Purpose Of Hesiod's Theogony

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Theogony’s Purpose: An Analysis of Hesiod’s Theogony
Hesiod’s Theogony serves many purposes. One of his aims was to emphasize the strength of Zeus. Zeus was considered the ruler of all of the gods in Olympus, and was thus, portrayed by Hesiod to have tremendous strength. In Theogony, Zeus overcame countless obstacles to establish his rule. After defeating and overthrowing the Titans in a long battle, Gaea gets angry at his victory and conceives Typhoeus with Tartarus (Hesiod, Theogony, lines 823-826): “Typhoeus had muscular arms, fit for laborious action, \ and the tireless feet of a god of might. Surmounting his shoulders \ sprouted the hundred heads of a terrible serpentine dragon, \ flicking their dark livid tongues.” Zeus not only triumphed in his war against the Titans, but even against the monster conceived by Gaea and Tartarus, showing that he was almighty and deserving of his title as ruler of all the gods of Olympus. …show more content…

Similar to society, in Hesiod’s Theogony, the power initially resides with Gaea—a woman—until she is taken by Uranus as his lover forcefully. It was not until Cronus, Gaea’s son, was conceived, that his mother’s pleas for help were finally heard. Conspiring with his mother, he is the hero that comes to her help and cuts off his father’s genitals (Hesiod, Theogony, lines 171-175): “She hid him, couched in an ambush, and into his hands she delivered \ the sickle, toothed like a saw. Her plot worked out as she planned it. \ When Uranus came to her presence, bringing with him the darkness, and, panting with lust, embraced the mighty body of Gaea, \ from ambush Cronus’ left hand seized the genital part of his father.” The men in Hesiod’s Theogony played very dominant roles. This is no different from modern society where it is perfectly natural for a household, a city, or even a country to be ruled by a powerful male. This was what society deemed

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