Théogonie (Hésiode)

See also: Théogonie

The Théogonie (in Greek old Θεογονία / Theogonía ) is a work of the Greek poet Hésiode (eighth century BC), written in hexameters dactylic. She plays a founder part in the development of the Greek Mythologie.

The term comes from the name Θεός / theós which means “god” and of the verb γεννάω / gennáô which means “to generate”. It is thus about an account of the origin of the gods.

Subject

The poem tells the birth of “the crowned race of Immortal always alive” (the v.  105). It opens by a long invocation with the Muses, often copied thereafter:

Hésiode tells initially the circumstances of its vocation: the Muses visited it whereas it made feed its herds on the slopes of Hélicon. They gave a branch of bay-tree to him, and ordered to him to sing the history of the immortal gods. The only condition that they impose on this gift of poetic clairvoyance is to celebrate them at the beginning and the end of each one of its songs, which it does at once by a quadripartite anthem:

  1. the Muses have as a function to delight the heart by Zeus;

  2. Birth and appearance of the Muses on the Olympe;
  3. Muses, inspirers of the kings and the poets;
  4. Invocation.

It evokes then the emergence of the reign of Zeus.

At the beginning is the Chaos, universal state of indistinctness, followed by Gaïa (Earth), Érèbe (Darkness) and Eros (the Desire, principle of the beginning and the origin). From these divinities first is born the natural elements (the Nuit, the Jour, etc) and from many allegorical divinities (the Sommeil, the Mort, etc).

In parallel, of the théomachies (battles between gods) see Zeus seizing the power on the Immortal ones, and driving out the creative old forces of disorder (the Titans and the Géants). Zeus reconciles in him the force (“it has in hand the thunder and the blazing lightning”, v.  706-707) and intelligence (it swallowed Métis, goddess of the intelligence crafty one). Its reign is based on justice, as symbolizes it its weddings with THEMIS, goddess of Justice and the Law, with whom it generates Legality ( Eunomia ), Justice ( Dikè ) and Peace ( Eirenè ).

Homère and Hésiode

Homère and Hésiode is both regarded as the fathers of Greek mythology. Their poems use same the towards and the same language. Whereas Homeric work carries naturally towards the gods of the light, Hésiode in the Théogonie turns more to those of the shade. At the end of the poem, Zeus takes guard of sparing thus well the old powers like Hécate or Styx. There one could recognize the influence of mythologies of the the Middle East, in particular the Mythe S Hittites (legends of Kumarbi and Ullikumi), Babylonian or akkadien (poem Enuma Elis ).

The théogonies of Homère and Hésiode comprise many differences. Thus, at Homère, Zeus is elder wire of Cronos, as Poséidon underlines it on several occasions. It is its seniority which ensures its capacity and its domination on the other Immortal ones. On the other hand, at Hésiode, Zeus is the third wire. It is its victory over his/her own father who ensures his domination.

See too

Related articles

Random links:Droga de la verdad | Melted neuchâteloise | Chavannes-of-wood | Rothenburg (Lucerne) | Pelagie queen | Porsche 934 | Banlieue_noire_de_Gerrish,_Michigan