48 pages • 1 hour read
Theogony
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During Reading
Reading Questions & Paired Texts
Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.
Reading Check
1. Who is the father of the Muses?
2. Where is the home of the Muses?
3. Which god is primarily responsible for giving poets their power?
4. What is the name of the first entity to exist in the cosmos?
5. Who is the first child of Gaia?
6. Who is the youngest child of Kronos and Rheia?
7. Where does Zeus send the Titans after he defeats them?
8. Who steals fire from the gods?
9. Who is the mother of Death and Sleep?
10. What is the name of the guard dog of the underworld?
11. Who is the last foe Zeus must face?
12. How does Typhoeus cause bad weather for sailors?
13. Who is the mother of Persephone?
14. Who is the mother of Apollo and Artemis?
15. Who is Zeus’s final and most important wife?
16. Who is the messenger of the gods?
17. Who are the parents of Herakles?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What do the Muses say to Hesiod when they meet him?
2. What is the social function of kings, according to Hesiod?
3. Why does Gaia order Kronos to attack Ouranos?
4. What is the overall role of the goddess Night and her offspring?
5. Who is Styx? What role does she play in the oaths of the gods?
6. Why does Kronos swallow his children by Rheia?
7. How does Zeus get his signature lightning bolts?
8. How does Prometheus trick Zeus?
9. What is Tartaros? Where is it located?
10. Who is Metis? Why does Zeus swallow her?
11. Who is Ares? Who are his parents?
12. Who is Hephaistos? Why does Hera give birth to him spontaneously?
13. What is a demigod? What role do demigods play in Greek myth?
Paired Resources
- This article from World History Encyclopedia briefly introduces religion in the ancient Greek world.
- It connects to the theme of Generational Succession.
- Who were the main Greek gods, and how were they worshiped?
“The Theogony and Eastern Parallels: City-State Succession Myths?”
- This chapter from Hesiod’s Theogony: From Near Eastern Creation Myths to Paradise Lost discusses the relationship between the Theogony and Near Eastern mythology (Note: This is an instructor-facing resource).
- It connects to the themes of Kingship Theory and Generational Succession.
- How are the myths of the Theogony similar to myths from other cultures? How are they different?
- This article from World History provides an overview of Greek colonization and its impact on the Mediterranean world.
- It connects to the themes of Kingship Theory and Generational Succession.
- How might have colonization influenced Hesiod’s Theogony?
“The Trickster Figure in Folklore and Mythology”
- This article from Owlcation reflects on the role of tricksters in different world mythologies.
- It connects to the theme of Tricksters.
- What are some common elements of trickster myths in different mythologies? Why is the figure of the trickster so important?
Recommended Next Reads
Works and Days by Hesiod
- Hesiod’s didactic poem provides moral and practical advice on agriculture, labor, and justice in Greek society.
- Shared themes include Kingship Theory and Tricksters.
- Shared topics include mythology, justice, religion and spirituality, and ancient Greece.
- Works and Days on SuperSummary
The Odyssey by Homer
- This epic poem follows Odysseus as he journeys home after the Trojan War.
- Shared themes include Kingship Theory and Generational Succession.
- Shared topics include mythology and ancient Greece.
- The Odyssey on SuperSummary
Reading Questions Answer Key
Reading Check
1. Zeus
2. Mount Helikon
3. Apollo
4. Chaos
5. Ouranos (the sky)
6. Zeus
7. Tartaros
8. Prometheus
9. Night
10. Cerberus
11. Typhoeus
12. By shaking the earth in his underworld prison
13. Demeter, the goddess of agriculture
14. Leto
15. Hera
16. Hermes
17. Zeus and Alkmene
Short Answer
1. When they meet Hesiod pasturing sheep in the mountains, they refer to him and other shepherds as “Hillbillies and bellies” (Line 23). They also explain that they know how to tell the truth as well as lies that look like the truth.
2. According to Hesiod, kings use their god-given power and intelligence to deliver just verdicts when disputes arise.
3. When Kronos stuffs his and Gaia’s monstrous children—the Kyklopes and Hundred-Handers—back into Gaia, Gaia becomes angry and has her youngest son, Kronos, cut off Ouranos’s genitalia with a sickle.
4. Night is one of the earliest goddesses in Hesiod’s Theogony. She and her offspring—including Eris (“Strife”) and the Fates—represent cosmic forces that impact mortals in a negative way.
5. Styx is the eldest of the 3,000 daughters of the Titans Okeanos and Tethys, and a goddess whose waters form one of the rivers of the underworld. When the Olympian gods swear an oath by the waters of Styx, the oath becomes unbreakable.
6. Whenever Rheia bears him a child, Kronos swallows them to prevent them from ever becoming more powerful than himself.
7. During his war against the Titans, Zeus frees the Kyklopes, previously held prisoner by the Titans, and the Kyklopes show their gratitude by forging the powerful lightning bolt for Zeus to use as a weapon.
8. Prometheus tricks Zeus into accepting the less appealing portions of the animal as sacrifices by wrapping the bones in delicious-looking fat while disguising the good cuts of meat.
9. Tartaros is the deepest and darkest region of the underworld, located as far below the earth as the earth is below heaven. Tartaros is where the gods imprison their most hated enemies, including the Titans and Typhoeus.
10. Metis is the first wife of Zeus. Zeus swallows her when he learns of a prophecy that says Metis’s second child is destined to overthrow him.
11. Ares is the Greek god of war. He is the son of Zeus and Hera.
12. Hephaistos is the god of the forge. Hera gives birth to him spontaneously and on her own—without her husband Zeus—because she is jealous that Zeus gave birth to Athena without her.
13. Demigods, described at the end of the Theogony, are mortals with one divine parent. In Greek mythology, demigods are humans with exceptional abilities who often have great martial achievements.
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