GREEK MYTHOLOGY

Creation Myths

Different Versions of Creation Myths

Pelasgian Creation Myths

Homeric and Orphic Creation Myths

Two Philosophical Creation Mtyhs

Olympian Creation Myths

Pelasgian Myth

• In the beginning there was CHAOS.

• From Chaos rose Eurynome, the goddess of all things.

•But there was no land upon which she could set her

foot, but sea only.

•She danced upon the waves and separated earth and

sky.

•She rubbed the North Wind between her hands, and

Orphion, a giant snake came into being.

• North Wind and Eurynome mate.• Eurynome transforms herself into a dove and lays the Universal Egg.

She orders Ophion to coil around the egg.

• From the Universal Egg, came her children:

• Sun

•Moon

• Planets

• Stars

• Earth

•Mountains

• Trees

• Rivers

• and other living creatures.

• Next Eurynome created Seven Planetary Powers:

•1. Hyperion + Thea (Sun)

•2. Atlas + Phoebe (Moon)

•3. Crius + Dione (Mars)

•4. Coeus + Metis (Mercury)

•5. Themis + Eurymedon (Jupiter)

•6. Oceanus + Tethys (Venus)

•7. Cronus + Rhea (Saturn)

HOMERIC AND ORPHIC MYTHS

•Homeric Myth

•All gods and living things originated from Oceanus. •Tethys was the mother of all children.

•Homer’s myth is very similar to Pelasgian Myth.•Tethys as Eurynome•Oceanus as Ophion.

Orphic Myth

•Came from the poet Orpheus. Orpheus founded a religion around 600 BC, and these myths became part of people’s religious beliefs.

•Night was courted by Wind and they produced a silver egg in the womb of Darkness. •From the egg came Eros. He set everything into

order. He created earth, sky and moon. Later on his scepter was passed onto Cronus.

Two Philosophical Creation Myths

•Hesiod’s Theogony

•Ovid’s Metamorphoses

Hesiod’s Version• In the beginning there was Darkness. From Darkness sprang Chaos,

and from their union Night, Day, Erebus (Underworld) and Air were born.

• The union of Night and Erebus produced Doom, Old Age, Death, Murder, Sleep, Dreams, Discord, Misery, Nemesis, Joy, Friendship, Pity and Three Fates.

• Air and Day created Mother Earth, Sky and Sea.

• Air and Earth: Terror, Craft, Anger, Strife, Lies, Oaths, Vengeance, Oblivion, Pride, Battle, Oceanus, Metis, Titans, Tartarus and Furies.

• Earth and Tartarus: Giants

Ovid’s Version•God of all things, appeared in Chaos, and separated water from earth.

•Divided earth into zone: Cold, Hot, Moderate etc.

•Created Mountains, Trees, Grass.

•Set sky above earth and populated it with stars.

•Created Sun, Moon and Five Planets.

Olympian Creation Myth

• From Chaos rose Gaia (Mother Earth).

• She bore her son Uranus (Sky, Heaven).

•First children of Gaia and Uranus were semi human giants

called Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires.

• From Gaia and Uranus sprang Titans.

• Titans were elder gods of enormous strength and size.

• There were six sons and six daughters.

• Sons Daughters• 1. Oceanus Tethys• 2. Coeus Phoebe• 3. Hyperion Thea• 4. Iapetus Themis• 5. Crius Mnemosyne• 6. Cronus Rhea

Castration of Uranus• Uranus did not like his semi human children Cyclopes and

Hecatoncheires and threw them down into Tartarus.

• When Uranus had fathered Titans, the mother Earth persuaded the Titans to take action against their father Uranus.

• She gave Cronus, the youngest of her sons, a sickle. Cronus castrated his father when he was sleeping. Blood drops from the wound fell on Mother Earth and she conceived and gave birth to Three Furies or Ernniyes.

• Furies were created to avenge the crime of parricide.

• Cronus was elected leader of the Titans. Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires were released from Tartarus only to be sent back shortly afterwards.

Marriages

•Cronus married Rhea

•Hyperion---Thea

•Oceanus----Tethys

•Coeus-------Phoebe

•Iapetus------Themis/Clymene

Second Generation of Titans• Hyperion and Thea’s Children.• Helios, Selene, Eos

• Coeus and Phoebe’s Children• Leto, Asteria

• Iapetus and Clymene/Themis’ children• Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, Menoetius

• Oceanus and Tethys’ children•Metis

• Crius and Eurybia (a sea goddess)• Astraeus, Pallas, Perses

Cronus and Rhea• Cronus was prophesied by his dying father Uranus and Mother Earth

that one of his own sons will dethrone him. Cronus devoured his children one by one. First Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon.

Zeus is born• Sixth child of Cronus and Rhea. Rhea was already infuriated and she

gave Zeus to Mother Earth.• She gave a rock wrapped in swaddling clothes to Cronus; who took it

for Zeus and was satisfied.

•Zeus grew up on Mount Ida among shepherds.

•When he reached manhood, he met the Titaness Metis. She

advised him to meet his mother Rhea.

•Zeus asked Rhea to make him the cup-bearer of Cronus. Rhea

aided Zeus in the scheme of revenge by giving him an emetic

potion.

•Zeus became the cup-bearer of Cronus and mixed that emetic

potion in his honey drink.

•Cronus threw up all the devoured children who came out safe.

•Zeus chosen as the war leader against

Titans.

•Atlas leads the army of Titans.

•Mother Earth prophesies the victory of her

grandson Zeus.

•Zeus releases the Cyclopes and

Hecatoncheires from Tatarus.

Gifts from Cyclopes

•Zeus Thurderbolt•Hades Helmet of Darkness•Poseidon Trident

•War lasted for 10 years.

•Hades and Poseidon stole into Cronus’ chamber and diverted

his attention, and in the meanwhile Zeus struck him with

thunderbolt.

•Hecatoncheries pelted other Titans with stones.

•Titanesses spared at the plea of Rhea.

•Cronus along with other defeated Titans were exiled to a far

off island guarded by Hecatoncheires.

•Zeus became the supreme ruler and sat up his abode on

Mount Olympus.