GREEK MYTHOLOGY - THE CREATION OF HUMANKIND

Lucas Cranach the Elder, The Golden Age

Unlike many cultures, ancient Greece did not have a single story narrating the origins of humanity. Greek myths mention several attempts at creating humans, or mortals as they were known. Three of these attempts failed before the current race of humans finally emerged, although it is not clear who is responsible for their creation. However, the origins of key cultural skills, such as fire-making, are firmly attributed to the Titan Prometheus, who is portrayed as a friend of humanity.

THE MYTH

The first attempt at creating a human race took place when the Titans, led by Cronus, ruled the cosmos. The result was the Golden Race, a group of people who lived an ideal existence without work or ageing, and for whom life was one long feast. When the people of the Golden Race finally died, their death was like a peaceful sleep. Nevertheless, it left the Earth unpopulated. Intent on filling up the void, the Olympians created the Silver Race, who lived for a long time but grew very slowly to maturity. Their children were brought up carefully by their mothers, and spent one hundred years as babies before reaching adulthood. However, they turned out to be dull and unintelligent people, fighting continuously among themselves, and once they became adults they tended to die quickly.

THE GOLDEN AGE

During the Golden Age, the world was ruled by Cronus (known to the Romans as Saturn). It was a time of peace and tranquillity, as there was no war or injustice, and the Golden Race did not have to work because enough food was readily available from plants and trees. In later eras, the Golden Age became a byword for a time in the distant past when things were much better than the present. The idea of the Golden Age became fashionable in the Renaissance (c.1350–c.1550), when Italian artists and writers rediscovered the culture of ancient Greece, and this Classical era became a favourite subject for painters.

These qualities, together with their refusal to worship or even respect the gods, exasperated Zeus, so he banished them to the Underworld. Zeus then crafted a new race out of clay. The people of this race wore bronze armour and used tools made of the same metal, so they were called the Bronze Race. Like the Silver Race, they were aggressive and destroyed themselves in ruthless battles. they were aggressive, and destroyed themselves in ruthless battles.

THE HUMAN RACE

Finally, the current race of humans appeared. Some say that the great Titan craftsman, Prometheus, was its creator. Whether or not he actually created humanity, Prometheus certainly became its navigation and medicine, and showed them how to make sacrifices, by keeping some of the meat for themselves and ofering the rest to the gods. Once, the people killed a bull but could not agree on which part to offer the gods. Prometheus cleverly wrapped the meat in the bull’s skin, and the bones in its fat. Zeus chose the bones covered in fat, and became so angry at the deception that he refused to give fire to the humans.

THE THEFT OF FIRE

Taking the side of humanity, Prometheus stole fire from heaven and carried it to Earth so that the people could cook their food and heat their homes. Zeus punished Prometheus for the theft by having him chained to a rock, where an eagle came to peck at his liver every day.

PROMETHEUS BOUND

As punishment for stealing fire from the gods, Zeus had Prometheus chained to a rock in a place said to be on the borders of Earth and Chaos. Here, he was condemned to sufer while an eagle pecked at his liver, which constantly repaired itself so that the torture could continue. Zeus decreed that Prometheus should remain bound until another creature ofered to be bound in his place. After thousands of years, a wounded centaur called Cheiron ofered to take Prometheus’s place. When he arrived at the rock, Zeus turned Cheiron into a constellation of stars, while the Greek hero Heracles killed the eagle, ending Prometheus’s agony.

PANDORA

Zeus wanted to punish the humans after Prometheus stole fire for them, so he (or, some say, Hephaestus) created a beautiful mortal woman called Pandora. She married Prometheus’s brother, Epimetheus, who took her to Earth. The gods gave her many gifts, which she kept in a jar. When she opened the jar, it contained plagues and disasters, which condemned humanity to a life marred by misery. The only positive thing in the jar was hope, the sole consolation for the human race.

By Philip Wilkinson in "All About History - Book of Myths and Legends", Jon White editor in chief, Imagine Publishing, UK, 2016, excerpts pp. 20-21. Adapted and illustrated to be post by Leopoldo Costa.

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