Hesiod Theogony Analysis

Like other kinds of succession myth, Hesiod Theogony story tells how the gods came to be and how they established their kingdom in their own ways. Unlike to Uranus and Cronus, who failed to success, Zeus became permanent king of Olympus through his crafty tricks and wisdom. He showed better talent and characteristics than the other two predecessors when it comes to overcome their common destiny that their growing son defeats them and treat his fellow gods and children. As a result, Hesiod Theogony extols Zeus’s superiority to other gods and makes him stand out.

In terms of coming up with solution to threat of each god’s children, Uranus performed worst. He tried to avoid his fearsome children by hiding them away in a cave of Earth (Hesiod,

At the incident of a fight with Titans, which was the crucial factor for Zeus to be king of Olympus among immortals, he attracted strong allies by saying that any immortal who fight with Titans on his side would retain their power and position. In this way, Sytx firstly came to Zeus with her four outstanding children, who greatly contributed to the victory. Thus, Zeus honoured her and granted her special favours. He also made her children dwell with him forever (Hesiod, 700 BCE, P. 14-15). In this way, he fulfilled his promises, showing his great mercy and power. His open-eared characteristic was also one of the great characteristics that led him to victory. On Earth’s advice, he made Hecatoncheires free and brought them as his allies. This is because they were so strong and fearsome monsters that they were imprisoned in Tartarus without any reasons by Uranus. In this sense, Zeus was held in great honor and gained faith from Hecatoncheires and other gods thanks to his generosity. Before the big battle with Titans, he even provided his allies with full sustenance and nectar and he even moved their minds and gave them motivation with his eloquent speech (Hesiod, 700 BCE, P. 22). After gods completed their works and conflicts with Titans, they crowned Zeus as king. In return for their works and efforts, Zeus treated his children and gods with great honours and “allotted them privileges satisfactorily” (Hesiod, 700 BCE, P. 29). Above all, after Zeus defeated Typhoeus born from the Earth, the Earth advised other gods to set Zeus on the throne. The fact that the Gaea who is mother of creation acknowledged Zeus as king emphasizes his steadfast kingship and suitable qualifications as king of