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The Theogony
Hesiod's straightforward account of family conflict among the gods is the best and earliest evidence of what the ancient Greeks believed about the beginning of the world.
26 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 701
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About the author
Hesiod
282 books421 followersHesiod (Greek: Ησίοδος) was an ancient Greek poet generally thought to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer.
Several of Hesiod's works have survived in their entirety. Among these are Theogony, which tells the origins of the gods, their lineages, and the events that led to Zeus's rise to power, and Works and Days, a poem that describes the five Ages of Man, offers advice and wisdom, and includes myths such as Pandora's box.
Hesiod is generally regarded by Western authors as 'the first written poet in the Western tradition to regard himself as an individual persona with an active role to play in his subject.' Ancient authors credited Hesiod and Homer with establishing Greek religious customs. Modern scholars refer to him as a major source on Greek mythology, farming techniques, early economic thought, Archaic Greek astronomy, cosmology, and ancient time-keeping.
Several of Hesiod's works have survived in their entirety. Among these are Theogony, which tells the origins of the gods, their lineages, and the events that led to Zeus's rise to power, and Works and Days, a poem that describes the five Ages of Man, offers advice and wisdom, and includes myths such as Pandora's box.
Hesiod is generally regarded by Western authors as 'the first written poet in the Western tradition to regard himself as an individual persona with an active role to play in his subject.' Ancient authors credited Hesiod and Homer with establishing Greek religious customs. Modern scholars refer to him as a major source on Greek mythology, farming techniques, early economic thought, Archaic Greek astronomy, cosmology, and ancient time-keeping.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 522 reviews
October 1, 2014
One cannot compare Hesiod’s ‘Theogony’ with Homer’s ‘Illiad’ or Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’ for that matter. Hesiod’s poem does not have the wit and irony of Ovid’s work nor the intriguing plot of an ‘Illiad’ or an ‘Odysseus’. It describes how the Greek universe with its gods came into existence and how Zeus gained sovereignty over the world as “father of gods and men”. I would not choose this as a bedside reading, unless you have difficulties with falling asleep: This is sometimes more a list than a poem, telling who copulates with whom and who is the offspring from these encounters. It has the same effect like counting sheep – you doze off. Once Zeus has secured his reign and the Titans are locked up in Tartaros, that is exactly what he does most of the time: he procreates happily with goddesses and humans.
This leads to the legitimate question, why read it in the first place? There are a lot of good reasons: ‘Theogony’ is most probably (according to Richard S. Caldwell) the oldest work of Greek literature we have known so far. It was composed during the 8th century B.C. It is to some extent the Greek history of creation. In my opinion ‘Theogony’ is therefore the right book to start with if you like to build up your knowledge of Classical Mythology. I read 100 lines daily (the poem has 1020 lines) together with my morning coffee and this was the perfect time.
I highly appreciated the edition of Focus Classical Library, translated and commented by Richard S. Caldwell. This edition offers accessible tables, illustrating the different family trees, a very helpful introduction and commentaries. It has also a psychological interpretation of myth which one might find helpful. I would have preferred the incorporation of Hesiod’s second work “Works and Days” instead, of which this edition offers only a short appendix.
This leads to the legitimate question, why read it in the first place? There are a lot of good reasons: ‘Theogony’ is most probably (according to Richard S. Caldwell) the oldest work of Greek literature we have known so far. It was composed during the 8th century B.C. It is to some extent the Greek history of creation. In my opinion ‘Theogony’ is therefore the right book to start with if you like to build up your knowledge of Classical Mythology. I read 100 lines daily (the poem has 1020 lines) together with my morning coffee and this was the perfect time.
I highly appreciated the edition of Focus Classical Library, translated and commented by Richard S. Caldwell. This edition offers accessible tables, illustrating the different family trees, a very helpful introduction and commentaries. It has also a psychological interpretation of myth which one might find helpful. I would have preferred the incorporation of Hesiod’s second work “Works and Days” instead, of which this edition offers only a short appendix.
August 23, 2025
Theogony surges like a cosmic genealogy written in thunder, with Hesiod recalling how the Muses gifted him “a staff of laurel, a shoot of marvellous beauty” and poured into him “a divine voice” so he could recount “what shall be and what has been before.” The tale strides through eruptions of creation: Chaos gives rise to Earth, who in turn produces Sky, Mountains, and Sea.
Sky’s tyranny provokes Cronos, who slices his father with a sickle, a moment that births Aphrodite from foam. Night alone engenders Doom, Fate, and Death, then mingles with Erebus to produce Day and Aether.
Zeus swallows Metis whole, then Athena springs from his head. The Hundred-Handed Giants bind the Titans under Tartarus.
Prometheus tricks Zeus with sacrificial bones, then steals fire, bringing chains and the eagle’s talons. Pandora enters the stage “a beautiful evil,” wrought by Hephaestus from clay and crowned with the gifts of the gods.
Typhoeus bellows with a hundred animal sounds until Zeus scorches him and thrusts him beneath Mount Etna. The work entwines creation with torment, offspring with rivalry, and glory with mutilation, never losing its sense of divine theater.
Uranus rules and is overthrown by Cronos. Cronos devours his children until Rhea hides Zeus, who grows in secret, compels Cronos to disgorge his offspring, then leads them into battle.
The Olympians prevail through thunder and alliance, establishing their reign. From that moment, the text moves outward, recounting births, marriages, and lineages, so that the entire cosmos finds its place in a family tree.
The tale carries constant tension between rule and rebellion, between trickery and judgment, between the elemental and the divine, always pushing forward toward the architecture of Olympus.
Hesiod’s song will sweep you by its grandeur and amuse you by its audacity, for where else does castration yield a goddess of beauty, or a severed head give birth to a winged horse. In catalogic yet charged style, each genealogy expands like a chain of fireworks.
The allegory here rests in the nature of power, for succession always arrives with treachery, mutilation, and law, a vision of order born from terror and deceit, where justice emerges as a balance struck through violence.
Hesiod, a Boeotian farmer turned poet, proves that myth can be both a cosmogony and a manual of political succession. The book gave Greece its genealogy of gods, a structure that shaped Western imagination.
Despite being too brief and basically the equivalent of mythological name-dropping, I place it among the defining texts of literature, for every age repeats the cycle of succession, rebellion, and law, and the echo of Typhoeus still growls beneath our own volcanoes.
"...And when Perseus cut off her head, there sprang forth great Chrysaor and the horse Pegasus who is so called because he was born near the springs (pegae) of Ocean; and that other, because he held a golden blade (aor) in his hands. Now Pegasus flew away and left the earth, the mother of flocks, and came to the deathless gods: and he dwells in the house of Zeus and brings to wise Zeus the thunder and lightning. But Chrysaor was joined in love to Callirrhoe, the daughter of glorious Ocean, and begot three-headed Geryones. Him mighty Heracles slew in sea-girt Erythea by his shambling oxen on that day when he drove the wide-browed oxen to holy Tiryns, and had crossed the ford of Ocean and killed Orthus and Eurytion the herdsman in the dim stead out beyond glorious Ocean. And in a hollow cave she bare another monster, irresistible, in no wise like either to mortal men or to the undying gods, even the goddess fierce Echidna who is half a nymph with glancing eyes and fair cheeks, and half again a huge snake, great and awful, with speckled skin, eating raw flesh beneath the secret parts of the holy earth. And there she has a cave deep down under a hollow rock far from the deathless gods and mortal men. There, then, did the gods appoint her a glorious house to dwell in: and she keeps guard in Arima beneath the earth, grim Echidna, a nymph who dies not nor grows old all her days. Men say that Typhaon the terrible, outrageous and lawless, was joined in love to her, the maid with glancing eyes. So she conceived and brought forth fierce offspring; first she bare Orthus the hound of Geryones, and then again she bare a second, a monster not to be overcome and that may not be described, Cerberus who eats raw flesh, the brazen-voiced hound of Hades, fifty-headed, relentless and strong. And again she bore a third, the evil-minded Hydra of Lerna, whom the goddess, white-armed Hera nourished, being angry beyond measure with the mighty Heracles..."
Sky’s tyranny provokes Cronos, who slices his father with a sickle, a moment that births Aphrodite from foam. Night alone engenders Doom, Fate, and Death, then mingles with Erebus to produce Day and Aether.
Zeus swallows Metis whole, then Athena springs from his head. The Hundred-Handed Giants bind the Titans under Tartarus.
Prometheus tricks Zeus with sacrificial bones, then steals fire, bringing chains and the eagle’s talons. Pandora enters the stage “a beautiful evil,” wrought by Hephaestus from clay and crowned with the gifts of the gods.
Typhoeus bellows with a hundred animal sounds until Zeus scorches him and thrusts him beneath Mount Etna. The work entwines creation with torment, offspring with rivalry, and glory with mutilation, never losing its sense of divine theater.
Uranus rules and is overthrown by Cronos. Cronos devours his children until Rhea hides Zeus, who grows in secret, compels Cronos to disgorge his offspring, then leads them into battle.
The Olympians prevail through thunder and alliance, establishing their reign. From that moment, the text moves outward, recounting births, marriages, and lineages, so that the entire cosmos finds its place in a family tree.
The tale carries constant tension between rule and rebellion, between trickery and judgment, between the elemental and the divine, always pushing forward toward the architecture of Olympus.
Hesiod’s song will sweep you by its grandeur and amuse you by its audacity, for where else does castration yield a goddess of beauty, or a severed head give birth to a winged horse. In catalogic yet charged style, each genealogy expands like a chain of fireworks.
The allegory here rests in the nature of power, for succession always arrives with treachery, mutilation, and law, a vision of order born from terror and deceit, where justice emerges as a balance struck through violence.
Hesiod, a Boeotian farmer turned poet, proves that myth can be both a cosmogony and a manual of political succession. The book gave Greece its genealogy of gods, a structure that shaped Western imagination.
Despite being too brief and basically the equivalent of mythological name-dropping, I place it among the defining texts of literature, for every age repeats the cycle of succession, rebellion, and law, and the echo of Typhoeus still growls beneath our own volcanoes.
"...And when Perseus cut off her head, there sprang forth great Chrysaor and the horse Pegasus who is so called because he was born near the springs (pegae) of Ocean; and that other, because he held a golden blade (aor) in his hands. Now Pegasus flew away and left the earth, the mother of flocks, and came to the deathless gods: and he dwells in the house of Zeus and brings to wise Zeus the thunder and lightning. But Chrysaor was joined in love to Callirrhoe, the daughter of glorious Ocean, and begot three-headed Geryones. Him mighty Heracles slew in sea-girt Erythea by his shambling oxen on that day when he drove the wide-browed oxen to holy Tiryns, and had crossed the ford of Ocean and killed Orthus and Eurytion the herdsman in the dim stead out beyond glorious Ocean. And in a hollow cave she bare another monster, irresistible, in no wise like either to mortal men or to the undying gods, even the goddess fierce Echidna who is half a nymph with glancing eyes and fair cheeks, and half again a huge snake, great and awful, with speckled skin, eating raw flesh beneath the secret parts of the holy earth. And there she has a cave deep down under a hollow rock far from the deathless gods and mortal men. There, then, did the gods appoint her a glorious house to dwell in: and she keeps guard in Arima beneath the earth, grim Echidna, a nymph who dies not nor grows old all her days. Men say that Typhaon the terrible, outrageous and lawless, was joined in love to her, the maid with glancing eyes. So she conceived and brought forth fierce offspring; first she bare Orthus the hound of Geryones, and then again she bare a second, a monster not to be overcome and that may not be described, Cerberus who eats raw flesh, the brazen-voiced hound of Hades, fifty-headed, relentless and strong. And again she bore a third, the evil-minded Hydra of Lerna, whom the goddess, white-armed Hera nourished, being angry beyond measure with the mighty Heracles..."
November 13, 2021
When we were introduced to classical Greek mythology in grade seven English, our teacher used Hesiod's Theogony as part of the required, assigned reading materials (maybe a bit convoluted and even advanced for young teenagers, but I personally much enjoyed this, as it gave an interesting, poetical and above all historically and culturally authentic introduction to the genealogies of the Greek gods, and it was also I admit rather fascinating reading about the many and various sexual exploits of especially Zeus). Now while I do not remember precisely which translation our teacher used in 1980, I do seem to recall that in that translation, ALL of the names of the featured god like entities, both the specific and more universally known Greek deities and those which more or less represented the earth, the sky, human emotions, human character traits had kept their original Greek names, with the English translation in parentheses, such as Gaia (earth), Ouranos (sky), Eris (strife) and so on.
Therefore, I am both frustrated with and really and truly rather massively annoyed that in this here translation of Theogony by Norman O. Brown, this has mostly NOT been the case, that while deities like Zeus, Hera and Poseidon etc. are indeed presented with and by their Greek names, Gaia, Ouranos, Eris and actually most of the deities that more or less depict and are representative of physical geography or human emotions and behaviours are generally or at least more often than not rendered into English translations, which I personally think leaves very much to be desired (and is frankly and in my opinion also somewhat of an insult both to Hesiod and ancient Greece, as Gaia, Ouranos, Eris and such were considered as much specific and flesh and blood deities as Zeus, Hera, Poseidon and the like, and should therefore in ANY translation of Theogony also be named, be featured with their original Greek appellations, with the English counterparts presented either within the text proper or as a footnote).
Now aside from the above (and to and for me) really massive shortcoming, Norman O. Brown's translation does read fluidly and engagingly, retaining my interest throughout and even when the text is just listing names (although due to the fact that I do not know how to read classical Greek, I obviously will not and cannot make any further comments on how close the latter's translation of Hesiod's masterpiece is or might be to the original). And I do much appreciate the detailed and informative introduction, although to avoid possible spoilers, I would strongly recommend that potential readers consider perusing it only AFTER having read Brown's translated text, AFTER having read his rendition of Theogony. Two stars (and simply because the fact that too many of the Greek deities have had their names rendered into English, have basically thus been anglicized is too personally annoying and frustrating for me to in any way consider a three star rating), and I do wish I could locate either the version of Theogony our grade seven English teacher used with us or another translation that retains ALL of the deities in their original, in their Greek spelling (and suggestions, recommendations would, and indeed, be very much appreciated and welcomed). And I am also wondering whether I should perhaps consider reading Theogony in German translation (for perhaps in the German translations of Hesiod, the names of the deities will have been retained in Greek or rather in Greek spelled with Latin letters).
And I have now indeed perused a Kindle freebie of Hesiod's Theogony in German translation, and yes, fortunately, in this edition (although it is annoyingly anonymous and does not contain the interesting introduction that Norman O. Brown's rendition has included), the names of the Greek deities are generally ALL left in Greek, spelled in Latin letters, of course, but not changed into German names/nouns, much preferable for me and to me than Norman O. Brown's translation, where basically, and as already mentioned, the majority of the deities that represent human characteristics or geographic, geologic phenomena, have been anglicised, and thus, do not appear in Greek).
Therefore, I am both frustrated with and really and truly rather massively annoyed that in this here translation of Theogony by Norman O. Brown, this has mostly NOT been the case, that while deities like Zeus, Hera and Poseidon etc. are indeed presented with and by their Greek names, Gaia, Ouranos, Eris and actually most of the deities that more or less depict and are representative of physical geography or human emotions and behaviours are generally or at least more often than not rendered into English translations, which I personally think leaves very much to be desired (and is frankly and in my opinion also somewhat of an insult both to Hesiod and ancient Greece, as Gaia, Ouranos, Eris and such were considered as much specific and flesh and blood deities as Zeus, Hera, Poseidon and the like, and should therefore in ANY translation of Theogony also be named, be featured with their original Greek appellations, with the English counterparts presented either within the text proper or as a footnote).
Now aside from the above (and to and for me) really massive shortcoming, Norman O. Brown's translation does read fluidly and engagingly, retaining my interest throughout and even when the text is just listing names (although due to the fact that I do not know how to read classical Greek, I obviously will not and cannot make any further comments on how close the latter's translation of Hesiod's masterpiece is or might be to the original). And I do much appreciate the detailed and informative introduction, although to avoid possible spoilers, I would strongly recommend that potential readers consider perusing it only AFTER having read Brown's translated text, AFTER having read his rendition of Theogony. Two stars (and simply because the fact that too many of the Greek deities have had their names rendered into English, have basically thus been anglicized is too personally annoying and frustrating for me to in any way consider a three star rating), and I do wish I could locate either the version of Theogony our grade seven English teacher used with us or another translation that retains ALL of the deities in their original, in their Greek spelling (and suggestions, recommendations would, and indeed, be very much appreciated and welcomed). And I am also wondering whether I should perhaps consider reading Theogony in German translation (for perhaps in the German translations of Hesiod, the names of the deities will have been retained in Greek or rather in Greek spelled with Latin letters).
And I have now indeed perused a Kindle freebie of Hesiod's Theogony in German translation, and yes, fortunately, in this edition (although it is annoyingly anonymous and does not contain the interesting introduction that Norman O. Brown's rendition has included), the names of the Greek deities are generally ALL left in Greek, spelled in Latin letters, of course, but not changed into German names/nouns, much preferable for me and to me than Norman O. Brown's translation, where basically, and as already mentioned, the majority of the deities that represent human characteristics or geographic, geologic phenomena, have been anglicised, and thus, do not appear in Greek).
December 4, 2025
I actually read the Jolly Joy Classics translation of Hesiod's Theogony by Hugh G. Evelyn-White, which is excellent and which can be read in a day and over and over. I advise that you read the hyperlinked notes, which work a treat.
February 7, 2017
El inicio de todo. Hermoso.
January 20, 2017
Hesiod's epic catalogue of Greek mythological figures. This is not an emotionally involving narrative like the Homeric epics, rather a long genealogy that goes off on tangents of some of the very early myths, most of which concern the Titanomachy and Gigantomachy. Hesiod's language is so arcane it can be hard to tell what he's saying. Not a particularly fun read, but definitely recommended if you want a comprehensive list of Grecian deities and a synopsis of their origins.
December 4, 2016
The Greek Genesis
26 October 2012
There seems to be a debate as to the usefulness of this little text and I would pretty much fall into the category of not much. The reason that I say that is because if this book was lost then we would lose very little of our understanding of Greek Mythology. Everything that is contained in this little book is also contained in more expanded works such as the Library of Greek Mythology and Ovid. While it is a primary source, it is still something that we could probably do without. Fortunately its small size means that it does not take up much space on my bookshelf, however I would probably not find myself ever actually needing to reference it. Okay, we could probably use it to talk about the accuracy of later works, but then again, this is Greek mythology, there is no consistency in it. In fact, there isn't even any consistency with the twelve tasks of Heracles.
Now, you would probably say that since this book is one of the earliest Greek texts then it gives us an idea of the development of Greek mythology, and yes, that is probably true to an extent, and from an anthropological view that is probably important, but I am not interested in that. On the other hand a lot of authors seem to look back at Hesiod with some sought of awe, and granted, it helps us understand the background from which they were writing, but remember most of Greek mythology back at this time was passed down by word of mouth and Hesiod is only one view of it.
I have written before, and will continue to write, about how my position with regards to the Greek gods is that they were humans that were deified, and Hesiod once again goes on to prove that point. This is a genealogical text much in the same way that sections of the Bible are genealogical texts, however by the time that Hesiod came around the Greek Gods had already been deified. There are some major differences between the two forms of genealogy though. As mentioned, the non-biblical genealogies tend to deal only with the gods, unless you are looking at a familial genealogy, where as the Biblical genealogies all deal with humans, and the Bible is very specific that the people mention in the genealogies are human. Secondly the biblical genealogies actually serve a purpose where as the non-biblical genealogies are simply a list of names.
The purpose of the biblical genealogy is to trace the line of people who in the end become the ancestors of Christ. These genealogies tend to reach their fulfillment in the Gospels, with both Matthew and Luke (and also, as some have argued, with John as well) containing genealogies. We do note that there are differences in the genealogies, and some have criticised the Bible for that, but I will simply say that the differences simply come out of methodology as opposed to inherent errors. My understanding is that in both maths and science one can reach the same proof even though two different methodologies were used.
Basically, whenever we see a genealogy in the Old Testament we are always looking at how it is directing us towards the saviour that was promised in Genesis 3. For those who are familiar with these genealogies you will note that they tend to only go down in one line, meaning that while a list of children may be given, the genealogy will end up focusing only one a handful of these children to narrow it down to a specific point. The exception is the table of nations in Genesis 10, the purpose of which is to outline the beginning of the nations as the readers would have known them to be at the time (namely during the Exodus). We do see a similarity between the table of nations and some Greek genealogies as it appears that a nation back then was defined by the father of the nation as opposed to a specific culture, language group, or location (and Apollodorus does give us that idea in the library of Greek Mythology).
There is a mention of the war of the Gods in Hesiod, and once again I have speculated on the origins of these wars. They can be twofold. The first is the idea that these wars developed out of different tribal groups moving into an already inhabited area bring their own culture and gods with them, winning a victory over the inhabitants, and installing their own culture (as defined by their gods). For instance, in early times we have a people group who worshipped Chronos as their chief God, but then they are invaded by a people who worshipped Zeus as their chief God and as the new group overran and conquered the old group, then Chronos was sidelined in favour of Zeus.
The second idea is the idea that I have proposed that these gods are little more than deified humans whose existence has been lost in the midst of times, so what we are actually seeing is some form of succession crisis. This would be particularly relevant if we are looking at an Antediluvian civilisation. In the era of short life spans and high morality, such succession crises would not be evident since when the old king died then the new king would still be old enough to assume the throne, but young enough not to have a number of children that would have to wait a long time for them to ascend the throne amongst a multitude of competeing claims. It differs today in that the Queen of England, the matriarch of the royal family, is still alive and well, and her grandchildren are now ready to marry and have kids. Pope John Paul II was the oldest living Pope in the history of the papacy, and it is likely that Pope Benedict will be around for a long time yet (unless he meets either with an unfortunate accident, or is removed for some reason or another - noting that this review was written prior to him stepping down).
When you have the antediluvian civilisation, where biblically (and elsewhere) you have people living for hundreds of years, even if you did not begin having children until the age of a hundred, by the time you die (even if it is five to six hundred years old) you still have at least four living generations below you, all of them struggling to get your position, and knowing that for them to get to that position they would have to wait a very long time. This is something that we see in this text, namely a fear in Chronos that his children would rise up and overthrow him, so he acts proactively and removes them before they have a chance of removing him. Much of it is allegorical though (and for the sake of space I will not go into detail here, for instance the gods all seem to have been born as adults, and also Chronos eats his children, but upon his defeat, all of them are released) so it can be difficult to understand what actually went on, though to take it literally can in itself be dangerous (and also somewhat ridiculous).
The final point I wish to make is the interesting note that Hesiod was a shephard tending sheep on Mount Helicon when he received this vision and wrote it down. This is something that seems to happen throughout the history of humanity in that many religious icons seem to have come from humble pasts and have made a tremendous impact upon human history. Many have suggested (and it is true to an extent) that history, up until the mid 18th century, was written by the upper class. However the reason for that is because it was only the upper class that had the time to write histories, as well as being the only ones who could read and write. However, this is not always the case, particularly with these early civilisations, because much of the history was passed down by word of mouth. This is why we can have shepherds actually becoming literary heroes because they did not need to read and write, they simply needed to be able to tell a story people could remember, and also convince them that they had a vision (or actually have had a vision) to make people sit up and listen.
26 October 2012
There seems to be a debate as to the usefulness of this little text and I would pretty much fall into the category of not much. The reason that I say that is because if this book was lost then we would lose very little of our understanding of Greek Mythology. Everything that is contained in this little book is also contained in more expanded works such as the Library of Greek Mythology and Ovid. While it is a primary source, it is still something that we could probably do without. Fortunately its small size means that it does not take up much space on my bookshelf, however I would probably not find myself ever actually needing to reference it. Okay, we could probably use it to talk about the accuracy of later works, but then again, this is Greek mythology, there is no consistency in it. In fact, there isn't even any consistency with the twelve tasks of Heracles.
Now, you would probably say that since this book is one of the earliest Greek texts then it gives us an idea of the development of Greek mythology, and yes, that is probably true to an extent, and from an anthropological view that is probably important, but I am not interested in that. On the other hand a lot of authors seem to look back at Hesiod with some sought of awe, and granted, it helps us understand the background from which they were writing, but remember most of Greek mythology back at this time was passed down by word of mouth and Hesiod is only one view of it.
I have written before, and will continue to write, about how my position with regards to the Greek gods is that they were humans that were deified, and Hesiod once again goes on to prove that point. This is a genealogical text much in the same way that sections of the Bible are genealogical texts, however by the time that Hesiod came around the Greek Gods had already been deified. There are some major differences between the two forms of genealogy though. As mentioned, the non-biblical genealogies tend to deal only with the gods, unless you are looking at a familial genealogy, where as the Biblical genealogies all deal with humans, and the Bible is very specific that the people mention in the genealogies are human. Secondly the biblical genealogies actually serve a purpose where as the non-biblical genealogies are simply a list of names.
The purpose of the biblical genealogy is to trace the line of people who in the end become the ancestors of Christ. These genealogies tend to reach their fulfillment in the Gospels, with both Matthew and Luke (and also, as some have argued, with John as well) containing genealogies. We do note that there are differences in the genealogies, and some have criticised the Bible for that, but I will simply say that the differences simply come out of methodology as opposed to inherent errors. My understanding is that in both maths and science one can reach the same proof even though two different methodologies were used.
Basically, whenever we see a genealogy in the Old Testament we are always looking at how it is directing us towards the saviour that was promised in Genesis 3. For those who are familiar with these genealogies you will note that they tend to only go down in one line, meaning that while a list of children may be given, the genealogy will end up focusing only one a handful of these children to narrow it down to a specific point. The exception is the table of nations in Genesis 10, the purpose of which is to outline the beginning of the nations as the readers would have known them to be at the time (namely during the Exodus). We do see a similarity between the table of nations and some Greek genealogies as it appears that a nation back then was defined by the father of the nation as opposed to a specific culture, language group, or location (and Apollodorus does give us that idea in the library of Greek Mythology).
There is a mention of the war of the Gods in Hesiod, and once again I have speculated on the origins of these wars. They can be twofold. The first is the idea that these wars developed out of different tribal groups moving into an already inhabited area bring their own culture and gods with them, winning a victory over the inhabitants, and installing their own culture (as defined by their gods). For instance, in early times we have a people group who worshipped Chronos as their chief God, but then they are invaded by a people who worshipped Zeus as their chief God and as the new group overran and conquered the old group, then Chronos was sidelined in favour of Zeus.
The second idea is the idea that I have proposed that these gods are little more than deified humans whose existence has been lost in the midst of times, so what we are actually seeing is some form of succession crisis. This would be particularly relevant if we are looking at an Antediluvian civilisation. In the era of short life spans and high morality, such succession crises would not be evident since when the old king died then the new king would still be old enough to assume the throne, but young enough not to have a number of children that would have to wait a long time for them to ascend the throne amongst a multitude of competeing claims. It differs today in that the Queen of England, the matriarch of the royal family, is still alive and well, and her grandchildren are now ready to marry and have kids. Pope John Paul II was the oldest living Pope in the history of the papacy, and it is likely that Pope Benedict will be around for a long time yet (unless he meets either with an unfortunate accident, or is removed for some reason or another - noting that this review was written prior to him stepping down).
When you have the antediluvian civilisation, where biblically (and elsewhere) you have people living for hundreds of years, even if you did not begin having children until the age of a hundred, by the time you die (even if it is five to six hundred years old) you still have at least four living generations below you, all of them struggling to get your position, and knowing that for them to get to that position they would have to wait a very long time. This is something that we see in this text, namely a fear in Chronos that his children would rise up and overthrow him, so he acts proactively and removes them before they have a chance of removing him. Much of it is allegorical though (and for the sake of space I will not go into detail here, for instance the gods all seem to have been born as adults, and also Chronos eats his children, but upon his defeat, all of them are released) so it can be difficult to understand what actually went on, though to take it literally can in itself be dangerous (and also somewhat ridiculous).
The final point I wish to make is the interesting note that Hesiod was a shephard tending sheep on Mount Helicon when he received this vision and wrote it down. This is something that seems to happen throughout the history of humanity in that many religious icons seem to have come from humble pasts and have made a tremendous impact upon human history. Many have suggested (and it is true to an extent) that history, up until the mid 18th century, was written by the upper class. However the reason for that is because it was only the upper class that had the time to write histories, as well as being the only ones who could read and write. However, this is not always the case, particularly with these early civilisations, because much of the history was passed down by word of mouth. This is why we can have shepherds actually becoming literary heroes because they did not need to read and write, they simply needed to be able to tell a story people could remember, and also convince them that they had a vision (or actually have had a vision) to make people sit up and listen.
Read
August 27, 2025This is the more challenging of the two major texts attributed to the Greek writer Hesiod (8th-7th century BCE). It's a rather chaotic text that focuses primarily on the ongoing struggle between the Greek gods, with—I'm sketching it a bit too simplistically—a sequence of copulations and interactions from which children are born who then seek their father's life. It's a kind of creation story, that bears striking similarities to what I knew from the Mesopotamian sphere of influence (especially the Enuma Elish: The Babylonian Creation Epic). Among other things, it shares the cosmological vision of an ascending line: from cosmic chaos to a divine order of law and justice. And it also shares the vision that human existence is included in that order, is allowed to share in it as a privilege.
But Hesiod, or whoever the author is, has nevertheless elevated the story to a different level. To begin with, the author clearly presents Zeus as the ultimate victor, the undisputed ruler of the immortals, and the ultimate guarantor of that divine order of justice. The Theogony illustrates this, among other things, with the well-known Prometheus myth. Prometheus, the cunning Titan who deceived Zeus and the other gods and stood up for humankind, is punished mercilessly; and the humans (men until then) are given a beautiful woman to live with, explicitly as the source of their torments. Hesiod is no stranger to misogynistic tendencies (Works and Days also contain such elements), but perhaps the story was primarily intended as an illustration of Zeus's omnipotence.
From a literary perspective, the creation story at the beginning of this book stands out: “First of all Chaos came into being, then broad-breasted Earth, the ever-safe foundation of all the deathless ones, who live on the peaks of snowy Olympos, and shadowy Tartaros in a hiding place of the earth with its wide ways, and Eros, who is the most beautiful of the deathless gods, who relaxes the limbs and overwhelms the mind and wise council in the breasts of all the gods and men.” But most impressive—in literary terms—is the epic nature of the battle between the Olympic gods and the giant race of the Titans: this is presented at a breathtaking pace, in barely 40 verses. In contrast, there are the sometimes tedious, encyclopedic-like lists of gods and demigods, which (to our modern eyes) make the reading difficult.
My review of other works by Hesiod, in my History-account on Goodreads:
• Works and Days: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
• The Shield of Heracles: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
But Hesiod, or whoever the author is, has nevertheless elevated the story to a different level. To begin with, the author clearly presents Zeus as the ultimate victor, the undisputed ruler of the immortals, and the ultimate guarantor of that divine order of justice. The Theogony illustrates this, among other things, with the well-known Prometheus myth. Prometheus, the cunning Titan who deceived Zeus and the other gods and stood up for humankind, is punished mercilessly; and the humans (men until then) are given a beautiful woman to live with, explicitly as the source of their torments. Hesiod is no stranger to misogynistic tendencies (Works and Days also contain such elements), but perhaps the story was primarily intended as an illustration of Zeus's omnipotence.
From a literary perspective, the creation story at the beginning of this book stands out: “First of all Chaos came into being, then broad-breasted Earth, the ever-safe foundation of all the deathless ones, who live on the peaks of snowy Olympos, and shadowy Tartaros in a hiding place of the earth with its wide ways, and Eros, who is the most beautiful of the deathless gods, who relaxes the limbs and overwhelms the mind and wise council in the breasts of all the gods and men.” But most impressive—in literary terms—is the epic nature of the battle between the Olympic gods and the giant race of the Titans: this is presented at a breathtaking pace, in barely 40 verses. In contrast, there are the sometimes tedious, encyclopedic-like lists of gods and demigods, which (to our modern eyes) make the reading difficult.
My review of other works by Hesiod, in my History-account on Goodreads:
• Works and Days: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
• The Shield of Heracles: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
July 8, 2020
For a while, I'd mistakenly thought Ovid's Metamorphoses was simply a Roman rip off of this book and it turned out I wasn't quite correct. They both contain significant stories of the Greco-Roman Gods, but The Theogony is less detailed, has a very different tone and, in my personal opinion, is rather shite in comparison. Perhaps reading this after I already started Ovid was a mistake, since I suspect I may have been a little kinder to it otherwise, but alas I am a fool for not keeping to chronology. I listened to Evelyn Butler's prose version, because dealing with poetry for too long tends to bring me out in hives.
Content:
Far shorter than Ovid, sticking mostly to the origins of the Gods and barely covers the meaty, toying with mortals stories that would later enthrall the playwrites. As a discussion of the creation myth its alright, if a little bloodless.
Tone:
Not only is Hesiod a sycophant, with endless flattery for the capricious and psychopathic Gods, but I even hated the wording of his praise. 'Neat ankled' and 'lovely' were used so often as simple descriptions for certain female characters that a drinking game would probably lead you to hospital. Hesiod's gushing reminded me of the Middle Season Christian authors, usually prologuing and ending their works with fervent prayers to the majesty of the Virgin Mary, while the only accomplishment they ever cite for her is that she never got to fourth base. Hesiod's similar blind piety simply bored me.
Ovid is just better:
Hesiod lists a lot of names, but isn't especially exciting in his descriptions. Ovid gives us almost too much information, but every bit is powerfully worded or exceptionally gruesome.
While Hesiod probably wrote this staring at some small devotional statue, his eyes softly wet and a hand pressed lightly over his heart in enraptured love for the Pantheon, Ovid wrote the Metamophosis with a sneer and his free hand held to the sky in a middle finger. He didn't piss about with praising the Gods. He didn't call Hera lovely, he didn't care about Medea's ankles, he knew all the Gods and their luckless children were fickle bastards and he bloody well said so, and as such his writing is a thousand times more compelling.
Considering the Roman's were the great plagiarisers of religion, it feels unfair to sneer at someone who believed the Hellenic Greek originals, or how they tried to write about them (Yes, yes, I know they're not that original, but I can't be arsed to get into the pre-Hellenics or Gilgamesh right now). Complaining that Hesiod doesn't have Ovid's panache when the two authors were of different time periods and had very different intentions, feels like I'm condemning the original 1930s The Mummy for not having the 1999 film's special effects or the wonderful gorgeousness that is Rachel Weisz. But, sadly, I can't help but compare them now.
The Theogony mentions quite a few things Ovid doesn't (or yet, anyway, I'm on book 7 of the Metamorphoses at time of writing), which still makes this book necessary if you want knowledge of the myths, but in terms of style, detail and pure punching force, Ovid wins hands down.
Content:
Far shorter than Ovid, sticking mostly to the origins of the Gods and barely covers the meaty, toying with mortals stories that would later enthrall the playwrites. As a discussion of the creation myth its alright, if a little bloodless.
Tone:
Not only is Hesiod a sycophant, with endless flattery for the capricious and psychopathic Gods, but I even hated the wording of his praise. 'Neat ankled' and 'lovely' were used so often as simple descriptions for certain female characters that a drinking game would probably lead you to hospital. Hesiod's gushing reminded me of the Middle Season Christian authors, usually prologuing and ending their works with fervent prayers to the majesty of the Virgin Mary, while the only accomplishment they ever cite for her is that she never got to fourth base. Hesiod's similar blind piety simply bored me.
Ovid is just better:
Hesiod lists a lot of names, but isn't especially exciting in his descriptions. Ovid gives us almost too much information, but every bit is powerfully worded or exceptionally gruesome.
While Hesiod probably wrote this staring at some small devotional statue, his eyes softly wet and a hand pressed lightly over his heart in enraptured love for the Pantheon, Ovid wrote the Metamophosis with a sneer and his free hand held to the sky in a middle finger. He didn't piss about with praising the Gods. He didn't call Hera lovely, he didn't care about Medea's ankles, he knew all the Gods and their luckless children were fickle bastards and he bloody well said so, and as such his writing is a thousand times more compelling.
Considering the Roman's were the great plagiarisers of religion, it feels unfair to sneer at someone who believed the Hellenic Greek originals, or how they tried to write about them (Yes, yes, I know they're not that original, but I can't be arsed to get into the pre-Hellenics or Gilgamesh right now). Complaining that Hesiod doesn't have Ovid's panache when the two authors were of different time periods and had very different intentions, feels like I'm condemning the original 1930s The Mummy for not having the 1999 film's special effects or the wonderful gorgeousness that is Rachel Weisz. But, sadly, I can't help but compare them now.
The Theogony mentions quite a few things Ovid doesn't (or yet, anyway, I'm on book 7 of the Metamorphoses at time of writing), which still makes this book necessary if you want knowledge of the myths, but in terms of style, detail and pure punching force, Ovid wins hands down.
February 2, 2021
Espécie de Gênesis grega, descreve a criação e nascimento dos Deuses.
Até a página 86 (de 121) temos as explicações e por fim o poema em si.
Para entender mais a fundo a mitologia grega. Belo.
Até a página 86 (de 121) temos as explicações e por fim o poema em si.
Para entender mais a fundo a mitologia grega. Belo.
December 1, 2018
When you really want to start at the beginning You read Theogony. Wonderful poetry by Hesiod. And it reminded me so much of some biblical texts as well as The Iliad and The Odyssey. It's more than a poem. It's a powerful connection with our forefathers who wrote this outstanding piece of cultural rich deity-genealogy as well as cosmology all those thousands of years ago! Key reading to anyone interested in Western Philosophy and Culture. 5 Stars. Absolutely!
June 16, 2017
Es una de las obras maestras de la mitología porque es la madre de todas las historias sin embargo el estilo de Hesíodo dista de ser muy entretenido o llevadero.
Es un buen recuento de las leyendas originarias y lamentablemente su poca extensión no hace que tenga mayor protagonismo.
Es un buen recuento de las leyendas originarias y lamentablemente su poca extensión no hace que tenga mayor protagonismo.
October 16, 2020
El hombre siembra a los dioses en el lenguaje.
El hombre encuentra a las diosas en la palabra.
El hombre teje la historia de las genealogías inmortales a través de la palabra que siembra, que encuentra.
El hombre se inscribe en la línea de los dioses que crean su mundo.
El hombre se roba el fuego en las manos del titán.
El hombre juega a crearse un mundo mientras narra el mundo que habita.
Las musas le observan sonriendo.
Las musas le conceden el don de la palabra.
Las musas gustan de escuchar las historias de la siembra, de la pesca.
Grandiosa edición, las notas al pie, el aparato teórico. Grandioso volver a leer el comienzo del mundo.
El hombre encuentra a las diosas en la palabra.
El hombre teje la historia de las genealogías inmortales a través de la palabra que siembra, que encuentra.
El hombre se inscribe en la línea de los dioses que crean su mundo.
El hombre se roba el fuego en las manos del titán.
El hombre juega a crearse un mundo mientras narra el mundo que habita.
Las musas le observan sonriendo.
Las musas le conceden el don de la palabra.
Las musas gustan de escuchar las historias de la siembra, de la pesca.
Grandiosa edición, las notas al pie, el aparato teórico. Grandioso volver a leer el comienzo del mundo.
October 9, 2019
عن أنساب الآلهة ونظرية تكون العالم وتفرعات الأنساب والأحداث مع قليل جدا من التفاصيل والأخبار المثولوجية.
May 20, 2025
Oh meinen Gotts
June 12, 2011
Yes. One of the oldest books ever written, maybe 700 B.C. I can't say much about how it's written because I think it was translated countless times and probably it's not even near to the original, but still it was a little difficult to read at the beginning but only few pages later you get used to it and you can fully concentrate on the "story".
Of course it's helpful if you have some basic knowledge in mythology, otherwise it can be a little confusing o.O
In my opinion it was too short. I've read the book in 3 hours (and I'm a slow reader^^). I missed the little stories about Hercules or Perseus or Theseus, the book is only about the creation of Gods and their children. Everything else is only shortly mentioned.
And you need some imagination to read it ;)
Of course it's helpful if you have some basic knowledge in mythology, otherwise it can be a little confusing o.O
In my opinion it was too short. I've read the book in 3 hours (and I'm a slow reader^^). I missed the little stories about Hercules or Perseus or Theseus, the book is only about the creation of Gods and their children. Everything else is only shortly mentioned.
And you need some imagination to read it ;)
August 9, 2025
This reminded me of Homer, in that it was a ridiculously long list of names and their histories. If you want to know more about the interconnected couplings of the gods and titans, feel free to read this.
October 1, 2014
Hesiod, I think, has been shoved too often as being a misogynist because of the lines below.
"And Zeus who thunders on high was stung in spirit, and his dear heart was angered when he saw amongst men the far-seen ray of fire. Forthwith he made an evil thing for men as the price of fire; for the very famous Limping God formed of earth the likeness of a shy maiden as the son of Cronos willed. And the goddess bright-eyed Athene girded and clothed her with silvery raiment, and down from her head she spread with her hands a broidered veil, a wonder to see; and she, Pallas Athene, put about her head lovely garlands, flowers of new-grown herbs. Also she put upon her head a crown of gold which the very famous Limping God made himself and worked with his own hands as a favour to Zeus his father. On it was much curious work, wonderful to see; for of the many creatures which the land and sea rear up, he put most upon it, wonderful things, like living beings with voices: and great beauty shone out from it.
But when he had made the beautiful evil to be the price for the blessing, he brought her out, delighting in the finery which the bright-eyed daughter of a mighty father had given her, to the place where the other gods and men were. And wonder took hold of the deathless gods and mortal men when they saw that which was sheer guile, not to be withstood by men.
For from her is the race of women and female kind: of her is the deadly race and tribe of women who live amongst mortal men to their great trouble, no helpmeets in hateful poverty, but only in wealth. And as in thatched hives bees feed the drones whose nature is to do mischief -- by day and throughout the day until the sun goes down the bees are busy and lay the white combs, while the drones stay at home in the covered skeps and reap the toil of others into their own bellies – even so Zeus who thunders on high made women to be an evil to mortal men, with a nature to do evil. And he gave them a second evil to be the price for the good they had: whoever avoids marriage and the sorrows that women cause, and will not wed, reaches deadly old age without anyone to tend his years, and though he at least has no lack of livelihood while he lives, yet, when he is dead, his kinsfolk divide his possessions amongst them. And as for the man who chooses the lot of marriage and takes a good wife suited to his mind, evil continually contends with good; for whoever happens to have mischievous children, lives always with unceasing grief in his spirit and heart within him; and this evil cannot be healed.
So it is not possible to deceive or go beyond the will of Zeus; for not even the son of Iapetus, kindly Prometheus, escaped his heavy anger, but of necessity strong bands confined him, although he knew many a wile."
It would seem to me that Prometheus of the Theogony was on the side of mortals/men against Zeus. It is significant that a mortal son of Zeus releases Prometheus, a mortal son whom we can only assume to be born of the line of the unnamed mortal clay woman made by Hephaestus and clothed by Athena. I think it is the crown of gold, not the woman who was evil, as no name is given to her. I am reminded of Ares and Aphrodite where Hephaestus caught them in (his) bed together and trapped them and the daughter born of that union - Harmonia- he gave a cursed cloak and necklace on her wedding to Kadmos of Thebes. Herackles is identified as being Theban-born.
Harmonia's mother is also given to be Electra, daughter of Atlas (brother of Prometheus) and Pleione, her sisters being the Pleiades, Hyades and a brother - Hyas.
Dionysus, a son of Kadmos and Harmonia's daughter Semele and Zeus had a wife in Ariadne who was given a crown to upon her wedding day and it was later placed among the stars.
In women, mortal men of Greek myth face a situation like fire, which can be both evil and a blessing, basically a you can't live with them and you can't live without them mindset, so it's interesting to wonder if Zeus was seen as a god of women (mortal) and Prometheus a god of men (mortal).
"And Zeus who thunders on high was stung in spirit, and his dear heart was angered when he saw amongst men the far-seen ray of fire. Forthwith he made an evil thing for men as the price of fire; for the very famous Limping God formed of earth the likeness of a shy maiden as the son of Cronos willed. And the goddess bright-eyed Athene girded and clothed her with silvery raiment, and down from her head she spread with her hands a broidered veil, a wonder to see; and she, Pallas Athene, put about her head lovely garlands, flowers of new-grown herbs. Also she put upon her head a crown of gold which the very famous Limping God made himself and worked with his own hands as a favour to Zeus his father. On it was much curious work, wonderful to see; for of the many creatures which the land and sea rear up, he put most upon it, wonderful things, like living beings with voices: and great beauty shone out from it.
But when he had made the beautiful evil to be the price for the blessing, he brought her out, delighting in the finery which the bright-eyed daughter of a mighty father had given her, to the place where the other gods and men were. And wonder took hold of the deathless gods and mortal men when they saw that which was sheer guile, not to be withstood by men.
For from her is the race of women and female kind: of her is the deadly race and tribe of women who live amongst mortal men to their great trouble, no helpmeets in hateful poverty, but only in wealth. And as in thatched hives bees feed the drones whose nature is to do mischief -- by day and throughout the day until the sun goes down the bees are busy and lay the white combs, while the drones stay at home in the covered skeps and reap the toil of others into their own bellies – even so Zeus who thunders on high made women to be an evil to mortal men, with a nature to do evil. And he gave them a second evil to be the price for the good they had: whoever avoids marriage and the sorrows that women cause, and will not wed, reaches deadly old age without anyone to tend his years, and though he at least has no lack of livelihood while he lives, yet, when he is dead, his kinsfolk divide his possessions amongst them. And as for the man who chooses the lot of marriage and takes a good wife suited to his mind, evil continually contends with good; for whoever happens to have mischievous children, lives always with unceasing grief in his spirit and heart within him; and this evil cannot be healed.
So it is not possible to deceive or go beyond the will of Zeus; for not even the son of Iapetus, kindly Prometheus, escaped his heavy anger, but of necessity strong bands confined him, although he knew many a wile."
It would seem to me that Prometheus of the Theogony was on the side of mortals/men against Zeus. It is significant that a mortal son of Zeus releases Prometheus, a mortal son whom we can only assume to be born of the line of the unnamed mortal clay woman made by Hephaestus and clothed by Athena. I think it is the crown of gold, not the woman who was evil, as no name is given to her. I am reminded of Ares and Aphrodite where Hephaestus caught them in (his) bed together and trapped them and the daughter born of that union - Harmonia- he gave a cursed cloak and necklace on her wedding to Kadmos of Thebes. Herackles is identified as being Theban-born.
Harmonia's mother is also given to be Electra, daughter of Atlas (brother of Prometheus) and Pleione, her sisters being the Pleiades, Hyades and a brother - Hyas.
Dionysus, a son of Kadmos and Harmonia's daughter Semele and Zeus had a wife in Ariadne who was given a crown to upon her wedding day and it was later placed among the stars.
In women, mortal men of Greek myth face a situation like fire, which can be both evil and a blessing, basically a you can't live with them and you can't live without them mindset, so it's interesting to wonder if Zeus was seen as a god of women (mortal) and Prometheus a god of men (mortal).
January 31, 2019
تدرّس هذه القصيدة -المؤلفة من 1,000 بيت/سطر- في فصول الأدب الكلاسيكي لتعريف الطلبة بأصول الأساطير اليونانية القديمة، فهي تتحدث عن بداية الكون ونشأة آلهة الإغريق وعائلاتهم وحروبهم وصراعاتهم. ويتمثل الجزء الأكبر من قراءة هذا الشعر بالتدقيق في مقدمته وهوامشه الطويلة ومشاهدة فيديوهات تقديمية عنه على الإنترنت، إذ إن فهمه واستيعاب أي جزء منه مستحيل دون الاستعانة بهذه الوسائل. أغلب القصص التي ترويها القصيدة غريبة جداً وغير منطقية أبداً لقراء الأدب المعاصرين، مثل قصة كورنوس الذي ابتلع أبناءه بعد مولدهم خشية أن ينتزعوا العرش منه (وعند هزيمته شق زيوس بطنه فخرج الأولاد الذين ابتلعهم خلال السنين السابقة)، إلا أن قراءتها كانت فرصة مميزة جداً لي لفهم شجرة الآلهة الإغريقية ومعرفة أسمائهم ووظائفهم وعلاقتهم ببعضهم، وهو شرط لا غنى عنه -في الواقع- لتذوق الأدب الإنكليزي حتى زمننا المعاصر، والذي يعج باستشهادات وإشارات للتراث اليوناني القديم عادة ما لا ينتبه لها القارئ العادي.
August 28, 2013
Arma deumque cano
Es ist schon peinlich - da kommen im Fernsehen diese amerikanischen Blockbuster "Kampf der Titanen" und "Zorn der Götter" und so weiter, und man wird für einen klugen, gebildeten Menschen gehalten und daher gefragt, was nun dieser oder jener Gott so für Eigenschaften hat und ob nun Athene mit Zeus verwandt ist und wer der langhaarige, dauerflüsternde Bursche ist, der so viel Unheil plant. Und dann steht man da und ist stellenweise ratlos, weil man selbst kaum durch die von sich aus schon verquaste griechische Mythologie, die in den Filmen dann noch mehr verquast und zerzauselt wird, versteht.
Dem Abhilfe kann man natürlich durch Lektüre von Texten wie der "Theogonie" des griechischen Dichters Hesiod schaffen. Ist man danach in der Lage, die Filme zu erklären? Ja und nein. Einerseits erfährt man doch einiges, was der oberflächliche Kontakt, zum Beispiel aus dem Schulunterricht, eher auslassen würde - doch dies ist dann halt in einer Schale aus 2500 Jahren Zeitunterschied gekapselt, die zu knacken nicht ganz einfach ist, obwohl wir es hier schon mit einer, für meinen Geschmack, modernen, gut lesbaren Prosaübersetzung zu tun haben.
Durch die Übersetzung der Namen der Götter, wie Klugheit für Metis, Furcht für Phobos und so weiter wird der allegorische Charakter der Theogonie dem Leser deutlich: die Gefühle Angst und Schrecken stammen von Kriegsgott Ares ab; Zeus nimmt Metis in sich auf und herrscht daher von nun an klug und weise. Flussgottheiten entstehen aus den Ehen der Meergottheiten, Erdbeben und Vulkane ziehen ihre Kraft aus den im Tartaros gefangenen Titanen: Die "Theogonie" ist nicht nur die Genealogie der Götter, sondern auch eine Erklärung der Struktur der Welt. Letztlich sind die Götter und die Natur aber nicht voneinander abgrenzbar, sondern fließen ineinander: Mit den Göttern wird der sonst so unverständliche Kosmos erklärt, oder, wie es der Herausgeber viel verständlicher in seinem Nachwort auf S.144 schreibt: "Das genealogische Schema wird zum ontologischen System." Dass dabei noch ältere hethitische und phönikische und sumerische Religionsbilder mit verarbeitet werden gibt dem ganzen dann eine noch tiefergreifende Komponente - nichts entsteht aus dem Vakuum.
Ganz ehrlich: Ohne die Anmerkungen bleibt einem viel verborgen, wenn man den Text so liest. Viel Information wird aus anderen Quellen ergänzt, anders kann man sich nicht erklären, woher der Übersetzer sonst diese durchaus einleuchtenden Interpretationen des wegen seiner Knappheit sehr interpretationsbedürftigen Texts her hat - im Text selbst jedenfalls bleibt viel kryptisch und nur angedeutet. Wer Homers Ilias oder Odyssee mochte, und erhofft, ähnlich spannende und dramatische Szenen wie dort erzählt zu bekommen, wird enttäuscht - im Gegensatz zu Homer ist Hesiod kein Berichterstatter, sondern ein Protophilosoph mit einer Neigung zur Lyrik, den die Leiden der Menschen, die Homer so begeistern, wenig interessieren.
Wer sich also für griechische Mythologie interessiert, sollte zumindest ein Grundgerüst an Wissen bereits mitbringen, um Hesiods Gedicht würdigen zu können. Da es ein recht kurzer Text ist (nur ca. 1/4 der 160 Seiten sind die Übersetzung, der Rest ist griechisches Original, Anmerkungen und Nachwort - insgesamt ein sehr ansehnlicher und gelungener Apparat, wenn auch das Nachwort etwas verkopft ist, wie das bei solchen deutschen Nachworten üblich ist), sollte es nicht viel Überwindung kosten, sich dieses uralte Stück Menschheitsgeschichte in einigen ruhigen Minuten zu gönnen.
Es ist schon peinlich - da kommen im Fernsehen diese amerikanischen Blockbuster "Kampf der Titanen" und "Zorn der Götter" und so weiter, und man wird für einen klugen, gebildeten Menschen gehalten und daher gefragt, was nun dieser oder jener Gott so für Eigenschaften hat und ob nun Athene mit Zeus verwandt ist und wer der langhaarige, dauerflüsternde Bursche ist, der so viel Unheil plant. Und dann steht man da und ist stellenweise ratlos, weil man selbst kaum durch die von sich aus schon verquaste griechische Mythologie, die in den Filmen dann noch mehr verquast und zerzauselt wird, versteht.
Dem Abhilfe kann man natürlich durch Lektüre von Texten wie der "Theogonie" des griechischen Dichters Hesiod schaffen. Ist man danach in der Lage, die Filme zu erklären? Ja und nein. Einerseits erfährt man doch einiges, was der oberflächliche Kontakt, zum Beispiel aus dem Schulunterricht, eher auslassen würde - doch dies ist dann halt in einer Schale aus 2500 Jahren Zeitunterschied gekapselt, die zu knacken nicht ganz einfach ist, obwohl wir es hier schon mit einer, für meinen Geschmack, modernen, gut lesbaren Prosaübersetzung zu tun haben.
Durch die Übersetzung der Namen der Götter, wie Klugheit für Metis, Furcht für Phobos und so weiter wird der allegorische Charakter der Theogonie dem Leser deutlich: die Gefühle Angst und Schrecken stammen von Kriegsgott Ares ab; Zeus nimmt Metis in sich auf und herrscht daher von nun an klug und weise. Flussgottheiten entstehen aus den Ehen der Meergottheiten, Erdbeben und Vulkane ziehen ihre Kraft aus den im Tartaros gefangenen Titanen: Die "Theogonie" ist nicht nur die Genealogie der Götter, sondern auch eine Erklärung der Struktur der Welt. Letztlich sind die Götter und die Natur aber nicht voneinander abgrenzbar, sondern fließen ineinander: Mit den Göttern wird der sonst so unverständliche Kosmos erklärt, oder, wie es der Herausgeber viel verständlicher in seinem Nachwort auf S.144 schreibt: "Das genealogische Schema wird zum ontologischen System." Dass dabei noch ältere hethitische und phönikische und sumerische Religionsbilder mit verarbeitet werden gibt dem ganzen dann eine noch tiefergreifende Komponente - nichts entsteht aus dem Vakuum.
Ganz ehrlich: Ohne die Anmerkungen bleibt einem viel verborgen, wenn man den Text so liest. Viel Information wird aus anderen Quellen ergänzt, anders kann man sich nicht erklären, woher der Übersetzer sonst diese durchaus einleuchtenden Interpretationen des wegen seiner Knappheit sehr interpretationsbedürftigen Texts her hat - im Text selbst jedenfalls bleibt viel kryptisch und nur angedeutet. Wer Homers Ilias oder Odyssee mochte, und erhofft, ähnlich spannende und dramatische Szenen wie dort erzählt zu bekommen, wird enttäuscht - im Gegensatz zu Homer ist Hesiod kein Berichterstatter, sondern ein Protophilosoph mit einer Neigung zur Lyrik, den die Leiden der Menschen, die Homer so begeistern, wenig interessieren.
Wer sich also für griechische Mythologie interessiert, sollte zumindest ein Grundgerüst an Wissen bereits mitbringen, um Hesiods Gedicht würdigen zu können. Da es ein recht kurzer Text ist (nur ca. 1/4 der 160 Seiten sind die Übersetzung, der Rest ist griechisches Original, Anmerkungen und Nachwort - insgesamt ein sehr ansehnlicher und gelungener Apparat, wenn auch das Nachwort etwas verkopft ist, wie das bei solchen deutschen Nachworten üblich ist), sollte es nicht viel Überwindung kosten, sich dieses uralte Stück Menschheitsgeschichte in einigen ruhigen Minuten zu gönnen.
April 7, 2017
The Theogony of Hesiod was an interesting read. I personally love Greek mythology and thought it was fascinating how Hesiod told the story of how the Greek gods came to be. Although I considered myself very knowledgeable about Greek mythology, Hesiod still taught me things about Greek mythology that I did not know. This also related to Hesiod himself as he is referred to as the father of didactic poetry which didactic poetry means poems meant to educate or teach you. His writing style for this story is different from most authors where they focus on heroes typically in some kind of conflict and they have long narrating stories. However, Hesiod’s story had little to do with heroes and his story was shorter than normal with only about 1000 lines. The story was very detailed which made it kind of difficult to read in a way because there were so many details that you really did not necessary need to know them. For example, there was details about hundreds of gods and their names. Nobody is really going to remember all the god’s name, but I suppose since it is a didactic poem those details were necessary to Hesiod. One of the things I did not like about this story is the writing format. Although it was a translation, the grammar in which it was written was a little confusing to read at times. There were many run on sentences that were just connected with the word “and” over and over. If there were actual correct sentences it would have been easier to read. Also, there were some grammatical errors that we considered nowadays to be incorrect. Maybe this was how they wrote back in this time period, but it also made it confusing to read at times. One of the best things I liked about this story is that it included a lot of messed up things such as Prometheus’ liver being eaten by an eagle every day or Zeus and Cronus eating their wife and kids respectively. Although these things are messed up, it makes it interesting to read. The stuff we do not really want to hear or think about sometimes end up being interesting to read about and I like how Hesiod did not censor anything. I think authors during this time period do not really care about censoring certain subjects anyways which is great for us readers. You can also get a feel for how Hesiod feels about Zeus, for example, because he depicts Zeus in a supreme and almighty manner. Every time Hesiod mentions Zeus he portrays him as the ultimate being which goes to show a little bit of Hesiod’s personality. All in all, I enjoyed this story. I like being educated and Hesiod does the job. However, this kind of style only interested me because I was personally interested in Greek mythology. If Hesiod wrote this way about a different subject, I probably would not recommend this kind of read to people. It can be boring if you are not personally invested. (510 words)
July 12, 2014
Theogony traces the creation of the cosmos and the genealogy of the Greek gods. There’s a cornucopia of nasty stuff here: patricide, incest, blatant misogyny, swallowing up one's own progeny and whatnot. Typical Greek mythology stuff! I was expecting a fascinating encounter but it turned out be dry and monotonous, and failed to grab my attention. Being an oratory work, I guess we do miss its purported impact when read in print. I would have been delighted if there was an Ian Mckellen rendering; his Odyssey was delightful.
August 20, 2025
Wow, no one does a twisted family tree like the Gods of Olympus. Although looking back that should have been kind of obvious 😁
May 20, 2021
I bit thinner than I thought. Probably the whole mythology thing is better developed in Homer's poems.
Long lists of names names names of gods and goddesses. A bit of action (the cutting of the penis of Uranos, the fight against the Titans, the hidden of Zeus - very biblical, the whole Prometheus-story).
Long lists of names names names of gods and goddesses. A bit of action (the cutting of the penis of Uranos, the fight against the Titans, the hidden of Zeus - very biblical, the whole Prometheus-story).
September 21, 2025
Sehr viel Namedropping, aber dennoch spannend und faszinierend solche alten Texte lesen zu können.
Das Nachwort von Otto Schönberger hat noch einige interessante Infos und Kontextualisierungen parat, habe es mit Gewinn gelesen!
Das Nachwort von Otto Schönberger hat noch einige interessante Infos und Kontextualisierungen parat, habe es mit Gewinn gelesen!
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January 18, 2025My favourite part was when Kronos cuts off his fathers penis and throws it into the ocean, which in turn floats around becoming a foamy mess and then turns into Aphrodite ⭐️ A+ for creativity
January 5, 2026
Queimei meu neurônios pra entender os textos de análise do tradutor, mas foi muito bom!!
Mudou minha forma de ler mitos e também sobre as práticas helenistas
Mudou minha forma de ler mitos e também sobre as práticas helenistas
September 19, 2024
Oiii a somewhat dysfunctional family but anyways who am I to judge? ahahahhaha
May 23, 2025
Hesiodo caminó para que Rick Riordan pudiera correr.
September 11, 2022
In it, following the Muses’ instructions, Hesiod recounts the history of the gods, beginning with the emergence of Chaos, Gaea (Earth), and Eros. Gaea gives birth to Uranus (Heaven), the Mountains, and Pontus (the Sea); and later, after uniting herself to Uranus, she bears many other deities. One of them is the Titan Cronus, who rebels against Uranus, emasculates him, and afterward rules until he in turn is overpowered by Zeus. This story of crime and revolt, which is the central subject of the Theogony, is interrupted by many additional pedigrees of gods. Elsewhere, in addition to mythical family relations, Hesiod presents new ones that are the product of his own speculation. Thus, the names of the 50 sea maidens (the Nereids) fathered by the sea god Nereus indicate various qualities of the Sea. In a different way, the story describing the first woman, Pandora, sent by Zeus to bedevil man, brings out Hesiod’s firm belief in the supreme and irresistible power of Zeus. This power is most majestically displayed in the Titanomachia, the battle between the Olympian gods, led by Zeus, and the Titans, who support Cronus.
The initial state of the universe is chaos, a dark indefinite void considered a divine primordial condition from which everything else appeared.
One of its principal components is the presentation of the "Succession Myth". It tells how Cronus overthrew Uranus, and how in turn Zeus overthrew Cronus and his fellow Titans, and how Zeus was eventually established as the final and permanent ruler of the cosmos.
The initial state of the universe is chaos, a dark indefinite void considered a divine primordial condition from which everything else appeared.
One of its principal components is the presentation of the "Succession Myth". It tells how Cronus overthrew Uranus, and how in turn Zeus overthrew Cronus and his fellow Titans, and how Zeus was eventually established as the final and permanent ruler of the cosmos.
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