Prometheus

Prometheus

Would a person defy a God? A God who is more powerful than them, one who is able to punish and humiliate them for all eternity, would this person still defy him? How about the situation changes to where he is now doing it for someone he loves, someone who he feels the need to protect, someone he loves more than this God, would he still have it in him to defy the all powerful? This is exactly what Prometheus went through, and this is exactly what this Titan did. Prometheus, mostly known for his ability to give mankind knowledge, viewed as the savior of humans, and instructed to sculpt man out of clay, was the Greek Titan of forethought. A popularly overlooked character, Prometheus served major roles in Ancient Greek Mythology, and according to that Mythos, is the reason we are here today. Not many know about him, but what was he to the people of Ancient Greece, who was he to the people who actually believed in him? What is his role in Greek Mythology? Greek Mythology is an interesting subject filled with many great characters, with Prometheus playing a major role.

The origins of the Titan Prometheus are almost non-existent. Little is known about how he came to be other than his family lineage with the Titans. He is believed to be the son of Titan Iapetus, by Clymene, making him a brother of Menoetius, Atlas, and Epimetheus. With the name Prometheus meaning "forethought," his brother’s name Epimetheus meaning "afterthought." This is only the most widely accepted version of the family tree. Some myths claim Prometheus to be a son of Themis, or of Uranus and Clymene, or that of the Titan Eurymedon and Hera (Theoi.com). It is said that Prometheus played a pivotal role in the Titanomachy (war of the Titans and the Gods) and is said to have sided with Zeus rather than his Titan brothers. It is for this reason that Prometheus was one of two Titans spared after the war, and the reason he had the chance to become the savior of humanity (Hamilton 44).

The story continues with his new task, given to him by the new ruler Zeus, being to construct human mortals out of clay and create our species. According to Greek mythology, Prometheus was the creator of man, and as time went by, constantly having to create and care for this creature, the Titan grew fond of humans (About.com). This continued to the point where he loved mankind more than the Gods. Meanwhile Prometheus learned more about the god of the sky Zeus, and became angered and resentful towards him. Soon enough, the Titan was instructed to prepare two feasts, one for the Gods, and one for man. He put out two piles from which Zeus could choose; one filled with the best food, yet the top layer appearing bad; the other filled with horrible food, yet the top layer looking delicious (Hartl 55). It was in this trick that Prometheus got Zeus to pick the bad food so that humans could receive a brilliant feast. Zeus was not pleased, and as punishment withheld “fire” from the mortals. The term “fire” signifies not only actual fire, but knowledge, understanding, and secrets of life. It is then Prometheus stole this “fire” from Zeus and gave it to the humans, granting them the ability to learn mathematics, architecture, literature and begin to form society (About.com).

 Zeus’s temper had finally had enough of Prometheus, and ordered Hephaestus (God of the forge) to chain Prometheus to a rock, where he would be stuck for all time. To add to the punishment, an eagle (some forms of the myth say a vulture) comes down once a day to eat the liver of the great Titan. Due to his immortality, the Titan’s liver regenerates during the night, only to have it be ate again the next day by the eagle (Gill). Next Zeus punished humans, and to do this sent down the first woman, Pandora, to be accepted by man, only to have her bring evil and despair (Stewart). Prometheus would remain chained to this rock until the time Zeus would need a favor. Prometheus being of “forethought” could tell Zeus his future, and Zeus wanted this information. In turn for the information, Prometheus was set free. Yet since Zeus had promised to always have him enslaved, Prometheus was forced to wear a ring of iron and stone around his finger to still be “captured” (some myths also add in a wreath he was forced to wear) (Theoi.com).

The story of Prometheus ends there, but does it really? Prometheus was an icon to the people of Ancient times, and to them he was a savior. So what legacy did Prometheus pass on? One tradition passed on was the iron and stone ring. After the myth of Prometheus, men would wear rings of stone and iron to celebrate and idolize Prometheus. Additionally to the rings, the myths of the wreaths he received are still used today (Parada). People began using wreaths in celebration and victory. Many sports teams in Greece and regions with this background of mythos generally do this after a win in a sports game or similar activities (Theoi.com). Man viewed Prometheus as a savior, and viewed him as the omnibenevolent being to mankind. Even today we have societies named after him, the sixty-first element on the periodic table was named after him, and awards named after the Titan. You don’t even need to believe he was real for Prometheus to have an impact on man.

Most of mythology in the world is based off another myth since originality is hard to come by. So where does Prometheus match up in this, what legacy has he left for mythology? The myth of the creation of humans from clay dates back to ancient Babylonian times, where they believe a goddess Ninhursag created man from clay. It also ranges all the way to ancient Mayans, where their god constructed them from clay. Most mythology actually agrees on the story of mans creation from clay. Now the second most known action of Prometheus was his stealing of the fire, which is also shown in many other mythos also. The stealing of the “fire” and ranges from old Cherokee myth to Polynesion myth (Hartl). It’s interesting how the same story can survive through generations in many different variations.

Prometheus, the Titan of forethought, creator of mankind, and harbinger of knowledge; this Titan played a major role in Greek mythology. Not many knew of this person, but hopefully they will know. Prometheus is a very interesting story of how one would defy another for the ones he cared for, even if that meant his own punishment. Maybe these stories were used to instill the role of sacrifice into our lives, and maybe we could be chained up for the ones we love if forced to.

Works Cited

Gill, N. S. "Prometheus - About Prometheus the Fire-bringer in Greek Mythology." //Ancient / Classical History - Ancient Greece & Rome & Classics Research Guide//. Web. 01 Dec. 2011. .

Parada, Carlos. "Prometheus 1 - Greek Mythology Link." //Entrance - Greek Mythology Link//. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. .

Stewart, Michael. "Prometheus * The Immortals * Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant." //Messagenet Communications Research//. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. .

"PROMETHEUS : Greek Titan God of Forethought, Creator of Mankind ; Mythology ; Pictures." //THEOI GREEK MYTHOLOGY, Exploring Mythology & the Greek Gods in Classical Literature & Art//. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. <http://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanPrometheus.html>.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Hartl, Bruno B. //Prometheus Bound//. MUSA POLYHYMNIA FOUNDATION, 2010. PDF.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Hamilton, Edith, and Steele Savage. //Mythology,//. Boston: Little, Brown and, 1942. Print.