How the World and Mankind

was Created
 How the World and
Mankind was Created

In the Beginning..
Chaos was everywhere.
It was shapeless, dark, silent and empty.
Chaos had two children named Night
and Erebus.
Love was born from Death and Darkness.
Love was Day and Light.
 How the World and
Mankind was Created

Mother Earth and Father Heaven

Earth was personified as a woman.
Heaven was personified as a man.
Story tellers personified everything that
moved or changed.
Winter, Summer, stars, seas etc.
Vague descriptions
 How the World and
Mankind was Created

Children of Mother Earth and Father

Heaven
Story tellers started getting more precise in
personifications.
Natural forces were described clearly.
Earth and Heavens children were Gaea and
Ouranos.
They were monsters
 How the World and
Mankind was Created

Gaea and Ouranos

First creatures who appeared life like.
Overwhelming strength
Earthquake, volcanoes, hurricanes.
Unlike any vision of humans today
Stories described them like human, yet
unhuman.
 How the World and
Mankind was Created
Other Creatures
Monstrously huge and strong.
Three of them had 100 hands and 50 heads each.
Cyclops
One huge eye, center of forehead, like a big wheel
Gigantic and powerful.
The Titans
Very strong, not destructive.
 How the World and
Mankind was Created

Father Heaven
Was portrayed as a bad father.
Hated the children with many heads and
hands.
He imprisoned them inside Earth.
Cyclops and Titans left to roam Earth.
Mother Earth was upset at this.
 How the World and
Mankind was Created

Mother Earth
She asked for her kids to help her.
She didn’t want her children to keep getting
imprisoned.
Only a Titan named Cronus would help her.
Cronus fought his Father Heaven to end the
torture.
 How the World and
Mankind was Created

Cronus
Went to rule the new found world.
Had kids with his sister, Queen Rhea.
One kid named Zeus (Jupiter)
Cronus ate his children
Didn’t want to be overthrown.
Rhea helped Zeus escape to Crete.
 How the World and
Mankind was Created
Terrible War
Cronus against Zeus.
Titans were conquered.
Earth gave birth to Typhon.
He was the most terrible creature of all.
Zeus gained control of thunder and lightening.
Many attempts to unseat Zeus.
Zeus conquered all attempts and then was ruler
of all.
 How the World and
Mankind was Created
World was now ready for mankind.
World was cleared of monsters.
Was now safe
Earth was thought to be a disc.
Different versions of how people were created
 How the World and
Mankind was Created

Mythological Creation Stories

Version One – Gods delegate creation
The job was given to Prometheus and
Epimetheus by the gods
Epimetheus (afterthought) was a scatterbrain
Always changed his mind
Gave all the good qualities to the animals first
Had no qualities left over for humans
 How the World and
Mankind was Created

Mythological Creation Stories

Version One continued:
Prometheus (forethought) had to fix the
situation
Took over the job of creating man
Found a way to make man better than beasts
Gave man fire to protect
 How the World and
Mankind was Created

Mythological Creation Stories

Version two - Gods create man.
1: Golden Race - Rich and loved by the gods.
2: Silver Race – Little intelligence. Injured each other.
3: Brass Race - Terrible and lovers of war. Destroyed
themselves.
4: Splendid Race – God-like Heroes
5: Iron Race – Currently upon earth today. Live in
evil times and grow evil.
 How the World and
Mankind was Created

Mythological Creation Stories

One common trait between these stories.
No Women.
Prometheus took care of men better than the
gods.
Prometheus cut Ox, separated bones from
meat.
Plate of fat or plate of entrails?
 How the World and
Mankind was Created

The Woman
Zeus created women later because he was mad.
Sacrifices were made with fat, not meat
Zeus wanted revenge
Created woman (called Pandora)
An evil to man
A nature to do evil
 How the World and
Mankind was Created

Pandora's Box
The gods presented Pandora with a box
The box contained harmful things
Pandora was sent to Epimetheus
Pandora told not to open box
Curiosity got the best of her
She opened the box and misfortune came out
Only good to come out was hope
 How the World and
Mankind was Created

Zeus ties up Prometheus

Prometheus knew which son of Zeus would
dethrone Zeus
Zeus wanted to know who the mother would
be
Prometheus would never tell
Zeus binds Prometheus to a rock
Eventually Zeus lets him go
 How the World and
Mankind was Created
One Last Creation Story
Mankind grew wicked
Zeus was not happy with mankind
He called upon his brother, God of the Sea, to flood
the world and kill all people
Only Prometheus’ son, and his niece, survived by
floating in a wooden chest
Pyrrha and Deucalion
Zeus ok with this because these two were faithful
worshippers