History Literature / Theogony

* BornAsAnAdult Athena and Aphrodite were both born fully formed and were never children. It's implied that this was also the case with the Erinyes, the Meliae and the Giants.

* SpontaneousGeneration: [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Erinyes]], [[PlantPerson Meliae]], [[GiantMook Giants]], and [[LoveGoddess Aphrodite]] were born from Earth impregnated by the [[PhysicalGod cut-off genitals]] of her son and husband, Heaven, who was castrated by the son whom he himself had begotten on Earth.

** with Echidna produced the monsters: Orthrus, Cerberus, Hydra, Chimera, Sphinx, Nemean Lion

* BrotherSisterIncest: Most notably, Zeus with Hera, but also Zeus with Demeter, Erebus with Nyx, Phorkys with Keto, and four Titans (Cronos, Oceanus, Hyperion, Coeus) with four Titanesses (Rhea, Tethys, Theia, Phoebe).

---> with mortal Alcmene produced: Heracles

---> with mortal Alcmene produced: '''Heracles'''

As the Muses taught Creator/{{Hesiod}}, in the beginning there was Chaos - and indeed, this is one of the [[WorldOfChaos most chaotic]] texts in the world's literary canon. Written most probably circa 700 BCE in classical epic dactylic hexameter, it is mainly a genealogical treatise with not a few elements of theological gossip about which god slept with whom and who was born as a result. 'Theogony' means 'The Origin of Gods', and it is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Presenting the whole divine family on one genealogical tree is [[http://www.theoi.com/TreeHesiod.html almost]] impossible, but the Greeks apparently had little problems with memorizing all the details, as numerous stories from Greek mythology are perfectly consistent with the version of events described in ''Theogony'' (though, to complicate things even more, there is also a rival version written by Pseudo-Apollodorus, known as ''The Library'').

!! ''Theogony'' exemplifies:

* ApronMatron: Gaia. She even gave birth to one of her children ([[MixAndMatchCritter Typhoeus]]) only to revenge the previous ones on their father, who thrusted them down into Tartarus. Tartarus himself was the father of Typhoeus, which makes it even more weird.

* GenderRarityValue: There is much more females than males in the text - mainly because of the [[OneGenderRace water nymphs and wood nymphs]], but the tendency to group goddesses and even monsters into [[SameSexTriplets sets of three]] is also a relevant factor.

* OneSteveLimit: There a couple of aversions in the text.
** There are two Thalia both daughters of Zeus: one of the Muses and one of the Charites.

* ParentalIncest: Gaia and Ouranos, initiating the whole divine dynasty which shaped the imagination of the people who were the cradle of our civilization. 'Nuff said.

* PaterFamilicide: Cronos swallowed alive as many as five of his children.

As the Muses taught {{Hesiod}}, in the beginning there was Chaos - and indeed, this is one of the [[WorldOfChaos most chaotic]] texts in the world's literary canon. Written most probably circa 700 BCE in classical epic dactylic hexameter, it is mainly a genealogical treatise with not a few elements of theological gossip about which god slept with whom and who was born as a result. 'Theogony' means 'The Origin of Gods', and it is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Presenting the whole divine family on one genealogical tree is [[http://www.theoi.com/TreeHesiod.html almost]] impossible, but the Greeks apparently had little problems with memorizing all the details, as numerous stories from Greek mythology are perfectly consistent with the version of events described in ''Theogony'' (though, to complicate things even more, there is also a rival version written by Pseudo-Apollodorus, known as ''The Library'').

* MultipleChoicePast: The Theogony contradict itself on some occasions (possibly because of textual corruption). Are the Moiria the daughters of Nyx alone or of Zeus and Themis? Is Athena the daughter of Zeus and Metis or is she born to Zeus without mother?

* OneSteveLimit:

---> '''Hephaestus'''

---> with Nereid Amphitrite: Trito

*** with an Oceanid nymph produces: the Nereid nymphs

*** with an Oceanid nymph produces: Iris (Rainbow) and two Harpies

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters.

* MultipleChoicePast: The Theogony contradict itself on some occasions (possibly because of textual corruption). Are the Moiria the daughters of Nyx or of Zeus and Themis? Is Athena the daughter of Zeus and Metis or is she born to Zeus without mother?

* SealedCastInAMultipack: OlderThanFeudalism: The myth of PandorasBox.

* TangledFamilyTree: And how.

---> with Oceanid Metis produced '''Athena'''

---> with his sister Hera produced: Hebe, '''Ares''', Enyo, '''Hephaestus''', and Eileithyia
---> with a Pleiad nymph produced: '''Hermes'''

* SealedCastInAMultipack: OlderThanFeudalism: The myth of Pandora's Box.

* [[PaterFamilicide Pater Familiphagia]]: Cronos swallowed alive as many as five of his children.

To cut a long story short, in the beginning there was not only Chaos but also Gaia (Mother Earth), Tartarus (Ineffably Deep Abyss), and Eros (who in those times resembled rather Will To Procreate than Romantic Love). Then, Gaia gave birth, among other creatures, to Ouranos (Heaven) and Pontus (Sea), both of whom later [[ParentalIncest fathered on her]] many children. This strange family had three main branches:

* AlmightyJanitor: Tartarus. Apparently powerful enough to hold the titans, cyclopes, and hekatoncheires prisoner for eternity, the only thing he ever actually does is sleep with Gaia to father Typhon. Even then, it's Gaia who sets Typhon on Zeus, not Tartarus. Tartarus is apparently content to sit back and enjoy his role as jailor/jail for the gods.

* DoubleInLawMarriage: as hard as it is to believe it, combined with BrotherSisterIncest.

* OffingTheOffspring: The only possible justification for Cronos' actions is that he really hadn't a good paternal example to follow.

* RuleOfThree: The story mentions three cases of dethronement of the father by his son, the last of which was prophesied sufficiently early to avert it by swallowing the pregnant mother of a dangerous child. When the child was eventually [[MisterSeahorse given birth by the father]], it inexplicably turned out to be a girl, and [[DaddysGirl not a one]] particularly inclined to commit patricide.

* InTheBlood: The tradition of killing one's father before seizing the rule over the world was very prominent in the family of Zeus. Also, the children of Phorkys and Keto were all monsters, whereas water was more than essential for all the descendants of Oceanus and Tethys.

[[quoteright:348:[[TotalChaos http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chaos_8639.PNG]]]]
[[caption-width-right:348:In the beginning there was Chaos, and then it only got worse.]]

* Uranus (Sky); he and Gaia reproduced to make:

** Uranus upon his castration by Cronus produced: Erinyes (the Furies), Giants, Meliai (Dryad) nymphs, '''Aphrodite'''

---> with a daughter of Atlas produced: '''Hermes'''

*** Potamoi (Rivers) and Oceanid nymphs

** Titan: Iapetus
*** with an Oceanid nymph produces: Atlas, Menoetius, Prometheus, and Epimetheus

** Uranus upon his castration by Cronus produced: Erinyes (the Furies), Giants, Meliai, '''Aphrodite'''

* MythicalMotifs: Three [[GorgeousGorgon Gorgons]], [[HydraProblem Hydra]], {{Pegasus}}, and a {{Dragon}} (only one, but not a few of his relatives were also more or less dragon-like).

As the Muses taught {{Hesiod}}, in the beginning there was Chaos - and indeed, this is one of the [[WorldOfChaos most chaotic]] texts in the world's literary canon. Written most probably in the 7th century in classical epic dactylic hexameter, it is mainly a genealogical treatise with not a few elements of theological gossip about which god slept with whom and who was born as a result. 'Theogony' means 'The Origin of Gods', and it is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Presenting the whole divine family on one genealogical tree is [[http://www.theoi.com/TreeHesiod.html almost]] impossible, but the Greeks apparently had little problems with memorizing all the details, as numerous stories from Greek mythology are perfectly consistent with the version of events described in ''Theogony'' (though, to complicate things even more, there is also a rival version written by Pseudo-Apollodorus, known as ''The Library'').