In ancient times, humanity developed civilizations. These were isolated nationalities that were formed under the influence of certain factors and had their own culture, technology and were distinguished by a certain individuality. Due to the fact that they were not as technologically advanced as modern humanity, ancient people were largely dependent on the vagaries of nature. Then lightning, rain, earthquakes and others natural phenomena seemed to be a manifestation of divine powers. These forces, as it seemed then, could determine fate and personal qualities person. This is how the very first mythology was born.

What is a myth?

According to the modern cultural definition, this is a narrative that reproduces the beliefs of ancient people about the structure of the world, about higher powers, about man, the lives of great heroes and gods in verbal form. In some way, they reflected the then level of human knowledge. These tales were recorded and passed down from generation to generation, thanks to which we can today find out how our ancestors thought. That is, then mythology was a certain form and also one of the ways of understanding natural and social reality, which reflected the views of man at a certain stage of development.

Among the many questions that worried humanity in those distant times, the problem of the emergence of the world and man in it was especially relevant. Due to their curiosity, people tried to explain and understand how they appeared and who created them. It is then that a separate myth about the origin of people appears.

Due to the fact that humanity, as already mentioned, developed in large isolated groups, the legends of each nationality were in some way unique, since they reflected not only the worldview of the people at that time, but also were an imprint of cultural, social development, and also carried information about the land where the people lived. In this sense, myths have some historical value, since they allow us to make some logical judgments about a particular people. In addition, they were a bridge between the past and the future, a connection between generations, passing on the knowledge that was accumulated in stories from the old family to the new, thus teaching it.

Anthropogonic myths

Regardless of civilization, all ancient people had their own ideas about how man appeared in this world. They have some general features, however, they also have significant differences, which are determined by the peculiarities of life and development of a particular civilization. All myths about the origin of man are called anthropogonic. This word comes from the Greek anthropos, which means man. Such a concept as a myth about the origin of people exists among absolutely all ancient peoples. The only difference is their perception of the world.

For comparison, we can consider individual myths about the origin of man and the world of two great nations, which significantly influenced the development of mankind in their time. These are civilizations Ancient Greece and Ancient China.

Chinese view of the creation of the world

The Chinese imagined our Universe in the form of a huge egg, which was filled with a certain matter - Chaos. From this Chaos, the first ancestor of all humanity, Pangu, was born. He used his ax to break the egg in which he was born. When he broke the egg, Chaos burst out and began to change. The sky (Yin) was formed - which is associated with the light principle, and the Earth (Yang) - the dark principle. This is how the world was formed in the beliefs of the Chinese. After that, Pangu placed his hands on the sky and his feet on the ground and began to grow. It grew continuously until the sky separated from the earth and became what we see it today. Pangu, when he grew up, fell into many parts, which became the basis of our world. His body became mountains and plains, his flesh became earth, his breath became air and wind, his blood became water, and his skin became vegetation.

Chinese mythology

As the Chinese myth about the origin of man says, a world was formed that was inhabited by animals, fish and birds, but people were still alive. The Chinese believed that the creator of humanity was the great female spirit - Nuwa. The ancient Chinese revered her as the organizer of the world; she was depicted as a woman with a human body, the legs of a bird and the tail of a snake, who holds in her hand a lunar disk (the Yin symbol) and a measuring square.

Nuiva began to sculpt human figures from clay, which came to life and turned into people. She worked a lot of time and realized that her strength was not enough to create people who could populate the entire earth. Then Nuiva took the rope and passed it through the liquid clay, and then shook it. People appeared where lumps of wet clay fell. But still they were not as good as those that were molded by hand. This is how the existence of the nobility, which Nuiva molded with her own hands, and people of the lower classes, created with the help of rope, was justified. The goddess gave her creations the opportunity to reproduce on their own, and also introduced the concept of marriage, which Ancient China was observed very strictly. Therefore, Nuiva can also be considered the patroness of marriage.

This is the Chinese myth about the origin of man. As you can see, it reflects not only traditional Chinese beliefs, but also some of the features and rules that guided the ancient Chinese in their lives.

Greek mythology about the emergence of man

The Greek myth about the origin of man tells how the titan Prometheus created people from clay. But the first people were very defenseless and did not know how to do anything. For this act, the Greek gods were angry with Prometheus and planned to destroy the human race. However, Prometheus saved his children by stealing fire from Olympus and bringing it to man in an empty reed stalk. For this, Zeus imprisoned Prometheus in chains in the Caucasus, where the eagle was supposed to peck his liver.

In general, any myth about the origin of people does not provide specific information about the emergence of humanity, concentrating more on subsequent events. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the Greeks considered man insignificant compared to the omnipotent gods, thus emphasizing their importance for the entire people. Indeed, almost all Greek legends are directly or indirectly related to the gods, who guide and help human heroes such as Odysseus or Jason.

Features of mythology

What features does mythological thinking have?

As can be seen above, myths and legends interpret and describe the origin of man absolutely different ways. You need to understand that the need for them arose early. They arose from man’s need to explain the origin of man, nature, and the structure of the world. Of course, the method of explanation that mythology uses is quite primitive; it differs significantly from the interpretation of the world order supported by science. In myths, everything is quite concrete and isolated; there are no abstract concepts in them. Man, society and nature merge into one. The main type of mythological thinking is figurative. Every person, hero or god necessarily has a concept or phenomenon that follows him. This one denies any logical argument, based on faith rather than knowledge. It is unable to generate questions that are not creative.

In addition, mythology also has specific literary techniques that allow us to emphasize the significance of certain events. These are hyperboles that exaggerate, for example, the strength or other important characteristics of heroes (Pangu, who was able to lift the sky), metaphors that attribute certain characteristics to things or beings that do not actually possess them.

Common features and influence on world culture

In general, one can trace a certain pattern in how the myths of different nations explain the origin of man. In almost all versions, there is some kind of divine essence that breathes life into lifeless matter, thus creating and shaping a person. This influence of ancient pagan beliefs can be traced in later religions, such as Christianity, where God creates man in his own image. However, if it is not entirely clear how Adam appeared, then God creates Eve from a rib, which only confirms this influence of ancient legends. This influence of mythology can be traced in almost any culture that existed later.

Ancient Turkic mythology about how man appeared

The ancient Turkic myth about the origin of man calls the goddess Umai the progenitor of the human race, as well as the creator of the earth. She's in the form white swan flew over the water, which had always existed, and looked for land, but did not find it. She laid the egg straight into the water, but the egg immediately sank. Then the goddess decided to make a nest on the water, but the feathers from which she made it turned out to be fragile, and the waves broke the nest. The goddess held her breath and dived to the very bottom. She carried out a piece of earth in her beak. Then the god Tengri saw her suffering and sent Umai three fish made of iron. She put the earth on the back of one of the fish, and it began to grow until the entire earth's land was formed. After which the goddess laid an egg, from which the entire human race, birds, animals, trees and everything else appeared.

What can be determined by reading this Turkic myth about the origin of man? One can see a general similarity with the legends of Ancient Greece and China already known to us. A certain divine force creates people, namely from an egg, which is very similar to the Chinese legend about Pangu. Thus, it is clear that initially people associated the creation of themselves by analogy with living beings that they could observe. There is also an incredible reverence for the maternal principle, for women as the continuer of life.

What can a child learn from these legends? What new things does he learn by reading the myths of peoples about the origin of man?

First of all, this will allow him to become familiar with the culture and life of the people who existed in prehistoric times. Since myth is characterized by a figurative type of thinking, a child will perceive it quite easily and will be able to assimilate the necessary information. For children, these are the same fairy tales, and, like fairy tales, they are filled with the same morals and information. When reading them, the child will learn to develop his thinking processes, learn to benefit from reading and draw conclusions.

The myth about the origin of people will give the child an answer to the exciting question - where did I come from? Of course, the answer will be incorrect, but children take everything on faith, and therefore it will satisfy the child’s interest. Reading the above greek myth about the origins of man, the child will also be able to understand why fire is so important for humanity and how it was discovered. This will be useful in the child’s subsequent education in primary school.

Variety and benefits for the child

Indeed, if we take examples of myths about the origin of man (and not only them) from Greek mythology, you can see that the colorfulness of the characters and their number are very large and interesting not only for young readers, but even for adults. However, you need to help the child figure it all out, otherwise he will simply get confused in events and their causes. It is necessary to explain to the child why God loves or does not love this or that hero, why he helps him. In this way, the child will learn to build logical chains and compare facts, drawing certain conclusions from them.

There is a myth about the beginning of all things from the goddess Eurynoma and the north wind, which the goddess turned into a large serpent Ophion, and she herself became a dove and laid an egg, from which the Universe arose - the sun, moon, planets, stars and earth with everything on it. Subsequently, Eurynome and Ophion settled on Mount Olympus, but Eurynome was angry with the serpent because he claimed that he himself created the Universe, and threw him off the mountain into underground darkness.

Other stories talk about the emergence of the world along the “original” River Ocean or how the goddess Night laid an egg, and from it came the god of world order Eros, who later became the god of love. Finally, in later myths it is no longer we're talking about about the egg, and about the original goddess Gay - mother of Zeus who created god Uranus - Father Heaven, and then gave birth to everything that is in the world.

At first there was Chaos. Some considered him to be some kind of divine being, but without a specific form. Others - and these were the majority - argued that it was a great abyss, full of creative force, like a single disordered mass, large and dark, a mixture of earth, water, fire and air. From that filled abyss, which concealed all the embryos of the future world, two powerful deities emerged - the first royal consorts of the gods: Uranus - Heaven and Gaia - Earth. From their marriage the first generation of gods, the so-called titans - six brothers and six sisters. The eldest among them was Ocean, the god of the mighty river, which encircled the entire earth with a wide blue ring. juniors

were brothers of the titans cyclops(one-eyed) and Hecatonchires(hundred-handed). Expecting neither gratitude from them nor respect for their parental authority, Uranus threw them into a bottomless abyss Tartarus where the sad house was Nights, surrounded by impenetrable clouds.

Gaia heard the groan of the titans coming from the bowels of the earth, hated her criminal husband and plotted against his cruel power. The youngest of the titans obeyed his mother’s persuasion - Kronos, who was still at large. Armed with an iron sickle, he waylaid Uranus, attacked him, shamefully mutilated him and threw him off the heavenly throne. From the blood of the god three terrible goddesses of vengeance emerged - Erinyes, with snakes on his head instead of hair.

The world was born with the gods. Above the earth, the solid land stood out from the chaos, the young sun was shining, and generous rains were falling from the clouds. The first forests rose, and a large forest covered the land. Animals wandered on the hills. Gradually everything began to take on a familiar look. Streams found their grottoes, and lakes found convenient basins; Snowy mountain ridges stood out against the sky. The stars flickered in the night space, and when they faded, dawn came.

Kronos ruled the world with his wife Rhea. He left most of his enslaved brothers in the abyss of Tartarus. He always remembered the curse of his father, who predicted that his son would take power. Therefore, every child that Rhea gave birth to was immediately swallowed by Kronos. There were already five children in the terrible titanium womb. But when Zeus, the future owner of the gods, was born, Rhea gave diarrhea to a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes. He swallowed the stone, thinking that he was swallowing his son. Meanwhile, Rhea hid her son in a cave on the island. Crete. Zeus grew up under the tutelage of mountain nymphs, who fed him goat milk. AMALTHEA. When the goat broke one of its horns, Zeus took it into his divine hands and blessed it, and since then this corner has always been filled with everything its owner wanted. This is how the horn appeared abundance, also called the AMALTHEA angle. Zeus grew up and, unrecognized by diarrhea, went to serve as a cupbearer. Then Zeus with the help of ma

When she mixed such drugs into the wine, Kronos vomited all the absorbed gods - Zeus's brothers and sisters.

Between the young gods - Zeus, Poseidon, Hero, Hestia, Demeter- and a terrible ten-year war broke out between the elder titans. Finally, the younger gods, with the help of those released from underworld hecatoncheires and Cyclops(round-eyed) defeated the titans and settled on Olympus.

When Zeus ascended the heavenly throne, there were already people on earth. There were various legends about the emergence of the human race: supposedly it simply came out of the womb of the earth, that forests and mountains created people like trees and rocks, as if people came from the gods. Other myths claim that he sculpted people from clay

Prometheus. In the myth of the Flood, of all the people there remains only one couple - Deucalion And Pyrrha. They had no children, and in order for a new humanity to be born instead of the one destroyed by the flood, they, on the advice of the gods, throw stones over their heads and become people (ancient Greek " LAAS" - stone, and " Laos" - people, people). But they more readily accepted the legend of four centuries of humanity.

According to these legends, first there was a golden age. Then Kronos reigned. Milk rivers flowed from the trees, sweet honey oozed from the trees, and the earth gave birth to everything, and not driven by the labor of the farmer. People lived like celestials - without worries, without labor, without sadness. their body never grew old, and their lives were spent in endless feasts and entertainment. After the fall of Kronos, the golden age ended, and the people of that time turned into charitable spirits.

The next age was silver. People developed very slowly. Their childhood period lasted a hundred years, and when they reached adulthood, their lives were short and full of hardships. They were angry and pompous, they did not want to respect the gods as they should and make sacrifices to them. Zeus destroyed them all, only in human memory they remained as blessed souls.

In the Bronze Age there lived a tribe that loved war. People had the strength of giants and hearts as hard as stone. Everything was made of bronze: walls, houses, utensils and weapons. It was a heroic period. At that time there lived a big Hercules and brave Theseus, heroes of Thebes and Troy. And finally, the last age - the iron age, in which people, unjust and cruel, constantly fight among themselves, continues to this day

Already associated with the Bronze Age historical events. We can say that the Iliad talks about genuine historical events and people who once existed, although all those events and people are decorated with the imagination of the brilliant author of the poems. The participation of the gods in the clashes between the Achaean and Trojan leaders is fictional, but the historical existence of such people as Achilles , Agamemnon, Odysseus , Priam , Hector,- quite possible.

Myths about the creation of the world

Mythology is the science that studies ancient myths or legends associated with religious beliefs people of antiquity, and including, in addition to detailed story about the origin of the gods, a theory explaining how the world was created.

Of all the peoples scattered across the face of the earth, only the Jews learned about the origin of the world directly from God, who not only told them in detail how the earth and all living creatures on it were created, but also bestowed a set of laws regulating their behavior. They received comprehensive answers to all the questions that they might have, leaving no room for speculation.

It was different for all other peoples. The Greeks and Romans, for example, who did not have the knowledge that Holy Scripture gives us, but who wanted to know where the world came from, were forced to create their own theories. Looking around in search of a basis on which to build this theory, they could not help but notice and admire the wonders of nature. Change of day and night, summer and winter, rain and dry weather; the fact that even the tallest trees grow from tiny seeds, the greatest rivers from small streams, and the most beautiful flowers and the most delicate fruits from small green buds - all this seemed to suggest to them that there was a supreme being who created everything. it is for a purpose.

Soon the ancient people came to the conclusion that the almighty hand that created all these wonders of nature could also create the very Earth on which they live. This thought gave rise to others, assumptions grew into certainty, and soon the following myth or legend appeared, which began to be passed on from generation to generation:

There was no sea, no land and no open sky above everything, -

The face of nature was one throughout the entire breadth of the universe, -

Chaos was his name. Unarticulated and rough bulk,

He was an inert burden - and only - where they were collected

Seeds of loosely connected things are of different essences together.

There was no earth yet. Land, sea and air were so mixed that the earth was not solid, the sea was liquid, and the air was transparent.

Titan did not yet give any light to the world,

And the newly-minted Phoebus did not grow horns,

And the earth did not hang, flown around by an air current,

Having lost my own weight, and along the long earthly borders

Amphitrite had not yet stretched out her hands at that time.

Where there was land, there was both sea and air.

And it was impossible to stand on land or swim on the waters...

The air was devoid of light, and nothing preserved forms.

Everything was still in the struggle, then, in the mass of one

Cold fought with heat, dryness fought with humidity,

The battle with the weighty was fought by the weightless, the hard with the soft.

And over this formless mass reigned a careless deity named Chaos, and no one knew what it looked like, since there was no light yet. Chaos shared the throne with his wife, the dark goddess of the night named Nyx, or Nyx, whose black robes and even blacker appearance could not disperse the surrounding darkness.

Time passed, and the couple got tired of power and called their son Erebus (Darkness) to their aid. The first thing he did was overthrow his father and take his throne, and then, deciding that he needed a companion, he married his mother Nyx. Of course, from the point of view of modern views, they committed a mortal sin, but the ancients, who did not yet have written laws, did not consider such a marriage sinful at all and, without any embarrassment, tell us how Erebus and Nyx ruled together until their wonderful children Ether ( Light) and Hemera (Day), having united, did not overthrow them and did not usurp power over the world.

And then for the first time the illuminated Chaos revealed its entire unsightly essence. Ether and Hemera carefully examined the chaos that reigned everywhere and, seeing the possibilities inherent in it, decided to turn it into a beautiful thing. However, they well understood the enormity of the task set for themselves and felt that they could not cope alone, and therefore they called upon Eros (Cupid, or Love), their own child, to their aid. With their combined efforts they created Pontus (the sea) and Gaia (Ge, Tellus, or Terra), as the earth was then called.

At the beginning of its existence, the Earth was not at all as beautiful as it has become now. There were no trees covered with thick foliage shaking their branches on the hills, no flowers growing in the valleys, no grass in the meadows, no birds flying in the air. The ground was bare; Silence and peace reigned everywhere. Eros was the first to notice this and, grabbing his life-giving arrows, launched them into the cold chest of the earth. And immediately its brown surface was covered with luxurious greenery, colorful birds fluttered out of the foliage of the trees that grew right before our eyes, a wide variety of animals appeared in the dense meadows, and fast fish flashed in the clear waters of the streams. Life, joy and movement reigned everywhere.

Gaia, waking up from sleep, admired everything that Eros had done to decorate her, and, deciding to complete and crown his labors, she created Uranus (Sky).

This version of the creation of the world, one of many common in Greece and Rome, enjoyed the greatest popularity.

Gaia first of all gave birth to one like herself

Uranus, shining with stars, so that it covers it everywhere.

Hesiod (Translated by G. Vlastov)

Another common version was that Erebus and Nyx created a giant egg from which Eros, the god of Love, emerged and created the Earth.

In the terrible chaos of Erebus' house

There was a small closed nook

There the goddess of the night secretly put

An egg to be kept in the dark,

And at the right time from this egg

Happy Love hatched.

Aristophanes

The ancients believed that the earth was shaped like a disk, not a ball, as scientists later proved. The Greeks thought that their country was located in the very center of the Earth, and exactly in the center of Greece is the high Mount Olympus, the mythical abode of the gods. The earth is divided into two equal halves by the Pontus (the sea, which obviously meant the Mediterranean and Black Sea), and around them “a constant, even stream” flows the great river Ocean, on which there are never storms. All rivers flow from it, and the sea itself is fed by its waters.

The Greeks also believed that the territories located to the north of their country were inhabited by the happy people of the Hyperboreans, who lived in constant joy and enjoyed an eternal spring. They, as the Greeks believed, could not be reached either by land or by sea. They knew neither illness, nor old age, nor death, and were so virtuous that the gods often visited them and even took part in their festivals and games. The people, endowed with the favors of the gods, could not help but be happy, and their sunny country was sung by many poets.

To the south of Greece, also not far from the great Ocean River, lived another people, just as happy and virtuous as the Hyperboreans - the Ethiopians. They, too, often hosted the gods, who shared their innocent amusements with great pleasure.

And far, far away, off the banks of the same wonderful river, according to some myths, there were the beautiful islands of Blest, where mortals who lived their lives sinlessly and thereby earned the mercy of the gods were transported without feeling the touch of death, and there enjoyed eternal bliss. These islands had their own sun, and the cold winter winds from the north did not reach them.

On a land called Shine,

What lies beyond the glorious west,

All year round, day and night around

Eternal peace reigns.

There is not a pale moon in the sky,

No distant twinkling stars.

The sun always shines - both night and day,

Illuminating the world of chosen souls.

They don't need to sow, they don't need to reap,

They don't have to work, oh no!

They don't know tears and don't know worries,

Only happiness awaits them in the future!

Ether and Hemera took power from Erebus and Nyx, but they did not have to enjoy it for long, since Uranus and Gaia, who were more powerful than their parents, soon drove them out and began to rule on their own. But before they had time to settle on the top of Olympus, twelve gigantic children were born to them, the Titans, who had the same strength as their father, Uranus, who was mortally afraid of them. Fearing that they would use her to overthrow him, immediately after birth he grabbed his children and threw them to the bottom of a dark abyss called Tartarus, where he chained them tightly.

This abyss was located deep underground, and Uranus knew that his six sons (Oceanus, Coy, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus and Cronus), as well as six Titanide daughters (Elijah, Rhea, Themis, Tethys, Mnemosyne and Phoebe) could not get out of this cave outside. The Titans did not remain the only inhabitants of Tartarus for long, for one day its bronze doors opened again to receive the Cyclopes - Brontus (Thunder), Steropes (Lightning) and Argas (Lightning) - three children of Uranus and Gaia, born later. The Cyclopes, along with the Titans, turned Tartarus into hell with their endless demands to be freed. After some time, their number increased again - Uranus cast into Tartarus three terrible Centimans (hundred-armed monsters), who shared the fate of their older brothers.

Gaia, terribly upset by her husband's treatment of the children, protested vehemently, but it was all in vain. Uranus never agreed to free the giants, and when their screams reached his ears, he trembled for his life. Beside herself with anger, Gaia vowed revenge and descended to Tartarus, where she began to convince the Titans to plot against her father and wrest power from his hands.

They all listened carefully to their mother's words, but no one had the courage to take on this matter, except for Cronus, the youngest of the titans, who is more often called Saturn or Time. He suffered more than anyone from imprisonment and chains and hated his father for his cruelty. Gaia finally managed to convince him to overthrow his father, and, freeing him from his bonds, she handed him the scythe that she had brought with her and wished him courage and a victorious return.

Armed and encouraged by his mother, Cronus attacked his unsuspecting father, defeated him thanks to his wonderful weapon and, tightly binding him, took the vacated throne, intending to become the eternal ruler of the Universe. Enraged, Uranus cursed his son and predicted that the day would come when he too would be overthrown by his children as punishment for raising his hand against his father.

Cronus did not pay any attention to this and freed the titans from Tartarus, his brothers and sisters, who, in gratitude for the fact that he had rescued them from terrible captivity, agreed to recognize him as their ruler. Their joy knew no bounds when he took his own sister Rhea (Cybele, Ops) as his wife, and gave everyone else different kingdoms of the Universe so that they could rule them as they pleased. He gave Oceanus and Tethys, for example, the ocean and all the rivers on earth, and entrusted Hyperion and Phoebe with controlling the sun and moon, which, as the ancients believed, rode across the sky every day in sparkling golden chariots.

Peace and tranquility reigned on Mount Olympus and its environs, and the pleased Cronus congratulated himself on the victorious completion of his enterprise. But one fine morning his peace was disturbed by the message that he had a son. And then he suddenly remembered his father’s curse. Fearing that he would lose power, he hurried to his wife, intending to swallow the newborn child in order to avoid future troubles. Rhea, who did not suspect anything, heard his request to show her son. She happily placed the child in her husband's outstretched hands, but imagine her amazement and horror when she saw that he had swallowed the child.

Time passed, Gaia gave birth to another baby, but he too suffered the same fate. One after another, newborn children disappeared into the huge mouth of the insatiable Kron, who personified time, which creates only to destroy. In vain did the mother, distraught with grief, try to save at least one baby - the selfish, hard-hearted Kron did not want to heed her pleas. Desperate to pity him, Rhea finally decided to use cunning to get what she could not achieve with prayers, and as soon as her youngest son, Jupiter (Job, Zeus), was born, she hid him.

Cronus, having learned about the birth of his son, came to Rhea to do with him as with the other children. Rhea begged not to destroy her son, but, not achieving success, she pretended to resign herself. Quickly wrapping a large stone in swaddling clothes, she handed it to Kron, depicting inconsolable grief on her face.

Kron, obviously, was not very intelligent, because he swallowed the package without even inquiring about its contents.

Then she, swaddled in a huge stone, handed

Son of Uranus, the great lord, former king of the gods,

Who, grabbing him in his hands, lowered him into the womb -

Mad, not understanding in spirit what is in his future

Behind (this) stone his son is undefeated

and safe from it

Remained, who will soon overcome him with strength and hand,

He will deprive him of his honors and he himself will reign over the immortals.

Hesiod (Translated by G. Vlastov)

Unaware of the deception, Kron left, and the happy mother pressed the saved treasure to her chest. However, saving little Jupiter from inevitable death was not all - it was necessary to prevent his father from guessing about his existence.

Rhea entrusted her baby to the tender care of the Melian nymphs, who carried him to a cave on Mount Ida. Little Zeus was nursed by the goat Amalthea, who looked after him so selflessly that after his death she was ascended to heaven and placed in the constellation - this is how Rhea thanked her for her kindness. And so that the cry of Jupiter could not be heard on Olympus, the Curetes (Corybantes), the priests of Rhea, screamed wildly, shook their weapons, danced and sang war songs.

Kron could not understand why there was such a fuss. Taking a break from his many labors, he congratulated himself on how cleverly he had managed to avoid the troubles that his father had foreshadowed for him. But one day he learned that his wife had betrayed him and Jupiter was alive, and all his anxieties and fears were revived with renewed vigor. Cronus immediately began to rack his brains on how to get rid of his son, but did not have time to come up with anything, since Jupiter himself attacked him and, after a short but brutal fight, overthrew him from the throne.

Jupiter, rejoicing that he managed to defeat his father so quickly, seized supreme power and, on the advice of Rhea, who gave him a magic potion prepared by Metis, daughter of Ocean, forced Cronus to vomit out the children he had swallowed - Neptune, Pluto, Vesta, Ceres and Juno.

Following the example of his father, Jupiter divided his kingdom between his brothers and sisters. The smartest of the titans - Mnemosyne, Themis, Oceanus and Hyperion - unquestioningly obeyed the new ruler of the world, but others did not want to recognize him as their master, which led to a bloody battle between the gods and the titans.

Greek mythology gave the world the most interesting and instructive stories, fascinating stories and adventures. The narrative immerses us in fairy world, where you can meet heroes and gods, terrible monsters and unusual animals. The myths of Ancient Greece, written many centuries ago, are currently the greatest cultural heritage of all humanity.

What are myths

Mythology is an amazing separate world in which people confronted the deities of Olympus, fought for honor and resisted evil and destruction.

However, it is worth remembering that myths are works created exclusively by people using imagination and fiction. These are stories about gods, heroes and exploits, unusual phenomena nature and mysterious creatures.

The origin of legends is no different from the origin folk tales and legends. The Greeks invented and retold unusual stories that mixed truth and fiction.

It is possible that there was some truth in the stories - a real-life incident or example could have been taken as a basis.

The source of the myths of Ancient Greece

Where from? modern people Are the myths and their plots known for certain? It turns out that Greek mythology was preserved on the tablets of the Aegean culture. They were written in Linear B, which was only deciphered in the 20th century.

The Cretan-Mycenaean period, to which this type of writing belongs, knew most of the gods: Zeus, Athena, Dionysus, and so on. However, due to the decline of civilization and the emergence of ancient Greek mythology, mythology could have its gaps: we know it only from the most recent sources.

Various plots of the myths of Ancient Greece were often used by writers of that time. And before the advent of the Hellenistic era, it became popular to create your own legends based on them.

The largest and most famous sources are:

1. Homer, Iliad, Odyssey
2. Hesiod "Theogony"
3. Pseudo-Apollodorus, "Library"
4. Gigin, "Myths"
5. Ovid, "Metamorphoses"
6. Nonnus, "The Acts of Dionysus"

Karl Marx believed that the mythology of Greece was a vast repository of art, and also created the basis for it, thus performing a double function.

Ancient Greek mythology

Myths did not appear overnight: they took shape over several centuries and were passed on from mouth to mouth. Thanks to the poetry of Hesiod and Homer, the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, we can become familiar with stories in the present day.

Each story has value, preserving the atmosphere of antiquity. Specially trained people - mythographers - began to appear in Greece in the 4th century BC.

These include the sophist Hippias, Herodotus of Heraclea, Heraclitus of Pontus and others. Dionysius of Samois, in particular, was involved in compiling genealogical tables and studying tragic myths.

There are many myths, but the most popular are the stories associated with Olympus and its inhabitants.

However, the complex hierarchy and history of the origin of the gods can confuse any reader, and therefore we propose to understand this in detail!

With the help of myths, it becomes possible to recreate the picture of the world as imagined by the inhabitants of Ancient Greece: the world is inhabited by monsters and giants, including giants, one-eyed creatures and Titans.

Origin of the Gods

Eternal, boundless Chaos enveloped the Earth. It contained the world's source of life.

It was believed that it was Chaos that gave birth to everything around: the world, immortal gods, the goddess of the Earth Gaia, who gave life to everything growing and living, and the powerful force that animates everything - Love.

However, a birth also took place under the Earth: the gloomy Tartarus was born - an abyss of horror filled with eternal darkness.

In the process of creating the world, Chaos gave birth to the Eternal Darkness, called Erebus, and the dark Night, called Nikta. As a result of the union of Nyx and Erebus, Ether was born - eternal Light and Hemera - bright day. Thanks to their appearance, light filled the whole world, and day and night began to replace each other.

Gaia, a powerful and blessed goddess, created the vast blue Sky - Uranus. Spread over the Earth, it reigned throughout the world. High mountains proudly reached out to him, and the noisy Sea spilled over the entire Earth.

Goddess Gaia and her titan children

After Mother Earth created the Sky, Mountains and Sea, Uranus decided to take Gaia as his wife. From the divine union there were 6 sons and 6 daughters.

The Titan Ocean and the goddess Thetis created all the rivers that rolled their waters to the sea, and the goddesses of the seas, called Oceanids. Titan Hipperion and Theia gave the world Helios - the Sun, Selene - the Moon and Eos - the Dawn. Astraea and Eos gave birth to all the stars and all the winds: Boreas - northern, Eurus - eastern, Noth - southern, Zephyr - western.

The overthrow of Uranus - the beginning of a new era

The goddess Gaia - the mighty Earth - gave birth to 6 more sons: 3 Cyclopes - giants with one eye in their forehead, and 3 fifty-headed, hundred-armed monsters called Hecantocheirs. They possessed limitless power that knew no limits.

Struck by the ugliness of his giant children, Uranus renounced them and ordered them to be imprisoned in the bowels of the Earth. Gaia, being a Mother, suffered, weighed down by a terrible burden: after all, her own children were imprisoned in her bowels. Unable to bear it, Gaia called on her titan children, persuading them to rebel against their father, Uranus.

Battle of the gods with the titans

Being great and powerful, the titans were still afraid of their father. And only Kronos, the youngest and treacherous, accepted his mother’s offer. Having outwitted Uranus, he overthrew him, seizing power.

As punishment for the act of Kronos, the goddess Night gave birth to death (Tanat), discord (Eris), deception (Apata),

Kronos devouring his child

destruction (Ker), nightmare (Hypnos) and vengeance (Nemesis) and other terrible gods. All of them brought horror, discord, deception, struggle and misfortune into the world of Kronos.

Despite his cunning, Kronos was afraid. His fear was built on personal experience: after all, the children could overthrow him, as he once overthrew Uranus, his father.

Fearing for his life, Kronos ordered his wife Rhea to bring him their children. To Rhea's horror, 5 of them were eaten: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon.

Zeus and his reign

Heeding the advice of her father Uranus and mother Gaia, Rhea fled to the island of Crete. There, in a deep cave, she gave birth to her youngest son, Zeus.

By hiding the newborn in it, Rhea deceived the tough Kronos by allowing him to swallow a long stone, wrapped in swaddling clothes, instead of her son.

As time went. Kronos did not understand his wife's deception. Zeus grew up while in Crete. His nannies were the nymphs Adrastea and Idea; instead of his mother’s milk, he was fed with the milk of the divine goat Amalthea, and hardworking bees brought honey to baby Zeus from Mount Dikty.

If Zeus began to cry, the young Kuretes standing at the entrance to the cave struck their shields with their swords. Loud sounds drowned out the crying so that Kronos wouldn't hear it.

The myth of the birth of Zeus: feeding the milk of the divine goat Amalthea

Zeus has grown up. Having defeated Kronos in battle with the help of the Titans and Cyclops, he became the supreme deity of the Olympian Pantheon. The Lord of the heavenly powers commanded thunder, lightning, clouds and downpours. He dominated the Universe, giving people laws and maintaining order.

Views of the Ancient Greeks

The Hellenes believed that the gods of Olympus were similar to people, and the relationships between them were comparable to human ones. Their lives were also filled with quarrels and reconciliations, envy and interference, resentment and forgiveness, joy, fun and love.

In the ideas of the ancient Greeks, each deity had its own occupation and sphere of influence:

• Zeus - lord of the sky, father of gods and people
• Hera - wife of Zeus, patroness of the family
• Poseidon - sea
• Hestia - family hearth
• Demeter – agriculture
• Apollo – light and music
• Athena - wisdom
• Hermes - trade and messenger of the gods
• Hephaestus - fire
• Aphrodite - beauty
• Ares - war
• Artemis - hunting

From the earth, people each turned to their god, according to their purpose. Temples were built everywhere to appease them, and gifts were offered instead of sacrifices.

In Greek mythology, not only Chaos, the Titans and the Olympian Pantheon were important, there were other gods as well.

• Nymphs Naiads who lived in streams and rivers
• Nereids - nymphs of the seas
• Dryads and Satyrs - nymphs of the forests
• Echo - nymph of the mountains
• Fate Goddesses: Lachesis, Clotho and Atropos.

Ancient Greece gave us a rich world of myths. It is filled with deep meaning and instructive stories. Thanks to them, people can learn ancient wisdom and knowledge.

How many different legends are there? this moment, can't be counted. But believe me, every person should familiarize themselves with them by spending time with Apollo, Hephaestus, Hercules, Narcissus, Poseidon and others. Welcome to ancient world ancient Greeks!

“The Castration of Uranus by Kronos” by Giorgio Vasari and Gerardi Cristofano, 16th century, Palazzo Vecchio, Italy

According to some scientists, EON is one thing; according to others, it is another. You can’t trust anyone, because the history of the Earth is a boiling ocean of insights, comprehensions, fabrications, unsubstantiated rumors and completely conclusive, but empty facts. With all this, when dealing with issues of Culture, it is necessary to know what the relationship between Eternity and Time is. So, who are you God Aeon? We turn to ancient Greek mythology and immediately come to a myth that tells about the first Gods, the conflict between which determined the course of Ancient Greek history, and then penetrated into current ideas

The external image of Chaos in modern representation...

Chaos (ancient Greek “to open up, open up”). Ancient Greek poet of the 8th - 7th centuries BC. Hesiod in his Theogony (Genealogy of the Gods) stated: “First of all, in the universe Chaos arose.” We know more.

Ancient Chaos is the rarefaction and dispersion of matter, and therefore it is eternal death for all living things. He is also the condensation of all matter, and therefore he is the principle and source of all becoming. Chaos is the eternally creative womb for all forms of life.

Majestic and tragic image cosmic First Unity. In it is melted Being, from which everything appears and in which everything perishes. He is the universal principle of continuous and continuous, endless and limitless becoming.
Ancient Chaos is omnipotent and faceless, it shapes everything, but itself is formless.
He is a world monster, the essence of which is Emptiness and Nothingness, or Infinity and Zero at the same time.

The first creation of Chaos was Gaia - the ancient Greek Goddess of the Earth. According to Hesiod: “then broad-breasted Gaia was born, a safe haven for all.” Gaia is the Mother of everything that lives and grows on her.

According to Hesiod : “Gaia, first of all, gave birth to the starry Sky of Uranus, equal in breadth, so that it would cover it everywhere and serve as a strong dwelling for the all-blessed gods.” Uranus was chosen by Gaia as her husband, and “was the first to rule the whole world.” The Earth gave birth to Heaven, who became her husband (how is that possible?). Their union gave birth to children who were supposed to turn Chaos into Cosmos (which means it’s necessary!). As it were…

In Chaos, TWO FORM-CREATING FORCES were identified:

SKY, endowed with inexhaustible productive power,

and EARTH with original maternal inclinations.

They were beautiful in appearance, because Gods cannot be otherwise...

“Also, Gaia gave birth to the Cyclops, with an arrogant soul - in the number of three, and by name - Bronte, Sterope and Arga. In all other respects they were similar to the other gods, but only a single eye was located in the middle of the face: That’s why they were called « Krugglogla ­ PS”, “Cyclopes”, who had a single round eye on their faces. And they had strength, power, and dexterity to do the work.”

The couple also had other, more terrible-looking children, but we will talk about them later. Now - about the main thing...

The children born of Gaia-Earth and Sky-Uranus were terrible and became hated by their father at first sight. As soon as one of them was born, each one was immediately hidden in the depths of the Earth by the parent, not released into the light, and enjoyed his villainy.” The fact that the children worked properly did not matter to the father...

Gaia-Earth gave birth to a TERRIBLE APPEARING GOOD.

And Uranus-Sky, BEAUTIFUL IN VIEW, turned out to be capable of EVIL. T How a MORAL-AESTHETIC PROBLEM arose,
which is that GOOD and EVIL
could become both BEAUTIFUL and TERRIBLE.

At the same time, in contrast to the eternally creative womb
for all life forms, TARTARUS arose...

“The gloomy Tartarus is so far from us: if you took a copper anvil and threw it from the sky, it would fly to the ground in nine days and nights; If you threw it from the ground, in nine days and nights the weight would fly to Tartarus.” “Tartarus is surrounded by a copper fence. In three rows the impenetrable night surrounds his neck, and on top the roots of the earth lie from the bitter-salty sea. Poseidon blocked the exit from there with a copper door; the wall runs around the whole place.”

John Martin. "Fallen Angels in Hell" 1841
There are no ancient images of Tartarus..

There is nothing worse than being thrown into Tartarus and losing faith in “saving illusions.” Even those partially deprived of illusions are immediately overtaken by the merciless Horror of the Night and the Darkness of Nothingness, corroding the flesh and soul. Horror and Darkness are inevitable forces. The theory of illusions was proposed by the philosopher Evgeny Golovin - I immediately felt its explanatory meaning, and then I was convinced of it.

In the brief moment called “life,” people are always guided by “cruel illusions.” They protect them from contact with the cosmic reality of the Night. Judging by the myths of the ancient Greeks, they surrendered to power so that their memory would recreate something that they had never seen, for example, the image of Tartarus. Because of “cruel illusions,” life becomes illusory. People think one thing, but in reality everything happens differently - as the decree of the High Powers dictates. Ancient Greek myths There are countless things on this topic.

“With a full womb, the giant Earth groaned heavily. The last to be born was Cronus, the cunning one, the most terrible among children, and he hated his powerful Father. Evil came to Gaia's mind and a cunning and skillful deed. Immediately creating a breed of gray iron, she made a huge sickle and showed it to her beloved children. Arousing courage in them, she said with a sad soul: “My children and the wicked father! If you want to be obedient to me, we can repay our father for his crime, for he was the first to plan terrible things.” Overwhelmed with fear, the children were silent. The great Kron, cunning and full of courage, agreed.”

Fragment of the painting by Giorgio Vasari “The Castration of Uranus by Kronos.”

“The gigantic soul rejoiced Gaia . Having hidden her son in a secluded place, she gave him a sharp-toothed sickle and taught him all sorts of treachery. Leading the night with him, he appearedUranus, lay down near Gaia, burning with love desire, and spread everywhere around. Unexpectedly left hand the son reached out from ambush, and with his right hand, grabbing a huge sharp-toothed sickle, he quickly cut off the childbearing member of his dear parent and threw it back with a strong swing.”

"The Birth of Aphrodite." Altar of Aphrodite, marble. First third of the 5th century BC. e. Roman National Museum.

“The father’s reproductive member, cut off with a sharp iron, rushed across the sea for a long time, and white foam whipped up around from the imperishable member. And the girl was born in that foam. First she sailed to the sacred Cythera, and after that she landed in Cyprus, washed by the sea. A beautiful goddess came ashore. When he steps with his foot, grass grows under his slender foot. Her Aphrodite“Foam-born”, also “Cytherea”, beautifully crowned, Gods and people call”...

Do not miss, having lost the Power over the World, for the sake of which Uranus committed a terrible crime, he gave people a gift - he left them a “saving illusion.” And people caught its meaning in the whisper of sea foam - "LOVE SAVES THE WORLD". This is an illusion: there is no love - the wave will run onto the shore and melt, leaving behind stones as if soaked in tears. “No, no - LOVE WILL SAVE THE WORLD, IT IS ETERNAL LIKE THE BEAUTY of my waves hitting the shore,” persuades the Sea.

Baroque figurine depicting the triumph of Saturn.

Rushed across the castrated Sky
with an hourglass and a sickle in his hands, so that all the children of the earth can see: it is he who controls the time of their lives. In fact, even in Roman times, when Kronos began to be called Saturn, these solemn journeys were covered with a certain secret. Kronos - Saturn - did not want Time to flow, he hoped to rule forever. For this he ate his own children...

Illustration of Baroque time. sitting on a stone in complete goodness. The sickle is discarded. Nearby there is a vase with musical instruments. In his right hand God holds a circle in the form of a serpent biting its own tail. This is a symbol of Eternity.

The earthlings did not notice that stagnation had appeared in their lives, because the god Hypnos kept their consciousness in check of a “cruel illusion.” According to this illusion, nothing should change, because « GOLDEN AGE « , better than which there is nothing and cannot be, since... People live like gods, “with a calm and clear soul, not knowing grief, not knowing labor,” according to Hesiod.

Peter Paul Rubens. "Saturn devouring his children." 1636

Saturn married his sister, the Titanide Rhea (consanguineous marriages were common in Roman mythology). Kron devoured all the children born to Rhea. Gaia's mother warned Cronus that he, in turn, would be deprived of power by his own son...

Artists of many centuries have represented the fact of cannibalism at the highest level ruling the world Greco-Roman divine hierarchy in all its naturalistic authenticity.

Francisco Goya crosses the border of authenticity, turning the crime into an image of Horror and Gloom. The history of people should not allow them, even that which is hidden in the distance of time in the form of legends and myths. If so, Goya's painting Saturn Devouring His Children (1820 - 1823) is a brutal expose of a "cruel illusion."

Has anyone come to their senses? Perhaps not... Such a “cruel illusion”

Isn’t it true that he manages public time even at the present time?

Saint Petersburg. Summer garden. "Saturn devouring his children." Sk. F. Cabianca. Early 18th century

I remember I took the students of my courses around the Summer Garden and told them, no, not about Saturn (I was afraid to look at him), but about the “Saturnalia” - celebrations in honor of the “Grim Reaper”, which turns into a symbol of the harvest...

In ancient Rome, this holiday fell on the second half of December - the time when agricultural work ended and everyone strived for relaxation and fun. During the week of “Saturnalia,” public affairs were suspended, schoolchildren were released from classes, and criminals were forbidden to be punished. Slaves received special benefits these days: they were freed from ordinary labor, became masters, and masters became their servants. Apparently, while rattling bowls against pots, the Roman people also did not raise their eyes to Heaven.

Kron is the personification of all-consuming Time. Everything is born and disappears in time, so the children of Kron are born and destroyed by their father. Representatives of a new generation were born and disappeared in Kron’s womb greek gods: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon. Rhea gave birth to Zeus on the island of Crete, in a cave on Mount Dikte, but... Instead of another baby, Cronus received a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes. So the outrages of Kronos and Saturn stopped.

What to do next - who will bring order to the Universe? This is where Eon, a friend of Hercules, appeared . After winning the race Olympic Games, Eon and Hercules came to Sparta. The friends wandered around the city and ended up near the palace of King Hippocoon. Eon was attacked by a guard dog, Eon threw a stone at it and killed it. Then the king's sons beat the hero to death with sticks. Hercules took revenge on them: he killed the king and his 12 sons. What is the essence of everyday myth? First of all, the score...

ONE IS KILLED BY TWELVE.
ONE IS THE NUMBER OF INTEGRITY, THAT IS ETERNITY,
TWELVE IS THE NUMBER OF ACTION (THREE),
DEPLOYED IN SPACE (FOUR).

After death in the Earthly - Event world -
A HERO goes through a transformation,
becoming in the Heavenly - Existential world - GOD,
whose mission is to turn Chaos into Space.
Quite the gospel story, only it is written
in the abstract language Prachisel.

Roman mosaic, 3rd century AD. e. Glyptothek, Munich

Stands in the heavenly Zodiac circle, closed, endless. Ancient myth, Below, the Goddess Gaia reclines on the earth, surrounded by her children - the four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter (in a gray robe) This means, with the consent of the Mother of everything and everyone, the Aeon rules the three whirlwinds: the annual movement of the Sun (4 x 3 = 12), the endless change of 12 signs of the Zodiac and the movement of all planets.

The zodiac circle consists of 12 equal sections,
occupied by the corresponding signs of the Zodiac - constellations
Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces.
The zodiac circle is a continuous repetition of the same institutions
for the existence of the Earth and all its creations.

26 thousand years - 360 degrees (full Zodiac circle).
2.16 thousand years - 30 degrees (passing through one Sign).
72 years - 1 degree (expiration of one ray of energy).

And he established this orderliness ONE - THE GOD OF ETERNITY AEON,
subjugating TIME in all its current INFINITY
with the help of PROPORTIONALITY, which is leading start HARMONY...

Lukas Jensky. "Ouroboros" - "The serpent devouring its own tail" from the book "The Philosopher's Stone". 1625. This is an example of the emblem of Eternity and the cyclical development of the World

On time Ancient Rome All that remains from the Eon is the concept of ETERNITY and the CIRCLE - a geometric model of this incomprehensible phenomenon. Here Eternity acted in the form of a “saving illusion”, which does not allow people to give up their lives “for the needs of time”, which makes them care about the High and strive for the embodiment of the Perfect - the Beautiful...

recognized the service of Eternity - the goddess Eternitas - as her Highest goal. One of the evidences of this is gold coin Titus Flavius ​​Vespasian - the most active and successful princeps in Roman history of the 1st century, emperor from 69 to 79. On the front side is the profile of the emperor. On the back are the goddesses Eternitas.

And suddenly, already in our time, the Aeon was reborn, becoming a concept
what in geology and paleontology determines the history of the Earth.
Aeon - “the existence of the world in the same qualitative state -
as opposed to continuously flowing time, measured quantitatively.”
Inside the Aeon, world existence and human life are the same.
With the change of Eons, on the contrary, the spiritual foundations of cosmic existence and human life change significantly.
So much for ancient Greek mythology!!! Moreover…

At the sessions of the International Geological Congress (IGC), held in 1881-1900, the geochronological scale in the form of a spiral, hierarchy and nomenclature of most geochronological divisions were adopted. Subsequently, all divisions were constantly refined. The history of the earth, dating back 4.6 billion years, has been reduced to four eons: PHANEOZOIC, PROTEROZOIC, ARCHAEAN CATARCHEAUS. Each eon is divided into eras, periods and epochs.