"Theogony"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how although written in the 8th century BC, Hesiod's "Theogony" provides a detailed and authoritative account of the Greek creation myth and how as such, is regarded as a significant primary source of Greek mythology. It looks at how the manner in which the poem organizes and records the origins and chronology of Greek myth and displays connections with the myths of other cultures - ensures that it remains a work of vital importance to the study of Greek mythology. It discusses how although Hesiod's poem charts Greek mythology from the universe's origins with Chaos; through the Titans; to the conflicts between various gods, to the eventual stability achieved by Zeus, its primary relevance as a reference source is in its detailed account of the Olympians.

From the Paper:

"Greek myths, as with the traditional tales of most cultures, were initially passed orally from generation to generation resulting in a great deal of variation, from place to place and from time to time. Hesiod's Theogony is one of the earliest known attempts to chronicle a culture's myths in the permanent and stable form of a written work, and is therefore of immense importance to the study of mythology. Through the medium of poetry, Hesiod constructs a "standard" record of the origin of the Greek world, and a detailed genealogy of the Greek gods. However, it is this genealogical focus that may prove the greatest obstacle to the modern reader, as the construction of Hesiod's poem often resembles that of a list or table of information and possesses no significant dramatic plot."

More papers on "Theogony":

• Book Review # 74762 : "Hesiod's "Theogony"
• Analytical Essay # 87654 : "The Book of Genesis and Hesiod's Theogony"
• Comparison Essay # 103597 : "Transformation of Creation: Hesiod and Ovid"

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