The Myth
When clever Prometheus stole fire back from the gods and gave it to the humans, he also gave them some power over nature. Fire allowed them to warm themselves, cook the animals they hunt, and to make tools.
However, fire would also give rise to a problem that the gods could not anticipate.
So for now, Aphrodite watched, roaring with laughter, as Zeus and Hephaestus fought after Prometheus stole fire from Hephaestus’s workshop.
“Hephaestus, you idiot! Why the frig would you leave your damn workshop unlocked?!”
“It’s not my fault you can’t keep Prometheus in line! What kind of a ‘King of Gods’ are you?!”
Aphrodite’s tears of laughter fell from Mount Olympus, mixing with the newly created products of combustion to create the goddess of Greenhouse gas, Thermokipíou.
In other words, Thermokipíou was born from divine fire and the goddess of love. It was therefore in her very nature to fall in love with Helios, the fiery god of the sun, and to be stunningly beautiful like her mother. Through her divine parentage, she was born with the power to capture sunlight and absorb heat, and would only grow stronger as greenhouse gases became more concentrated.
So Gaia prophesized: “if Thermokipíou meets Helios, he’ll fall head-over-heels in love with her and let go of the sun-chariot. The sun will move out of control, crashing into earth and Mount Olympus. You all remember the mess with Phaeton, don’t you?”
All the gods were horrified as they recalled the near-complete destruction of the world. To prevent a similar catastrophe, Zeus demands that Demeter and Aether stop Thermokipíou from reaching Helios. While Demeter orders her trees to consume some of the greenhouse gases, Aether captures the rest in the atmosphere and reflects the sun’s rays. For a while, this solution works and the earth is stable.
But stability is not to Koros’s liking. Bored, the spirit of Greed whispers compellingly into human ears:
“Clear cut the trees! Why use renewable energy when fossil fuels are cheaper!”… and so on.
As humans tear down forests and produce more greenhouse gases, Demeter becomes weak and Aether unable to keep up. On the other hand, Thermokipíou grows stronger every day. She captures her precious Helios’s sun rays and holds on, thus warming the earth. Humans watch, sweltering, as ice caps melt, homes are flooded, and drought and wildfires terrorize.
Clearly, the Gods and Goddesses have yet to figure out what to do. But they better think damn fast, or else.
Analysis
Global warming is driven by the Greenhouse Effect, where gases in the earth’s atmosphere absorb solar energy. Primary sources of these greenhouse gases include the burning of coal, gas, and oil. And so in this aetiology myth, I describe how the Greenhouse Effect came to be by starting at the origins of fire.
When writing my myth, I either took entire stories from ancient Greek mythology, or just parts of them. For example, I took the story of Prometheus stealing fire from Hephaestus’s workshop (Pl. Prt. 320c-322a) and used it to explain the origins of combustion and greenhouse gases. I also extend this existing story by narrating what happens after Prometheus’s theft and punishment. Conversely, I only took inspiration from the myth of Phaeton, the son of Helios, who set the earth and heavens ablaze when he lost control of his father’s sun-chariot (Diod. Sic. 5.23.2). In my myth, the gods fear the same will happen if Helios becomes enamored with Thermokipíou, and so they try to stop her from reaching him. This is why I allude to Phaeton when Gaia says: “You all remember the mess with Phaeton, don’t you?” In both cases, I am acting like the ancient mythographers, who would add to, subtract from, and combine existing information (Morales 23).
Similarly, I retained the ancient Greek motif of prophecy, as gods and humans alike often act in response to foretellings. For example, Gaia prophesized that one of Chronus’s sons would overthrow him. In an attempt to prevent this from happening, Chronus would just swallow his children at birth (Pseud. Apollod. Bibl. 1.6). Because prophecies often serve as a driving force for plotlines by determining how ancient deities act, I felt it an important and useful motif to include. In my myth, Gaia’s prophecy motivates the gods to stop Thermokipíou from reaching Helios, thus explaining why these gases are absorbed by trees and captured in the atmosphere.
To birth Thermokipíou, I exploit the Gods’ ability to asexually reproduce, often through some type of fluid. Examples of such asexual reproduction include the birth of the Furies from Uranus’s blood (Pseud. Apollod. Bibl. 1.3), and the birth of Aphrodite from the sea foam surrounding Uranus’s severed testicles (Hes. Theog. 190). I am merely continuing this tradition of fluid-based asexual reproduction by birthing Thermokipíou from Aphrodite’s saliva mixed with products of combustion. In doing so, I create “biological” connections between Thermokipíou, the goddess of love, and divine fire. These connections explain Thermokipíou’s power of heat absorption, and why her personality is dominated by her search for love in Helios. For the same reason (i.e. to establish a connection between Aphrodite and Thermokipíou), I chose the version of the Prometheus myth where he steals fire from Hephaestus’s workshop (Pl. Prt. 320c-322a) rather than Zeus (Hes. WD. 42). Aphrodite is (unfaithfully) married to Hephaestus (Hom. Od. 8.267), so it makes sense that she would be there.
Thermokipíou is born embodying greenhouse gases, like how Aether embodies upper air (Cic. Nat. D. 3. 17) and Koros embodies greed (Hdt. 8.77.1). So as greenhouse gas levels rise, Thermokipíou grows stronger and is able to capture more heat. In other words, I use embodiment to explain why the Greenhouse Effect is enhanced as our production of these gases increases.
To allow the various gods to interact, I implement dialogue like many other ancient accounts. However, I specifically implement modern informal speech for two reasons: 1) to highlight the modern relevance of the global warming issue, and 2) to highlight the gods’ anthropomorphism in a comical way. By having Zeus and Hephaestus argue in a very informal manner, I make them more human-like than god-like. Zeus’s inadequate godliness is best reflected when Hephaestus exclaims, “What kinda ‘King of Gods’ are you?!”, as Zeus is unable to control Prometheus despite being the “Most High… chiefest among the gods” (Hom, HH 23). Although we might expect a god to be all-aware and all-powerful, the ancient Greek deities do not perceive everything (such as Prometheus’s theft), even when it happens close to them (Kearns 62). This, too, highlights the limits of their godliness. Since classical times, anthropomorphism made the Greek deities relatable to a human audience. For the same reason, I am applying the Homeric anthropomorphic tradition through dialogue and events. We understand Zeus’s anger and Hephaestus’s defensiveness because we may have reacted likewise in a similar situation.
I also highlight the anthropomorphism of Greek gods by having Koros, the spirit of greed (Hdt. 8.77.1), “whisper” into human ears to further damage the environment. This is consistent with the recurring theme of ancient Greek deities “meddling” in human affairs. Because of this meddling, humans may not be solely responsible for their actions. For example, Eros is sometimes blamed for Helen’s abduction (Thgn. 1. 1231). Similarly, Koros convinces humans to do more environmental damage for his own entertainment. On the one hand, Koros appears almost human-like in his boredom and desire to “meddle” among humans. But at the same time, he is god-like in that he is able to make humans do destructive things without being aware of his presence. Once again, the human qualities make the god relatable to a human audience. But, I also retain godly influence on mankind because it is mainly this power difference that distinguishes humans from gods.
As for how the gods in my myth interact with humans, it depends on the time period. In ancient Greek myth, gods and humans often communicate indirectly through prayers, sacrifice, oracles, etc., or directly through visions and actual encounters (Kearns, 62-63). In both cases, the ancient Greeks exhibit an awareness of and belief in the Hellenic deities. However, in modern times, most people no longer believe in these gods. Consequently, if the Hellenic gods were to speak to us, it would have to be more discreet and one-sided. So in my myth, Prometheus interacts directly with the early humans to deliver fire, while Koros can only whisper to modern humans to put greedy ideas in their minds. In other words, I changed the way gods communicate with humans to reflect modern disbelief in religious Hellenism.
Lastly, my myth concludes with an open, future-oriented ending, whereas aetiological Greek myths often have concrete endings instead. For example, the kidnapping of Persephone ends with her spending one third of the year in the underworld and two thirds among the living, resulting in the creation of seasons (Hom. HH 13). There is no uncertainty in this resolution or possibilities of future change, since the seasons were to remain constant. In contrast, global warming is an ongoing and accelerating issue that may never be solved. So the uncertainty in the line “the Gods and Goddesses have yet to figure out what to do” seemed to me a more appropriate way to conclude. This is followed by “they better think damn fast, or else,” which provides an ominous tone that reflects the severity of global warming.
As Morales notes, “classical myth was – and is – a continuing event: a process rather than a product” (38). With this in mind, I adopt various characters and events from ancient Greek mythology, while also adding some of my own creation, in order to explain the origins of the Greenhouse Effect. I also continue with the existing traditions of asexual reproduction and Homeric anthropomorphism to create the new character and make the gods relatable to a modern audience, respectively. As for literary characteristics, I also add modern informal dialogue and replace the conventional resolution with an open, future-oriented ending, so as to highlight the ongoing relevance of the global warming issue. Clearly, I innovate and combine inspirations from Greek mythology to create this aetiological myth of my own. In doing so, I take part in the “continuing event” of classical mythology.
Works Cited
Cicero, De Natura Deorum. Translated by Rackham, M. A. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 1933.
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History. Translated by Oldfather, C. H. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 1939.
Herodotus, Histories. Translated by Godley, A. D. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 1920.
Hesiod, Theogony. Translated by Evelyn-White, H G. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 1914.
Hesiod, Works and Days. Translated by Evelyn-White, H G. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 1914.
Homer, Homeric Hymns. Translated by Evelyn-White, H G. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 1914.
Homer, Odyssey. Translated by Shewring, W. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 1980.
Kearns, Emily. “The Gods in the Homeric Epics.” The Cambridge Companion to Homer. Edited by Robert Fowler, Cambridge University Press, 2004, pp. 59–73. https://doi.org/10.1017/ CCOL0521813026
Morales, Helen. “Contexts, then and now.” Classical Mythology: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2007, pp. 19-38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780192804 761.003.0003
Plato, Protagoras. Translated by Lamb, W. R. M. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 1967.
Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca. Translated by Frazer, J. G. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 1921.
Theognis, Fragments. Translated by Gerber, E. G. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 1999.