The Destructive Power of Love in Hesiod's Theogony

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The Destructive Power of Love in Hesiod's Theogony

Love is one of the most fundamental forces at work in Hesiod's Theogony.Ê Personified as Eros, Love is one of the first gods to appear.Ê Although he is parentless and fathers no children of his own, he plays catalyst to the reproductive creation of the world.Ê Just as the world is not perfect, however, so Eros is not an entirely benevolent power.Ê He affects all beings indiscriminately, which results in the proliferation of monsters and dark forces.Ê He is also persistent in his work, continuing to facilitate the production of new gods who threaten the established ones, causing tensions, rivalries, and all out war.Ê In fact, we find that Love?s creative power is the root cause of a lot of problems.

The most obvious destructive result of love is its role in the creation of both harmful powers and vicious creatures.Ê Echidna, daughter of Keto and Phorkys and great-granddaughter of Night, is one such monster.Ê Hesiod describes her as ?half fair-cheeked and bright-eyed nymph / and half huge and monstrous snake? (298-299).Ê Despite her dark nature, she is not immune to Eros? lure.Ê She ?[lies] in love / with Typhaon, that lawless and dreadful ravisher? (306-307) and ?[bears] a harsh-tempered brood? (308).Ê Evil begets evil, and the children of Echidna and Typhaon faithfully follow their parents? inclinations.Ê The best-behaved child of this union turns out to be Hades? fifty-headed watchdog Kerberos, who, despite being gainfully employed, is ?a stubborn and unspeakable creature?and shameless eater of raw flesh? (310-312).Ê The others, including the Hydra of Lerna and fire-breathing Chimaira, as well as the offspring Echidna bears to Orthos ? the Sphinx and the Nemean Lion ? are...

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... match? (896).Ê Instead of waiting for the dangerous son to be conceived and born, Zeus opts to prevent the creation of such a son in the first place.Ê While Metis is still pregnant with Athena, he tricks her and ?lodge[s] her in his belly? (891).Ê Kronos succumbs to Love?s pressure and continues to produce children with Rheia; Zeus sacrifices his lust for Metis and renders her inaccessible. By evading Love?s creative element, he eliminates the possibility that a new rival could destroy his power.

The focus of Eros? force is creativity ? he always brings new things into being.Ê However, he has a great deal of destructive potential through this creative tendency.Ê His uniform urgings result in the births of both wonderful gods and dreadful monsters.Ê In the Theogony, as many Greek texts, Love is a double-faced entity who is neither entirely good nor entirely evil.

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