CLAS104 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Epic Poetry, Lyric Poetry, Twelve Olympians
22 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Quiz #1 Review (CLAS 104): MODULES 03 & 04
Hesiod’s Theogony: Introduction
Hesiod = Boeotian poet of the Theogony, one of the oldest poets (Greeks)
● Greeks thought Theogony was composed before Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey b/c Homer’s works explain
Olympians lives + interactions with humans, while Hesiod’s work explain Olympian origins
○ Homer + other poets did NOT write about births of Olympians
●Theogony = genre that explains origins and attempts to codify Olympian system of gods + goddesses
○ First surviving attempt to lay out system of gods + origins of universe
What is Theogonic Poetry?
● Theogony is no different poetically than heroic poetry (Iliad + Odyssey)
● Composed in hexameter
verse; product of oral tradition + retold in performance
● “The origin of the world and the gods, and the events which led to the establishment of the present order”
○ Definition of theogony poetry → origin of world + Olympians
● Parallels for Hesiod’s work on origins of the world (e.g. Genesis and Babylon poem) → both portray similar
principle of opposition between male and female
Hesiod’s Theogony: Genealogy of the Gods
● Hesiod begins poem with summoning Muses (invocation), sings on Mt. Helicon in Boeotia
●Muses = Zeus + Mnemosyne (memory) daughters → inspire artistic endeavours
○ Calliope (Epic poetry), Clio (History/Lyre), Euterpe (Lyric poetry, flute), Melpomene (Tragedy/Lyre),
Terpsichore (Choral Dancing/Flue), Erato (Love poetry), Polyhymnia (Sacred music/dance), Urania
(Astronomy), Thalia (Comedy)
●LINES 116-122: tafter Chaos everything comes about (1st Generation of Gods emerge):
○Earth (Gaia)
○ Tartarus (deep abyss in underworld, dungeon)
○ Love (Eros)
○ Erebos (dark gloom)
○ Nyx (night)
■ First generation of gods represent basic aspects of the world → Chaos = chasm or yawning void,
Eros = erotic love or procreation
● LINES 123-153: 2nd Generation of Gods are born
○ Erebos + Nyx = Aether (air) and Hemera (day)
○ Gaia (Earth) asexually = Ouranos (sky or heavens), Mountains, Pontos (sea)
○ Gaia + son Ouranos = Titans, Cyclops, and Hundred-Handers
■ Most important = Titans who hate Ouranos b/c kept them back in Gaia’s womb
○ Titans = Ocean (water), Koios, Krios, Hyperion (sun), Iapetos, Thea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe,
Tethys, Kronos + Rhea (parents of Zeus, ruler of gods)
● LINES 155-210: First Succession Myth
○Kronos + Gaia (mother and son) plan to chop of Ouranos’ genitals w/ sickle + drop into the ocean
■ Motive: Kronos is angry at being kept inside the womb
○ Myth represents division of earth + sky (Kronos + Gaia) + binary of male/female
○ From Ouranos’ genitals → Aphrodite is born (from ocean foam) + genital blood gives birth to Furies,
Giants, and Tree Nymphs
● LINES 211-336: 2nd Gen. + 3rd Gen. Gods
○ Children of Nyx + Pontos
○ Grandchildren of Pontos
● LINES 337-885: Children + Grandchildren of Ouranos (born of the Titans)
○ Kronos + Rhea (Titan brother/sister) = give birth to Zeus + Olympian generation
● LINES 453-506: Birth of Zeus + Other Olympians, and Second Succession Myth
○ Kronos swallowed his children b/c he doesn’t want them to overpower him
○ Before final son is born, Rhea + children play a trick on Kronos
Document Summary
Hesiod = boeotian poet of the theogony, one of the oldest poets (greeks) Quiz #1 review (clas 104): modules 03 & 04. Greeks thought theogony was composed before homer"s iliad and odyssey b/c homer"s works explain. Olympians lives + interactions with humans, while hesiod"s work explain olympian origins. Homer + other poets did not write about births of olympians. Theogony = genre that explains origins and attempts to codify olympian system of gods + goddesses. First surviving attempt to lay out system of gods + origins of universe. Theogony is no different poetically than heroic poetry (iliad + odyssey) Composed in hexameter verse; product of oral tradition + retold in performance. The origin of the world and the gods, and the events which led to the establishment of the present order . Definition of theogony poetry origin of world + olympians.
