1. How the World and Mankind Were Created

2. “First there was Chaos, the vast immeasurable abyss”
Two children of Chaos: Erebus and Night
Erebus: becomes the depthless world of death
Night: what it says

3. Death’s and Erebus’ Child
Love: the light in the darkness
Love created Light, and the opposite of Night—Day
From the coming of Light and Love, earth was created
No description of how Earth was created given

4. Gaea and Ouranos (Uranus)
Mother Earth and Father Heaven
Monsters: not in the sense that they are bad.
First creatures to come to life

5. Giants Gaea and Oranos were giants
These are creatures larger than what we think of as normal today
Includes cyclops
Creatures with a hundred hands and fifty heads
Titans

6. Domestic Dispute Oranos hated his children
Imprisoned the hundred-hand, fifty-head creatures within the earth (Gaea)
Gaea is enraged at the maltreatment of her children

7. Cronus A Titan who defeated Oranos Drove the monsters from the world
Caused the creation of Erinyes (Furies) from the blood of Oranus
Ensured the continued life of the Furies as long as sin remained in the world
Cronus becomes ruler of the Universe

8. Cronus’ Children
Cronus learned one of his children would rebel against him
He swallowed them as they were born
Zeus was born in secret

9. Zeus’ Rise To Power
Zeus enlists the aid of his five brothers and sisters to wage war with Cronus
Zeus released the hundred-headed, fifty-handed monsters from their prison to aid his cause
Zeus defeated Cronus and the Titans

10. Zeus’ Punishment The god was terrible in his punishment
The conquered were chained “as far beneath earth as heaven is above”
9 days falling from earth
Atlas: Titan must hold the weight of Heaven and Earth on his shoulders for all eternity; he must stand in the nether regions, where it is neither night or day—separation; utter loneliness

11. The First Challenge
Zeus is challenged by the birth of his last brother: Typhon
Zeus owns thunder and lightning
Zeus ensures his position as supreme ruler by striking Typhon with “The bolt that never sleeps,/Thunder with breath of flame.”
Suggests that the power of heaven is unquenchable

12. Another Challenge
The Giants, who helped Zeus initially, rebel against him
**Hercules finally arrives to help his father defeat the Giants
Zeus’ punishment is the same for the Giants as it is for the Titans and Cronus: banishment to the uttermost nether regions

13. The Creation of Man Prometheus (forethought) Epimetheus (afterthought)
Both are Titans who sided with Zeus in his war against the Titans
Epimetheus began man; Prometheus finished him
Initially, the animals had the superior qualities of speed, endurance, etc.
Prometheus gave man the “nobler shape” of being upright like the gods—thus they look like gods

14. The Creation of Man II The gods themselves created man
The “Golden Race” – created from gold
The “Silver Race” – created from silver
This continues through all the precious metals
These races departed the world in pure spirit form

15. The Iron Race The fifth race created
They must toil tremendously to make a living on earth
They do not convert to pure spirits when they die
Eventually, Zeus will destroy them when “no man is angry and more at wrongdoing”

16. Only Men During the “Golden Age,” only men inhabited the earth
The precious metal races were entirely men
All new people had to be created from scratch by the gods
Women were created by Zeus, in anger at Prometheus’ love for mankind

17. Prometheus’ Deceit
Prometheus gave fire to the “Iron Race”
Prometheus nurtured mankind by reserving the best parts of the sacrifices for men

18. Zeus’ Revenge Zeus created Pandora—the gift of all The first woman
Beautiful beyond all men’s dream
She is the wonder of the gods, and an evil to men, with the nature to DO evil
Pandora releases all the evil in the world—plague, sorrow, misfortune
This is tempered only with Hope

19. Prometheus’ Punishment
Zeus had Prometheus bound in the Causasus (mountains far away)
He was bound with unbreakable chains (he is a Titan, afterall)
He would be bound until he submitted to Zeus
Prometheus eventually had his liver eaten by an eagle, which would return every day to eat the newly re-grown liver