The Poems of Hesiod
Page 6
raised up, being extremely angry with Herakles. Herakles, the son
of Zeus of the family of Amphitryon, killed the Hydra with his pitiless
bronze, joined by war-loving Iolaos, through the plans of Athena,
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leader of the war host.256
Genealogical Chart 6. The descendants of Phorkys and Keto.
She256 gave birth to Chimaira, breathing deadly
fire, terrible, huge, swift-footed, and powerful. She had three heads:
one of a savage lion, one of a goat, one of a snake, a mighty serpent.
In the front she was a lion, in the back a serpent, in the middle a goat,
breathing out the awful strength of blazing fire. Pegasos and noble
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Bellerophon killed her.
Chimaira gave birth to the Sphinx, the bane
of the Kadmeians, seduced in love by Orthos; and the Nemean Lion,
that Hera, glorious wife of Zeus, raised up and settled in the hills of NEMEA,
a plague to men. Dwelling there he preyed on the tribes
of people, having power over Tretos in the territory of Nemea
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and Apesas, but the might of Herakles overcame him.266
Keto united
in love with Phorkys and begot as her youngest child the dreadful
snake that guards the apples all of gold in the crannies of the dark
earth at its great limits.269 These are the offspring of Keto and Phorkys.
Tethys bore to Ocean the swirling rivers, NILE and ALPHEIOS
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and deep-eddying Eridanos and Strymon and Maiandros and beautiful-
flowing Ister and Phasis and Rhesos and silver-swirling Acheloös
and Nessos and Rhodios and Haliakmon and Heptaporos and Granikos
and divine Aisepos and Simoeis and PENEIOS and broad HERMOS
and the fair stream of Kaïkos and great Sangarios and Ladon
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and Parthenios and Euenos and divine Ardeskos and Skamandros.276
Figure 8. The Chimaira, a monster with the body of a lion, a goat growing from its back, and a serpent for a tail. South Italian red-figure dish, ca. 350–340 B.C., Musée du Louvre, Paris (Photo: Jastrow; https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Chimera_Apulia_Louvre_K362.jpg)
Genealogical Chart 7. Other descendants of Keto and Phorkys.
She gave birth to a holy race of daughters, who care for youths
over the earth, along with Apollo the king, and the Rivers, and they
have this lot from Zeus: Peitho and Admetê and Ianthê
and Elektra and Doris and Prymno and godlike Ouraniê
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and Hippo and Klymenê and Rhodeia and Kallirhoê and Zeuxo
and Klytiê and Eiduia and Pasithoê and Plexaurê and Galaxaurê
and lovely Dionê and Melobosis and Thoê and handsome Polydorê
and Kerkeïs, lovely in appearance, and cow-eyed Plouto, Perseïs
and Ianeira and Akastê and Xanthê and fair Petraiê and Menestho
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and Europê and Metis and Eurynomê and Telesto with the saffron
gown and Chryseïs and Asiê and desirable Kalypso and Eudorê
and Tychê and Amphiro and Okyrhoê and Styx, who stood out
from all the rest.289
These were the oldest offspring of Ocean and Tethys,
but there are many more besides. There are three thousand slender-ankled
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Oceanids, who, dispersed abroad over the earth and the depth
of the waters, in every place serve alike, the glorious children
of goddesses. As many other rivers as there are, babbling along,
the sons of Ocean, whom the revered Tethys bore—of them
it would be hard for a mortal man to tell all the names, but those people
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know who live near them.
And Theia, submitting in love to Hyperion,
bore great Helios and shining Moon and Dawn, who shines for all
upon the earth and for the deathless gods who possess broad heaven.
Eurybia, the awesome goddess, mixing in love with Kreios begot
great Astraios and great Pallas and Persês, who stands out among
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all wise men.301
Genealogical Chart 8. The children of Ocean and Tethys.
Dawn bore to Astraios the powerful winds,
the brightening West Wind and swift North Wind and South Wind,
a goddess lying in love with a god. After these Early-Born bore the star
Dawn Bringer and the shining Stars that crown the heaven.304
And Styx,
the daughter of Ocean, sleeping with Pallas, begot Emulation
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and Victory, with slender ankles, in the house. And Styx begot Strength
and Power, splendid children.307 They have no house apart from Zeus,
nor any seat, nor any path except that whereon the god leads them,
but always they take their seat beside loud-thundering Zeus.
For so did Styx, the deathless Oceanid, decide on that day when
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the Olympian who hurls the lightning311 called together all
the deathless gods to high Olympos, and he said that whoever
of the gods would fight along with him against the Titans,
that they would not be deprived of their reward, but would have,
each of them, the honor that he had before among the deathless gods.
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He said too that whoever was without honor and reward under
the reign of Kronos would receive honor and reward, as is right.
Deathless Styx first came to Olympos with her children through
the devising of her father. Zeus honored her and gave her exceptional
gifts. He made her to be the great oath of the gods,320 and her children
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to live with him for all their days. And just as he promised,
he brought it about fully for all, for he himself reigns and rules
with power.
Genealogical Chart 9. The descendants of Theia and Hyperion and of Kreios and Eurybia.
Then Phoibê came to the much-beloved bed of Koios.
The goddess, sleeping with the god, conceived and gave birth
to dark-gowned Leto, always gentle, sweet to men and the deathless
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gods, gentle from the beginning, the most kindly of those in Olympos.
Phoibê begot the honored Asteria, whom Persês led into his great
house to be called his dear wife.
And Asteria conceived and gave birth
to Hekatê, whom Zeus, the son of Kronos, honored above all others.329
He gave her splendid gifts, to have a share of the earth and of the barren sea.
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He allotted her honor in the starry heaven, and she is honored
especially by all the deathless gods. And even now, when someone
of earth-dwelling men makes a lovely holy sacrifice, and prays for favor
according to custom, he calls out to Hekatê. Much honor easily
follows him whose prayers the goddess eagerly follows, and she sends
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wealth to him, for she has the power to do so. For among as many
as were born from Earth and Sky, and have received their apportionment
of honor, she has her due. Nor did the son of Kronos do her violence
nor take anything away from what she had been apportioned among
the former Titan gods, but she holds her reward upon the earth
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and in heaven and on the sea, as much as was the first division
from the beginning. Nor, because she was an only child, did the goddess
receive less honor, but she holds even much more, because Zeus
&nbs
p; honors her. As she wishes, she stands at one’s side and assists
with all her power. She sits beside respected chiefs in judgment
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and, in the assembly, that man stands out among the people, whomever
she wishes.
Genealogical Chart 10. The children of Pallas and Styx.
Genealogical Chart 11. The descendants of Koios and Phoibê.
And when men arm themselves for man-destroying war,
then the goddess is there, and she happily grants victory and extends
glory to whomever she wishes. Good is she to stand by horsemen,
whomever she wishes, and also when men contend at the games: There
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the goddess stands at their side and gives assistance. And when someone
conquers with strength and power, he easily carries the noble contest,
rejoicing, and he brings glory to his parents.
And to those who work the blue
distempered sea, who pray to Hekatê and to the loud-crashing Earthshaker,354
the reverend goddess easily grants an abundant catch, and she easily
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takes it back when it appears, if she wishes. She is good at increasing,
with the help of Hermes, the flocks in the fold. She increases from
a few the herds of cattle and the broad herds of goats and the flocks
of fleecy sheep, if she wishes, or makes the many to be less.
Thus, though
her mother begot but one child, she is honored by all the deathless gods.
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The son of Kronos made her to be a nurse of youths who after her see
with their eyes the light of the all-seeing Dawn. And so from the beginning
she is the nurse of the young, and such are her spheres of influence.
Rhea, sleeping with Kronos, bore splendid children, Hestia and Demeter
and Hera with the golden sandals and powerful Hades, who dwells
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beneath the earth with his pitiless heart, and loud-crashing, earthshaking
Poseidon, and wily Zeus, the father of gods and men, who shakes
the broad earth with his thunder.368
And great Kronos swallowed them
down as each came forth from the holy womb at the knees of its mother.369
His intention was to prevent one of the illustrious descendants of Sky
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from taking the kingly honor among the gods. For Kronos had learned
from Earth and starry Sky that he was destined to be overthrown
by his own son, strong though he himself was, through the devices of great
Zeus. He kept no blind man’s watch, but keeping alert he swallowed
down his children.
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Genealogical Chart 12. The children of Kronos and Rhea.
Unceasing pain took hold of Rhea. But when
she was about to give birth to Zeus, the father of gods and men,
then she begged her own dear parents, Earth and starry Sky,
to concoct some plan whereby she might secretly conceal the birth
of her dear child, and make the great wily Kronos pay the Erinys
of her father, Sky, and of the children whom he had swallowed.380
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They readily listened to their daughter and obeyed her, and they
advised her about what was destined to happen to King Kronos
and his powerful son. They sent her to LYKTOS, in the rich land of CRETE,
when she was about to give birth to her youngest child, great Zeus.
Great Earth received him from Rhea in broad Crete to raise up
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and to nourish. There Earth came, carrying him through the swift
black night, to Lyktos first, and she took him up in her hands and hid
him in a remote cave beneath the crannies of the holy earth, in a wood,
thick with trees, on Mount Aigaion.389 But for the great ruling son of Sky,
king of the earlier gods, she wrapped a huge stone in swaddling clothes
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and gave it to him. He took it in his hands and pushed it down into his belly
—the wretch! He did not know in his heart that, instead of the stone,
his own son was left behind safe and sound. That son was soon to overcome
Kronos by force and might and take away his office and himself rule
among the deathless ones.
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Then the strength and shining limbs of this king
increased quickly. And as the year rolled around, the great wily Kronos,
deceived by the eloquent suggestions of Earth, vomited up his offspring,
overcome by the arts and power of his own son.398 First he vomited
up the stone, which he had swallowed last. Zeus set it up in the wide-pathed
earth in most holy Pytho,400 beneath the valleys of PARNASSOS, to be a sign
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in later times, a wonder for mortal men.
And he loosed his uncles,
the children of Sky, from their deadly bonds, whom their own father
had bound in his madness. They were mindful of his kindness, and they
gave him the thunder and the shining thunderbolt and the lightning.
Before that, huge Earth had hidden them. Trusting in them, Zeus rules
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over mortals and the deathless ones.406
Iapetos took to wife the nymph
Klymenê with the slender ankles, daughter of Ocean, and he went up
into her bed. She gave birth to the child Atlas with his powerful mind,
and she bore the very famous Menoitios and the versatile Prometheus,
his mind filled with tricks, and scatterbrained Epimetheus, who from
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the beginning gave birth to evil for bread-nourished men. For he first
received from Zeus the molded virgin as his wife.412 Far-seeing Zeus
threw down the violent Menoitios into Erebos,413 hitting him with a smoking
thunderbolt because of his foolishness and his horrendous pride.
Atlas holds the broad sky from powerful necessity, standing at the ends
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of the earth near the shrill-voiced Hesperidês, with his inexhaustible
head and arms; for wily Zeus assigned this fate for him.
He bound
the clever Prometheus in unbreakable bonds, savage chains, and drove
a shaft through his torso, and he sent a long-winged eagle upon him,
who devoured his immortal liver. But it grew back in the night,
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as much as the long-winged bird ate in the whole day. Herakles,
the powerful son of Alkmenê with the beautiful ankles, killed the eagle
and warded off the evil affliction from the son of Iapetos, freeing
him from his suffering, and not against the will of Olympian Zeus,
who reigns on high, so that the glory of Theban-born Herakles might
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be still more than before upon the rich earth.
Thinking of this, Zeus honored
his excellent son, and though he was angry he gave up his anger that
he held before because Prometheus had matched wits with the mighty
son of Kronos. For when gods and mortal men disputed at Mekonê,
Prometheus divided up and set before them the portions of a great