STORIES OF CREATION (GREEK & - traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's

ROMAN) legendary origins, religious institutions, and moral

models
Mythology
FOCUS: on human actors and only occasional
(Greek) Mythos - story-of-the-people + (Greek)Logos - intervention from deities but a pervasive sense
word or speech = Mythology- the spoken story of a of divinely ordered destiny.
people
The Romans identified their own gods with those of the
- refers to the traditional stories and beliefs that Greeks, keeping their own Roman names but adopting
involve gods or supernatural beings the Greek stories told about them and importing other
- often explains the natural world and the origins myths for which they had no counterpart.
of the universe
- often preserved through religious texts and History of the Greek influence to Roman
temples culture
- often analyzed in terms of its religious or The Roman era began with the Corinthian defeat in the
spiritual significance and its role in shaping the Battle of Corinth in 146 BC.
worldview of a culture or society The Roman Republic had been steadily gaining control
Greek and Roman Mythology of mainland Greece by defeating the Kingdom of
Macedon in a series of conflicts known as the
- also known as Greco-Roman Mythology or Macedonian Wars.
Classical Mythology
 A collection of ancient stories, legends, and beliefs By 27 B.C., the Roman conquest of Greece was
that were created by the people of ancient Greece completed when Augustus Caesar made the entire
and Rome to: Greek peninsula the province of Achaea.
 explain aspects of the world around them (The conquerors methodically extended power over
 express cultural values other Greek cities through diplomacy and war)
 provide a framework for understanding
After Rome conquered Greece, it is the Greek
their existence
culture that influenced the Roman.
 refers to the traditional stories and beliefs that
involve gods or supernatural beings • First, Greek construction and architecture
attracted much attention from the Romans. The
Greek Myths
Romans rebuilt much of Greece that had been
- narratives related to ancient Greek religion, often destroyed over the century of wars.
concerned with the actions of gods and other Ex: Julius Caesar and Augustus rebuilt Athens with the
supernatural beings and of heroes who transcend construction of the Roman Agora
human bounds. • Second, Roman rulers and citizens held Greek
culture in high regard. Wealthy Romans sought
Major sources for Greek myths include the
Greek tutors to teach their children.
Homeric epics:
- The literature and learning of Greece
• the Iliad and the Odyssey Influenced Roman scholars.
• the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Ex: Virgil was inspired by the tales of
Euripides. Homer to write his Aeneid.
• Finally, the Greek language became the
Known versions are mostly preserved in: favored in the Roman Empire over the Latin
language.
• sophisticated literary works shaped by the - Since Greece was the gateway to Rome’s
artistry of individuals and by the conventions of territories in the east, Greek became the trade
genre language that united the empire
• in vase painting and other forms of visual art
Roman Myths
GREEK VS ROMAN
 Greek Roman
Roman Mythology Mythology
Greek gods
gods Mortal Deeds Mortal Deeds
Greek mythology Roman mythology did not
Physical Vivid Vague emphasized the put emphasis on the
Descriptio importance of good deeds works of mortal heroes in
n mortals performed on regard to their life on earth
More Less earth. because Roman
Morality promiscuous promiscuous mythology believed in an
afterlife.

Strength Stronger Weaker

and The Greek culture viewed Romans believed that
Power deities as an unattainable mortals should try to
being. aspire to be like the gods
Fate Couldn’t Jupiter could they worshipped.
determine determine
- mortals would never be - they used the Roman
able to reach deity status gods and goddesses as
Mythology Original Copied and have a place among an inspiration to live life
the gods they worshipped. the right way

Based on human “Deities named Instead, they would have

personality traits after objects to do good works on earth The other reason is that
(e.g., Love, rather than to have the honor of the they believed in an
Honor, Hatred, human gods during their time on afterlife that they would
Dignity) as well personality traits” earth. attain when their life on
as their roles in earth was over.
life determined by
what they were
god of.
- represented THE TITANS
- possessed objects
 The Titans were an elder generation of gods
human
attributes. who ruled the cosmos before the Olympians
Physical  had less gods came to power.
Appearan  heavy emphasi  They were responsible for the original
ce emphasi s put on ordering of time and the establishment of
s placed their fixed heavenly cycles.
on their character
physical istics
appearan  less
ce, both strong if
beauty, there
and was a MAJOR TITANS:
unsightlin physical
ess depiction THE URANIDES
 having of them
strong at all  Oceanos (God Of The Great River)
character He presided over the rising and setting of the
istics heavenly bodies : the sun, the moon, the
stars, and the dawn.
 Coeus (God Of Intelligence And Inquiry)
 He was also known as Polus (the pole) and  Tethys (Mother Of The River Gods)
probably presided over the axis of heaven in She was known as the great nurse ("tethis")
the north around which the constellations of life, and was sometimes equated with
revolve. Thesis, the goddess "creation." She spawned
 Crius (God Of Heavenly Constellations) the Rivers, Clouds and Springs.
He was probably associated with the  Kronos (God Of Destructive Time)
constellation Aries, the heavenly ram (which He led his brothers in the ambush and
the Greeks called Crius). Its spring rising castration of their father Uranus, but was
marked the start of the new year, and the himself deposed and cast into the pit of
other constellations were said to follow in its Tartaros by his own son Zeus
wake.
 Hyperion (God Of Heavenly Light)
THE IAPETIONIDES
He was one of the four brother Titans who
held Uranus fast while Cronus castrated him  Atlas (God Of Astronomy And The
with the sickle. Revolution Of The Heavenly
 Iapetos (God Of The Moral Life-Cycle) Constellations)
His sons Prometheus and Epimetheus were He was arrested by Zeus and condemned to
the creators of animals and men. Iapetus was bear the heavens upon his shoulders. Homer
one of the four brother-Titans who held suggests he was later released from this
Uranus fast while Cronus castrated him with torment and appointed guardian of the pillars
the sickle. of heaven.
 Theia (Goddess Of Sight And The Shining  Prometheus (God Of Forethought And
Atmosphere) The Creator And Benefactor Of Man)
She was the mother of Sun, Moon and Dawn . He defied Zeus on several occasions,
Her name is also connected with words including tricking the gods out of the best
meaning "foresight" and "prophecy". share of the sacrificial meat, and stealing fire
 Rhea (Goddess Of Healing And from heaven for the benefit of mankind.
Childbirth)  Epimetheus (God Of Afterthought)
The Queen of the Titans. She saved her son He was appointed with the task of creating
Zeus from the maw of Cronus by substituting the beasts of the earth. He as tricked by Zeus
the child for a stone wrapped in swaddling into receiving Pandora, the first woman, and
cloth. her jar of evils into the house of man.
 Themis (Goddess Of Justice And  Menoetius (God Of Violent Anger And
Counsel) Rash Action)
She was also a goddess of the oracles of Zeus blasted him into Erebus with a
Dodona and Delphi. By Zeus she was the thunderbolt, where he became a bondsman
mother of the goddess Fates and of the of King Hades.
Seasons, and had a seat by his side on
Olympus as advisor.
 Mnemosyne (Goddess Of Memory)
She was the mother of the nine Muses by
Zeus. Mnemosyne was also a prophetic
goddess associated with the oracle of
Trophonius in Lebadeia. THE OLYMPIANS
 Phoebe (Goddess Of Shining Intellect)
 Hestia (The goddess of the hearth and
The elder Titan-goddess of intellect and
domesticity)
prophetic goddess of the great Oracle of
With Zeus she was the leader of the gods of
Delphi. She was the grandmother of the god
Apollo. house and home, who also presided over the
feast and the altar flame. Like Artemis and music, presiding over maiden song and
Athena she was a maiden goddess. dance.
 Ares (The god of war and conflict)
 Demeter (The goddess of the earth and
He was the leader of the Theoi Polemikoi or
fertility/agriculture:)
gods of war.
from the ploughing of the earth, to the
 Aphrodite (The goddess of love, beauty
milling of grain for flour.
and procreation)
 Hera(The goddess of women and
Alongside Zeus and Hera, she was also the
marriage)
leader of the Theoi Gamelioi or gods of
The Queen of the gods, and wife of Zeus.
marriage.
Hera was the goddess of women, and the
 Hephaestus (The craftsman's god
leader of the Theoi Gamelioi or gods of
presiding over metalworking, building,
marriage. She was also a goddess of the sky
sculpture, and artistry.)
and stars.
 Dionysus (The god of wine, viticulture,
 Hades (The king of the underworld and
and wild vegetation)
god of the dead)
 Hermes (Messenger God)
He was one of the four brother Titans who
The herald of Zeus, and thegod of herds and
held Uranus fast while Cronus castrated him
flocks, the country arts, travel, trade,
with the sickle.
merchants, and thievery
 Poseidon (The King/god of the sea)
He was also the lord of rivers, lakes and *+i
other sources of fresh-water, and the god of
horses and chariots. Unlike the other
TITANOMACHY
Olympian gods he had his residence in the The great war that occurred between the
sea rather than heaven, although he still Titans, the old generation of Greek gods, and
attended all the councils and feasts of the the Olympian gods, led by Zeus.
heavenly gods
 Zeus (The great King of the Gods/ ruler The war lasted for a total of ten years,
of Olympus and the Heaven) ending in the defeat of the old pantheon,
He was the god of the sky, weather, kings, which was based on Mount Othrys, and the
fate, law and order. establishment of the new one, based on
 Athena (The goddess of war, Mount Olympus.
fortifications and the defence of towns, SYNOPSIS
and of good counsel and heroic
Uranus the Ruler of the Universe
endeavour.)
She was also a patron goddess of craftsmen, When the Titans were in power, Uranus was
presiding over the arts of weaving, pottery, the ruler of the universe. However, he caused
carpentry and the manufacture of oil. the wrath of his wife, Gaea, after
 Apollo (The god of music, poetry, incarcerating some of her children, the
prophecy and healing) Cyclopes and the Hecatonchires, in the
The leader of both the Theoi Mousikoi (gods depths of the earth, Tartarus. Gaea decided
of music) and Theoi Mantikoi (gods of to take revenge, and created a giant sickle;
prophecy). she then told her children to castrate their
 Artemis (The god ess of hunting, wild father in order to overthrow him. Only
animals, childbirth and children) Cronus agreed, and after he formed a plot
She was also a death-dealing goddess who with his mother, he managed to overpower
brought sudden death to women with her his father and castrate him. From Uranus'
arrows. Alongside her brother Apollo she was blood that fell on the earth, three sets of
a leader of the Theoi Mousikoi or gods of children were born; the Gigantes, the
Erinyes, and the Meliae; while from the Hades, divided the universe by drawing
blood/severed genitals that fell into the sea, straws; Zeus won and became the king of
the goddess Aphrodite was born the sky, as well as the ruler of mortals
and gods; Poseidon became the ruler of
Cronus takes the Throne
the seas; while Hades, who drew the
Cronus took the throne from his father, but shortest straw, became the ruler of the
not before Uranus made a prophecy that his Underworld. This was the dawn of a new
son would also be overthrown by his own era in Greek mythology.
sons. Afraid that he would lose the reign,
Cronus turned into the same tyrant god that
his father was; he put his brothers back into THE PRIMORDIAL GODS
Tartarus, and ate his own children, to
OVERVIEW
prevent the prophecy from becoming true.
However, his wife Rhea tricked him and The primordial gods were the first beings
saved her youngest child, Zeus, from his to emerge after the creation of the cosmos.
father's paranoia. She hid Zeus in a cave in Unlike the Titans and Olympians, the
Crete, where he was raised by a goat, primordial gods were not generally
Amalthea. anthropomorphic—that is, they did not
have the physical appearance and qualities of
Gods' Rebellion
human beings. Many of them were
When Zeus grew up, he became his father's personifications of elements or natural
cupbearer, without revealing his true identity. forces—most notably, Gaia (earth) and her
Helped by Metis, the Titan goddess who consort Uranus (sky).
later became Zeus' first wife, he gave
Together, Gaia and Uranus gave
Cronus a mixture of wine and mustard,
birth to many key deities and creatures of
causing him to vomit one by one the children
Greek mythology. For example, they were the
he had swallowed. When all of his brothers
parents of the Titans, who overthrew
and sisters were freed, Zeus gathered them
Uranus and became the rulers of the cosmos
and convinced them to start a rebellion
(until they, in turn, were usurped by the
against their father.
Olympians).
Gods vs Titans
The primordial gods, having ceded
Thus started the Titanomachy. Zeus their power to their descendants, were not
released the Hecatonchires and the widely worshiped in ancient Greece. However,
Cyclopes from Tartarus and asked their Gaia was seen as the mother of creation.
help against their brother. They all agreed; The most significant of the primordial
the Hecatonchires started hurling rocks beings, she was worshiped as one of the
against the Titans, while the Cyclopes “chthonic” gods, a special class of deities
created the famous thunderbolts for their associated with the earth, death, and the
leader, Zeus. Themis and Prometheus Underworld. The chthonic gods were
were the only Titans that fought on the side honored through special rituals, such as
of Zeus. nocturnal sacrifice or holocaust
sacrifice (that is, a sacrifice in which the
Olympians win
victim is completely burned rather than
When the War ended with the Olympians on cooked and eaten).
the winning side, all Titans except Themis
and Prometheus were jailed in Tartarus
and were guarded by the Hecatonchires.  Chaos (The “abyss”—the original Greek
Zeus, along with his brothers Poseidon and entity of creation)
 Gai(e)a (First deity in all of Greek - A didactic or instructional poem describing
mythology; associated with agriculture the origins of the cosmos and the
and fertility) complicated and interconnected genealogies
 Tartarus (One of the first beings in of the gods of the ancient Greeks, as well as
existence, embodying the dark some of the stories around them.
Underworld) SYNOPSIS
 Eros (“Passion” or “love” personified and
one of the first beings of Greek In the very beginning
mythology) Chaos, the nothingness out of which the first
 Erebus (Greek personification of objects of existence appeared, arose
darkness and consort of Nyx) spontaneously. The parthenogenic children of
 Nyx (Embodiment of night and consort of Chaos were Gaia (the Earth), Eros (Desire
Erebus) or sexual love), Tartarus (the Underworld),
 Uranus (Ouranus) (Father of the Titans Erebus (Darkness) and Nyx (Night).
and primordial Greek deity who embodied
the sky) Erebos and Nyx reproduced to make
 Ourea (The “mountains” personified, Aither (Brightness) and Hemera (Day), and
born to Gaia at the dawn of creation) from Gaia came Ouranos (Sky), the Ourea
 Pontus (Greek primordial deity and briny (Mountains) and Pontus (Sea). Ouranos
personification of the sea) mated with Gaia to create three sets of
 Ai(e)ther (Personification of the bright offspring: the twelve Titans (Oceanos,
upper air and the consort of Hemera) Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetos, Theia, Rhea,
 Herema (Personification of day and the Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Tethys and
consort of Aither) Kronos), a race of powerful deities that ruled
during the legendary Golden Age; the three
Kyklopes or Cyclops (Brontes, Steropes
THE ROMAN COUTERPARTS OF and Arges), a race of one-eyed giants;
THE GREEK GODS and the three Hecatonchires (Kottos,
 Zeus - Jupiter Briareos and Gyges), hundred-handed giants
 Poseidon - Neptune of even greater power and ferocity than the
 Hades - Pluto Titans.
 Hestia - Vesta Ouranos was so disgusted with the
 Demeter - Ceres Hecatonchires that he pushed them
 Hera - Juno back into Gaia’s womb
 K/Cronos - Saturn
 Aphrodite - Venus Gaia begged the Titans to punish their
 Athena - Minerva father. Only Kronos, the youngest and most
 Ares - Mars ambitious Titan, was willing to do so, and he
 Hephaistos - Vulcan castrated his father with Gaia’s sickle.
 Hermes - Mercury Ouranos’ blood splattered onto the earth,
 Apollo - Apollo producing the Erinyes (the vengeful Furies),
 Artemis - Diana the Gigantes (Giants) and the Meliai (a
race of tree nymphs). Kronos threw
HOW THE WORLD & MANKIND WERE
Ouranos’ severed testicles into the sea, and
CREATED
Aphrodite (the goddess of Love) formed out
THE THEOGONY of the sea-foam which resulted.

By: Hesiod Nyx produced many children

After Ouranos’s castration, Gaia married defeated by Zeus, however, who trapped him
Pontus and they went on to produce a underneath Mount Etna.
line of sea deities, nymphs and
Zeus as king of the Olympian gods
monsters
He first married the Oceanid Metis, but to
Kronos, who had established himself as
avoid a prophecy that any offspring of his
leader of the Titans, married his sister
union with Metis would be greater than he,
Rhea
Zeus swallowed Metis herself to prevent her
Mindful of the prophecy that one of his from giving birth. However, Metis was
children would overthrow him, he made sure already was pregnant with Athena at that
to swallow each of the children she birthed: time and she nurtured her inside Zeus, until
Hestia (goddess of the hearth and Athena burst forth from Zeus’ forehead,
domesticity), Demeter (goddess of the earth fully armed.
and fertility), Hera (goddess of women and
Zeus’Wives
marriage), Hades (god of the Underworld),
Poseidon (god of the sea) and Zeus (god of Zeus’ second wife was the Titan Themis,
the sky and thunder, and later to become the who bore the three Horae (the Hours,
king of the gods) in that order. However, with goddesses controlling orderly life), Eunomia
the help of Gaia and Ouranos, Rhea (Order), Dike (Justice), Eirene (Peace),
managed to trick Kronos into saving Zeus Tyche (Prosperity) and the three Moirae
from this fate, and then to further trick him (the Fates, white-robed personifications of
into vomiting up his other five children. destiny, namely Klotho the Spinner,
Lachesis the Alotter and Atropos the
Titanomachy, the great war
Unturned, an alternative version of their
Joining with Zeus, the other offspring of parentage to their creation by Nyx).
Rhea and Kronos (collectively known as the
Zeus’ third wife was the Oceanid
Olympian gods, for their chosen home on
Eurynome, who bore the three Charites or
Mount Olympus), along with the
Graces, goddesses of charm, beauty, nature,
Kyklopes, Prometheus and Epimetheus,
human creativity and fertility, namely Aglaea
then waged a great ten-year war on the
(Beauty), Euphrosyne (Mirth) and Thalia
Titans and the Giants for control of the
(Good Cheer).
cosmos. Eventually Zeus released the
Hecatonchires from their imprisonment in Zeus’ fourth wife was his own sister
Tartarus to shake the earth, allowing him to Demeter, who bore Persephone, who was
gain the upper hand in the struggle and, later to marry Hades and bear Melinoe
casting the fury of his thunderbolts at the (goddess of ghosts), Zagreus (god of the
Titans, throw them down into Tartarus. Orphic mysteries) and Macaria (goddess of
the blessed afterlife).
In her anger at the defeat of the Titans,
Gaia had a final son, fathered by Tartarus, Zeus’ fifth wife was the Titan
known as Typhoeus or Typhon. Typhoeus Mnemosyne, from whom came the nine
was one of the most grotesque and deadly Muses, Clio (History), Euterpe (Music), Thalia
monsters of all time, reaching as high as the (Comedy), Melpomene (Tragedy), Terpsichore
stars, his hands reaching east and west with (Dance), Erato (Lyric Poetry), Polyhymnia
a hundred dragon heads on each, his bottom (Choral Poetry), Urania (Astronomy) and
half composed of gigantic hissing viper coils, Calliope (Heroic Poetry).
and his whole body covered in wings and
Zeus’ sixth wife was the second
with fire flashing from his eyes. He too was
generation Titan Leto, who gave birth to
Apollo (the god of music, poetry and
oracles, who was born on the floating island In formal terms,
of Delos after Hera had banned Leto from
• The poem is presented as a hymn in
giving birth on earth) and his twin sister
1,022 lines invoking Zeus and the
Artemis (goddess of the hunt, childbirth and
Muses
fertility).
• The final written form of the Theogony
Zeus’ seventh and final wife was his sister
was probably not established until the
Hera, who gave birth to Hebe (cupbearer of
6th Century BCE
the gods), Ares (god of war), Enyo (goddess
of war), Hephaistos (the lame blacksmith
and craftsman of the gods) and Eileithyia
(goddess of childbirth and midwifery).
Poseidon
He married the Nereid Amphitrite and
produced Triton, the messenger of the deep.
The hero Theseus, who was the son of
Aethra, was considered to have been jointly
fathered by both Poseidon and by
Aethra’s husband Aegeus, as Aethra had
lain with both on the night of his conception.
Aphrodite
She was given in marriage by Zeus to his own
son, the lame and ugly Hephaistos, in an
attempt to prevent any jealousy and rivalry
which might arise over her great beauty. But
she nevertheless had an affair with Ares and
gave birth to Eros (Love), Phobos (Fear),
Deimos (Cowardice) and Harmonia
(Harmony). Harmonia would later marry
Cadmus, the founder of Thebes, to sire
Ino, Semele (the mother of Dionysus by
Zeus), Agaue, Polydorus and Autonoe.
Analysis
it represents the Greek mythology equivalent
of the book of Genesis in the Hebrew and
Christian “Bible”, as it lists the early
generations and genealogy of the gods, titans
and heroes since the beginning of the
universe.
Hesiod claims in the work that he (a poet,
and not some mighty king) had been given
the authority and responsibility of
disseminating these stories by the Muses
directly, thus putting himself almost in the
position of a prophet.
PROMETHEUS AND PANDORA Prometheus warned his brother,
Epimetheus, to not receive any gift from the
Prometheus, the Titan whose name gods. Meanwhile, Zeus ordered
means “one who can see the future”, had Hephaestus the smith god to make the
helped the gods come to power and had chains and to ensure Prometheus was tightly
given them their jobs. He asked Zeus for secured to the rock.
permission to create a new race in the image
of the gods and Zeus said yes, he could. But Every day an eagle descended
the one condition was that they could not upon him and ate his liver, and because
have the gods’ special gift of fire. Prometheus was immortal it grew back
Prometheus went ahead to Panopeus again. So, the next day the eagle could come
where he got some clay and shaped it into and eat it again and again. This torture
the first men, breathing life into them. He carried on for many years. Finally, the hero
taught humans all they needed to know Heracles released him from his torment.
about hunting, farming, writing, fishing,
Zeus still had to punish the human
every art and science, he explained to them. race, though. He decided to give a “gift” to
One day an ox was slaughtered Prometheus’s brother, Epimetheus. This
to celebrate an agreement establishing the was Pandora with a box, the first woman
relationship between the gods and man. who is endowed with curiousness from Hera,
Prometheus tricked Zeus. He slaughtered crafted by Hephaestus. Needless to say,
the ox and cut the skin in two. In one of the Epimetheus was delighted with his gift. All
pieces, he wrapped up all the lean meat and was well until Pandora’s curiosity taunted
in the other the fat and the bones and put her to open the box.
the two before Zeus for him to choose
between them. Zeus chose the half with the
bones in it, and then Prometheus gave the One day,she could not resist the
lean meat to mankind. So, in this way it temptation to open the box, just to take a
became practice for men to burn the fat and little look. She opened the box, and before
bones of sacrifices as an offering to the gods she could slam the lid closed, out flew all the
and to eat the meat themselves. bad things in the world – famine, war,
disease, anxiety, jealousy, cruelty…etc.
Prometheus discovered that She slammed down the lid as fast as she
humans were going to have a very hard time could, but too late. Sick with anxiety, she
if they could not cook or keep themselves heard a little whimpering sound inside and
warm or make anything out of metal. By now, gradually opened the lid again, inside was a
he had a real soft spot for humans, so he tiny little creature who flew up into the air….
decided to disobey Zeus. He sneaked up to hope.
the top of Mount Olympus while Zeus was
away in Ethiopia and stole a spark of fire
from the chariot of the sun-god. He hid it in a
fennel bulb and gave it to the humans.
When Zeus got back from Ethiopia, as it
got dark, he looked out across Greece and
saw little points of ligth. He was furious. He
realised that Prometheus had disobeyed him.
Alas he paid dearly for his goodness
towards mankind and his lack of respect for
Zeus. He was condemned to be tied to the DEUCALION AND PYRRA
Caucasus Mountains. Before he left,
 While the Titan Prometheus was drained away and finally the day came when
bound and chained atop Mount Caucasus it rested on dry land, atop Mount
for stealing fire from Zeus, the world below Parnassos, close to the area of Delphi.
and its peoples were in bad moral situation. Dismay struck the hearts of Deucalion and
Greed, anger, jealousy and hate would exist Pyrrha as their eyes fell upon the
among people ever since Pandora had destruction and devastation caused by the
opened that forbidden box, from where all flood.
evils went out. The Gods were angry at the
Such was their grief that tears were
humans because, apart from their
rolling from their eyes with no stop. Then
unacceptable behavior, they would also
they visited the temple of Themys, the
forget to pray to their names and honor them
titan goddess of justice, and prayed for
with sacrifices. That is why Zeus decided to
answers from the gods about how they could
destroy all humankind.
populate the earth. The statue of Themys
Only two people would seem right: answered cryptically "to throw the bones of
Deucalion, who was the son of Prometheus, their mother over their shoulders".
known for his rightful character and good
At first the two were puzzled at this
advice, and his wife, Pyrrha, a very fair lady.
cryptic message but Deucalion found the
The Gods had perceived them to be the most
solution: the "mother" was the Earth and the
righteous amongst the men and women on
"bones" were the stones. Deucalion and
Earth and had chosen them to be the only
Pyrrha gathered all the stones together and
survivors of that catastrophe that was about
while they were walking, they threw the
to befall on every man and animal.
stones behind them without looking.
One day, while visiting his father
As from a miracle, the stones hit the
Prometheus, Deucalion was told by his
earth and were turned into humans: those
father that a great flood was about to
thrown by Deucalion became handsome men
devastate and wash away everything on
and those thrown by Pyrrha became fair
earth for people had forgotten the purpose of
women. It was thus that the two survivors of
their creation. Alarmed at this dire warning,
the great flood re-populated the earth and
Deucalion hastened back to Pyrrha and
once again they emerged a human race.
telling her of the impending doom, they
Deucalion reigned over them as a wise
constructed a boat together and were making
king and Pyrrha was their queen.
themselves ready for the disaster.
A strange uncomfortable silence
descended upon the surroundings. There was
not a breath of wind to be felt. Without
warning, the storm unleashed its fury upon
the poor people lashing them severely.
Deucalion and Pyrrha got quickly into the
boat and soon the flood carried them away.
The rain was raging for days and nights and
all fell to the wrath of the Gods, only
Deucalion and Pyrrha aboard the boat
were kept safe.
The fury of the storm stopped only
when all around was only water, not a tree or
mountain could be seen. The boat was
drifting for days while the water slowly