How the World and Mankind Were Created

How the World and Mankind Were Created

First there was Chaos, the vast immeasurable abyss, outrageous as sea, dark, wasteful and wild. • This took place long before the gods appeared, the the dim past, there was formless confusion brooded over by unbroken darkness. • While there was chaos, while no one ever tried to explain how it happened, two children appeared. They were born into the darkness.

These two children were Night, which was the child of Chaos. And Erebus, which was the unfathomable depth where death dwells. • With the creation of these two children, all was black, empty, silent, and endless.

From darkness and death Love was born, and with its birth, order and beauty began to banish the blind confusion of chaos. • Love created light with its companion, radiant Day. • What took place next was the creation of the Earth, but as well as the birth of Night and Erebus, no one explained how it happened, it just did.

Following the creation of the earth, came the creation of heaven • With the coming of love and light, early storytellers were setting the scene for the appearance of mankind. And natural forces began to have distinct shapes.

The first creatures who had the appearance of life were the children of Mother Earth and Father Heaven. These two were known as Gaea and Ouranos. • They were monsters. Just as we believe that the earth was once inhabited by strange gigantic creatures, so did the Greeks. • But unlike we believing the dinosaurs, the Greeks believed these monsters were somewhat like men but also unhuman.

Gaea and Ouranos had shattering and overwhelming strength, similar to an earthquake, hurricane and a volcano. • Despite the Greeks looking at these creatures as living beings, they make them unlike any form of life known to man. • There were other unhuman beings other than Gaea and Ouranos. • Three more of these creatures were given the name of Cyclops. • Cyclops’s had one huge eye in the center of their forehead.

The last unhuman beings were the Titans. There was a significant number of these. They were not inferior to any other being but they also, they were not purely destructive. • One Titan, after man had been created, saved man from destruction. • Titans along with the other unhuman beings were considered children of Mother Earth, but it was odd that they were considered the children of Heaven. • The father of heaven, was said by the greeks to be very poor.

The father of heaven everything especially the creatures that were created that did not resemble any human form despite them being his children. • Each child that was born was imprisoned in a secret place within the earth. • The Cyclopes and the Titans, however, he left alone. • Mother Earth was not happy at the maltreatment of her children and went to them to help her overthrow the father.

Only one Titan was bold enough to help his mother. That Titan was Cronus. • During his attempt to overthrow his father, he wounded him terribly. From Cronus’s father’s blood, arouse the Giants and the four race monsters. From the same blood. The Furies were also born. • The Furies purpose was to pursue and punish sinners. • As time went on, all monsters were driven from the earth, But not the Furies. As long as there was sin, they would remain.

Following the overthrowing of his father, Cronus and his sister-queen, Rhea, became lords of the universe. • As time goes on, Cronus and Rhea have children. Cronus learns that one his children was destined to overthrow and dethrone him. This child is named Zeus. • In attempt to prevent this from happening, Cronus swallowed his children as soon as they are born.

When Rhea bore Zeus, who was her sixth child, she succeeded in having him carried off to the island Crete. Rhea tricked Cronus into swallowing a large stone by wrapping it in clothes, which he assumed it was Zeus. • When Zeus was grown, he returned to dethrone his father. There followed a terrible war between Cronus, helped by his brother Titans, against Zeus with his five brothers and sisters. • This war almost wrecked the universe.

The titans were conquered. The reason behind the God’s victory was due to Zeus releasing a hundred handed monster. • Also, the Titan Prometheus (who was very wise) sided with Zeus. • Zeus treated the Titans very terribly. Thy were bound in chains in Tartarus. The lowest pit in the earth.

Atlas, Prometheus’s brother, suffered the worst among the titans, to bear the strength of the crushing world. • Bearing this burden he will stand forever before the place that is wrapped in clouds and darkness.

Even after the titans were conquered, Zeus was not completely victorious. • Earth gave birth to her last and most dreadful of all of her offspring, Typhon. He was a flaming monster with one hundred heads who rose up against all gods. • But despite this threat, Zeus got thunder and lightning under his control. And with his power, he struck Typhon down. • Despite the Titans being defeated, they tried one last attempt to overthrow Zeus, but the Gods were much stronger and had the help of Hercules. They were pushed back down to Tartarus.

After the war between the Titans and Gods was finally over, the world was now ready for mankind. And there is more than one story on how mankind was created. • The first story says that it was delegated by the gods to Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus, before making men, they gave all the best gifts to the animals (strength, swiftness, courage and shrewd cunning, fur, feathers and wings). No good was left for men. • Prometheus then took over the task of creation and made mankind superior, giving them a more noble shape than animals. He made them upright like gods. Then we went to the sun, lit are torch and brought down fire.

In the second story, the gods themselves created men. • They made first a golden race. This race was mortal, but they lived like gods without sorrow of heart, far from pain. They were rich and beloved of the gods. • The gods then created the silver race. This race was very inferior to the golden race. They had very little intelligence that they could not keep from injuring each other. They were also mortal. And unlike the golden race their spirits did not live on after them.

The race below both the Golden and Silver race was the brass. • The brass were terrible men. They were very strong and they loved war and violence. They completely destroyed each other by their own hands. • The next race doesn’t have a name, but they were a splendid race of godlike heroes who fought glorious wars and went on great adventures which men have talked about them through all the ages. When they died, they lived in perfect bliss forever.

The fifth race, the Iron race, lived in evil times and their nature has too much evil that they never have rest from the turmoil and sorrow that fills their lives. • As the generations of the Iron race pass, they grow exceedingly worse. • Sons are always inferior to their fathers. • Once every man in the generation no longer feels anger or misery of their wrong doing, Zeus will destroy them.

Despite these two differ, they agree on one point.. And that is that only men were upon the Earth. There were no women. • It wasn’t until Zeus created woman when he grew so angry at Prometheus for caring so much towards men. • Prometheus not only gave men fire, but he also thought that men should get the best part of any animal sacrificed, and the gods would get the worst.

Prometheus loved man so much that he played a trick on Zeus. • Prometheus cut up a great ox and wrapped up the good eatable part in the hide, disguising them further by piling remains of the animal on the top. • Beside this pile, he put another pile of all bones, dressed up with cunning and covered with shining fat. • He made Zeus pick between the two. • Zeus picked up the white fat and was angry at Prometheus.

Despite his anger, Zeus chose to abide by his choice. Leaving the fat and bones to the gods and the good meat to the humans. • Following this, Zeus made a great evil for men, a sweet and lovely thing to look upon, in the likeness of a shy maiden… and the gods gave her gifts. • This woman was Pandora, which means the gift of all. • Zeus only created Pandora, creating the race of women only to be evil towards men, and with a nature to do only evil.

Another story about Pandora is that the source of all misfortune was not her wicked nature, but only her curiosity. • The Gods presented her with a box into which he put something harmful, and forbade her to open it. • But Pandora, like all women, was possessed with curiosity, She had to know what was in the box and opened it.

In attempt to close the lid after realizing what she had done, it was too late. Out Flew plagues, sorrow and mischief for mankind. • The only good thing that came out of opening the box was hope.

Prometheus found out what Zeus had done to men, he was furious. And the ruler of the Gods had much planned for Prometheus. • Prometheus’s punishment was that he shackled with chains to a large rock and will have no sleep. Along with this punishment, an eagle would appear everyday and tear out his liver.

Despite the first two creation stories, there is a third account of how mankind was created. • All over the earth, mankind grew so corrupt and wicked that Zeus was determined to destroy them. • He decided he would send a flood and called upon his brother, the sea god, Poseidon, to help him. It had rained for nine days and nine night. Once the flood took over and small wooden chest came along which contained two human beings, a man and a woman. • They were Deucalion and Pyrrha. He was Prometheus’s son, and she was his niece, the daughter of Epimetheus and Pandora

Despite two humans surviving Zeus’s attempt to destroy all humans. He was not offended by this. Solely because Deucalion and Pyrrha were faithful worshipers of the gods. • Following the flood, Deucalion and Pyrrha were the only two living creatures in a dead world. • Thanking the gods for their survival, they also prayed for help in the dreadful loneliness. • A voice responded to have them “Veil their heads and cast behind you the bones of your mother” • Deucalion and Pyrrha agreed. As the rocks fell, they took human shape. They were called the stone people. Their responsibility was to rescue the earth from the desolation left by the flood.

How the World and Mankind Were Created