). At the beginning of W.D. (11f.) Hesiod introduces another Eris, the good spirit of peaceful competition, with whom he contrasts the bad Eris of the present passage.
right now, i don't have any plans to do The Works and Days, but i may later.
also, he mentions the introduction in this comment. i haven't copied that out, and i'm not sure i will, to be honest. if you really want it up here, i will though.
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