Why do you suppose the Greeks thought that each of these four powers or beings was necessary at the beginning of creation: Chaos, Gaia, Tartarus, Eros?

What is Myth?

1. This chapter describes the various kinds of insights available from mythology—anthropological, metaphysical, cosmological, aetiological, sociological, psychological, historical—and looks for these insights in the stories of the Trojan War. Think of another mythological story you have read that contains a group of these insights (not just one or two). Discuss that myth (story) and justify it within these terms. If you can’t think of a story, search the text and find one to interpret.

2. Oral tradition is the basis of many of the different versions of mythical stories we have today. Because these stories have been written down, we can compare them word for word and pinpoint the differences. In the days before writing was common, however, people just accepted that a story told today by a storyteller was the same as the story told last week(or years ago) by the same storyteller. They even accepted that different storytellers were telling the same story if it had the same name and characters. Look for two different variations of a single story in our culture—say, in a movie and its remake, or a TV show and the movie based on it—and discuss their differences and similarities.Consider how much of each version is due to the individual storyteller, the era, or the tradition of the story.

Greek Creation Stories

3. Why do you suppose the Greeks thought that each of these four powers or beings was necessary at the beginning of creation: Chaos, Gaia, Tartarus, Eros?

4. How do these first beings—Chaos, Gaia, Tartarus, Eros—come to be? Does this seem to you to be a good way to start the world? Why or why not?

5. Why does Hesiod think of women (represented by Pandora) as a “lovely evil,” “sheer deception,” and “a great infestation”? What examples does he give of women’s evil?

6. Name some differences between men and gods that are illustrated by this story. Why do you suppose that labor, disease, and death should be the result of women?

7. Explain what Hesiod meant by Chaos. Be sure to give examples. Look back at Chapter 2 and consider how the word “paratactic” would fit into your explanation.

8. What is the significance of this explanation: “And Gaea first of all brought forth an equal of herself, Uranus, the starry Heaven, to cover her about on all sides and to be an ever certain dwelling place for the blessed gods.”