4: Zeus

Question 1

Zeus’ Coming of Age

Answer 1

• Youngest of all The Olympians
• Zeus rescues siblings and kills Cronus (father)
• Cronus vomits up children: Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter, Hestia. Including stone substitute
• Stone becomes sacred called* Omphalos* = Navel
  -In Apollo’s shrine at Delphi
  -Considered to be centre of Greek world

Question 2

What are the 3 major challenges Zeus faced

Answer 2

1. Titanomachy (vs Titans)
2. Giants
3. Typhon

Question 3

Zeus vs Titans

Answer 3

Titanomachy (*Machē *= Battle)
* 10 year battle between Olympians (young) vs Titans (old)
-Mt Othrys is the HQ of Titans
-Mt. Olympus is the HQ of Olympians

Fighting for Olympians
* Cyclopes released from Tartarus who forged thunderbolts
* 100-handers/hecatonchires released from Tartarus who are the “Uzi machine gun”
* These two nourished on nectar and ambrosia
* Traitors who switched from Titans to Olympians –> symbolism of winning side
-Themis (Rule, Law): name means “right”
-Prometheus (son of Themis): name means “foresight)

The Titans Lose
* imprisoned in Tartarus
* Atlas (brother of Prometheus) condement to support Vault of Heavens to keep Uranus off Gaia –> depicted as Atlas stone

Question 4

Zeus vs Giants Overview

Answer 4

Gigantomachy
* Giants: from blood of castrated Uranus. Snaky lower half
* Prophecy that Zeus needs special mortal assistance –> his son Heracles
* Giants lose and will go back into the Earth and imprisoned in volcanic regions
* Athena (daughter of Zeus) defeats Enceladus
* Enceladus buried under Mt. Aetna in Sicily, which is an active volcano. Symbolized as a giant wanting to get out

Question 5

2 giants vs Zeus

Answer 5

• Otus and Ephialtes, two giants out to destroy Zeus but lost
• separate battle from the gigantomachy
• Plan was to pile 3 mountains on top of each other
  -Mt Olympus
  -Mt Ossa
  -Mt Pelion
  –> saying “To Pile Pelion on Ossa” means to make a challenging task more difficult by piling something on top of it

Question 6

Zeus vs Typhon

Answer 6

• Typhonomachy
• Typhon/Typhoeus/Typahon fire breathing dragon with 100 heads
  -Offspring of Gaia and Tartarus
  -Earth born
• near worldwide conflagration
• Typhon hurled down to Tartarus (doublet of Titans)
• Variant is that Typhon was buried under Mt. Aetna in Siciliy
• Recurring motif: Zeus the Dragonslayer (ruler over all)

Question 7

Meanings of the Machy Stories

Answer 7

• Confused tradition due to oral tradition
• Historial underpinnings: conquest of Indigenous peoples where invaders defeat locals
• Propaganda: the winners are noble and civilized and the losers are monstorous and barbaric

Question 8

The Succession Myth

Answer 8

• Near Eastern Parallels to Theogony (West) → influence from West to East
• Enuma Elish (“When on High”)
  -Babylonian cosmogonical myth
  -God named Marduk (≈ Zeus) challenged by Tiamat (≈ Typhon)
• Kingship in Heaven
  -Hittite version of Rebellion & Succession
  -Kumarbi (≈ Cronus) bites off genitals of Anu (≈Uranus)
• Other Parallels
  Universal Flood sent by Zeus as a punishment
  and Wicked Mortals

Question 9

Folktale motifs seen in the story of Zeus

Answer 9

• Child of Extraordinary Parents –> Gods
• Unusual Conception, Birth & Childhood –> Jung’s Divine Child Archetype
• Close to Nature & Animal –> Raised by Goat
• Upon Attaining Adulthood
  -Numerous Challenges
  -Near-Death Experience
  -Ultimate Success
  -Slaying of Dragon