Chapter Five, Lecture Two Origin of Mortals The Five Races and Universal Flood

The Five Races Not compatible with the Pandora stories Different source The descent into the wretched, modern age

A Work in Progress: The Races of Man (the stages through which gods created mortals) A. The Golden Race 1. Man created during the age of Cronus were fashioned from gold an lived a life full of laughter, dancing and other pleasures 2. Lived free from pain, cares, miseries, sorrows, fears and death. Did not grow old or age. 3. Beautiful world filled with everything they wanted 4. Lived in peace, free from aggression, no weapons, no threat of retribution, laws or judges 5. They were mortal and did die but could not perpetuate the race because there were NO WOMEN

6. When their race died out, they became the holy spirits of the earth 7. Later ages protected mortals from injustice and bestowed wealth upon men Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay. - Robert Frost

B. The Silver Race 1. During the age of Zeus, a second race of mortals was fashioned 2. By this time seasons were in place, so the earth was not in perpetual beauty, and men had to cultivate fields, build houses, etc 3. Still no women, the men remained infantile, spending 100 years maturing as babies 4. Adulthood was brief because these mortals were move by greed and lust for power and committed reckless acts of violence against one another 5. The gods of Olympus were offended because no sacrifices were made to honor them 6. Zeus destroyed this race, and their spirits became the spirits of the Underworld

C. The Bronze Race 1. These mortals were fashioned from ash trees 2. Mighty and violent race formed by Zeus who were much more aggressive than even those in the Silver Age 3. All weapons, tools, and even homes were forged in bronze 4. Fighting brother against brother, they killed themselves 5. Nameless, they sank down to the icy palace of Hades, lord of the Underworld

The Race of Heroes 1. This race was also created by Zeus. 2. However, they were braver and more just by far 3. They were a godlike race. 4. They are called half-gods. 5. For most of the heroes, death was the end. 6. But for some, Zeus created a new way of living at the very end of the earth. 7. They remained in Isle of the Blessed. 8. Cronus rules as their king. 9. Oedipus, Odysseus, and Achilles are included in this race.

Odysseus and Achilles

E. The Iron Race 1. The human race came here and was the basest race of all 2. Gave evil free reign over the earth 3. Modesty gave way to shamelessness; truth to deceit; righteousness to violence and vice 4. Men were abetted by the creation of women to scheme, cheat or kill to fulfill their greed 5. Life was full of constant work, day and night with no rest from pain or labor 6. Property was cordoned off 7. Men went to war against each other; gold their aim, iron their weapon 8. No morals, values, no respect for elderly, poor or brother

Women abetting men World War II

8. Hosts attacked their guests, guests plundered their hosts; no civility was practiced 9. Brother killed brother; sons pushed their fathers towards death 10. Poets agreed that this is the age in which we were born 11. This race banished justice, loyalty and piety from the world

The Five Races

The Five Races Hesiod’s world “blown apart” by the alphabet Later, the Age of Cronus was seen as a Golden Age because it fit chronologically with the Golden Race of the five races.

The Universal Flood

Ziusudra, Athrahsis, and Noah The earliest flood (Sumerian) Thousands of years earlier than the biblical texts Mankind is progressing, and the gods decide to exterminate them We’re not told why Enki (Prometheus) decides to save one: Ziusudra

Ziusudra, Athrahsis, and Noah Tells him to build a boat Ziusudra survives the seven-day flood and sacrifices to Utu (the sun god) after it.

Ziusudra, Athrahsis, and Noah The Babylonian variation of the Sumerian flood Humankind proves too fruitful and too noisy, god can’t sleep Various plagues, drought, and famine fail to check their growth, so Enlil (storm god) decides to send a flood

Ziusudra, Athrahsis, and Noah But Ea (Enki) warns one “very wise man,” Atrahasis ( = Ziusudra) Instructs him to build a boat and save his family and all kinds of animals

Ziusudra, Athrahsis, and Noah A flood of seven days and nights kills off humanity But the gods, deprived of their smoke, begin to starve They gather around Atrahasis’s sacrifice and breathe the pleasant smoke — even Enlil (who demanded the flood) is pleased

Ziusudra, Athrahsis, and Noah To check population, measures are taken to increase infant mortality and decrease the fertility rate of women: some would be barren ritual chastity demons to kill some of the newborn. Etiological explanation of still births and barren women.

Noah Yahweh destroys humans because of their wickedness and moral failure Only Noah, his family, and two of each animal survive. Yahweh will never again destroy the human race with water, but they must not kill another man or drink an animal’s blood Etiological no blood, feelings on homicide, and the special relationship between Yahweh and the Hebrews

Deucalion and Pyrrha

Greek Flood Story Not in Hesiod Perhaps he didn’t know about it — i.e., the story hadn’t made its way into the Greek world yet in 8th/7th c. BCE Source is the Roman Ovid (1c. BCE)

Greek Flood Story Zeus investigates the alleged wickedness of humankind In disguise, comes to the house of Lycaon (“wolf”), king of Arcadia Lycaon planned to test whether the visitor was divine (as some of his people thought).

Greek Flood Story Feed him human flesh and see whether he notices Zeus (of course) knows, and turns Lycaon into a wolf (“lycanthropy”) First he wants to destroy the world with fire Changes his mind to a flood because he is afraid of setting the entire world on fire and destroying it. He only wants to destroy humans.

Greek Flood Story Only Deucalion (son of Prometheus) and Pyrrha survive on a raft (in a wooden chest) They land on Mt. Parnassus (Delphi), near a small temple to Themis Zeus relents and Poseidon orders the rains to stop and the flood to recede

Greek Flood Story How to repopulate the earth? “Toss the bones of your mighty mother over your shoulders.” Deucalion understands the riddle Stones are the bones of the “mother” (mother earth) Stone race is tough and enduring

Deucalion ahd Pyrrha repeople the world with stones

Plato’s Aristophanes story Humans were hermaphrodites-having both parts round with a front and back that had genitals and faces attacked the gods and the gods were afraid of being defeated. Zeus sliced each one in half (Splitapart) Apollo fixed and made male and female Spend life looking for your other half

Themes Humans came from earth, making Earth mother Glorify local male nobility who claimed succession Human world did not arise all at once Some fall broke intimacy between humans and gods. Male dominance-women responsible for all wickedness/sin in world marriage

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