To Conclude..

Overall, this blog has given me a great insight into Prometheus and his actions. It has also shown me that the gods can be seen from many different viewpoints, and in that respect are similar to humans, but act on a much higher level. By looking back at my previous postings I have come to realise that Prometheus’ actions and reasons can be contested. In a sense he wanted to avenge his titan brothers and punish Zeus. He saved mankind from being destroyed by Zeus and taught them how to grow crops and make tools and gave them fire to keep them warm etc. However he decided to do this in a dishonest way, by means of using mortals as a weapon to trick Zeus. When I think about it, Prometheus didn’t really accomplish much in tricking Zeus, because he knew all along he was being tricked. Instead I assume that it was Prometheus’ fate to eventually be chained to the rock for his trickery. In terms of humanity, Pandora opening her jar and releasing all the evils of the world upon mankind was meant to show what separates humans from gods. Gods have everything and know everything and live forever, however humans die, and they have to work to earn their living. But humans have one thing the gods don’t have, and that is hope. Hope that someday their hard work will pay off, or hope that they might get lucky by doing nothing all day. These differences are thanks to Prometheus and his master plan to get revenge on Zeus. Through Prometheus’ actions the human race has made great progress, in terms of technology, which can be seen in modern society. This is all thanks to fire. ‘Before fire, men were no better off than beasts’, explains Dougherty, but with fire, ‘humans will be able to develop the skills and crafts necessary to create a better world for themselves’ [Dougherty (2006): 75]. The bringing of fire may have, in Hesiod’s terms, brought about the fall of humanity from the Golden Age to the Iron Age, but Prometheus himself in Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound, says that before he intervened men lived like animals [Aesch. PB. 442-71]. Therefore Prometheus made them ‘masters of their minds’ [Aesch. PB. 442-4], and saved them from Zeus’ destruction. Also, although Pandora released sickness upon the earth, Prometheus had already taught man how to use medicine, so mankind was not necessarily cursed. Therefore Prometheus had given mankind some great skills during his ‘rebellion’ against Zeus.

In conclusion, the Prometheus myth can be interpreted in many different ways. Ways in which Prometheus and Zeus can be contested as to who is ‘right’ and who is ‘wrong’. I believe that the main purpose of the Prometheus myth is to establish the difference between gods, humans and beasts. Prometheus aided man in becoming free-thinkers, enabling them to rise above beasts. No matter what kind of conclusion you come to regarding whose ‘side’ to choose between Prometheus and Zeus, the ever present conclusion is that Prometheus instils in humanity the human condition, which inevitably separates man from beasts and gods. Hesiod’s Works and Days emphasises the necessity and difficulty of work for mankind, whereas Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound celebrates the technological accomplishments that mankind has been able to make thanks to Prometheus’ gifts. Prometheus helps 5^th century Athenians to think about what it means to be human, and he will continue to do so throughout history.

Works cited:

Dougherty, C. (2006), Prometheus, ‘Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World’, Routledge

Hesiod’s Theogony

Hesiod’s Works and Days

Aeschylus’ PrometheusBound

Prometheus and Fire

While writing this blog about Prometheus, one thing has been on my mind. Despite all he had done to inevitably make life for mankind harder, did any of the Greeks worship him? Well, while going through Dougherty’s book (again), I saw that she had written a section on ‘The Cult of Prometheus at Athens’ [Dougherty (2006): 46]. She notes that Prometheus may have been neglected in other cities, but not so in Athens. The city of Athens honoured Prometheus by linking him in myth and ritual with Athena and Hephaestus. In this chapter Dougherty highlights Prometheus’ association with fire and both its benefits and detriments. The Athenians established an altar to Prometheus at the Academy, which was marked as a starting place for many important processions and events. One of the popular events, of which I am going to discuss in detail, is the Panathenaic festival. This was possibly one of Athens’ most important civic festivals, which included a torch race that began at the altar (located outside of the city) and finished in the city centre by lighting a sacrificial fire. In this blog posting I want to discuss what Prometheus and the gift of fire meant to the ancient Athenians in particular, and also what it tells us about Prometheus.

‘Fire is the foundation of civilised life – it provides mankind with the technology to provide warmth, light, and protection from enemies and the elements – and yet it can also be the source of its total destruction’ [Dougherty (2006): 47].  This description of fire’s uses to mankind is quite disturbing. At the same time it is both a source of security and devastation, therefore it must be handled with care. Fire plays an important role in almost every Greek religious act, yet it also represents divine will by its potential destructive power, and neither in shrines or homes was a fire allowed to die. This brings me to discuss an important influence Prometheus’ bringing of fire had on the Greeks; the Panathenaic festival. In this festival there was a torch race (lampas) which represented Prometheus’ gift of fire to mankind; particularly to commemorate the course he took in order to bring it from heaven to earth. We know that Prometheus stole fire and his it in a fennel stalk, but it wasn’t until the 5^th century that he became associated with the torch. Pausanias describes the torch race and its course as follows:

‘In the Academy there is an altar of Prometheus, and they run from it towards the city holding burning torches. The contest is both running and keeping the torch burning at the same time. If the torch of the first runner goes out, he no longer has the victory, but it belongs to the second runner in his place; but if he too allows his torch to go out, the third runner is the winner, and if everyone’s torch is extinguished, no one gains the victory.’ [Pausanias1.30.2]

By ‘to the city’, Pausanias likely means to the Dipylon Gate and some scholars argue that this symbolises the original arrival of fire to mankind [Dougherty (2006): 53]. Other scholars have suggested that the torch race was run in order to replenish the fire at the Prytaneum, where lighted torches were brought from the civic hearth to individual altars [54]. This way the torch race was to honour all the gods, not just Prometheus. These two contrasting views are interesting, as it seems to me that the Athenians were either honouring Prometheus for his gift of fire, or they were using his gift to keep the rest of the gods placated, for humans suffer because of Prometheus’ trickery. Also sacrifice, fire’s destructive power and divine will come to mind when placating the gods, as Zeus’ thunderbolts could potentially cause fire and devastation, and fire is needed in order to make a sacrifice and appease the gods.

This vase (c. 410 B.C.) shows three runners from the winning team of a torch race. They all wear victory crowns and are pictured with Nike, the goddess of victory. One of the athletes has the torch in his hand and is about to light the sacred fire on the altar. This is the typical kind of scene you would find on a vase during the 5^th century, athletes receiving their prizes during the crowning ceremony. These were popular at the time, and also show how popular the Panatheneia was to Greeks.

From looking at the cult of Prometheus at Athens, it is clear that it did not exist to honour Prometheus, but to celebrate his gift of fire. However he was worshiped along with other gods, specifically Hephaestus and Athena, for his association with fire. Thanks also to Prometheus’ introduction of sacrifice, fire was a way for mortals to communicate with the gods and worship them. Overall this posting has shown how the Greeks used Prometheus’ gift of fire. However they seem to dismiss much worship towards Prometheus himself, and instead use fire to worship all the other gods. I have the impression that the Greeks did this in order to please the gods in using the ‘rebel’ Prometheus’ final ‘gift’ to them in order to reassure them that they worship the ‘true’ king of the gods, and not the trickster Prometheus who was punished gravely for his deeds against Zeus. This proves to me that the Greeks’ fear of the gods was greater than anything Prometheus gave to them.

 

Works cited:

Dougherty, C. (2006), Prometheus, ‘Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World’, Routledge

Pausanias Description of Greece

Information About the Torch Race

Pictures:

Vase of Victorious Athletes

Pandora

In my previous blog posting I discussed Prometheus and Zeus’ relationship and how it affected the development of mankind. At one point in brackets I said how I would discuss Pandora and her involvement in the Prometheus myth, which is exactly what this blog entry is for. The picture I have used in this posting shows Pandora opening the box containing all the evils of the world and about to release them to plague mankind. This represents the beginning of mankind’s troubles in return for Prometheus giving fire to them in an attempt to make their lives easier. When Prometheus stole fire back for mankind, Zeus sent Pandora and her ‘jar of evils’ in exchange, and now the world is a much harder place for mortals [Dougherty (2006):38].

                           ‘Because before that the human race

                           Had lived off the land without any trouble, no hard work,

                           No sickness or pain that the Fates give to men

                           (And when men are in misery, they show their age quickly).

                           But the woman took the lid off the big jar with her hands

                           And scattered all the miseries that spell sorrow for men.’ [Hes. WD. 90-5]

This passage from Hesiod’s Works and Days represents the difference between mortals and gods. Now, mortals had to work for their livelihood, particularly in the institution of agriculture, in order to live. Zeus not only introduces illness, fear and sorrow to mankind, but also hard manual labour. This distinction between mortals and gods is that mortals must work for their livelihood but the gods do not.

Just like at Mekone, when Prometheus disguised the lesser portions of the Ox, Pandora was beautiful on the outside, yet she has a deceptive interior. Dougherty explains that she is created ‘in exchange for fire’, and like it she is ‘always hungry’ [39]. Unlike in the Christian creation story of Adam and Eve, Pandora is created as a punishment for man rather than as a companion [40]. This means that Pandora was similarly a trickster like Prometheus. Zeus offered her as a gift to Prometheus’ slow-witted brother, Epimetheus, whom Pandora essentially tricks by opening her jar of troubles and sickness. However the jar also contains Hope, and with this introduced into Prometheus’ myth emphasizes a characteristic of the human condition: man’s imperfect knowledge of the future [43]. This is another distinction between gods and mortals, the gods have and know everything and mortal men do not; humans only have hope and expectations to guide their choices about the future.

Ultimately from what I have discovered in this blog post and my previous one, Prometheus’ actions in attempting to trick Zeus on behalf of mankind factor in to their separation from the gods and their subsequent difficulties as a result of this. Hesiod seems to read the myth as a fall from the Golden Age, since the actions of his Prometheus, the conception of sacrifice and the subsequent theft of fire, indicates the moment when humans first parted with the gods, and life has been a struggle ever since. This view on the Prometheus myth gives me the impression that he was trying to use the human race as a scape goat for his actions in order to get revenge on Zeus for punishing his brothers.

Works cited:

Dougherty, C. (2006), Prometheus, ‘Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World’, Routledge

Hesiod’s Works and Days

Pictures:

Pandora

The Rebel and the Tyrant

In recent lectures we have been discussing the Sovereign of the Greek gods: Zeus and his relationship with the other gods. Firstly, I will begin by discussing Zeus’ family background. He was the last born son of Cronos and Rhea and succeeded his father by defeating him and ending his tyrannical rule and locked him away in Tartarus. In doing so Zeus became the ruler of the gods and the earth. This brief description of Zeus makes him out to be a saviour, or a ‘sovereign’. In Hesiod’s Theogony, Zeus is shown to be the greatest of all the gods by describing ‘how much he is the most excellent among the gods and supreme in power’ [Hes. Th. 29]. Throughout the Theogony, Zeus is described as ‘great’. This can increase his reputation as a ‘sovereign’. Zeus is also essentially the King of the gods, therefore he demands respect.

                           The painting pictured above is by Christian Griepenkerl, and is titled "Theft of Fire" (1878). It depicts Prometheus stealing fire from the sleeping Zeus and Ganymede and is a ceiling painting in the grand staircase of the Augusteum, Oldenburg. Fire is at the heart of Prometheus’ story, and Prometheus is often portrayed proudly holding a torch. However this particular painting shows Prometheus moments before he steals fire. So instead of seeing Prometheus as the ‘saviour’ of mankind, holding the torch victoriously above his head, we see him as the thief that lies beneath his seemingly righteous exterior. In this posting I will analyse the various representations of Zeus and Prometheus and analyse the overall consequences of their actions.

In class we also discussed how Zeus could be depicted as both a sovereign and a tyrant (Basileus and Tyrannos). He may have freed his brothers and sisters but in doing so at the same time he had to violently overthrow his own father, and he also gave to the rest of the titans’ cruel punishments because they defied his rule. He struck Menoetious with a ‘lurid thunderbolt and sent him down to Erebus because of his mad presumption and exceeding pride’, he burdened Atlas with upholding ‘the wide heaven with unwearying head and arms’, and ‘ready-witted Prometheus he bound with inextricable bonds’ [Hes. Th. 507]. He also struck the titan Typhoeus with a thunderbolt and cast into Tartarus [Hes. Th. 853]. In a sense, the titans saw Zeus as someone who overthrew their ruler, so it would make sense that they would be opposed to Zeus and his siblings, who in a way are different to the titans in that they were called gods.

By comparing Zeus and Prometheus’ relationship in relation to Zeus being viewed as a tyrant, it could be considered that the only way Prometheus could defy Zeus was by tricking him, as he saw with his fellow titans that Zeus was much superior in strength. Therefore Prometheus sided with Zeus in an attempt to gain his trust and deceive him later on. In order to process this theory it is necessary to discuss their relationship from the moment Zeus defeated Cronos up until Prometheus was given his punishment.

                           In Apollodorus, Library, ‘Prometheus moulded men out of water and earth’ [Apollod. 1.7]. He did this at the command of Zeus, and since through the creation of mankind Prometheus has attempted to trick Zeus by various means. Prometheus’ first attempt to deceive Zeus was by giving him unequal sacrifice portions, but Zeus was not fooled by this: ‘Iapetos’ boy, if you’re not the smartest of them all. So you still haven’t forgotten your tricks have you?’ [Hes. Th. 543]. This sacrifice was meant to mark the initial separation between gods and men, but Prometheus covered the flesh innards of the sacrificed Ox with parts of its stomach, while dressing the bones with shining fat for mortal men [Hes. Th. 538-41]. This offers a cultural insight into why mortals sacrifice to the gods, but inevitably keep the best portions for themselves (as the Greeks only ate meat which came from ceremonially slaughtered animals). Zeus retaliates to Prometheus’ trickery by withholding the power of fire from mortals. This way man would be forced to eat meat raw. Hence comes Prometheus’ second attempt; by stealing fire and hiding it in a fennel stalk in order to return it to mankind. In doing this Prometheus was able to teach them various crafts which would make their lives easier and allow them to prosper. Fire helped mankind build stronger homes and tools, to be able to cook raw meat, light up the dark and keep warm in cold winters; therefore Prometheus bringing fire back to mortals at this time greatly aided mankind in becoming superior to the beasts of the earth, which had greater senses, strength and agility. However, in retaliation to Prometheus’ actions Zeus created the first woman, Pandora, and gave her a box filled with disease and sickness and other fears. Pandora ultimately opened the box and released these horrors on mankind, making their lives difficult. (I was originally going to explain Pandora’s part in Prometheus’ myth, but I will leave that in detail to my next posting). Unlike when Zeus battled the Titans, the competition between Prometheus and Zeus is one of intellectual prowess, not physical strength. It can also be seen that through all of Prometheus’ actions in an attempt to better mankind, in the end he granted them more hardships.
                           One source that sets up a powerful opposition between Prometheus and Zeus is Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound. I used this play as the main source in my first posting about why Prometheus received his punishment from Zeus. While Prometheus is being chained to the rock by Hephaestus, we learn that Hephaestus is reluctant to do this, yet as it is at the command of Zeus he must [Aesch. PB. Ll16-17]. This leads me to think of Zeus as a tyrant at this point, because if Hephaestus refused to do as Zeus had asked him he would probably have been punished as well, seeing as he was the only god with the skills to chain Prometheus properly. Dougherty believes that Aeschylus’ poem was designed to show that Prometheus’ failure to trick Zeus ‘consolidates and celebrates Zeus’ power’ [Dougherty (2006): 71]. She also believes that Prometheus’ actions ‘constitute as a rebellion against the cruelty of Zeus’ authoritarian regime’ [71]. Looking at both the play and Dougherty’s ideas, I would agree with this portrayal since considering my brief overview of Zeus’ background and that he overthrew his father, and after going through all the trouble of defeating all the other titans as well, it is expected that he would also punish Prometheus in a cruel way. Therefore I believe that Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound exists to show Zeus exacting his final punishment and consolidating his rule as king of the gods.

The myth of Prometheus in the Theogony functions as part of the poet’s wider strategy to celebrate Zeus’ attainment and consolidation of power. Hesiod describes Prometheus as ‘capable of wriggling out of even the inextricable’ [Dougherty (2006): 32], and his pre-emptive knowledge well prepares him to duel with Zeus in a battle of wits. However, looking at the Theogony, it seems that Prometheus’ story functions as a way of celebrating Zeus’ intelligence. It states ‘no one can deceive Zeus, not even the very clever and tricky Prometheus’ [Dougherty (2006): 32].

‘So it is not possible to deceive or go beyond the will of Zeus: for not even the son of Iapetus, kindly Prometheus, [615] escaped his heavy anger, but of necessity strong bands confined him, although he knew many a wile.’ [Hes.Th. 585]

Within the context of Prometheus being defeated in order to celebrate Zeus’ rule, it could be argued that Prometheus’ function as a trickster figure actually brought humanity sorrow and work rather than any benefits. Unlike portrayals in Prometheus Bound, where Prometheus’ actions constitute as a rebellion, and Zeus is portrayed as cruel, these multiple insights into the characters of Zeus and Prometheus give readers differing opinions. In Aeschylus’ portrayal of the two, Prometheus is seen to stand up for mankind when Zeus was about to destroy them, making him more of a rebel than a trickster for standing up against Zeus’ abuse of power. Therefore it can be said that Zeus needs to be depicted as both a sovereign and a tyrant in order to be understood. Zeus is a King, and hence he needs to be respected and listened to. But he also forced his rule, which can understandably lead some to defy him. The same goes for Prometheus, who is depicted as both a trickster and a rebel. In a sense he acted as a trickster and deceiver for his own amusement, or to prove he was more cunning than Zeus, thus by being selfish he evidently condemned mankind to more pain and hardship. However in another sense Prometheus defied his ‘king’, the sovereign of all the gods and the most powerful, in order to save the human race.

Works cited:

Dougherty, C. (2006), Prometheus, ‘Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World’, Routledge

Hesiod’s Theogony

Hesiod’s Works and Days

Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound

Apollodorus’ Library

Lloyd-Jones, H. (1983), ‘The Justice of Zeus’, University of California Press

Information on Prometheus

Pictures:

Christian Griepenkerl,"Theft of Fire" (1878)

Prometheus the Trickster

In recent lectures we have discussed polytheism vs. monotheism and how Ancient Greek Religion fits into this. Ancient Greek Religion is polytheistic; there are many different gods and goddesses, compared to monotheistic religions such as Christianity, where there is only one God. Other ways of interpreting polytheism include having multiple names for one deity, for example, Athena Parthenos, Promachos, Ergane, Polias, Poliouchos etc. In Prometheus’ case he has many different ‘nicknames’, a word that could be used to describe the nature in which references to him derive, they include ‘trickster’, ‘protector of mankind’, ‘rebel’, ‘culture hero’, ‘bringer of fire’ and ‘thief’. These could be considered more like terms than epithets, as they range from being both positive and negative descriptions. I think these are terms that have been attributed to Prometheus over time in order for us to understand his nature, rather than as being viewed as epithets attributed to an ancient deity.

The theme that I am most interested in discussing is Prometheus as a ‘trickster’. When contemplating the word ‘trickster’, I immediately thought of foxes, specifically from Japanese folklore. Japanese foxes or Kitsune are considered to be trickster foxes renowned for their mischievous metamorphic abilities. Haga concludes in his articles about Kitsune is that the main qualities attributed to this animal and it’s symbolic representations are the same in the East and the West, ‘Just as in English the fox is used as a symbol of craft in foxy, ‘fox-like, and foxiness’ etc., and so the Japanese have Kôgi (こうぎ), suspicion, literally, to suspect like a fox’ [P224].

                           Some interesting facts that link the myths of Prometheus and Kitsune together are that Kitsune love playing tricks; they like to take things and hide them from people. This is similar to when Prometheus stole fire and hid it in a fennel stalk so that Zeus would not notice. Another similarity is that Kitsune balls, or star balls, which are small white-gold spheres and are a Kitsune's most prized possession, as it is similar to their life force in a ball. If a person manages to find a Kitsune's star ball, they would have the ability to control the Kitsune and make it do their bidding. However, Kitsune hate being stripped of their freedom, and when the Kitsune gets its star ball back, there will be serious consequences for that person. The idea of the Kitsune having its star ball taken is comparable to Prometheus being chained to the rock, as they have both lost their freedom. This is an interesting comparison because it compares mythical figures from two different cultures but their features and attributes are very similar.

                           The Journal of American Folklore notes that Aesop’s fable about the fox deceiving the lion has its own counterpart in a Japanese tale, about a fox that made use of a tiger in a similar way [P224]. I feel that these cultural representations of foxes are very similar to how Prometheus is represented in ancient Greek religion and myth. Grottanelli states that ‘the mythical trickster ‘type’ was ‘discovered’ by 19th-century ethnographers in the native cultures of North America, and then artificially ‘found in the mythologies of other ancient and modern societies’ [P117]. Grottanelli believes that these different figures of various mythologies have been thrown together to form a hybrid, which also blurs the understanding of each separate mythology within its specific cultural context [P117], a notion which I believe can clearly be seen in the context of the Japanese Kitsune and the Greek Prometheus.
                           Another fox figure I thought of when imagining a ‘trickster’ is Disney’s Robin Hood. Throughout the film Robin Hood continuously disguises himself in order to trick his enemies. He disguises himself as a fortune teller in order to steal from Prince John, a beggar in order to fool the sheriff to get information, and as a stalk he is able to take part in the archery tournament without being recognised. Prometheus is like this in the way he gives Zeus the flesh innards rich with the fat of an Ox in an offering at Mecone;

For when the gods and mortal men had a dispute at Mecone, even then Prometheus was forward to cut up a great ox and set portions before them, trying to deceive the mind of Zeus. Before the rest he set flesh and inner parts thick with fat upon the hide, covering them with an ox paunch; [540] but for Zeus he put the white bones dressed up with cunning art and covered with shining fat. Then the father of men and of gods said to him: “Son of Iapetus, most glorious of all lords, good sir, how unfairly you have divided the portions!” [Hes. Th. 535-41]

Both Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days talk about Prometheus, and together they present Prometheus as a trickster figure. Hesiod introduces Prometheus in the Theogony as ‘one who dared to match wits with almighty Zeus but ultimately failed’ [Hes. Th. 535-585]. Dougherty notes that Hesiod’s Prometheus, ‘his association with cleverness, trickery and deception, has much in common with the trickster figure that appears in the mythological and folklore traditions of nearly every traditional society – sometimes as a god, sometimes as an animal’ [Dougherty (2006): 33]. Dougherty’s description of a Prometheus in many other cultures relates to the previous association with Japanese Kitsune, both trickster figures and deceivers in their own right. They are also described as ambiguous and anomalous, and even have the ability to shape-shift (Kitsune are also known to take the forms of children and young women to deceive people). Trickster figures usually associate with theft and deception rather than using force or violence. Brown has pointed out that the Greek verb meaning ‘to steal’ (kleptein) really means to remove secretly, and Hesiod’s Prometheus embodies this translation when he steals fire from the gods and hides it in a fennel stalk [Dougherty (2006): 34].

However trickster figures are also portrayed as those who are responsible for disorder and chaos, and are sometimes represented as being dull-witted. This is shown after all Prometheus’ efforts and cleverness; he does not help mankind through his deceptions of Zeus. Not only is Prometheus punished for the theft of fire, but he is also responsible for the suffering of humans and for separating mankind from the ease of the divine world. In this way, Prometheus’ story, in Dougherty’s words; ‘establishes the human world ‘as it is’ – not as it should be’ [Dougherty (2006): 34]. Tricksters usually appear as transformational figures, in which they personify the human struggle to make the world more human. Their tales confirm the meaning of social order through the recognition of that which avoids order. Dougherty expresses that the best way to appreciate the nature of the trickster is to keep them within their own cultural context and by doing this we can discover a lot more about that culture. In terms of ancient Greek culture and Prometheus, his actions both threaten and reaffirm the rules and conventions that constitute archaic Greek culture, particularly the boundaries between humans and gods. Finally, it represents the deception, trickery and the ambiguous nature of the human condition as the Greeks conceived it.

 

Works cited:

Dougherty, C. (2006), Prometheus, ‘Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World’, Routledge

Hesiod’s Theogony

Hesiod’s Works and Days

Information about the Trickster Tale

Information on Kitsune

The Journal of American Folklore, ‘Fox Possession in Japan’, American Folklore Society, Vol.13, No.50, Pp.222-5 (Available on JSTOR)

Grottanelli, C. (1983), ‘Tricksters, Scape-Goats, Champions, Saviours’, History of Religions, The University of Chicago Press, Vol.23, No.2, Pp117-139 (Available on JSTOR)

Pictures:

Kitsune woman

Robin Hood 1

Robin Hood 2

Prometheus Bound For Destruction?

Whilst checking the University Moodle site before my first lecture on Ancient Greek Religion, I come across a cited work by Carol Dougherty titled Prometheus, from the ‘Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World’ series. There were similar books from the series about other Greek deities but Prometheus caught my eye more so than the others. I knew he was a titan, who had been condemned by Zeus to be chained to a rock for eternity, as gods and titans are immortal. That is about as far as my insight into Prometheus went before deciding to write this blog about him. In my previous post I listed the main topics about Prometheus I would like to talk about. Some may have their own posts and some may tie in with lectures, similarly I may link lectures together in order to explain one part of Prometheus’ myth or a specific trait of his.

Firstly, however, I would like to begin by looking at Prometheus’ punishment and why he is subject to it. Some of the ancient texts I will be using to help describe how Prometheus earned his punishment are Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound, Hesiod’s Theogony and Apollodorus’ Library. I feel that using these sources will not only provide information about Prometheus’ circumstances, but also give us an idea of how contemporary Greeks viewed Prometheus’ story.

Apollodorus states in Library I.vii.1 that 'Prometheus moulded men from water and earth and gave them also fire, hiding it from Zeus in a fennel stalk. But when Zeus learned of it, he ordered Hephaestus to nail his body to Mount Caucasus.' This brief description tells us what Prometheus did to anger Zeus and how he was punished, but it leaves the reader asking many questions as to why Prometheus went behind Zeus' back and why he was punished in such a way. Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound gives some insight in to these questions. The play opens with Prometheus, Strength, Violence and Hephaestus entering the stage. Strength begins by telling Hephaestus to nail Prometheus to a rock, as commanded by Zeus. Strength continues by briefly stating why Prometheus deserves his punishment: 

‘- an offence,

Intolerable to the gods, for which he now must suffer,

Till he be taught to accept the sovereignty of Zeus

And cease acting as champion of the human race.’ [ll7-10]

Zeus is the King of the gods; therefore he must be obeyed no matter what. Prometheus is under the command of Zeus as he decided to side with him against Zeus’ father, Cronos, and even gave council concerning the imprisonment of the rest of the titans. Yet after all Prometheus had aided Zeus in taking full control, he is punished with being nailed to a rock by Hephaestus’ master handiwork. The offence Strength is talking about is Prometheus’ gift of fire to mankind. He hid it from Zeus in a fennel stalk and gave it to man because Zeus wanted to wipe out humans and create a new race, but Prometheus ‘pitied mortal men’ (l240), which is why he gave them hope, in that they would believe that they could create better lives for themselves, and in giving them fire they were able to create tools in which to advance their society and improve their way of living, as before Prometheus gave them these gifts they were; 

‘At first

Mindless, I gave them mind and reason.

 … They passed like shapes in dreams, confused and purposeless.

 … Such tools and skills I found for men.’ [ll443-465]

Prometheus states that he pitied man because they were to be eradicated by Zeus. This pity may have come from the way his titan brothers, Atlas and Typhon, were dealt with by Zeus. Prometheus notes that they too received punishment from Zeus because they did not side with him against Cronos:

                              ‘The fate of Atlas grieves me – my own brother,

                              Who in the far West stands with his unwieldy load

                              Pressing upon his back, the pillar of heaven and earth.

                              I pity Typhon, that earth-born destroying giant,

                              … I saw him, all his fiery strength subdued by force.

                              Against the united gods he stood,

                              … Threatening to annihilate the throne of Zeus.

                              … Now, crushed under Mount Etna’s roots, near the sea-straight,

                              He lies, a helpless sprawling hulk.’ [ll347-361]

This leads me to consider all the possible reasons as to why Prometheus chose to defy Zeus, even when he knew that he would be punished. Did he truly defy Zeus because he pitied the human race? Or was it out of revenge for his titan brothers? Did Prometheus wish to give humans the god’s powers of fire so that he could use man in order to overthrow the gods somehow? He is described as ‘the champion of the human race’, so did Prometheus wish to be worshipped above Zeus? Prometheus’ name means ‘forethought’, something Strength mocks him for in Aeschylus’ play, as Prometheus knew he would be punished for his actions. Yet he did it anyway. Prometheus knew that Zeus could not kill him. He speaks in Prometheus Bound as if he never liked Zeus to begin with; ‘For great Zeus I care less than nothing’. This leads me to assess his nature as a ‘trickster’, which I will discuss in a future blog entry.

‘Though he was angry, he ceased from the wrath which he had before because Prometheus matched himself in wit with the almighty son of Cronos.’ [Hes. Th. 535]

Works cited:

Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound and Other Plays, Trans. Vellacott, P. (1961), Penguin books Ltd, Pp20-52 (Online version in Perseus)

Apollodorus’ Library

Dougherty, C. (2006), Prometheus, ‘Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World’, Routledge

Hesiod’s Theogony

Ideas for blog topics

As you can see, my chosen deity to discuss in this blog for the Ancient Greek Religion module is Prometheus.
After some brief research I have chosen a few topics which I would be interested in discussing.

They are:

• How Prometheus is represented in various works such as Hesiod's Theogony and Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound.
• What did the Greeks think of him?
• Did he deserve his punishment?
• Prometheus' gift to mortals
• Gift of fire and the Olympic torch
• Prometheus' influence of humanity
• Prometheus the Trickster
• Claim to be the greatest god
• Ironic? Is he not a 'champion for man'?
• Titans compared to the Olympian gods
• What it meant to the Greeks
• Why are Titans not worshipped like the Olympian gods?
• Olympian or Chthonian?
• Religion or myth?
• Prometheus' family
• Parents
• Brothers (Atlas)
• Son(s)
• Prometheus, Epimetheus and Pandora
• Punishment of the Titans
• Comparison with the Christian religion
• Fire compared with the Tree of Life and Death in the Garden of Eden
• Depiction in art/literature/movies
• Doesn't appear in physical evidence often
• Why didn't the Greeks worship him over the Olympians? Was it out of fear?