Classics 103 - Hesiod's Theogony

Question	Answer
Before Hesiod starts to tell how the earth began, who does he introduce as the narrators?	the Muses, 9 goddesses of the arts, particularly music and poetry.
Why did he introduce them at this point?	the provide credibility and truth to his poem
4 gods and goddesses/elements spontaneously appeared. what are they in succession and provide a brief description.	First came Chaos which was nothingness. After came Gaia, the earth, mother of the universe. next came tartarus, the underworld, that resides under the earth. And lastly came Eros, which is lust that is responsible for all life after.
Chaos gave birth to god and goddess and what did they create	from chaos came night and Erebus, the darkness from the underworld and they joined so night could bare Day and Aether (space)
Earth spontaneously gave birth to what three entities? Which of her children did she then lie with?	she gave birth to Ouranos, the starry night sky, as well as mountains, nymphs, and then Pontus, who was the sea. She then lay with Ouranos.
Gaia gave birth to what children with Ouranos?	she gave birth to three cyclopes with are said to have either found or made Zeus' thunderbolt. Also the 10 titans which included Kronos, father of Zeus, and his wife Rhea. She also gave birth to three giants giants each with 100 arms and 50 heads and were very dangerous. the moment they were born Ouranos hide them from in a secret place.
Why did Gaia come up with an evil plan against her husband? What did she do? who was her accomplice?	loosing her sons hurt Gaia deeply. She hatched a plan and made a curved blade called a sickle from anamantium. she then called all her children together and asked who would help her. her son Kronos came forward and she said she would make him king of the gods.
After agreeing to work with Gaia, what did Kronos do to his father?	He waited until his father was going to lie with his mother and then used his left hand to grab Ouranos and used his right to cut off his father's genitals with the sickle and threw them over his shoulder into the sea.
The foam that was produced by the cut off flesh in the ocean produced what?	from the foam Aphrodite was formed. she landed on Cyprus and grass grew up beneath her feet.
the blood from Ouranos that was split fell on Gaia and she became pregnant. what did she give birth to?	she gave birth to the furies, goddesses who were born of and to fight blood shed. they are most vengeful is family blood is split. she also gave birth to the ash-wood nymphs and the giants
What is so important about Pontus' first born child.	he was born a full grown elderly man and is the original wise old man archetype who knows mercy and the law
the god Typho married a Nymph. What did she give birth to?	Cerberus, the 50 headed dog that guards the gates of Hades and many other monsters
Pallas joined with Styx, the river goddess of the underworld, who bore 4 important children. why were they important?	she gave birth to victory, glory, power, and force. Zeus came to styx and asked her to help him fight the titans and he would give her and hers rank and power. she provided her 4 said children. they all stayed and sit by Zeus' side on mount Olympus
Kronos forced Rhea to marry him. What became of there children? what was the symbolism of this?	Kronos felt threatened and wanted to keep all royal power for himself so after each child was born he gulped it down. it represents the age old threat older generations feel about the younger as the young will one day take over. Kronos feared his own children would do to him what he did to his own father.
Rhea went to her parents Gaia and Ouranos for help. What did she ask for. What happened.	Rhea was about to give birth to Zeus. She asked her parents for help protecting him. Her mother gave her a plan. Before the child was born she went to the island of Crete. when Ouranos came to see the child she tricked him and gave him a rock wrapped up. he didn't check and swallowed it down and Zeus survived.
What did the survival of Zeus and the birth of the 100 armed 50 head children have in common.	proved the gods are not perfect. the deformities were like a trial and error that led to us. Kronos was no omniscient and could be tricked.
Where was Zeus born?	on the top of Mount Ida on the island of Crete.
Zeus is not the only sibling to live on Olympus. How did they come back after being swallowed by their father?	Gaia persuaded her husband with words and she also gave him a emetic from Prometheus. This made him first throw up the stone she had given him as well as all the Olympians, fully grown.
What became of the stone that Ouranos mistook for Zeus after he through it back up?	the stone can still be seen at the Pitho to this day
What did Zeus' uncles give him after he freed them from imprisonment?	they gave him his lightning bolt
What becomes of the 100 armed giants? How is this fate changed?	Ouranos is jealous of there looks so he binds them under the earth. They stay there until Rhea goes to the Olympians and says they will receive great victory and glory if they released them and went to war with the titans. Zeus does what she says and releases them.
What was the Titanomarchy War? How did the war end?	the battle between the titans and the Olympians. the giants, who Zeus had freed, each threw 100 rocks and buried the titans and were then bound up in chains under the earth. Zeus was then made king of the gods.
What is the important similarity between Ouranos' and Kronos' fate? How did Hesiod defer the blame for Kronos' fate?	both gods were overthrown by there son, a fact Hesiod tries to gloss over with Zeus as it was a act that should be punished. Hesiod was a devoted follower of Zeus, so to make Zeus seem innocent he wrote about the giants actually burying the titans. Also neither Zeus nor Kronos were mentioned by name so as not to remind people of this relationship.
What was the meaning of the giants loving the war?	it showed them to be barbaric and uncivilized,making them lower in rank to the more human looking, beautiful gods of Olympus.
What did Gaia do after Zeus defeated the titans?	She loved tartarus and bore her last child, Typhous. He was a monster like god with dragon heads on his shoulders. He is the god of storms and strong winds that kill sailors. (hence the word typhoon)
How did Zeus divide up power among the gods, particularly between his two brothers posieden and hades?	He had his two brothers draw straws with him to see who gains control over the sky, the sea, or the underworld. /some say he tricked them in order to rule the sky. He divided up the power among the gods fairly though not equally.
Who was Metis? What became of her?	She was Zeus' first wife, the goddess of wisdom and wisest of all men and gods. Before she could give birth to her first child, Gaia and Ouranos told Zeus to swallow her to make sure he would always be king. He did this and she remained inside him to council him in matters of law and wisdom
How did Athena come to be?	after Zeus swallowed Metis the child she had been pregnant with still lived. eventually Zeus gave birth to her from his head and she came into the world fully grown with her shield.
Who was Themis?	She was Zeus' second wife the goddess of divine right and law. she gave birth to order, blooming peace, justice, and the fates. In modern terms she is depicted with blindfolded with scales as lady justice
Who was Eurynome?	She was Zeus' third wife. she gave him three daughters Agaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia
Who was Demeter?	technically she was Zeus' 4th wife though she was more of a one night stand. She was the goddess of the harvest. She gave birth to Persephone
Why was Mnemosyne?	she was the goddess memory and time, the inventor of language and the 5th wife of Zeus who gave birth to the muses.
Who was Leto?	She was the a respectable married women-like goddess and 6th wife of Zeus. She gave birth to Apollo and Artemis. She was always clothed from neck to ankle, richly dress and often with a veil whether for modesty or matrimonial purposes
Why are beautiful goddess' sometimes called fair-ankled?	women always covered there ankles so seeing a woman's ankle was seen as provocative
Who was Hera?	She was the goddess of family and marriage and Zeus' 7th and last wife. she gave birth to Hebe, goddess of youth, Ares, god of war and Eileithuia, goddess of childbirth.
Who was Semele?	She was a human and the secret lover of Zeus. Hera became very jealous of her and tricks her into convincing Zeus to show his true self to her. After she makes him promise he can't back out. when he reveals himself she as a mortal can't handle it and is burnt to a crisp.
Semele was pregnant at the time of her death. What became of her child?	Zeus took the not yet fromed child and sewed it into his thigh until it was grown. This child was the god Dionysus
Who was Maia?	She was a lover of Zeus that gave birth to Hermes
What did Zeus' many lovers say about what was appropriate in Greek culture?	Men were aloud to sleep with women of lower class then his wife but they could never leave there wives and create a new household and they could never touch another mans wife. Mostly they met with slaves and prostitutes.

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