Titanomachy and Gigantomachy

1. The Battles of the Gods
Titanomachy
Cronus with brothers and sisters
(except Prometheus, Epimetheus and
Oceanus) fought Zeus to retain their
power.
Zeus being outnumbered set free
the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires
The Titans appointed Atlas, son of
Iapetus, as their military commander –
war broke out for 10 years

2. Zeus , Hades and Poseidon
held a war council, a plot was
laid.
The gods gained victory and
dragged all titans to Tartarus,
guarded by Hecatoncheires
Zeus punished Atlas to stand
forever and bear upon his shoulder
the vault of heaven (Universe)

3. Gigantomachy
Gaia got angry that her children
were imprisoned gave birth to
TYPHOEUS .
Zeus killed the monster using
his lightning bolts and buried it
under Mt. Etna in Sicily.
Zeus final challenge – the
The Giants filed mountain upon
Giants led by Alcyoneus –an
mountain to reach the top but with
enormous monsters with a
the help of Heracles, they were killed.
thousand hands, and snakes for
legs

4. Man’s Prometheus (who foresee) and
brother Epimetheus (who reflects
Creation after the event) were given the
task of creating man and animals.
Admitted to
Olympus but
carried a
grudge Four Ages of Men:
against the
gods • Golden Age
• Silver Age
• Bronze Age
Made man out
• Heroic / Iron Age
of clay and water
(tears)

5. Prometheus
• Gave life to men without Zeus permission
• Cheated Zeus by hiding the best part of the ox
mes
for the men and the gods got the bones and fat
(meeting of gods at Sicyon)
• Stole fire and gave it to men
• Made Zeus angry

6. Pandora’s Box

7. Zeus made great evil for men Given a vase (Pithos)
wherein encased are
plagues, sorrow &
PANDORA mischief – advised not to
“the gift of all” open the vase
Sent as a gift to Epimetheus
Comes the race of
women, who are evil to
men with a nature to do Lifted the lid of the vase and
evil. out came EVIL things
Hermes put perfidy –
betrayal and curiosity in
her heart and lies into her
mouth

8. The Torture of PROMETHEUS
• has to pay for his trickery and theft
• was arrested by Zeus servants
KRATOS – Force and
BIA - Violence
• seized in Mt. Caucasus where an eagle
fed on his liver which grows back
at night
• was tortured for 30, 000 years so
to disclose a secret important
to Zeus

9. • The secret: a son should someday be born
P to Zeus who would dethrone him and
R drive the gods from their home (Thetis
O - sea nymph who was arranged to marry
M Peleus ---- Achilles parents)
E
T • was savedsomeday
by Heracles with Zeus permission
H
E • could not acquire divine immortality unless
U some immortal consented to exchange
S destinies with him.
• The Centaur (half-man half-horse) Chiron
exchange places with him and took
permanent place on Olympus