Draft:Greek Creation Myths

• Comment: Most of this is already discussed in more detail at Greek mythology and Theogony. It would be better to discuss a possible split of a creation myth article there. Chaotic Enby (talk · contribs) 03:13, 9 October 2024 (UTC)

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In Greek mythology, the creation myth, or the cosmogony myth, tells the story of the beginning of the universe. There are several variations of this beginning in Greek mythology though they all share a similar structure. These multiple versions can be due to the nature of the storytelling of myths and epics in Ancient Greece. Stories were passed down orally between generations and stories would naturally shift and change with each telling.

Theogony by Hesiod:

One of the earliest iterations of the Greek cosmogony myth was by the Greek poet and philosopher, Hesiod . A prolific poet, his work Theogony serves as one of the most important references for the origins and genealogy of the Greek mythological figures. Theogony begins with Hesiod being called upon by the Muses, daughters of Zeus and goddesses often associated with the arts, who begin to tell him about the creation of the universe. This iteration of the myth of creation is the one that shows up most prevalently in modern depictions of Greek mythology and helped to inform the writings and stories of future generations.

The Titans:

The universe begins with Chaos(personification of the emptiness before creation) and then Gaea, the earth, and Eros representing love. Hesiod describes how Gaea creates Uranus, the sky, and her son, to be a perfect match to her. They initially have 12 children together; Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, Theia, Rhea,Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Tethys, and, Cronos. Their first 12 children are known as the Titans. After the birth of the Titans Gaea and Uranus had 6 more children, the three Cyclopes, and the three Hecatoncheires. Uranus despised the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires and attempted to hide them inside Gaea. Gaea was furious and sent her children, Cronos specifically, to punish Uranus by castrating him. This section of the poem is known as The Castration of Uranus.

The Olympians:

After punishing Uranus as per Gaea’s wish, Cronos took over as the king of the Titans and made Rhea, his sister, his wife. They had 5 children together who would later be known as the Olympians, Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and later, Zeus. Before Zeus was born, Cronus, paranoid about being overthrown by his children, decided to swallow them. Rhea was furious and hid Zeus, the youngest, in a cave in Crete. Rhea tricked Cronus into swallowing a stone, thinking it was his child.

Titanomachy:

When Zeus was stronger and older he forced his father to regorge his siblings that had been swallowed. Zeus and his siblings who were now free, waged war on Cronus leading to Titanomachy, a war between the Olympians and the Titans. The war lasted ten years and resulted in Zeus and his siblings taking over the universe from the Titans and splitting it up between themselves.

Variations of the Greek Creation Myth:

• In works by Homer, like the Illiad, his depictions of the gods and goddesses vary from those in Hesiod’s work. Namely the two myths depictions of Aphrodite. In Theogony, and therefore most work surrounding Aphrodite, she is described as being born from the white sea foam made by the discarded genitals of Uranus on the island of Cyprus. On the other hand, Homer depicts Aphrodite as being the child of Zeus and Dione, a Titaness.
• In the Orphic religion, a secret sect of ancient Greek religion based around the hero, Orpheus, the universe begins with Chronus, a variation of Cronos, who then creates Aether and Chaos with Adrestiea, the personification of necessity. Chronus combined with Chaos and Aether to create a cosmic egg. From the egg came Phanes, Ericapaeus, and, Metis who were seen as the centers of the universe.