Theogony
Quick Summary
The Theogony is an epic poem by the ancient Greek poet Hesiod, written around 700 BCE. It is the most complete surviving source detailing the origins of the gods and the cosmos in Greek mythology.12
The poem begins with Chaos, followed by the emergence of Earth (Gaea), Tartarus, and Eros. It describes the lineage of the gods, starting with the union of Gaea and Uranus (Heaven), leading to the birth of the Titans, including Cronus. The central narrative involves Cronus overthrowing Uranus and later being overthrown by his son, Zeus, who establishes his supremacy.34
Hesiod uses these divine relationships to explain the world's order and Zeus's successful reign, highlighting his political skill and wisdom. The Theogony also includes myths about figures like Pandora and the battle between the Olympian gods and the Titans (Titanomachia).234
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Greek literatureEpic narrativeHesiod’s other surviving poem, the Theogony, attempts a systematic genealogy of the gods and recounts many myths associated with their part in the creation of the universe.
Read MoreHesiod’s other surviving poem, the Theogony, attempts a systematic genealogy of the gods and recounts many myths associated with their part in the creation of the universe.
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fable, parable, and allegoryAllegory…Greek poet Hesiod in his Theogony (and the later Roman version of the same event given in Ovid’s Metamorphoses). The two traditions thus start with an adequate source of cosmic imagery, and both envisage a universe full of mysterious signs and symbolic strata. But thereafter the two cultures diverge. This…
Read More…Greek poet Hesiod in his Theogony (and the later Roman version of the same event given in Ovid’s Metamorphoses). The two traditions thus start with an adequate source of cosmic imagery, and both envisage a universe full of mysterious signs and symbolic strata. But thereafter the two cultures diverge. This…
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- Chaos
Both concepts occur in the Theogony of Hesiod. First there was Chaos in Hesiod’s system, then Gaea and Eros (Earth and Desire). Chaos, however, did not generate Gaea; the offspring of Chaos were Erebus (Darkness) and Nyx. Nyx begat Aether, the bright upper air, and Day. Nyx later begat the…
Read MoreBoth concepts occur in the Theogony of Hesiod. First there was Chaos in Hesiod’s system, then Gaea and Eros (Earth and Desire). Chaos, however, did not generate Gaea; the offspring of Chaos were Erebus (Darkness) and Nyx. Nyx begat Aether, the bright upper air, and Day. Nyx later begat the…
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epicEastern influences…divine kingship told in the Theogony of Hesiod and elsewhere is paralleled in a Hittite version of a Hurrian myth. In it, Anu, Kumarbi, and the storm god respectively, parallel Uranus, Cronos, and Zeus in the Theogony. The Hittites had continuous diplomatic relations with the Achaeans of Greece, whose princes…
Read More…divine kingship told in the Theogony of Hesiod and elsewhere is paralleled in a Hittite version of a Hurrian myth. In it, Anu, Kumarbi, and the storm god respectively, parallel Uranus, Cronos, and Zeus in the Theogony. The Hittites had continuous diplomatic relations with the Achaeans of Greece, whose princes…
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Greek religionCosmogony…cosmogonies in Archaic Greece, Hesiod’s Theogony is the only one that has survived in more than fragments. It records the generations of the gods from Chaos (literally, “Yawning Gap”) through Zeus and his contemporaries to the gods who had two divine parents (e.g., Apollo and Artemis, born of Zeus and…
Read More…cosmogonies in Archaic Greece, Hesiod’s Theogony is the only one that has survived in more than fragments. It records the generations of the gods from Chaos (literally, “Yawning Gap”) through Zeus and his contemporaries to the gods who had two divine parents (e.g., Apollo and Artemis, born of Zeus and…
Read More- Greek mythologyThe works of Hesiod: Theogony and Works and Days
The First Woman Hesiod relates the story of Pandora, the first woman in Greek mythology, in the Theogony and in Works and Days. The first epic chronicles her creation by Zeus after Prometheus gives fire to mortals. The second epic…
Read MoreThe First Woman Hesiod relates the story of Pandora, the first woman in Greek mythology, in the Theogony and in Works and Days. The first epic chronicles her creation by Zeus after Prometheus gives fire to mortals. The second epic…
Read More - Greek mythologyMyths of origin
…though the aim of Hesiod’s Theogony is to describe the ascendancy of Zeus (and, incidentally, the rise of the other gods), the inclusion of such familiar themes as the hostility between the generations, the exploits of the friendly trickster (Prometheus), and the struggles against powerful beings or monsters like the…
Read More…though the aim of Hesiod’s Theogony is to describe the ascendancy of Zeus (and, incidentally, the rise of the other gods), the inclusion of such familiar themes as the hostility between the generations, the exploits of the friendly trickster (Prometheus), and the struggles against powerful beings or monsters like the…
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CalypsoAccording to Hesiod’s Theogony, she bore Odysseus twin sons, Nausithous and Nausinous.
Read MoreAccording to Hesiod’s Theogony, she bore Odysseus twin sons, Nausithous and Nausinous.
Read More- Latinus
…Hesiod (7th century bc), in Theogony, calls him the son of the Greek hero Odysseus and the enchantress Circe. The Roman poet Virgil, in the Aeneid, makes him the son of the Roman god Faunus and the nymph Marica. Latinus was a shadowy personality who was perhaps invented to explain…
Read More…Hesiod (7th century bc), in Theogony, calls him the son of the Greek hero Odysseus and the enchantress Circe. The Roman poet Virgil, in the Aeneid, makes him the son of the Roman god Faunus and the nymph Marica. Latinus was a shadowy personality who was perhaps invented to explain…
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AphroditeOriginsHesiod relates in his Theogony that Aphrodite was born from the white foam produced by the severed genitals of Uranus (Heaven), after his son Cronus threw them into the sea. She was named for the Greek word aphros, meaning “foam.” Riding on a shell, she took up residence in…
Read MoreHesiod relates in his Theogony that Aphrodite was born from the white foam produced by the severed genitals of Uranus (Heaven), after his son Cronus threw them into the sea. She was named for the Greek word aphros, meaning “foam.” Riding on a shell, she took up residence in…
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ErosIn the Theogony of Hesiod (fl. 700 bce), Eros was a primeval god, son of Chaos, the original primeval emptiness of the universe, but later tradition made him the son of Aphrodite, goddess of sexual love and beauty, by either Zeus (the king of the gods), Ares…
Read MoreIn the Theogony of Hesiod (fl. 700 bce), Eros was a primeval god, son of Chaos, the original primeval emptiness of the universe, but later tradition made him the son of Aphrodite, goddess of sexual love and beauty, by either Zeus (the king of the gods), Ares…
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TitanAccording to Hesiod’s Theogony, there were 12 original Titans: the brothers Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, and Cronus and the sisters Thea, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, and Tethys. At the instigation of Gaea the Titans rebelled against their father, who had shut them up in the underworld (Tartarus).…
Read MoreAccording to Hesiod’s Theogony, there were 12 original Titans: the brothers Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, and Cronus and the sisters Thea, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, and Tethys. At the instigation of Gaea the Titans rebelled against their father, who had shut them up in the underworld (Tartarus).…
Read More- Uranus
According to Hesiod’s Theogony, Gaea (Earth), emerging from primeval Chaos, produced Uranus, the Mountains, and the Sea. From Gaea’s subsequent union with Uranus were born the Titans, the Cyclopes, and the Hecatoncheires.
Read MoreAccording to Hesiod’s Theogony, Gaea (Earth), emerging from primeval Chaos, produced Uranus, the Mountains, and the Sea. From Gaea’s subsequent union with Uranus were born the Titans, the Cyclopes, and the Hecatoncheires.
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