CLA 2323 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Oceanus, Erebus, Theogony
2 Mar 2017
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Document Summary
Cosmological theory - way of telling such stories. Earliest surviving example of greek cosmological speculation - hesiod"s poem theogony. Theogony - its themes are violent, desire & ultimate victory of olympian divinities under the power of zeus. At the beginning everything was chaos - means chasm . Then gaia (earth) & eros (sexual love) came - their principles become prerequisite for all acts of procreation. Nigth (after union w erebos) produced aither (something between ligth & air) and day. Ouranos (sky) brought mountains & pontos (sea) Later development of story - includes race of divinities known as titans. Among here were okeanos (ocean, river encircles the world), kronos, cyclopes & hundred-handers. They are the youngest & most devious of gaia"s offspring. So he hid them away from presence of earth (this explains part of ouranos behaviour) Thus, earth (gaia) & heaven (ouranos) were indissoluble whole. Gods do not voluntarily surrender power & that power don"t diminish w/age.
