Narrative
The Earth started out so young and innocent. It was full of life, including luscious plants and curious animals, and had a daily cycle of day and night. Everything was going as it should be, with the Gods enjoying their life above. They had control over what happened on the Earth but felt as though something was missing. The Gods wanted more entertainment to keep themselves happy and busy throughout the day. Soon after, mortals were created, which were similar to the Gods except they came with no special powers. Mortals were controlled by the Gods and had their fates decided for them but proved to be difficult to control. They valued their freedom and valued improving their society. Mortals were created with nothing except the Earth they were born on and wisdom in their head. It was with their wisdom that mortals were able to advance their societies to a point where motorized vehicles and industries began to take over the Earth. The population of mortals grew out of control, out of the control of the Gods. Mortals were able to think for themselves and make their own decisions and fates. They decided that if mortals were able to create a society out of nothing, similar to how the Gods created mortals, then they were just as worthy as the Gods and therefore, there should be in charge of their fate. Unknown to mortals, the fates had already been decided for them and this was the last straw. The Gods were angry and it was determined that something had to be done. The world slowly started to change after this. The ocean levels started rising, the ice in the arctic had started melting, and the weather had started to become aggressive. The Gods were angry and were doing everything they could to stop mortals from advancing any farther in society. Many mortals assumed they had polluted the Earth too much that mother nature was mad about this mistreatment. Weather became unbearable, with Earth temperatures constantly rising, oceans were producing more tsunamis than before, and the lightning from thunderstorms were becoming out of control. This symbolized the rage of the three most well-known Gods. Many pleaded with the Gods to help them but had no luck. The Gods had created global warming as a way of putting mortals in their place. This showed just how powerful the Gods were and how dangerous it is to underestimate them.
Analysis
One of the things mentioned in the narrative above is the creation of mortals. Prometheus was the person who created mortals using the tools of the Earth, such as fire and mud. They were created because it was time for the world to include more creatures other than the Gods. Prometheus is also referred to as being crafty, relating to how he created mortals on Earth (Hesiod, Works and Days. 3.42). The significance of Prometheus is that he created all mortals on Earth and mortals are the reason that the Gods create global warming. It is a story of how global warming was created but humans being created contributed significantly to the plot of the story. Prometheus is also known as a trickster, constantly deceiving Gods, such as Zeus. Zeus is not always fond of Prometheus and has punished him before for his behaviour, like when he stole fire and gave it to mortals on Earth (Hesiod, Works and Days. 3.42). This is similar to how Zeus punishes the people on Earth for the way they behaved.
Another thing that is worth pointing out is the mention of mother Earth. In Greek Mythology, the mother of the Earth is known as Gaia, or Gaea, and she is the reason people are able to survive on Earth. She allows for plants and animals to grow due to her “fertile seasons” and is the mother of all life on Earth (Orphic Hymns. 25. To Gaea). She is referred to as the basis of the Earth, growing all the food people need to live. The purpose of referring to Gaea in the narrative is because people disrespected the Earth by polluting it, leading to the problem of global warming. Gaea is considered the mother of the universal, meaning she would have created the first Gods and the first humans (Orphic Hymns. 25. To Gaea). By polluting the Earth, people on Earth are essentially destroying the one person who created everything. Not only is it disrespectful to Gaea, but it is disrespectful to all Gods. Global warming shows the Gods coming together to punish mortals for what they did to their mother. It is one of the reasons the Gods have for creating global warming.
A common theme mentioned in the narrative is the idea of fate. The idea of fate is personified into three women, who are called Atropos, Lachesis, and Clotho. The Fates, also called moirai were created by Zeus in order for mortals to experience evil as well as good (Hesiod, Theogony. 14.901.). The Fates ensure that mortals are still under the control of the Gods by having their lives planned out for them, each of them to die at a specific time. It is understood that having control of other people’s fate is the greatest honour that Zeus could have given (Hesiod, Theogony. 14.901.). The Fates can be described as “ruthless” and “avenging” (Hesiod, Theogony. 4.211), with the Gods themselves sometimes being subject to their destinies. This can upset the Gods sometimes, especially Zeus, with not being able to control everything all the time. By having fate be personified, it just shows the amount of power the Gods have over mortals, even if fate is not actually controlled by the Gods themselves. The idea of the Fates was chosen for this narrative because the humans are doing things on Earth that make the Gods upset, and they have to do something that makes the Gods so mad, they will want to do something about it, and they do this by deciding they want to decide their own fates. The whole idea of the myth is that mortals, who were created by Gods, no longer want to do things their way, and the Gods retaliate by creating global warming on Earth. The narrative also highlights how important the idea of fate and control is to the Gods, and it shows the importance of consequences when fate is not properly followed through. This is the second reason the Gods have for creating global warming.
A final thing that was mentioned in the narrative was about the weather that was occurring from the wrath of the Gods. The weather that was occurring was tsunamis in the ocean, lightning storms, and the Earth heating up. Each of these correlates to a certain God, specifically the three sons of Chronos. The lightning storms are due to the God Zeus, who got control of the sky, including the Heavens, clouds, and air (Homer, Iliad. 15.184-200). He is known for creating and scattering thunder storms all over the Earth, with his lightning bolts referred to as “dreadful darts of fire” (Orphic Hymns. 18. To Zeus of Thunder). The tsunamis are due to Poseidon, who got control of the ocean and is referred to as mover or shaker of the Earth due to his bad temper. His oceans span from continent to continent, covering the Earth and the waves obey his every command (Orphic Hymns. 16. To Poseidon). Finally, the third son, Hades, got control of the underworld, located under the Earth and became the lord of the dead (Homer, Iliad. 15.184-200). Hades is responsible for the warming of the Earth from the inside, with people often thinking of the underworld as a place filled with fire. Together, the three brothers each have control of a certain domain of Earth and are responsible for the weather that is ravaging the Earth. The purpose of this is to show how the Earth is almost entirely controlled by these three Gods and it shows the extent of their powers. It also shows that everything that happens before life, during life, and after life is mostly due to these three Gods. While they may not control the fates of people, they do control how people would live their lives.
References
Hesiod, Theogony. 4.211, 14.901.
Hesiod, Works and Days. 3.42
Homer, Iliad. 15.184-200
Orphic Hymns. 14. To Zeus., 16. To Poseidon., 18. To Zeus of Thunder., 25. To Gaea.