Kaylia Jackson
The gods were angry. This was not the first time
that these humans have failed. But this time they
have gone too far.
When Zeus created humans, they were supposed
to be mere mortal. Fearing darkness and death while
worshiping and bidding to the gods’ will.
At first they were perfect until that blasted titan
Prometheus stole fire and helped the humans to
advance. Cursing the mortals with Pandora’s box,
full of Agony and Suffering, was fun. But, again,
cursed Prometheus aided the mortals with Hope.
His punishment was not enough.
Nevertheless, Zeus allowed the mortals to advance.
During the Heroic Age, he had, along with his
brethren, produced Demigods, blessed by the gods,
numerous and strong.
After they died, the Iron Age, as the mortal Hesiod
called it, had come about. The mortals still practiced
worship for the gods and goddess, and so Zeus did
not interfere.
He allowed for the humans to live, and advance
themselves, and continue to worship the gods.
As all the gods enjoy when the mortal fear and
worship them.
Or at least he had not planned to until they had
taken actions that forced his hand.
When Apollo had mentioned that soon the humans
would soon forsake the gods and place their faith
in technology and sciences, Zeus had been arrogant.
He believed humans to be weak of will and spirit.
Forced to stay silent about their impending doom
by Zeus forcing him to swear on the river Styx,
Apollo was helpless. He could tell the other gods nothing.
Eventually Zeus could stand no more. No longer
did they blindly follow the will of the gods,
as was proper, but they believed their mortal
whims, of science and technology.
Zeus hated the mortals even more than
before for forsaking the gods for what they
believe is right. And he had a plan to accelerate
the impending doom of man.
Heeding Apollo’s word, Zeus used technology
and science to turn man against itself. He created
a plan for the gods. Apollo curse top scientists
with the ability to see that the Earth was dying
but to not be believed.
Hermes created messages on the internet of
global warming, but as a conspiracy not fact.
Apollo unleased a plague upon the people, to
take away more time from scientists.
Aphrodite encouraged more excessive
procreation, blessed with fertility, family and
childbirth from Hera. Athena created enough
strife to encourage fossil fuel usage by
lowering gas prices.
Independently, such small actions would
not do much. Especially against the resilient
titan Gaea, survivor of many wars. Together,
Zeus, and the gods, put forth the steps to
create the pandemic of global warming and
the destruction of life on Gaea.
Analysis
The story starts off with the gods being angry at the actions of the mortals. This is not uncommon as there are several incidents of the gods being upset by the actions of mortals, such as when Athena cursed the once beautiful mortal Medusa, who was raped by Poseidon in her temple, into an ugly hag with withering snakes for hair and a stare that can turn anything that she gazes upon into stone (Ovid, Metamorphsis 4.543-563). This was due to her breaking the vow of celibacy she had made with Athena, a virgin warrior goddess, despite the situation being out of her control (Ovid, Metamorphsis 4.543-563).
Zeus in particular is upset at the mortals, who he sees as being below him, for advancing beyond how much he would have allowed. In the second age of man, the Silver age, the silver beings, described as being slow witted and spoiled, was destroyed by Zeus who took offense at the race of mortals who did not worship and sacrifice to the gods enough (Hesiod, Works and Days 1.145-160). This shows that Zeus, and presumably most of the other gods, enjoy and take pleasure when lesser beings, such as mortals, show respect to their superiors with devote worship and regular sacrifice in their names.
Zeus wanted the mortal beings to struggle every day, working hard lest the find some way to only have to work once a year (Hesiod, Works and Days 1.60-65). That is also part of the reason why Zeus intentionally took fire away from man, using it as a way to stagnate their growth and progress (Hesiod, Works and Days 1.65-70). When the titan Prometheus had returned fire to man in a fennel-stalk, Zeus was very upset and plotted revenge against the humans right away (Hesiod, Works and Days 1.70-76). Prometheus had also tricked Zeus into accepting the bones and fat from animals as a suitable sacrifice to the gods while man received the rest of the animal for themselves (Hesiod, Theogony 1.552-560). However, this was not the first, nor the last, bad thing that Prometheus had done against Zeus to upset him as Prometheus had given humans the ability to survive without the gods. In addition to fire, he gave them the ability to make crafts and he gave them a blinding hope that does not allow them to dwell on their impeding doom and find joy in living (Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 1.245-260).
The story seems to hint at Zeus’ preference towards the demigods in the Heroic age. While Hesiod did not say outright that he had a preference for the demigods, mostly his own half god children, he did bless them after they died heroically with an eternal after life at the ends of the Earth on the Isle of Blest (Hesiod, Works and Days 1.184-194). By providing an eternal paradise for the heroes after their death, Zeus provided special privileges for his children and relatives. On the other hand, the not so blessed Silver generation was just destroyed, there was not special place to house their bodies, or souls, after they died (Hesiod, Works and Days 1.159-162). This shows that while Zeus openly favoured his goddess daughter Athena, he did have a preference for the beings of the Heroic age.
Later in the story, Apollo speaks to Zeus and tells him that he believes that the mortals are going to abandon the teachings and path of the gods in favour of modern science and technological advances. Apollo’s ability to see in the future is mentioned in the story about his and Daphne’s love affair. After insulting Cupid, or Eros, Apollo was unknowing attacked with an arrow that exponentially increased love while also striking Daphne, Apollo’s first love interest, with an arrow that drove away love (Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.455-476). Apollo chased Daphne, who wanted nothing to do with him, and during Apollo’s confession of love, under the influence of the arrow, he explained how he was the god of the seeing into the past, present and future, and how he could predict the future (Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.517-526).
In his arrogance, Zeus tells him off because he does not believe that mortals would ever be able to truly live without the gods. While it is mentioned by Prometheus earlier in Prometheus Bound that the mortal humans could live without the aid of the gods, Zeus shows himself to be quite arrogant in general. Zeus took the form of Amphitryon to have sex with Alcmene, to make her believe that he was actually her husband who was coming back from war (Apollodorus, The Library of Greek Mythology 2.4.8). For Zeus to be able to sleep with, and impregnate, a woman the night before her husband returns from his long journey is a very arrogant thing to do (Apollodorus, The Library of Greek Mythology 2.4.8).
The prediction of mankind being destroyed by Zeus is described by Hesiod in the section Five Ages. Hesiod writes about how when mankind stops turning to the gods for help, stops sacrificing for the gods, and praising them, to live selfishly for themselves, Zeus is going to destroy the world and create a new age (Hesiod, Works and Days 1.215-235). The reason that this could be attributed to global warming is because Hesiod describes the world as ending with people lying and claiming it as truth (Hesiod, Works and Days 1.215-235). He claims that Shame and Nemesis will abandon humans, who will have no protection against evil, and that the amoral action of humans will get the better of them (Hesiod, Works and Days 1.215-235).
Near the end of the story, after Zeus decides to heed the warning from Apollo, he brings together the other gods to destroy and torture mankind. Apollo uses his gift of seeing into the future to make certain humans see their impending doom, but as with Cassandra, he makes it so that no one will be believe the correct predictions (Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1.1202-1213). Apollo is known for the ability to create diseases, plagues, but is also known for healing them as well (Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1.510-514). Usually the gods are known for their inability to ever get along with one another long enough for them to work together, but there are instances in which this has happened successfully. For example, Pandora and her box were created as a joint effort from most of the gods. Hephaestus, Athena, Aphrodite, Hermes, and of course Zeus, created Pandora as a tempting virgin for the titan Epimetheus as a bride, despite the warning from Prometheus to not accept any gift from Zeus and to just return it (Hesiod, Works and Days 1.77-102). The man could not resist the perfect virgin from Zeus and as a result of his actions, Pandora was able to open the box and released upon mankind all the ten thousand, roughly, horrors of the box while trapping hope just under the lid (Hesiod Works and Days 1.110-125).
Bibliography
Aeschylus. “Agamemnon” from Greek Tragedies, Volume 1, David Grene & Richmond Lattimore, ed(s)., 1st edition, University of Chicago Press, © 1992, 4-60. Reproduced with the permission of University of Chicago Press.
Aeschylus. “Prometheus Bound” from Aeschylus I: The Persians, the Seven Against Thebes, the Suppliant Maidens, Prometheus Bound (3rd edition), Richmond Lattimore, et al, ed(s)., University of Chicago Press, © 2013, 311-351. Reproduced with the permission of University of Chicago Press.
Apollodorus. “Heracles and the Heraclids“ from The Library of Greek Mythology, Robin Hard, trans., Oxford University Press, © 1998, 69-95. Reproduced with the permission of Oxford University Pres
Hesiod. “Theogony” from Works and Days and Theogony, Stanley Lombardo, trans., Hackett Pub. Co., © 1993, 23-39. Reproduced with the permission of Hackett Pub. Co..
Hesiod. “Works and Days” from Works and Days and Theogony, Stanley Lombardo, trans., Hackett Pub. Co., © 1993, 23-39. Reproduced with the permission of Hackett Pub. Co..
Ovid. “Excerpts from Metamorphoses” from Metamorphoses, Charles Martin, trans., W. W. Norton & Company Limited. © 2010, 3-27, 223-238. Reproduced with the permission of W. W. Norton & Company Limited.