Journal Entry #6

Aside from providing an explanation of the origin of the universe, what other

purposes does the ‘Creation of the Titans & Gods’ story serve? Consider how this

story was heavily shared in Ancient Greece, and is still shared to this day.

Journal Entry #6

Today’s Class

Journal Entry DiscussionGreek Mythology BackgroundCharacters & Actions as Symbols

Homework

Quiz on Greek Mythology notes & ‘Creation of the Titans & Gods’ on Tuesday

Origins of Greek Mythology

Who came up with the myths? No concrete source is

known, assumed to be from the oral tradition

Literary Sources Homer’s the Iliad and

the Odyssey (850BC) Hesiod’s Theogony

(most complete account of origins of gods, 700BC)

Verily at the first Chaos came to be, but next wide-bosomed Earth, the ever-sure foundations of all the deathless ones who hold the peaks of snowy Olympus, and dim Tartarus in the depth of the wide-pathed Earth, and Eros (Love), fairest among the deathless gods, who unnerves the limbs and overcomes the mind and wise counsels of all gods and all men within them. From Chaos came forth Erebus and black Night; but of Night were born Aether and Day, whom she conceived and bare from union in love with Erebus. And Earth first bare starry Heaven, equal to herself, to cover her on every side, and to be an ever-sure abiding-place for the blessed gods. And she brought forth long Hills, graceful haunts of the goddess-Nymphs who dwell amongst the glens of the hills. She bare also the fruitless deep with his raging swell, Pontus, without sweet union of love. But afterwards she lay with Heaven and bare deep-swirling Oceanus, Coeus and Crius and Hyperion and Iapetus, Theia and Rhea, Themis and Mnemosyne and gold-crowned Phoebe and lovely Tethys. After them was born Cronos the wily, youngest and most terrible of her children, and he hated his lusty sire.

Inconsistencies

Variations Extra generations and

added titans / gods (Hyperion, Theia)

Name changes (Cronus / Cronos / Kronos)

More detail Your text is a retelling

by Michele Price Cronus hurting Uranus

creates Aphrodite

Chaos

Primordial Gods (Eros, Gaea,

Uranus)

Hundred Handed Ones

(Hekatoncheires)

Titans (Cronus, Rhea, Helios)

Olympian Gods (Zeus,

Poseidon, Hera)

Cyclopes

How is Zeus’s victory over Cronus symbolic?

Consider the actions & personalities of both characters How would you describe Cronus? Why? How would you describe Zeus? Why?

How does Zeus get an advantage during the war? He frees the hundred handed ones and the cyclopes

What lesson is being shown here?

Is this lesson still relevant today? What does this tell us about the values of ancient

history?

Compassion and intelligence reign over selfishness and

rashness

Aside from the lesson we have discussed in class, what other lesson can be taken from the reading? Support your answer

with textual evidence.

Journal Entry #6(part 2)