Creation and Evolution of the Universe

1
Creation and Evolution of the Universe

• Hesiods Theogony

2
Divine Dynastic Succession

• 1st generation Gaia Ouranos
• 2nd generation Kronos Rhea (Titans)
• 3rd generation Zeus Hera
• (1st generation Olympians)
• 4th generation Children of Zeus
• (2nd generation Olympians)

3
Hesiod (ca. 700 B.C.)

• A farmer and poet from the region of Boeotia
• Theogony
• Works and Days

4
Theogony

• Theo gone birth of the gods
• Cosmogony birth of the world-order
• Divine Dynastic succession
• Elaborate Hymn to Zeus
• Oral Epic tradition
• Near Eastern influence (e.g. Enuma Elish or Epic
  of Creation)

5
Features of Oral Epic Tradition

• dactylic hexameter
• repetition
• formulae and epithets
• ring-composition
• catalogues
• invocation of Muses

6
Muses

• Zeus Mnemosyne (Memory)
• Nine muses

7
The Beginning

• First only Chaos
• Then Gaia (Earth), Tartaros, Eros (Desire)
• Gaia produces Ouranos (Sky, Heaven), Mountains
  and Sea by asexual reproduction
• Mating with Ouranos, she produces the 12 Titans,
  the 3 Cyclopes and the 3 Hundred-Handed Ones
• Ouranos does not allow them to be born.

8
The Second Generation (Titans)

• Kronos castrates and overthrows his father
  Ouranos.
• Birth of Furies, Giants and Aphrodite
• Kronos and his sister Rheia mate, produce the 6
  first-generation Olympians
• Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, Zeus
• Kronos swallows them

9
The Third Generation

• Rheia tricks Kronos and hides the baby Zeus in a
  cave on Crete.
• She gives Kronos a stone in swaddling clothes.
• Zeus grows up and overthrows his father, tricking
  him into vomiting up his siblings.
• The stone (omphalos) is placed at Pytho (Delphi).

10
Zeus

• Frees Cyclopes and Hundred-handed Ones, who were
  imprisoned by Ouranos
• Cyclopes give Zeus lightning-bolts
• Punishment of Prometheus and eventual
  glorification of Herakles
• Titanomachy (Battle with the Titans)
• Typhonomachy (Battle with Typhoios)
• As king of immortals, Zeus distributes roles and
  privileges.

11
The Divine Wives and Children of Zeus

• Metis (swallowed by Zeus, who then produces
  Athena from his head)
• Themis (Seasons, Justice, Fates)
• Eurynome (Graces)
• Demeter (Persephone)
• Mnemosyne (Muses)
• Leto (Apollo and Artemis)
• Hera (Ares, Hebe, Eileithyia)
• Hera produces Hephaistos asexually
• Maia (Hermes)
• Semele (Dionysus)