HW2/Lecture 3: The Birth of Zeus

Pt1: Birth of Zeus

Who are Zeus’ parents? And what other offsprings did they have?

Kronos and Rhea, who is also a Titan

Hades and Poseidon

Pt2: Birth of Zeus

What did Kronos do will all his children? And why? How did Gaia help Rhea? How did Zeus grow up?

Kronos swallowed all six of his children whole because Gaia foretold him that one of them would overthrow him. In desperation, Rhea gave birth to her last child, Zeus, in the mountains. When she asked Gaia for advice, she told her to present a rock wrapped in a baby-like way to trick Kronos.

Zeus grew up safely in the mountains and freed the Cyclopes.

Pt1: Zeus against the Titans

Who was fighting this battle?

Third generation (Olympian gods: Zeus and his five children) vs. Second generation (Kronos and his 12 Titans)

Pt2: Zeus against the Titans

What category are these battles?

Cosmic battles that usually happen at the beginning or the end of time

Pt3: Zeus against the Titans

This battle was ____ vs ______

Nature vs culture

The second generation was closer to Gaia and associated with nature

The third generation was genealogically associated with culture and humans

Pt4: Zeus against the Titans

The Greek myth had how many cosmic battles?

Two cosmic battles that brought an end to generational conflict

Pt1: Cosmic Battles

What was the first cosmic battle called? Who fought alongside Zeus?

The Titanomachy

Since Zeus freed the Cylopes who were imprisoned in Tartarus, they became loyal to Zeus, and gave him his signature weapons: the lightning bolts

Pt2: Cosmic Battles

How long was the war and what was the progress?

Ten years of the twelve titans and the six Olympians, and it was still a stalemate

Pt3: Birth of Zeus

What was the decisive moment of the Titanomachy? What happened to the Titans?

Gaia reminds Zeus that there are other monsters, the Hundred-Handers, in Tartarus that can help him and the third generation. Zeus freed them and they fought alongside Zeus to successfully defeat the Titans after the war

The Titans are locked away in the underworld

Pt1: Gaia’s last stand

What is the role of Gaia? Who did she help in the Titanomachy? What is the plot twist?

She is very important in the beginning of Greek myth, and she was linked to every change

She helped her grandson, Zeus, against her son, Kronos, and thus lets the third generation be in charge over the second

Plot twist is that Gaia turns against Zeus for some unknown reason

Pt1: Cosmic Battle 2

What was this battle called?Who was this led by and why? Who is also fighting alongside them?

Battle was called the Gigantomachy

Gaia because this is her last attempt to retain power

She uses the giants she hid away (Greek giants are snake-form because they believed snakes were part of the earth)

Pt2: Cosmic Battle 2

What is the prophecy of the Gigantomachy? What problems does that arise?

Needs a human (believed to be Hercules) to defeat the Giants, but there are no humans yet?

Pt3: Cosmic Battle 2

What creature does Gaia create? Why? Who won the Gigantomachy?

She made an offspring with Tartaros to make a creature with snakes growing out of his body that makes a lot of different wild animal noises

This was her attempt to gain more power

The Olympians defeated Typhoeus

Pt1: Gaia why?

Why did Gaia turn against Zeus? What is this an example of?

No agreed-upon reason

“mythic gap” —> phenomenon that will occur frequently where there is no clear reason why there is a shift in allegiance —> encourages artists to make new versions

Pt1: Conflict between generations

What is the pattern? And how does it make it distinctive to Greek mythology?

Pattern: son overthrows father

Distinctive because Greek are conflicts between generations, while other world stories have conflicts within the same generation (brothers vs brothers)

Pt2: Conflict between generations

What does it mean there is no primogeniture?

There are no legal privileges to the eldest son

Pt3: Conflict between generations

Why did the Greek do this?

Depends on different approaches

• Psychological —> humans need to overcome their parents

• Comparative —> existed before and was carried over to Greek

Pt1: Zeus’ first marriage

Who was his first of seven wives? What is the meaning of her name?

Metis, a titan

Means cunnning, wisdom, and knowing what to do (not trickery like Gaia)

Pt2: Zeus’ first marriage with Metis

What did Gaia and Ouranos tell Zeus?

They told him that Metis will bear a daughter, Athena, and a fated son who will be the king

Pt3: Zeus’ first marriage with Metis

What did Zeus do to Metis? What is this a parallel of?

Zeus swallowed Metis when she was bearing Athena (parallel to Kronos eating the rock)

Pt1: Zeus and Metis

How was Athena born? What are her characteristics?

Athena came out of Zeus’ head and have Zeus’ characteristics

Pt2: Zeus and Metis

What happens to Metis and her son? What did this put an end to?

Metis remains inside and no son was ever born

This made sure a fourth generation never existed, and puts an end to generational threat

P1: Zeus’ next wife

Who is his next wife and what does their marriage symbolize? What does her name mean?

Themis

Their marriage establishes culture over nature (no longer having sex with siblings and leaving that behind for the first/second generation)

Themis means “right,” having a sense of what is right

P1: Is Zeus a just king?

What is the plot difference between Hesiod and Homer?

Hesiod: Zeus was chosen as king by the other gods and the influence of Gaia

Homer: draw lots where Poseidon, Hades, and Zeus split who got authority over what. Poseidon —> Sea, Hades —> Tartaros, Zeus —> Heaven