Chapter 1: The Early Gods
Previous Page Table of Contents Next Page
♠ Hesiod, Theogony 383-403
And Styx the daughter of Ocean was joined to Pallas and bore Zelus （Emulation） and trim-ankled Nike （Victory） in the house. Also she brought forth Cratos （Strength） and Bia （Force）, wonderful children. These have no house apart from Zeus, nor any dwelling nor path except that wherein God leads them, but they dwell always with Zeus the loud-thunderer. For so did Styx the deathless daughter of Ocean plan on that day when the Olympian Lightning god called all the deathless gods to great Olympus, and said that whosoever of the gods would fight with him against the Titans, he would not cast him out from his rights, but each should have the office which he had before amongst the deathless gods. And he declared that he who was without office or right under Cronos, should be raised to both office and rights as is just. So deathless Styx came first to Olympus with her children through the wit of her dear father. And Zeus honored her, and gave her very great gifts, for he appointed her to be the great oath of the gods, and her children to live with him always. And as he promised, so he performed fully unto them all. But he himself mightily reigns and rules. Greek Text
♠ Hesiod, Theogony 687-735
Then Zeus no longer held back his might; but straight his heart was filled with fury and he showed forth all his strength. From Heaven and from Olympus he came immediately, hurling his lightning: the bolts flew thick and fast from his strong hand together with thunder and lightning, whirling an awesome flame. The life-giving earth crashed around in burning, and the vast wood crackled loud with fire all about. All the land seethed, and Ocean’s streams and the unfruitful sea. The hot vapor lapped round the earthborn Titans: flame unspeakable rose to the bright upper air: the flashing glare of the thunderstone and lightning blinded their eyes for all that they were strong. Astounding heat seized Chaos: and to see with eyes and to hear the sound with ears it seemed even as if Earth and wide Heaven above came together; for such a mighty crash would have arisen if Earth were being hurled to ruin, and Heaven from on high were hurling her down; so great a crash was there while the gods were meeting together in strife. Also the winds brought rumbling earthquake and duststorm, thunder and lightning and the lurid thunderbolt, which are the shafts of great Zeus, and carried the clangor and the warcry into the midst of the two hosts. A horrible uproar of terrible strife arose: mighty deeds were shown and the battle inclined. But until then, they kept at one another and fought continually in cruel war. And amongst the foremost Cottus and Briareos and Gyes insatiate for war raised fierce fighting: three hundred rocks, one upon another, they launched from their strong hands and overshadowed the Titans with their missiles, and hurled them beneath the wide-pathed earth, and bound them in bitter chains when they had conquered them by their strength for all their great spirit, as far beneath the earth as heaven is above earth; for so far is it from earth to Tartarus. For a brazen anvil falling down from heaven nine nights and days would reach the earth upon the tenth: and again, a brazen anvil falling from earth nine nights and days would reach Tartarus upon the tenth. Round it runs a fence of bronze, and night spreads in triple line all about it like a neck-circlet, while above grow the roots of the earth and unfruitful sea. Continue Greek Text
♠ Hesiod, Theogony 817-19
but Briareos, being goodly, the deep-roaring Earth-Shaker made his son-in-law, giving him Cymopolea his daughter to wed. Greek Text
♠ Homer, Iliad 1.400-406
But you came, goddess, and freed him from his bonds, when you had quickly called to high Olympus him of the hundred hands, whom the gods call Briareus, but all men Aegaeon; for he is mightier than his father. He sat down by the side of the son of Cronos, exulting in his glory, and the blessed gods were seized with fear of him, and did not bind Zeus. Greek Text
♠ Titanomachia fr 3 PEG – Poetae Epici Graeci 1, p. 12 ed. A. Bernabé. Leipzig 1987.
Hesiod says that Aigaion is the son of Ouranos and Gaia. He also says that Briareos, Aigaion, and Gyes are synonymous. Eumelos in the Titanomachy says that Aigaion is the son of Gaia and Pontos, and dwelling in the sea he fought with the Titans. (Transl. E. Bianchelli)
♠ Pseudo-Eratosthenes 3B24 – Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker 1, p. 37, ed. H. Diels and W. Kranz. 6th ed. Berlin 1951.
♠ Pseudo-Eratosthenes, Katasterismoi 27 – Mythographi Graeci vol. 3.1, pp. 33-34, ed. A. Olivieri. Leipzig 1897.
♠ ApB 1.2.1 – Apollodoros, Bibliotheke (Library)
But when Zeus was full-grown, he took Metis, daughter of Ocean, to help him, and she gave Cronus a drug to swallow, which forced him to disgorge first the stone and then the children whom he had swallowed, and with their aid Zeus waged the war against Cronus and the Titans. They fought for ten years, and Earth prophesied victory to Zeus if he should have as allies those who had been hurled down to Tartarus. So he slew their jailoress Campe, and loosed their bonds. And the Cyclopes then gave Zeus thunder and lightning and a thunderbolt, and on Pluto they bestowed a helmet and on Poseidon a trident. Greek Text
♠ Hyginus, Fabulae 150
WAR WITH THE TITANS: After Juno saw that Epaphus, born of a concubine, ruled such a great kingdom, she saw to it that he should be killed while hunting, and encouraged the Titans to drive Jove from the kingdom and restore it to Saturn. When they tried to mount heaven, Jove with the help of Minerva, Apollo, and Diana, cast them headlong into Tartarus. On Atlas, who had been their leader, he put the vault of the sky; even now he is said to hold up the sky on his shoulders. Latin Text
♠ Homer, Iliad 8.478-81
But of thee I reck not in thine anger, no, not though thou shouldst go to the nethermost bounds of earth and sea, where abide Iapetus and Cronos, [480] and have joy neither in the rays of Helios Hyperion nor in any breeze, but deep Tartarus is round about them. Greek Text
♠ Homer, Iliad 14.203-4
when they had taken me from Rhea, what time Zeus, whose voice is borne afar, thrust Cronos down to dwell beneath earth and the unresting sea. Greek Text
♠ Homer, Iliad 14.273-74
that one and all they may be witnesses betwixt us twain, even the gods that are below with Cronos. Greek Text
♠ Homer, Iliad 14.278-79
Hera, failed not to hearken, but sware as he bade, and invoked by name all the gods below Tartarus, that are called Titans. Greek Text
♠ Homer, Iliad 15.225
even the gods that are in the world below with Cronos. Greek Text
Previous Page Table of Contents Next Page
Tags:
Edited by Elena Bianchelli, Senior Lecturer of Classical Languages and Culture, Univ. of Georgia, July 2020
1,403 total views, 1 views today