CLAS104 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Oceanid, From Chaos, Crius

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Classical Studies
• Course: CLAS104
• Professor: Ronald Kroeker

Document Summary

In the opening lines of hesiod"s theogony he devotes several lines to the beauty and power of the muses. He emphasizes in particular their ability to inspire great deeds. In mentioning the muses as his source of inspiration, hesiod shows that this work is no mere poetic or artistic expression but instead knowledge imparted to him as prophet. Since the muses are the daughters of zeus, their revelation is an unquestionable and absolute source of knowledge. He asks them how the gods, the earth, the rivers, the boundless sea, shinning starts and the wide heavens came into being, to which they tell him the story of creation. Hesiod tells us that first chaos came into being (or was), then next came gaia (or ge) the earth, then tartarus the underworld, and finally eros god of lustful love. From chaos, erebus gloom of tartarus, and dark night came into being. Aether the upper atmosphere and day (whom night bore with erebus.