Question

If someone were to ask you, "What is Hesiod's Theogony about?," what would you say? Is there a primary plot or story that seems to drive it? Or to ask that in a different way, how would you tie together the Theogony's stories about battles between the gods, shifting hierarchies among the gods, authority/kingship-among-the-gods, and subordination?

Answer 1

Hesiod's Theogony is the vast, diverse knowledge of local Greek traditions concerning their gods; the inside is passed through narratives that elaborate on how they came to be and how they came about permanent control over the cosmos (Rijksbaron & Albert., 191). The Theogony encompasses the first myth of Greek Cosmogony. Hesiod wrote a poem that described the genealogies of Greek gods and their origin; the poem was written around 700B.C and in the Epic dialect of the original Greek language. Hesiod believed in the stories told about Greek gods and gained interest in finding more about them. The gods were believed to be supreme, with great authority, essential and powerful.

Hesiod noted that the gods monitored men's destinies; it should be as per their will, that harmony and order were enhanced by believing in gods. Differences arose among gods over kingship, shifting hierarchies and subordination. The disputes among the gods were encountered over generations which were between the first to the fourth generation.  The Greek gods were created in human beings' image; though they were gods, they had human traits and were jealous of each other (Huard & Warren., 333). Zeus was king of gods and never respected his wife; he fought other gods to retain the throne; he challenged Typhon and defeated him before being crowned king. The gods like Gaea, Uranus, and Zeus never collaborated, and when Zeus was installed king, others exhibited insubordination.

 

 

 

 

Hesiod's Theogony is the vast, diverse knowledge of local Greek traditions concerning their gods; the inside is passed through narratives that elaborate on how they came to be and how they came about permanent control over the cosmos.