Chapter 3: Myths of Creation

Question 1

Hesiod

Answer 1

• Along with Ovid, is considered one of the two greatest surviving sources for creation myth
• Lived shortly after Homer (ca. 700 BC) and also wrote in verse
• Wrote Theogony, which is a major source of creation myth, and Works & Days, which is mostly about farming but contains some autobiographical information as well as information from the gods
• Hesiod’s father migrated from Asia Minor to Mt. Helicon in Boeotia, where Hesiod composed his works
• Was cheated out of his inheritance by his brother when his father died

Question 2

Theogony

Answer 2

• The earliest recorded version of the Greek creation myths
• Written by Hesiod
• Tells of the creation of the world, the gods, and men
• Opens with praise of the Muses, which is typical of classical works
  
  • Good example of instances where religion and daily life seem to converge in Greek literature

Question 3

Ovid

Answer 3

• A Roman writer who lived centuries after Hesiod (43 BC - 17 AD) but provides a Roman view of the origins of the world, the gods, and men in his Metamorphoses
• In addition to the Metamorphoses he also wrote the Fasti

Question 4

Homeric Hymns

Answer 4

• A collection of 33 anonymous ancient Greek hymns celebrating the individual gods, the earliest of which was written in the 7^th century BC
• Called Homeric because
  
  • They employ the same epic meter (dactylic hexameter) as Iliad and Odyssey
  • They use many similar formulas as the epics (i.e. “laughter-loving Aphrodite”, “grey-eyed Athena”)
  • They are written in the same dialect as Iliad and Odyssey

Question 5

Herodotus

Answer 5

• 485-425 BC
• Known as “The Father of History”
• Wrote The Histories