Prometheus life story. Legends of Prometheus. Hidden meaning

Prometheus- the hero of the ancient Greek epic, titan, chthonic creature. Is the son of Titan Iapetus and oceanids Clymenes.

Known for being gave people the fire of knowledge and crafts, turning them from beasts into intelligent beings and launching technological progress. Moreover, he committed this act against the will of the gods, for which he paid.

There are several variants of the legend of Prometheus, but the main facts and events remain unchanged.

It all started in ancient times, which only gods and titans remember.

About people and gods

The legend says about those ancient, ancient times, when people were still practically animals, huddled in caves, died in the hundreds, did not know the fire, and did not know how to fend for themselves.

AND the gods lived on the top of Olimpa were strong and beautiful. They had invincible power over the world and over people. If you read the Myths of Ancient Greece and think a little, drawing the necessary conclusions, few of them cared about people, for the most part the gods indulged in revelry, revelry, the struggle for power and entertainment over people. For example, Zeus - sort of like the main deity, was very fond of turning into, say, a bull in his free time, seducing an innocent girl and producing animal-like offspring. Nothing so fun?

But there were also older creatures - Titans- creatures of the Earth and Sky, creatures, called chthonic, that is, leading their origin from the primordial Chaos. The Titans at that time were not yet defeated, and the conductor between the Titans and the gods of Olympus was Prometheus, the cousin of Zeus.

The Titans, apparently, did not know fire, and they did not need it, but on Olympus it was already with the blacksmith god Hephaestus and Athena, his wife.

fire theft

And then Prometheus saw that the gods on Olympus were only having fun, and below, on Earth, people suffer from cold and hunger. And Prometheus decides to help people. It is for the sake of people that he goes against and against the will of the gods, and subsequently he will go to a lengthy execution.

Prometheus each time came to Olympus with a rod, and one day he brought with him instead of a rod a hollow reed stalk. Arriving at the forge of his friend Hephaestus, Prometheus imperceptibly, distracting the hosts with a conversation, took an ember from the fire of the forge, and put it in his hollow original staff.

No one suspected anything, and Prometheus managed to quietly carry the fire to the ground and transfer it to people.

The fire given to people is only a symbol, a material embodiment of divine skills stolen from Olympus and transferred to people - knowledge, skills, understanding, the ability to distinguish between evil and good - technical progress.

Paying for helping people

And everything would be fine, but one day Zeus looked at the earth and I saw that people are no longer the same people in skins, vicious, almost beasts, that they already know how to heat their homes, cook food, make tools for labor and hunting, trim skins, in general, received knowledge and began the path of evolution.

Zeus was angry, because he realized that over time people could become rivals to him, and also that someone had disobeyed him. Of course, the deception was revealed, and they learned about Prometheus.
And for his deed he was overthrown from Olympus and chained for eternity to a rock on Earth, doomed to suffering. Moreover, Zeus ordered his friend to chain him Hephaestus, thrusting a steel stake into his chest, and no matter how painful it was, he had to follow the order.

And it was predicted to Prometheus that he would suffer until one of the mortals will not free him.

Prometheus gritted his teeth, and not a single groan escaped his lips. Only when Hephaestus left did he allow himself to scream in pain. But he did not regret his act, because he saw that he was able to help people. His suffering did not end there. Zeus, burning with anger, sent his eagle to him, and every day this eagle flew in and pecked at the liver of Prometheus. A person could have avoided suffering by going into death, but Prometheus was an immortal Titan. And every night his wounds healed, and the next day it all started again.

Liberation of Prometheus

Fortunately, the suffering of Prometheus did not last forever. Hercules, a famous Greek hero, freed him. During his journey, Hercules stumbled upon Prometheus chained to a rock and wanted to know why he was doomed to such torment. And Prometheus told him how he brought the fire of knowledge to people, stealing it from the gods, for which Zeus doomed him to such torment. Hercules was horrified, but it seemed that he had not yet seen everything. During the conversation, the Eagle of Zeus flew in and aimed at Prometheus, but Hercules did not allow him to torment the flesh of the titan, striking him with an arrow. The eagle fell into the sea, and the airy Hermes appeared from Olympus, to find out. What happened. Hercules, another son of Zeus, began to ask Hermes to speak with his father for Prometheus.
By this time, Zeus had already managed to change his anger to mercy, realizing that people were not his rivals. Yes, and he himself began to favor them, sometimes condescending to fate individual people. The autocratic god gives the go-ahead, and Hercules rips out the pin that held him from the chest of the titan.

So the prediction came true and that a mortal would free the suffering titan.

Studying the legend of Prometheus, I noticed a number interesting features. Read and think, remember nothing?
1. Prometheus is a creature from Chaos, a relative of Zeus.
2. Subsequently, he became an opponent of Zeus, going against his will.
3. Brought people the fire of knowledge, and they began to "know good and evil"
4. For which he was overthrown from the heavens of Olympus down.
5. And doomed to eternal suffering.
6. According to some versions of the legend, Zeus, angry with people, sends a global flood to the earth, and only two people survive.
7. And one of them is the son of Prometheus. And all the people who lived after are his descendants.

There are a few other small signs of where some of the Christian legends were written off from, but I think it is already clear why the parallel is so often drawn between Lucifer and Prometheus. And speaking of whose descendants we really are.

From this legend originates olympic fire. It is lit in Olympia and carried through cities and countries to the site of the Olympics.

Thanks to ancient mythology. The hero of ancient Greek legends evokes positive associations, because he helped people at the cost of his own freedom. The image of Prometheus in literature and culture is immortalized in many different works. A lot has been said about Prometheus written sources, also it was often depicted by artists and sculptors of different eras. The most common heroic image of Prometheus in European literature and culture.

Who is Prometheus

Prometheus is one of the ancient titans, the son of Themis, the father of Deucalion. Prometheus was also the cousin of the great Zeus the Thunderer. His name is translated as "foreseeing the future", "knowing in advance." Unlike his bloodthirsty relative, Prometheus was supportive of people, sincerely sympathized with them and always tried to help. It was he who taught people the craft of building, obtaining food, taught them to read and write, and even suggested how to behave with the gods. One day, enraged Zeus took fire away from people. To prevent the unfortunate from dying and freezing, Prometheus stole burning coals for them from Hephaestus, for which he was severely punished by the Thunderer. The titan was chained to high mountain heavy chains and every day suffered from unbearable pain caused by an eagle pecking at his liver. People praised the fearless Prometheus, his image was associated with a sacrifice made in the name of good.

Predictor

For a very long time, Prometheus endured bodily and mental anguish. Despite the pleas and persuasion of his mother Themis, Zeus did not want to end the suffering of the titan. He was consumed by curiosity. After all, Prometheus knew the fate of the great thunderer. Zeus sent Hermes to Prometheus to find out the secret about his future. Hermes promised to free Prometheus from the shackles as soon as he told his prediction. The Titan agreed. But it was too late: the prediction had almost come true. He warned Zeus not to connect his fate with the goddess of the seas, Thetis, because they would have a son who would be stronger and more merciless than his father. But Hercules was destined to be born and overcome his father. Being near the place of imprisonment of Prometheus, the Greek hero, having learned about the torment of the titan, climbed the mountain and freed the sufferer. After the liberation, the enmity between Zeus and Prometheus did not stop, but the lord of Olympus was punished by fate itself for his harsh temper.

The image of Prometheus in literature

What can be said about this? The figure of the great titan Prometheus, whose image poets and writers of all times loved to sing, was very significant in literature. In the myth written by Geosis, Prometheus appears as a cunning man who stole fire in a very ingenious way. Titan built a staff, hollow inside, and went to Hephaestus. When he was distracted, Prometheus put some coals inside the staff and left. In Aeschylus, the image of Prometheus is imbued with drama, he is full of love and compassion for people in need. In Apollodorus of Athens, Prometheus appears as the creator. Goethe endows creativity and the spirit of the creator is the image of Prometheus, the ancient hero who carries within himself freedom and spiritual greatness.

Prometheus in music

Composers who composed their masterpieces often paid attention to the heroes of the ancient epic. The images of the titans conquered with their strength, grandeur and beauty. F. Liszt created a cycle of symphonic poems on an ancient theme, among them "Prometheus", written based on Herder's dramatic work "Uninhibited Prometheus". A. Scriabin created his symphonic poem "Prometheus" under the impression of the spiritual strength and freedom of the hero of ancient mythology. Dancemaster Viganò was inspired by the image of Prometheus to create a ballet consisting of two acts and set to music by Beethoven.

Prometheus in painting

A prominent master in the depiction of ancient figures, and specifically Prometheus himself, is the famous Flemish artist, the founder of the Baroque style, Peter Paul Rubens. He wrote many amazing works, among them "Prometheus Bringing Fire to Earth" and "Prometheus Chained". Another talented Fleming has a painting called “Prometheus Defeated.” The artist is a follower of Rubens. This can be seen in his manner of writing: bright, juicy, full-bodied and lively. Another artist with a similar writing style is Jan Cossiers. His work Prometheus Carrying Fire, where the titan is depicted in a scarlet antique robe, with a burning torch in his hand, looks very lively. Also, the image of Prometheus was immortalized by Titian. He created a painting called "The Punishment of the Titan".

Prometheus in sculpture

Among European sculptors, the figure of Prometheus aroused keen interest. Many masters devoted their work to creating sculptures based on mythological subjects. F. G. Gordeev created a sculpture called "Prometheus", where the hero suffers from the attack of a huge eagle. The figure is in a horizontal position, which makes the plot lively and dynamic. The work is filled with expression, well conveys the feeling of the hero to the viewer. Notable is the work of the French master N. S. Adam "Chained Prometheus". This work is made in the style of neoclassicism, the emphasis in it is a careful study of details. The image of Prometheus inspired many sculptors to create their imperishable masterpieces. For the German master Arno Breker, the ancient hero served as a standard human beauty, strength, will of an unbending spirit.

, Menetius and Epimetheus, cousin of Zeus. Husband of Hesiona, father of Deucalion (according to the version - from Pandora).

The name Prometheus means "foreseeing", "thinking before" (as opposed to the name of his brother Epimetheus - "strong hindsight", "thinking after").

During the battle of the gods of the younger generation, led by Zeus, with the titans, Prometheus sided with Zeus. The battle went on for ten years. The lightning of Zeus burned out all living things on the earth, and it became empty. Zeus instructed Prometheus to revive life.

According to Hesiod, Prometheus fashioned humans from the earth and Athena endowed them with breath.

But the people were miserable and powerless, they did not know how to foresee the approach of winter with its frosts, they did not know how to cook food, because they did not own fire. And the omnipotent and mighty gods lived on the sky-high Olympus. The fate of the people did not bother them at all.

Only Prometheus was saddened by the fate of people. From the forge of his friend Hephaestus, Prometheus stole fire for people. He gave people knowledge, taught them the arts, counting, reading and writing. He introduced people to metals, taught them how to mine and process them in the bowels of the earth.

The wise titan built the first ship, equipped it and spread a linen sail on it so that the ship would quickly carry a person across the boundless sea.

For mortals, Prometheus humbled wild bull and put a yoke on him so that people could use the strength of the bulls to cultivate their fields. Prometheus harnessed the horse to the chariot and made it obedient to man.

Prometheus revealed to people the power of medicines, and they learned how to cure diseases.

With this, he angered Zeus, and the Thunderer decided to severely punish Prometheus. He called to himself two mighty gods - Power and Strength, and ordered them to take Prometheus to the Caucasus, and nail him to a rock for eternity. And Hephaestus, for not saving the fire, ordered Zeus to help chain his friend Prometheus.

And here is Prometheus chained to a rock. The scorching rays of the sun burn his body, rain and hail lash, in winter, snow flakes fall on Prometheus, and the chilling cold fetters his limbs. A huge eagle flies to the rock every day. He tears the liver of a titan with his beak. But Prometheus is immortal. Wounds heal overnight, and the liver grows again to give during the day new food eagle. Years, centuries, these torments last.

But here he was born and matured great hero, who is destined by fate to free the titan from the shackles. During his wanderings, he comes here to the ends of the earth. This hero is Hercules, the strongest of people, mighty as a god. Hercules broke his chains with his heavy club. The torments of Prometheus are over. The titan stood up, now he was free. Thus was his prophecy fulfilled that a mortal would set him free.

It happened shortly before the Trojan War...

Here is what the ancient Greek poet Hesiod says about Prometheus in his poems Theogony and Works and Days, which are one of the main sources of our knowledge of ancient Greek myths:

(excerpts are given in the retelling of Georg Stoll)

In primitive times, when Kronos still ruled the world, the gods and people, descended from one common mother of the Earth, lived together in unison, barely realizing whether there was any difference between them. When, after the overthrow of Kronos, his powerful son Zeus assumed power over the world and when the high-mountain Olympus became the dwelling of the gods, the gods wished to separate from people and establish what honors people should give immortals for their good deeds. In the Sikyonian city of Mekonu, the gods and people gathered for a council. Zeus took over the work of the gods, while the representative of the people was Prometheus, the son of Iapetus, from the kind of divine titans, who, after a long struggle with Zeus, were cast down by him into the abyss of Tartarus. Reasonable and cunning Prometheus relied on his mind and decided to outwit Zeus, the wisest of the gods. Prometheus killed big bull, cut it into pieces and left the celestials to choose from the parts the one they wish for future sacrifices. He put these parts in two heaps. In one he placed pieces of meat and edible, fat-covered entrails, tightly covered them with the skin of a sacrificial animal, and placed the stomach, the worst part, on top; he skillfully piled the bones into another pile and covered them with snow-white, shiny fat. So he gave the best part a nondescript one, the worst - beautiful view. The father of gods and people, the omniscient Zeus, saw through the deceit and, laughing, said: “The mighty son of Iapetus, true friend my! How unequally you measure the parts. Prometheus thought that his trick had succeeded, and said with a smile: “Venerable Zeus, the greatest of the immortal gods! Choose the part you like." Full of anger in his heart, Zeus deliberately chose the worst part - the bones, in order to have a reason to humble people who thought evil. With both hands he shone with brilliant fat, and when he saw the white bones and was convinced of the cunning deceit, he said with anger: “Truly, friend, son of Iapetus, you are a great expert in deceit; you have not forgotten how to deceive!" Since then, people began to burn the bones of sacrificial animals on smoking altars. For deceiving Prometheus, Zeus did not give people fire as punishment. But Prometheus stole fire from Olympus, from Zeus's house, by cunning, and brought a smoldering spark to people on earth. When Zeus saw radiant fire among people, he became even more angry, bound Prometheus with indestructible chains, nailed him to a rock, piercing his chest with a wedge, and sent a powerful winged eagle at him. Every day the eagle pecked out the liver of the chained sufferer, and every night it grew back. Only after a long time, Hercules killed the eagle and saved Prometheus from torment. Such was the will of Zeus, who wished that by this feat his beloved son Hercules would gain even greater glory for himself on earth.

When Zeus began a fight with Kronos and the Titans in order to wrest power from them over the world, Prometheus advised his kindred titans to submit to Zeus, who was far superior in wisdom to them. But the wild titans, relying on their great power, laughingly rejected this advice. With daring courage they entered the fight. Then Prometheus separated from his own and, together with his mother, went over to the side of Zeus: warned by the prediction of his mother, he knew that victory would remain on the side where wisdom would be along with strength. After a terrible struggle that lasted ten years, Zeus, thanks most of all to Prometheus, defeated Kronos and the arrogant titans and overthrew them, on the advice of Prometheus, into deep tartar. Kronos, while falling into Tartarus, pronounced a curse over his son, which the overthrown Uranus had once spoken over him. Therefore, Zeus also had to wait for a fate similar to the fate of his father Kronos.

The new ruler divided the honors and positions in his kingdom, governed by new laws, among the younger related gods. The last traces of titan dominion were to disappear. Even those of them who helped him, Zeus removed from himself. The ocean was removed to the very edge of the earth, the prophetess Themis had to give up her oracle in Delphi to Zeus's son Apollo, and the people who lived under Kronos had to die and make room for a new generation of people. Then Prometheus stood up for the poor human race and announced to Zeus that the time would come - the mortal wife would give birth to a hero, the favorite of Zeus Hercules, who would defeat the lions, and only a mortal would then be able to free Zeus, the father of the gods and people, from the curse that weighs on him. Zeus yielded and saved the human race from destruction; but he hated Prometheus, who had rendered him so many services with his wise advice, as the last of the mighty kind of titans, who alone still dared to oppose Zeus's will. Prometheus himself soon gave the ruler a reason for anger and punishment.

People were a miserable, powerless tribe, without thought and without hope. Seeing, they did not see anything, listening - they did not hear; they roamed like shadows, their thoughts had no connection and, simple-minded, did not understand what they felt. The people of light, stone-cutting chorus did not know, they did not know carpentry either: like swarming ants, they lived in deep dungeons, nested in deprived sunlight caves; they did not recognize the proximity of winter or spring, flower-bearing and abundant in the fruits of autumn. Everything they did, they did thoughtlessly, in disorder. Then Prometheus took pity on the poor creatures. He went to the island of Lemnos, to the forge of his friend Hephaestus, to the fiery mountain Mosikhl, took a spark of divine fire there, brought it, buried in a smoldering ferul reed, to his people and taught them every art and every science. He made clear to them the rising and setting of the heavenly bodies, taught them the science of numbers, the use of writing, and gave them the power of remembrance, the basis of prophetic art. He harnessed a wild mountain ox to a yoke for people, harnessed a proud horse and a chariot, built a ship and inspired it with a linen sail - so that it would float on the waters of the sea. According to his instructions, people learned to find, extract and use the treasures hidden in the earth: copper and iron, silver and gold. Until that time, if someone was overtaken by a disease, there were no means of healing, no drink, no ointment: Prometheus taught people to make healing mixtures that stop the merciless power of the disease. Then he opened to them various means guess the future, explain dreams, understand the harmony of sounds, understand the flight of birds, look into the insides of animals. He also freed people from the tormenting foreboding and fear of death and instilled blind hope in them, so that they forgot to even think about death. So people were initiated by Prometheus into all the arts of life and from their wild, helpless state they passed to a beautiful, happier life.

Zeus was embittered at the titan for this unauthorized act and especially for the abduction, against his will, of divine fire, Prometheus, however, warned his mother Themis, assuring that the new ruler only thinks about how to get rid of the last of the titans. She predicted to her son how, chained, he would suffer thirty thousand years for his deed, until, exhausted, exhausted by all sorts of torments, he would reconcile with the ruler. But Prometheus was not afraid of Zeus's wrath; his proud spirit, his love for the human race, drew him to ruin.

Rejoicing that he found the fault of the proud, recalcitrant titan, Zeus commands the mighty executors of his will, Strength and Power, to seize Prometheus, take him to the Scythian country, to the very edge of the earth, and chain him there to the bare rocks of the Caucasus washed by waves. Hephaestus does this, but he does it with secret reluctance: for a long time he was friendly with Prometheus. Hephaestus imposes unbreakable iron shackles on his arms and legs, on his ribs and thighs, and pierces his chest with an adamant wedge. While he, sighing deeply, filled with compassion, fetters his friend with an iron chain, his rude companions, mocking the unfortunate man, say more than one cruel word to him and reproach him for the criminal pride that ruined him; but, the son of a titan, the titan is proudly and stubbornly silent, does not utter a single groan. Only after the removal of his tormentors, alone, did he begin to complain loudly about his torments, about his shame, and his voice carried far along the rocky shores of the sea. Most of all, he mourns that he suffers torment for a good deed, for his good deeds to people: he considers his opposition to the will of Zeus fair.

From the distant grotto of their father, the beautiful oceanides heard the sound of a hammer, with which they chained the sufferer to the rock; full of participation, they fly in to console him and persuade him to make concessions to the new ruler: he is of the same tribe with them, their fathers are brothers; Hesiona, wife of Prometeev, sister to them. The elder Ocean himself comes and exhorts Prometheus to submit to the mighty Zeus, to whom he himself wisely yields. The ocean is ready to go to Olympus to Zeus and put in a word about Prometheus. But the titan does not want any intercession, compassion for him can bring on the Ocean the hatred and wrath of the new ruler. Prometheus firmly, adamantly decided to drink the cup of suffering, until the anger in the chest of Zeus was finally tamed.

The Ocean has just departed - Io, unbearably tormented by the gadfly, comes running, the ill-fated daughter of the Argos king Inach, whom, for the love of Zeus for her, Hera turned into a cow and which, in terrible torment, wandered the earth, not taking either drink or food and finding no peace anywhere . Zeus is the culprit of her grief, like Prometheus. Prometheus recognizes Io with his prescient mind and announces to her what countries she must go through in Europe and Asia, and how, finally, after long wanderings, she will find deliverance from her suffering in Egypt; there Zeus will touch her with his hand, and she will give birth to the son of Epaphus. From him, in the thirtieth generation, the courageous hero Hercules will come, who is destined to free the titan from torment. Then Zeus will finally bow to reconciliation. And Zeus himself is under the omnipotent power of Moira, and he cannot escape the formidable fate without the help of Prometheus. The curse of the father of Kronos, whom he overthrew from the throne, threatens him with the same overthrow, if only he concludes the marriage he is thinking about. The fate of Zeus is in the hands of Prometheus. He alone knows, from the things of his mother, the name of the goddess, who, if Zeus enters into marriage with her, will bear him a son - a son: this one will stronger than father and deprive him of power over the world. Prometheus will hide this secret in his chest, and no torture, no tricks will force him to reveal it if Zeus does not free him from the shackles; if he does not do this, his throne will be overthrown, and he himself will fall in great shame.

From his high sky, Zeus heard the threats of the titan. He sent his messenger Hermes to Prometheus with the command to reveal the fatal secret. With thunder and lightning, he threatens to crush the rock to which the titan is chained, and overthrow him into a gloomy abyss, where he will languish for millennia, and if he returns to the bright world, Zeus's powerful and greedy eagle will torment his suffering body and devour his liver. . And these torments will not end until one of the gods voluntarily descends for him into Hades, into the gloomy region of death. But do not frighten Prometheus with any threats; he decided to keep his secret - even when everything around him collapsed. And now the earth trembled, a deaf echo of thunder roared, lightning sparkled with fiery coils, dust rose in a whirlwind; all the winds, released from the chains, are torn into a common battle; the uplifted sea merges with the heavens, and the rock, together with the titan, falls into the abyss when the storm howls.

For millennia, chained Prometheus, alone, languishes in a gloomy, deep crevice of rocks; but his heart is unshakable. By order of Zeus, he again saw the light, and for another millennium he hung chained to a rock in the Scythian desert, and, as Zeus once threatened him, the merciless eagle tore at his chest and liver. Invariably, every third day, the powerful-winged eagle slowly descends from the height, plunges its fierce claws into the belly of the sufferer and pecks out his liver, and the liver grows again after each time. The blood flowing from the wounds and accumulating on his body for centuries is warmed by the scorching sun and falls in drops on the stony ground.

Such torments, lasting for thousands of years, can break the most stubborn spirit, the most gigantic strength. And Prometheus finally got tired; he wants reconciliation and freedom. His former accomplices, the titans, have long since reconciled with the new world order, reconciled with Zeus. Free from chains, they again left the tartare, came to their unfortunate relative and gave him advice - to submit. Themis, the old, mournfully bent mother of Prometheus, also comes and reminds him that now the time is near when Zeus wishes to enter into a fatal marriage, which will be the cause of his fall. “Now,” Themis said, “Zeus will ask you for advice and reconciliation; this is the last opportunity to be saved: it should not be missed.”

Zeus hears the words of the wise Themis and, in view of the imminent danger, begins to think about reconciliation with Prometheus. Over time, the former power-hungry spirit of Zeus softened: his throne is so strong that he has nothing to fear from the titans.

And then Zeus commanded Hercules, who wandered the earth, to go to the Scythian rock and kill the greedy eagle on the chest of Prometheus with his arrow. And when Hercules promised that his friend, the divine centaur Chiron, who accidentally received an incurable wound from a poisoned arrow, would voluntarily die for Prometheus, Zeus ordered him to break the Prometheus shackles. With friendly speeches, Kronion sends to the titan Hermes, and the titan willingly reveals his secret at last. Here it is: if Zeus marries the daughter of Nereus Thetis, then by the decision of fate she will give birth to a son stronger and more powerful than her father, and this son will overthrow him from the throne. Therefore, let Zeus give her away for the leader of the Achaeans, Peleus: he will have a son from this marriage - the most beautiful of the heroes of Hellas. To complete the reconciliation, Chiron also came and announced that he was ready to descend for Prometheus in underworld. In memory of his captivity and as a sign that he submitted and surrendered to Zeus, Prometheus put a willow wreath on his head and for the same purpose began to wear an iron ring, into which a pebble beaten off from a Caucasian rock was inserted. So the fatal misfortune passed Zeus, and Prometheus became free from the shackles, and at the wedding of Thetis with Peleus, the gods celebrated their reconciliation with the titans.

Briefly about the main

Prometheus secretly entered the sacred Mount Olympus and stole fire for people. He also taught people everything he knew: counting, writing, crafts. According to the myths of the ancient Greeks, it was thanks to Prometheus that people became what they are today.

But Prometheus acted against the will of Zeus, which caused his anger. For this, he was forced to experience colossal suffering, as befits a real hero. The Greeks believed that only through difficulties one can develop oneself, if everything is easy and a person only experiences pleasure, then he does not develop.

Zeus chains the titan to a rock, now he is forced to answer for his compassion for people.

Start

At the beginning of time, children were born near the land of Gaia and the sky of Uranus: titans, cyclops and hecatoncheirs. One of the Titans was named Iopet, who married Klymene. According to another version - Themis. They had four children: Atlas, Minetius, Epimetheus and Prometheus.

The name Prometheus means one who think first, then act. According to one version of the myth, Prometheus had the gift of foresight, according to another, his mother had this gift and shared with him the secrets of the future.

In any case, Prometheus foresaw the victory of Zeus in the war against his cruel father Kronos and persuaded his brother Epimetheus to side with Zeus. Prometheus was strong and cunning, he had a lively mind and resourcefulness, which greatly helped Zeus in the terrible war - Titanomachy.

Zeus won, the era of peace and prosperity began on earth. The wars are over. But over time, the gods get bored.

Zeus asks his son, the god of the blacksmith, to create something interesting, something that can occupy the gods. Hephaestus convenes 12 Olympian gods in his workshop, they mix earth, fire and all the original elements, thereby creating a wide variety of living beings.

Some will have unprecedented dimensions, have unusual appearance- it will be animals. Others will be like the gods, they will be smaller copies of them. They will be called people. They will be male only.

It remains only to endow animals and people with inner qualities. Zeus entrusts this task to two brothers - Prometheus and Epimetheus.

Epimetheus wants to be the first to participate in such an interesting activity and the brother yields to him. Epimetheus goes headlong into work on animals, endows some with dexterity, others with strength, makes others poisonous, and gives the fourth powerful protection. In the end, he realizes that he gave the animals all the qualities that Zeus gave him.

Animals became strong and adaptable, and people were tender and fragile, they had no protection. Then Prometheus asks Zeus to give people fire, for protection from wild animals and heating at night.

Zeus agrees and throws lightning on the ground, which causes a fire. People can only catch fire. Soon the era of prosperity will come on earth. At this time, people did not care about food, as the crop grew by itself. The gods often appeared and showed themselves to people, arranging joint feasts. There were no illnesses, and death always came in a dream. God Hypnos took souls to Elysium.

But the golden age passes and Zeus decides that it is time for people to go on a free voyage, without the support of the gods.

Deception of Prometheus

Zeus decides to arrange an ostentatious sacrifice, to which he summons all people and gods. He demands that people make sacrifices to the gods, and asks Prometheus to cut the bull into two parts. Prometheus butchers the bull and masks the best part with tripe, now it does not look appetizing at all. He covers the bones with a large layer of fat, so now they look good.

According to one version, Prometheus did not like the very idea that people would henceforth be left without the help of the gods, he also did not like the idea of ​​​​sacrifices of living beings.

Zeus is furious, he unleashes his anger on people in the form global flood. According to another version, he takes away from people his gift - fire. Now people cannot keep warm at night and protect themselves from predators.

Return of fire

Prometheus rushed to Athena and asked to be let into Olympus. Athena showed compassion for people and helped Prometheus. Taking a hollow staff and putting coals there sacred fire, Prometheus manages to secretly steal fire from Mount Olympus.

Prometheus returns fire to people and begins to give people knowledge. Now people can make fire themselves, they learn about crafts, learn to write and read, learn about ships, that there are other territories.

Zeus is even more dissatisfied with the actions of Prometheus, in his opinion, people should have achieved everything themselves, but Prometheus showed compassion to people and now he is going to be severely punished.

First woman

Zeus again calls his son Hephaestus and orders, in the image and likeness of the goddesses, to create woman. She must be magnificent, have striking beauty and arouse passion in men. Aphrodite endowed her with beauty, Athena gave her a masterful character, the Goddesses of the seasons gave her tenderness and fragility, and Hermes put a deceitful and curious mind into her. So the first woman on earth appeared - Pandora. Her name means the gift of all gods.

The creation of Pandora is a flame that Zeus sent to people, it warms and burns at the same time.

Epimetheus has a box with all the troubles in storage. Every god has placed something harmful or dangerous there. In it were collected all the misfortunes of the universe. Knowing this, and also knowing that Epimetheus act first, think later, Zeus sends Hermes to him with a gift in the form of Pandora.

Epimetheus remembers that his brother told him not to accept any gifts from Zeus, but Pandora's beauty overshadows his mind and he gladly accepts it.
Of course, knowing Pandora's great curiosity, Zeus tells her about the box and asks her not to open it under any circumstances.

A win-win way to ignite female curiosity worked. On the same night, Pandora opens the box and all the troubles and misfortunes break out at that hour, everything that will torment people forever.

Stunned, Pandora immediately closed the lid, but it was too late. From now on, mankind, finally separated from the gods, will continue its race through women.

Good and evil are now inseparable. Now people will have to get their own food and survive in this world. But not all is lost. Hope remained at the bottom of the box, it did not have time to jump out.

Therefore, even when experiencing the most difficult troubles, humanity will always retain hope.

Zeus punished the mortals, it was the turn to punish the willful Prometheus.

Prometheus' Punishment

The gods have never seen such cruelty. Zeus orders his son and his two servants, power and strength chain Prometheus to a rock on one of the peaks of the Caucasus, between the Black and Caspian Seas.

Hephaestus was a friend of Prometheus, but could not disobey his father. With grief in his heart, he carried out the order, knocking with his hammer, driving wedges into the rock. Soon, at this sound, Prometheus sailed Oceanides, him cousins. They begged Prometheus to ask for forgiveness from Zeus. His mother Themis also could not look at the suffering of her son. However, Prometheus stood his ground and demanded that Zeus admit that he was unfair to people.

Soon he will sail to him Ocean and says that he will immediately go to Olympus to ask for the mercy of Zeus. But Prometheus dissuades him, knowing that Zeus is very angry and can punish the Ocean.

One day, Io resorts to Prometheus.

Io was the mistress of Zeus and to hide her from Hera, Zeus turned her into a cow. However, Hera, seeing a snow-white cow, asked Zeus to give it to her. Zeus could not refuse his wife, but seeing how Io suffers, he decides to help her and asks his son Hermes to steal her away.

Upon learning that the cow has escaped, Hera decides to punish her. She sends her a huge gadfly that stings her day and night.

Deprived of her mind because of the pain, the furious Io resorts to Prometheus and, having regained her consciousness for a while, asks her to predict the future, how much longer can she endure this unbearable pain?

Prometheus with grief in his heart informs her. That for many more years she will run around the world devoid of reason. Until one day he arrives in Egypt. There, Zeus will return her human form to her and she will give birth to a son - Epaphus. He will be the ancestor of a generation of heroes, one of them - Hercules come and set me free. Only then will I open to Zeus important secret about who will overthrow him from the throne.

The huge gadfly stung her again, and again Io rushed away.

Hearing this, Zeus sent to Prometheus Hermes. Hermes demanded to tell about the secret of the future Zeus. But Prometheus stood his ground and refused to speak. Then Zeus finally got angry, he threw the Titan into tartar, where not a single ray of the sun fell.

The titan spent a long time in the dark until he was pulled out. But not in order to pardon, but for new torments. Every morning an eagle flew to him and pecked at his liver. During the night, the liver grew back so that in the morning the bird would start working again.

Prometheus experienced terrible torment, and all nature sympathized with him. Prometheus has been suffering for many thousands of years. Zeus eventually gives up. He sends his son, born of a mortal woman, to free the Titan.

Hercules finds Prometheus chained and nailed to a rock. He kills the eagle that arrived at the appointed hour and frees Prometheus. In return, Zeus asks to reveal the secret of the future to him, Prometheus agrees and tells him that the son of his beloved sea nymph Thetis will be more powerful than his father.

Zeus immediately stopped communicating with Thetis and forced her to marry a mere mortal - Paley. From this marriage they have Achilles.

Zeus asks Prometheus to make a ring from part of the chain that held back the titan and insert a stone from the rock into it. So Zeus keeps his promise. Prometheus is chained to a rock forever. Since then people started wearing rings in memory of the sacrifice of Prometheus.

The myth of Prometheus, which received importance in Greek religion, which has become one of the favorite subjects of poetry, is a legend about the course of development of human civilization. Prometheus, the son of the titan Iapetus, was originally, like Hermes, the personification of fire in its application to human needs. From this, the concept of him developed in myths, as a representative of a person’s attraction to mental development, to dominion over nature, the idea developed that this attraction easily leads a person to resist the gods, to revolt against them.

The myth of Prometheus by Hesiod

Another myth about Prometheus, which also gave substance to many works of art and poetry, said that Prometheus was the creator of people - according to one story, at the beginning of the world, according to another, after Deucalion flood. He molded the bodies of people from clay, and, according to one myth, he also revived them through heavenly fire; according to other stories, life was invested in them by other gods or forces of nature. Prometheus is a human spirit striving for freedom, feeling himself the master of nature, and in the consciousness of his strength rebelling against Zeus. The myth of Prometheus is a myth about the awakening of human self-consciousness, about the struggle and suffering that accompanies this awakening.