Hesiod’s Theogony is a description of the Greek mythology trying to explain the creation of the universe and its composition. This is a poem describing the origins of gods and their complicated and networked genealogies of the gods of the ancient Greeks.
The gods
In the beginning, the creation of the universe and inception of gods is well explained that the world was created out of a god, ‘Chaos’ and the gods began reshaping the cosmos. The mythology accommodated the desire to articulate the reality in the whole form and therefore, the order of forms was visualized before it was an abstractly thought. The origin is a condition of the endless mass subject of no aging or decomposing. Pre-existing principles defined water as a god and believed that there were roots and ends of the earth, sky and the sea. This first principle consisted of forms of permanent nature which were conserved and transformed the generation in it. The gods provided important and well-established basis of creation which was an immutable, indestructible, and eternal arrangement of things.
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According to Hesiod, in the beginning, Chaos, meaning nothingness enabled the occurrence of the first forms of existence spontaneously. Then came ‘Gaia’ representing Mother Earth, ‘Eros’ representing desire, ‘Tartarus’ representing the underworld, ‘Erebus’ representing darkness, ‘Nyx’ representing night. Erebos and Nyx reproduced to make Aither representing brightness and Hemera representing a day. From Gaia came Ouranos representing the sky, Ourea representing mountains and Pontus representing the sea. Gaia and Uranus reproduced to make the twelve Titans, three Cyclopes, and the three hecatonchiries which were hundred-headed monsters. Uranus hated the hecantonchiries and banished them to Tartarus. From the succession myth, Cronos overthrew Uranus and fellow Titans and as prophesized Zeus the youngest child of Cronos managed to overthrow his father and is established as the final and permanent ruler of the cosmos (White & Hugh, 1914) .
The Conflict
The Theogony is a description of the succession of four generations of cosmic rulers resulting in the establishment of a final sky-god ruler. This transition is rough and evil as it involved actions of brutal and betrayal nature. The brutality and betrayal of the gods in a manner known to the being created the ordering of things upon the takeover by the final god. The transition consisted of envy, anger, jealousy, hate, and loathing in which sons overthrew their fathers, wives betrayed their husbands, and fathers imprisoned their children. The gods were hungry for power and control causing mayhem and senseless family conflicts. Hesiod describes Gaia as Mother Nature who bears her spouse and children but the father turns against his children and imprisons them due to envy and loathe.
The deeds of Ouranos angers Gaia who compels to revenge for his actions. Gaia plans with her children culminated to Ouranos being castrated and overthrown by Cronus the youngest son. After the shameful act, Ouranus predicts that Kronos will face the same fate and for fear of the prophecy Kronos, devours his children as they are born which angers his wife Rhea. Rhea manages with assistance from the parents to deceive his husband and hide Zeus the youngest in the mountain who grew strong and challenged his father and defeated him. He becomes the final and permanent ruler of the gods who were loyal subjects as he was described as fair and honest (White & Hugh, 1914) .
The Unity
The pattern in the creation of the forms follows a definite path which depicts the order of beings in the beginning and appearance of the gods. This inception involves the creation of the world from god, Chaos and the process follows a pattern of order resulting to living wonder of reality forms, beautiful and harmoniously wholly. The defining principle is the pre-existing condition of interrelated forms which are the roots and ends of the earth, sky, sea, and the underworld. The founded forms were static and secure which provided the gods with an element to offer indestructible, eternal and immutable foundations. The existence of Arche as an element of all things gave a reason for nature to be conserved in its original form of itself. The genealogies of the gods show the union of things from elements of order through a complicated and interrelated pattern to create living things. The origin of cosmos details the behavioral change in the forms after inception. Hesiod was impressed by the need to govern the order in things a shows us a definite pattern at the beginning which surprisingly elaborates the unionism, materialism, and animism (White & Hugh, 1914) .
Thales during 7th century BC claimed that the first element of all things was water. He argued that water consummated the order of beings during the beginning. On the other hand, Anaximander in 6th century BC claimed that the first principle or element is an endless mass which neither aged nor decayed where all things were created and destroyed from.
References
White, E., & Hugh, G. (1914). Philosophy Readings-Theogony of Hesiod.docx.
