Hesiod’s Theogony

Nahir I. Otaño Gracia; Averie Basch

17 Hesiod’s Theogony

Nahir I. Otaño Gracia and Averie Basch

Ancient Greek

8th—7th Century BC

Classical mythology is foundational for any studies in literature. Centuries of authors reference or retell the most popular myths, so it is essential to be familiar with names and themes in Greek myth. Hesiod’s Theogony records the ancestry of the gods, titans, giants, and their mortal descendants. There are many names to keep track of, but the names of these deities contribute to modern-day English words, so memorization of the names will be helpful to the understanding of the English language.

Hesiod himself was a poet of Ancient Greece, though his exact lifetime is still debated by scholars. Most academics place him roughly in the seventh century, which means he lived close to the production of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, two iconic Greek epics. Hesiod claimed to have met the Muses—the goddesses of the arts, nine daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus—upon Mount Helikon, where they blessed him with a voice with which to tell the history of the birth of the gods—the Theogony. Like many narratives from Ancient Greece, the poet opens with an invocation to these Muses, simultaneously asserting credibility and asking for divine approval.

Theogony covers the genealogy of the Greek divinities, starting with the nothingness of Chaos and ending with the then-current Olympian gods. Chaos, a whirling mass of energy, birthed Gaia (Earth), Tartarus (the pit), Eros (love), Erebos (darkness), and Nyx (Night). Gaia gave birth to Ouranos (sky) herself, then took her son as consort. Gaia and Ouranos together were parents of the Titans. The youngest of these was Kronos, who with his sister Rhea conceived the first gods. Kronos’ patricide dominates the lives of the Titans, who ruled before Zeus, youngest son of Kronos and Rhea, overthrew his father in the Titanomachy.

The Ancient Greeks worshipped the gods, including Kronos and Rhea’s children Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia. The Olympians, who resided upon Mount Olympus, were the twelve²³⁶² principal deities in Greek society. Hesiod, as a follower of these gods, clearly celebrates the Olympians as the rightful rulers of the world instead of the Titans. The gods are constantly glorified even if their deeds are less than divine.

Theogony

The Center for Hellenic Studies at Harvard University provides Hesiod’s Theogony at the following link: https://chs.harvard.edu/primary-source/hesiod-theogony-sb/

EXERCISES

Family Tree In-Class Exercise:

On a separate sheet of paper, diagram Greek mythology’s family tree according to Hesiod. Work in groups of three to focus on separate aspects of the family tree.

Student A: Intro – Descendants of Ouranos

Student B: Descendants of Ouranos – Descendants of Kronos

Student C: Descendants of Kronos – End

After 20 minutes, come back together and combine your charts into one larger family tree. Do not include characters outside of what Hesiod provides.