Prometheus Story: Full Story
Summary:
Prometheus and Epimetheus were spared imprisonment in Tartarus because they did not fight with the Titans in the war against the Olympians, and thus they were given the responsibility of creating man. It was the job of Epimetheus to give all the creatures on Earth their qualities, however when he got to man all the good qualities were already given out. As a result, Prometheus gave mankind the ability walk on two legs and also gave them fire. Zeus ordered that humanity must sacrifice a portion of animal to the gods However, Dues was tricked and in his anger over the trick, he took fire away from man. However, Prometheus lit a torch from the sun and brought it back again to man. Zeus was once again angry that man once again had fire. Zeus, however, was angry for three reason: being tricked about the sacrifices, stealing fire for man, and refusing to tell Zeus which of Zeus's children would dethrone him
Prometheus and Epimetheus were spared imprisonment in Tartarus because they did not fight with the Titans in the war against the Olympians, and thus they were given the responsibility of creating man. It was the job of Epimetheus to give all the creatures on Earth their qualities, however when he got to man all the good qualities were already given out. As a result, Prometheus gave mankind the ability walk on two legs and also gave them fire. Zeus ordered that humanity must sacrifice a portion of animal to the gods However, Dues was tricked and in his anger over the trick, he took fire away from man. However, Prometheus lit a torch from the sun and brought it back again to man. Zeus was once again angry that man once again had fire. Zeus, however, was angry for three reason: being tricked about the sacrifices, stealing fire for man, and refusing to tell Zeus which of Zeus's children would dethrone him
Analysis:
- Which parts of the story may be true?
- A part of the myth which may be true has to do with a similarity between human creation through Prometheus and through God in the Bible; For example, Prometheus created humanity from the mud of the Earth and life was then breathed into them, this same thing is seen in the Book of Genesis as " for dust you are and to dust you will return. Another part which may be true is the animal sacrifices the people performed in order to please the gods, this is true because it has been seen in many civilizations where sacrifices were performed to receive blessings from the gods.
- Which parts may be exaggerated?
- Some parts in this myth that may have been exaggerated is the gifting of fire to humanity from the sun and the punishment of humanity where Zeus gives the Earth all its evils. The myth states that Prometheus gave humanity fire by lighting a torch from the sun and giving humanity fire, some truth in this may be that the first fire might have come from the sky, but through natural disaster like lightning striking the earth and causing a fire. This myth also states that as a punishment the Earth was given all evils known to man including: greed, plague and all sorrows. However, all these characteristics can be attributed to human nature, which is always present in our world as a result of humans always wanting to be the best and most powerful.
- Which parts may not be true at all?
- Some parts of the myth that may not be true at all is the fire that was "taken" away from humanity and how Prometheus was chained to a mountain to be tortured by an eagle pecking at him for eternity. The reason as to why fire being taken away from humanity is not true at all is because when anything is introduced into the world, specifically fire which occurs when substances combine chemically with oxygen and combust, it can no longer be taken back. Some truth to this maybe that primitive humans forgot how to make fire and thus the reasoning behind this was it was taken away. Lastly, Prometheus being chained to a mountain to be eternally tortured is completely false because no one is immortal besides God.
- Myth’s importance to modern society?
- This specific myth is important in modern society because it allows us to compare the creation stories from many different religions. As a result, we can better understand how humans came onto the Earth because most of these stories contain similarities, such as that humans were created from the dust/mud of this earth and that animals were created along side humans. Also, many stories depict a higher being creating the world as we know it and many times a story or myth is used to explain unexplained or natural phenomenon.
- Has the story been adapted in some way, shape, or form?
- Yes, this myth has been adapted throughout the ages and one big factor to this is oral tradition. In the ancient world, most stories were passed down by word of mouth through families or storytellers, because there was no way to record it. As a result of passing down a specific story through generation after generation, the stories usually tend to switch around the wording or way of presenting it; the storyteller can also play a crucial role in the changing of this. However, even if through oral tradition a story is changed, the main topics/themes always stay intact.
- Are these myths used to explain something in modern society? If so, how?
- Yes, many myth were once used by the Ancient Greeks to explain to them any unsolved or unnatural event, however in this case it happens to be the creation story and origin of fire. The creation story is explained to us by this myth because it tells us that humans were created by Prometheus out of clay and then breathed into life by Athena. This myth also explained to early humans the phenomenon of fire and its origins on Earth, this fire was said to be brought down from the Sun by Prometheus himself, seeing as it is vital to the survival of humanity.