Hesiod: King Of The Gods

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1. According to Hesiod, how were the world and the gods created? According to Hesiod, the first element was Chaos (nothingness) and within Chaos was Gaea (Earth), Tartarus (the deep abyss below earth) and Eros (love). Gaea first created Uranus (heaven) so he would cover her all over and be a safe resting place to the gods. Together Gaea and Uranus produced the mountains, ocean and the rest of the earth's physical creations. They also went on to create the Titans, Cyclopes, Hecatonchieres, as well as the Erinyes, Giants and Melian Nymphs. Chaos produced Erebus (darkness) and Night who then together produced Aether (light) and Day. Whilst most gods were the product of the union between two gods, others were created out of very different…show more content…
2. How did Zeus come to be king of the gods? Zeus came to be king of gods by first defeating his father Cronus. Out of fear of being overthrown by his children, Cronus devoured them all as they were born. This fear probably stemmed from the fact that Cronus disempowered his own father Uranus by the act of emasculation and he and the other titans came to be the ruling dynasty. When it came to swallowing his last son Zeus, he was deceived into eating a stone instead with the help of his mother Rhea. Zeus unharmed was able to grow up to become strong and later defeated Cronus by making him regurgitate the other children along with the stone. Zeus also defeated the other titans in the battle called the Titanomachy. Together with his siblings as well as Heracles and Dionysus, Zeus proved his power by beating the monster Typhoeus, killed the giants in the battle of Gigantomachy as well as condemned the titans to Tartarus. Zeus was considered the father of gods and the head of the family. He obtained and held his power through his strength and also his weapon lightning, which was given to him by…show more content…
4.To what extent does the nature myth theory explain the creation of the world? The nature myth theory explains that creation of the world was done by the gods. All natural phenomena was explained by the actions and stories of the gods, whether it be the weather, natural landmarks or natural disasters. The Greek gods had aspects of nature incorporated in their powers. Zeus had the power of lightning and could control rain. Poseidon was the god of the sea as well as earthquakes. The earth itself was the god Gaea who appeared out of nothingness (Chaos). Gaea produced heaven (Uranus) and together heaven and earth reproduced and created their children, the mountains, barren sea and deep rolling oceans. Before science, the myths of the Greek gods explained everything unknown to people about the world they were living
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