1. The Greek Story of Creation
As taken from Hesiod’s Theogony
By Mrs. Johnson
Credits to Carlos Parada author of a Genealogical Guide to Greek Mythology

3. From Theogony - theos means “god” and gon means “birth.”
The classical Greek creation story is taken from Hesiod’s tale entitled, Theogony (ca. 700 B.C.E.) .
From Theogony - theos means “god” and gon means “birth.”
As we cover the story of creation, note the number of words which have their roots in Greek culture.
“Theos” is a Greek word which means god. The word “theology” is the study of the gods.
-gon is a Greek suffix for birth or create

4. Theogony
Theogony simply means the genealogy of the gods. It is the creation story of the gods.
Hesiod’s tale was a didactic poem…instructional. Hesiod made a tale to explain where the gods came from and how they came to be important.

5. Additional terms: Logos – Greek for the expression of a thought
Theology – the study of the gods
Mythos – Greek for “tale” or “beliefs”
Logy – is the Greek suffix for the study of
Theology is the study of religion
Mythos – tale or beliefs which when placed with –logy means the study of tales.

6. Hesiod and the “Theogony”
There are said to be at least six different mythical accounts of creation by the Greeks. Hesiod’s is one that is often cited since it specifically gives the genealogy of the gods and is a key source document.
It is important to remember that myths were not written down on paper but told by word of mouth. The Greeks did not necessarily explain everything either.
When it comes to creation…there are different stories to explain how the world was created. Other cultures will also explain creation differently.
You can read Hesiod’s Theogony as translated by H.G. Eveyln-White online. It is also available in paperback. If you go online…there are several places which have the entire 1,041 lines of poetry.
Hesiod was a shepherd who lived in central Greece. It is said that he was commissioned to tell the tales of the gods.
Works and Days and the Theogony are the only two complete works we have of Hesiod, other than the first few lines of a poem called the Shield of Heracles.
In Works and Days, Hesiod divided time into five ages:--the Golden age, ruled by Cronos, when people lived extremely long lives 'without sorrow of heart'; the Silver age, ruled by Zeus; the Bronze age, an epoch of war; the Heroic age, the time of the Trojan war; and lastly the Iron age, the corrupt present. The idea of a Golden Age has likewise had a profound impact on western thought. Works and Days also discusses pagan ethics, extols hard work, and lists lucky and unlucky days of the month for various activities.

7. Cosmogony
"Creation" means, in this context, Creation of the World, which is also called Cosmogony or Origin of the Universe (Cosmos). Cosmogony normally includes, not only an account of the origin of the world, but also a description of its physical qualities.
It is hard to describe the creation of the gods without first describing the creation of the universe.
Cosmos is the Greek word for “a harmonious ordered system of the universe.”
Cosmogony – the creation of the world.

8. Cosmogony Cosmos - harmony of the universe with order
-gon – birth or creation
Cosmogony – creation of the world
Cosmogony is the creation story of the universe.

9. According to Hesiod…
In his tale, The Theogony, Hesiod tried to explain the origin of the world and more importantly, the creation of the gods.

10. CHAOS In the beginning, there was only
It is not said how Chaos came to be and almost all the various versions of creation begin with this element. The Greeks valued simplicity and order…so to say that the first element was anti order made sense. In time, order came to be.

11. Today we know that chaos means “lacking order or to have confusion.”
Chaos was a shapeless mass of darkness and meaninglessness.

12. Offspring of Chaos Nyx - Erebus - Tartarus - Eros - Gaia
Nyx – goddess of night
Erebus – god of unfathomable deep (darkness)
Tartarus – god of the lowest region of the world (not to be mistaken for Hades)
Eros – god of youth/desire
Gaia – goddess of Earth

13. Children of Chaos
Out of Chaos came Nyx (night), Erebus (the unfathomable deep), Eros (love), Tartarus (lowest region of the world) and Gaia (earth).
It is not said how these elements or characters came to be, only that they followed Chaos.
As mentioned, what came from Chaos are sometimes referred to as the children or offspring of Chaos.
Nyx, Erebus and Tartarus are known more to be elements or places which exist, whereas Gaia and Eros are known more as characters.

14. Nyx is Night, a powerful goddess whose dark light falls from the stars, and who dictates not only to men but also to gods. Even Zeus does not wish to upset Night.

15. Erebus is the darkness of the Underworld.
Do not confuse Erebus with the Underworld. We will discuss the Underworld later.
Erebus has very dark undertones. The gods do not wish to disturb Erebus nor do they wish to visit his domain.
Erebus is said to have given birth to Thanatos or Death.

16. Eros is seen as a youth and known as the god of Love.
The Romans called him Cupid, and he was said to be the son of Aphrodite. You are familiar with his image on Valentine’s Day.
Eros has many different versions when it comes to his creation. According to Hesiod, Eros was needed as an early element to bring order to the Universe and for Earth to be able to propagate.
If “Eros” means personifies love…what other words can you think of that have this root? Erotic,

17. Tartarus
Tartarus is described as a dank, gloomy pit, surrounded by a wall of bronze, and beyond that a three-fold layer of night.
According to the Greek poet Hesiod, a bronze anvil falling from heaven would take nine days and nights to reach earth, and an object would take the same amount of time to fall from earth into Tartarus.
Tartarus is more of a place than a character.

18. Tartarus
Tartarus is the lowest abyss beneath the earth where all waters originate; all rivers flow into the chasm of Tartarus and flow out of it again.
Tartarus is also a place of punishment.
Tartarus is also the father of many monsters such as Typhon.
Though seen more as a place…from Tartarus comes forth many terrible monsters and beasts.

19. Gaia (Gaea or Ge) Mother Earth
Some creation myths say that Gaia just emerged after Chaos and was not necessarily an offspring.
After Eros was created in the universe… Gaia gave birth to many offspring some on her own and others with a mate.
You will notice that from “Ge” we have the root for geology which is the study of the earth.

20. Parentage procreation
It is not uncommon for some of the gods to reproduce with just one parent. This is known as
parthenogenic birth (i.e., only one parent needed). Gaia reproduced some of her children in this manner.

21. Gaia
Gaia creates without a mate, Uranus (the sky) and Pontus (the sea). Later she has other offspring.
Gaia was also the first to have prophetic powers.
Gaia was the final offspring of Chaos…needing those elements before her to be in place.

22. The offspring of Gaia and Uranus
Gaia and Uranus mate to have the following offspring:
The Cyclops
The Hecatoncheires
The Titans

23. Uranus Uranus becomes an equal to Gaia and will become her mate.
Uranus becomes the first ruler.

24. Pontus Though not much is said of Pontus, he is the god of the Sea.
He is known more for his offspring.

25. The Cyclops Cyclopes Wheel-eyed
The Cyclops were three brothers known for the one large eye in the center of their foreheads. They were giants in size.
In later myths…any creature known to be a giant with one eye is referred to as a Cyclop. In the tale of the Odyssey, Odysseus fights a Cyclop known as Polyphemus.
The names of the three Cyclops are Arges, Brontes 1 and Steropes.
The Cyclopes were known for their weapons: thunder, lightning and lightning bolt.
They were also the first blacksmiths.
It is said the Uranus feared the Cyclops due to their great strength but more so due to the weapons they had.

26. Hecatoncheires 50 Headed & Hundred Hands
Another offspring of Uranus and Gaia were the Hecatoncheires. These three large sons had 50 heads each and 100 hands. They were large, ugly creatures who had great strength.
Hect or hecta in Greek means “hundred.” Can you think of another word that has hect or hecta as the root? Hectograph, hectogram
Their names were Briareus, Cottus, and Gyges. They used their many hands to transmit tremendous energy and cause earthquakes.
Uranus was disgusted with his offspring especially the Hecatoncheires because they were so destructive. He feared that they may use their powers to overthrow him so in a fit of rage, he confined the Hecatoncheires and the Cyclops to Tartarus to be locked up forever.
Gaia was not pleased that her children were taken away from her.

28. The Titans – powerful ones
The Titans were born huge and powerful like the Hecatonchieres, but they were not as hideous in appearance and uncontrollably destructive.
The image is that of Atlas.
Today we commonly refer to things of strength or power as a titan. Can you think of other words which have titan as a root?
The titans were often referred to as the elder gods.

29. Cronus, Rhea, Oceanus, Tethys, Hyperion, Mnemosyne, Themis,
12 Titans
Cronus, Rhea, Oceanus, Tethys, Hyperion, Mnemosyne, Themis,
Iapetus, Coeus, Crius, Phoebe, and Thea were the children of Gaia and Uranus…of these, Cronus was the youngest and considered the wiliest.
Uranus grew distrustful and fearful of his offspring. He had the Hectoncheires and the Cyclops confined to Tartarus but it was the Titans that he had to fear.
Gaia grew restless and upset that her children were kept from her so she went to Cronus to ask for his assistance in rescuing her children.

30. Cronus
After Uranus had banished many of his children to Tartarus, Gaia sought the help of Cronus to overthrow Uranus and release her children from Tartarus.
Cronus was the only Titan child who was willing to assist his mother in overthrowing Uranus and allow the other children to be free from Tartarus.
The tale is said that Cronus lay in wait of his father till night and then struck him with a sickle castrating his father. From the blood of Uranus came first Aphrodite and then Eriynes came from the blood that fell to the earth. Finally came the Giants.
The Romans called Cronus – Saturn.

31. Cronus attacked his father with the sickle.

32. Cronus (Chronus) Personification of time
In most images of Cronus, he is seen with the sickle (scythe) …and as Father Time, the sickle is still prominent.
Notice how chronos (which means time) is used to create chronology.
Cronus will be associated with harvest, change in the seasons and even death.

33. Aphrodite
After Cronus struck Uranus, some of the blood fell into the sea. A foam appeared and from that foam, Aphrodite emerged fully grown.
Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty. Aphros means ("sea foam") arose Aphrodite.

34. Erinyes
From the blood that fell to the earth came the Erinyes (or Furies). These 3 sisters became the avengers of sin and crime.
The Erinyes are crones (withered old women) with snakes for hair, dogs' heads, coal-black bodies, bats' wings, and bloodshot eyes. In their hands they carry brass-studded scourges and their victims die in torment." It isn't a great idea to mention their names in conversation, so instead you should call them the Eumenides, or the Kindly Ones.
There are three:
Tisiphone, the Avenger
Megara, the Jealous
Alecto, the Unresting
Their purpose was to torment sinners, which they did on Earth as well is in Tartarus. The sight of one could cause insanity, and they often drove offenders to suicide. Originally they punished only offenders of patricide, matricide, or breakers of oaths, but after a while they punished any sins.
They lived in Erebus (Darkness) but traveled the Earth constantly in search of transgressors.
Hesiod’s version did not describe the Erinyes as hideous as some versions. The Erinyes are also known as the Furies and feared for what torment they brought to mankind.

35. A ring nes
One of the Erinyes

37. The Giants
The Giants were large creatures, sometimes described as having serpent feet and a thousand hands.
In some versions, the Giants were the sons of Gaia who were borne with the purpose of assisting the Titans in their battle with the Olympians. The image you see is of the Giants attacking heaven in the battle of the Titans and the Olympians.

38. And now the rest of the Titans…
Remember…there were 12 Titans born to Uranus and Gaia…6 boys and 6 girls.

39. Rhea
She became the wife of Cronus and the queen of the universe. She is the Titaness of fertility.
She along with Cronus will create the Olympians.

40. Oceanus and Tethys
Oceanus – the Titan of the unending stream of water that encircles the earth.
Tethys – Titaness, wife and sister of Oceanus. Together they produce the rivers and the sea nymphs.

41. Hyperion & Thea
Hyperion - the Titan of light and the father of the sun, moon, and the dawn.
Thea (Thia) – a Titaness and wife of Hyperion.

42. Themis - Titaness of justice and order
Themis - Titaness of justice and order. She is the mother of the Fates and the Seasons.
Iapetus – Titan who was the father of Prometheus, Epimetheus and Atlas.
Coeus - the Titan of Intelligence.

43. Mnemosyne - the Titaness of memory and the mother of the Muses.
Crius – Little known of this Titan.
Phoebe – Titaness of the Moon.
These are the offspring but not all of the Titans. This first generation of Titans ruled for many years and came to be known as the Golden Age. They had many children who were also said to be Titans.
Following the dethroning of Uranus by Cronus it is said that Uranus either Uranus died from his wound or fled from the earth. The rest of the Titans then ruled the earth.
Unfortunately for Gaea, Cronus behaved as his father had before him and in fear of losing his position as supreme ruler, he kept the Hectonchieres and the Cyclops locked up in Tartarus.
Gaea prophesized to Cronus that some day one of his own would overthrow him.

44. Rhea and Cronus
Cronus had taken each of his five children and swallowed them to prevent them from overthrowing him.
Keep in mind that as a god, he or she would be immortal and therefore, would not die. Like his father, Cronus did not one of his own to overthrow him, so by swallowing his children, they could do him no harm.

45. The Golden Age
As Cronus ruled with his siblings; this was a period known for harmony and no wars. A great time for humans –
The Golden Age

46. They ruled from Mt. Othrys in central Greece
The Age of the Titans
They ruled from
Mt. Othrys
in central Greece

47. Review
Genealogical Chart

48. Offspring of Gaia

49. Offspring of Gaia and Uranus

50. The war between the Titans and the Olympians.
Titanomachy
The war between the Titans and the Olympians.
Stay tuned!

51. Vocabulary Words Theos- Cosmos- Theogony Cosmogony -gon -ology Chaos
Ge-
Eros –
Tartarus

52. Vocabulary Words cont. Cyclops (Cyclopes) Titan Hecta Furies Chronus
Scythe
-ess
Titanomachy

53. Characters
Gaia
Uranus
Cronus
Rhea
Zeus