Myth
As the south wind blew its scorching midsummer wind towards Mt. Olympus, as it had been for millennia, Notus had been brewing a particularly spiteful storm for those residing atop the mountain. He had brought a thick smog from Athens to the doorstep of the gods that soon blanketed Olympus, shrouding it from view. Outraged at the occurrence of the opaque cloud, Zeus rushed down the steps leading to his throne to consult Notus. “Why have you brought this darkness upon us, Notus?” roared mighty Zeus. “Have you forgotten that I too have a say in the winds?”
“No, my king! Of course not” Notus replied sheepishly. “I have been stricken with this sickness since Athens... it is man who has brought this Stygian cloud, not I.”
“Man? This is nonsense! They could never construct such an obstacle to block a god’s vision. They are lowly beings incapable of such things” Zeus fired back, grabbing a hold of Notus’ tunic. “Should your claim be true, you are free to leave. And if not, I shall add ‘Zeus, God of the South Wind’ to my list of epithets as you will be no more.” As he was no stranger to soot and smoke, Hephaestus, God of the Forge, volunteered to investigate Notus’ claim.
Hephaestus pushed his way through the pitch-black sky and headed south to Athens, leaving a distinct trail behind him as one leg always dragged behind him. Upon reaching the city, it did not take him long to locate the source of the thick black shroud. Sweat dripped from his brow as he gazed upon the billowing smokestacks towering above both him and the city, continuously spewing the same fog that had brought him from Olympus. As he limped towards the imposing double doors to the workshop, Hephaestus heard a voice behind him.
“Hey there, fella! You must be here for the tour!” Hephaestus looked at the man, dressed in a blue polo marked with a distinct “GE” insignia.
“Why yes, I am.”
“Lemme get you some help with that rusty wheel of yours before we begin.” The man came hustling back with a pair of crutches in hand, “take these, we can’t have a guest struggle if we can help it.”
As the tour began, Hephaestus could not believe his eyes. On the premises were multiple forges to rival his own, metal chariots capable of outpacing Hermes, and machines able to outwit Athena. Hephaestus raced back to Olympus to report his findings. “Father, it is true! The cloud originates from man.” He told Zeus of what he saw.
“So... those mortals have finally managed to rival us after millennia. We have no choice but to use their own pride against them.” Zeus asked Ouranos, the sky, to thinly spread the smog across the lands below Olympus. “As Helios gazes upon these mortals, his rays shall be trapped beneath the smoke. If they continue to pursue power akin to ours, they will pay with their lives.”
Analysis
Characters
Zeus
As one of the most well-known characters in all mythology, including Zeus within the narrative was integral in establishing the hierarchy and conflict present in the composition. Described as “Most high” and “chiefest among the gods and greatest, all-seeing, the lord of all” (Homeric Hymns 23), Zeus would likely be in charge of any issues concerning the gods and Mt. Olympus. Additionally, provided with this chiefdom, would be the ability of Zeus to give orders to other gods as seen by his direction of Hephaestus in Hesiod’s Works and Days (60-61) as well as the narrative. With this considered, the foundation for conflict present in the myth took advantage of Zeus’ “all-seeing” qualities using the thick black cloud to obstruct the gods’ view of Earth – enraging the proud king who has been known to meddle in the lives of men (Works and Days 49).
Another trait of Zeus I chose to incorporate into my myth composition was his tendency to inflict harsh punishment upon those destined to usurp him. Apollodorus provides a striking example of this when discussing the events leading to Athena’s birth. Zeus swallowed his first wife Metis after she predicted that after giving birth to a daughter “she would bear a son who would gain lordship of the sky” (Bibliotheca 1.20). This example displays a precedent of Zeus acting extremely harshly to any possible threat to his throne, a trait that was exploited in the aetiological myth. When Hephaestus reports man’s technological advancement to Zeus, the god of the sky reacts quickly and harshly as he interprets the advancement of man as a challenge to his kingship. Resultantly, he enlists the help of other mythological beings (Ouranos) to slowly eliminate man through global warming if their pursuits for his throne continue.
To further incorporate the Theogony into the myth composition and provide more of a traditional family tree of Greek mythology, I included Zeus asking a favour of his grandfather, Ouranos, to spread the smog throughout the sky – of which he embodies along with heaven (Theogony 125-127). Castrated by his own son, Cronus (Theogony 178-189), it is unlikely that Ouranos would be granting any favours to Cronus’ progeny, including Zeus. Due to this complicated family history, I decided to ignore Zeus’ unlikelihood of seeking help from his grandfather in this aetiological tale of global warming to display the true desperation that Zeus was experiencing in the moment.
Hephaestus
Global warming’s status as a side-effect of technological and industrial advancement entirely overlaps with the character of Hephaestus, god of the forge. As a result, I incorporated many traits and epithets central to the god in an attempt to embody the true manufacturing-based origins of the phenomenon. Hephaestus’ epithet of Aethaloïs Theus “sooty god” (Atsma, Hephaestus) designates him as the perfect candidate to break through the thick smog present on Olympus. Hephaestus’ description of himself as “a cripple from my birth” (Homer Odyssey 8.267) combined with the epithet Amphigyeis, the lame one (Atsma, Hephaestus), provided the inspiration behind the dragging of Hephaestus’ leg throughout his journey to Athens. Finally, a comparison of Hephaestus’ forge and those present in Athens was used to demonstrate the magnitude to which the mortals were able to advance industrially. As his own forge was hot enough to make him sweat (Homer Iliad 18.414), the ability of the “workshop” in Athens to induce the wiping of Hephaestus’ brow indicates that, in the myth, man’s creation can indeed rival that of the gods. As a master craftsman possessing the unrivalled ability to complete up to twenty golden tripods at once (Homer Iliad 18.373-379), Hephaestus’ amazement at the quantity of manufacturing projects occurring at the plant during his tour once again strengthens the claim that humans are approaching the abilities of the gods, pushing Zeus to retaliate.
Notus
In the ancient sources, Notus is the personification of the south wind often associated with desiccating winds of the midsummer (Atsma, Notus) as well as the bringer of the humid storms of late summer and early autumn (Orphic Hymns 82). With his history of bringing humid winds northward, Notus was the perfect god to drive the hot smoggy mass of pollution towards Mt. Olympus as Athens, a large Greek city, was along his typical northward trajectory. Additionally, the south wind was often regarded as a destructive as seen in Hesiod’s account of the wind in Works and Days, mentioning “the fierce gales of Notus who accompanies the heavy autumn rain of Zeus and stirs up the sea and makes the deep dangerous” (Works and Days 675-677). Notus’ notoriety as a dangerous wind acts as yet another quality (along with humidity and smog) the wind shares with global warming as a harmful phenomenon, solidifying his association with the aetiological topic of the narrative.
Hermes, Athena
The mention of Athena and Hermes work to establish the human’s accomplishments of rivalling the gods with their technology. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, is hailed as a “gymnastic virgin of terrific mind” (Orphic Hymns 32) and is generally thought of among the smartest of Olympians. Hepheastus’ account of seeing “machines capable of outwitting Athena” is meant to symbolize man’s advancement in the field artificial intelligence (AI). As the herald of the gods, Hermes was blessed with great speed that allowed him to swiftly bring messages to and from Olympus. This speed is further demonstrated by Hermes’ ability to call upon the four winds to swiftly reach a desired destination (Fall of Troy 3.810-814). Once again, Hephaestus’ description of what he had seen in Troy to rival Hermes (likely a plane) aided in solidifying humans as a possible threat to the gods, playing into Zeus’ fear in the myth.
Themes
Xenia
Xenia, the relationship between a host and their guest(s), is an important theme in ancient Greek literature. Demonstrated in Homer’s Odyssey (10.1-27), the Xenia between a host (Aeolus) and guest (Odysseus) involves the provision of gifts and hospitality to those visiting. Aeolus hosts Odysseus and his men for over a month (10.13-14), provides them with a bag of winds meant to expedite their journey home (10.19-24) while also sending his guests home with favourable winds (10.25-26). This theme is displayed in the narrative through the GE worker’s reception of Hephaestus, a man who he likely had never met before. Upon Hephaestus’ arrival at the gates of the industrial plant, the tour guide (acting as a host to guests of the company) instantly welcomes the god to his place of work. Fetching a pair of crutches for the laboured god demonstrates the tour guide’s understanding and practice of xenia as he is actively providing accommodations and hospitality towards a guest. This is further exemplified in the action of a tour as letting a stranger inside your place of work, a place of likely high value to yourself, and allowing them to look upon your works establishes a trust between host and guest. Ironically, as xenia is meant to honour Zeus, this instance of the practice backfired against mankind as their hospitality gave Zeus an insight into their advancements, damning them if the pursuits continue.
Hubris
Hubris, the excessive pride possessed by individuals against the gods and their own capabilities, represents yet another important motif present in the aetiological myth composition. As seen by Odysseus’ actions upon escaping Polyphemus’ cave (Odyssey 9.500-505), a mortal’s hubris will often lead to a downfall. Odysseus’ own hubris drove him to give his true name to the Cyclops so he would know exactly who took his sight, resulting in Polyphemus cursing him with a prayer to Poseidon (Odyssey 9.528-535). This downfall is replicated through man’s own technological advancement causing global warming, a result that could easily result in the downfall of mankind. Furthermore, hubris is often accompanied by strict and often unfair punishment in ancient texts, as displayed in the story of Niobe. Niobe, the queen of thebes, boasted about her many children to Leto, the titan mother of Artemis and Apollo (Aeschylus Niobe). As a result of her bragging, Leto had Artemis kill each of Niobe’s daughters and Apollo her sons (Bibliotheca 3.46), a punishment that far outweighed the crime. This scenario inspired Zeus’ decision in the aetiological myth to have the smog envelop the earth around humans so that their own pursuits would eventually kill them.
Works Cited
Ancient Sources
Hesiod, Theogony 125-127; 178-189
Hesiod, Works and Days 40; 60-61
Homer, Homeric Hymns 23
Homer, Iliad 18.373-379; 18.414
Homer, Odyssey 8.267; 9.500-505; 9.528-535 ;10.1-27; 10.13-14; 10.19-24; 10.25-26
Orpheus, Orphic Hymns 32; 82
Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1.20; 3.46
Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 3.810-814
Secondary Sources
Atsma, A. J. HEPHAESTUS - Greek God of Smiths & METALWORKING. Retrieved March 01, 2021, from https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Hephaistos.html
Atsma, A. J. NOTOS. Retrieved March 01, 2021, from https://www.theoi.com/Titan/AnemosNotos.html
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