The most popular of Greek folklore is the myth of Prometheus, a summary of which we will convey in our article. This story has a lot of interpretations. Various sources attribute to the hero various deeds - from the creation of mankind to the construction of civilization. 3-4 candidates (according to various sources) apply for the role of father, and the same number of possible mothers are called. Even the fact of the theft of fire is described in different ways.
The source is the ancient Greek classic
The most popular source are Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece by N. A. Kuna. In this book, the myth of Prometheus, a brief summary of which is still being studied by everyone at school, occupies one of the central places. The myth itself formed the basis of Aeschylus’s tragedy Chained Prometheus. From the work of the great ancient Greek tragedy, only the second part has been preserved. The first and third were lost. In all the sources about the wise and mighty titan, despite some discrepancies, the main points of life and activity are indicated the same - he stole fire from the gods, passed it to people, for this he was chained to a rock, and an eagle daily (according to some versions, every three days) pecked his liver. Actually, this is the essence of the work "The Myth of Prometheus", a summary of which is known to most people around the world. And why he stole, how he did it, whether there was still a reason for Zeus to hate him - we need to talk about this in more or less detail.
Absolutely positive hero
It should be noted right away that Prometheus is an uniquely positive image. He did not kill anyone by accident or in anger, like Hercules, he did not quarrel with anyone over trophies, like Achilles, and did not spend his life in feasts, intrigues and revelry, like the dissolute Zeus and other gods. In general, when reading “Myths and Legends”, you often catch yourself thinking that the deeds of both gods and heroes are mostly devoid of logic and consistency. Prometheus is a whole, heroic, sublime and tragic nature. His image is considered "eternal" in world art and literature. The Greek myth of Prometheus combines in this image the features inherent in God the Father and Jesus Christ - the titan and creator of mankind, fashioned the first people from clay, and the hero, who went in the name of people's happiness to unprecedented torment.
The true god is good and fair
According to one version, in those immemorial times, when there was no Ancient Greece, the people who inhabited these lands, it was Prometheus who was the supreme deity. In Hellenic mythology, the role of the creator of humanity was left to him. The myth of Prometheus, the brief content of which does not imply a detailed description of the process of creating the first people, tells about why, according to this version, distant ancestors were so weak and defenseless. The legend also tells about what the name of the hero means - it is translated as "visionary", because he alone knew the future, or as "thinking before." That is simply clever or genius. The brother who took part in the molding was called Epimetheus, or "thinking after."
Family ties
The second brother of Prometheus, Atlas, holds everything and holds the sky. Stupid Epimetheus has done a lot of trouble. The wise titan wanted to create a man perfect, equal to the gods. For some reason, a strictly limited number of skills were released for this, which the weak brain of Epimetheus spent on animals. And according to another version, he generally blew all the clay on them. As a result, Prometheus created people by plucking a piece of clay from each of the animals. It is very similar to the truth - a person has neither strength, nor grip, nor cunning, nor the instinct of an animal to the full, but the weak features of each beast are present in human nature. Even Epimetheus put Pandora on hold, bringing strife, war and disease into the world of people.
The gods are very fond of sacrifice
The first people were weak and defenseless. Nevertheless, somehow they realized that they could sacrifice bones to the gods by burning them on the altars, and they left the best pieces for themselves.
The gods were angry. The ancient myth of Prometheus says that the wise titan, in order to protect his clay creations, into which he breathed life, deceived the vindictive and vengeful Zeus, forcing him to choose bones from the two parts of the cut animal. The "Aegis-containing" remembered and began to take revenge on people purposefully. Hating his cousin, according to one version, his brother and adviser, the “god of gods and people” decided to destroy humanity and create a new one. Once the Titans rebelled against Zeus, and he defeated them only thanks to the help of Prometheus and his mother, Gaia, who came to his side.
The cause of contention is love for people
Prometheus alone was not afraid of the wrath of Zeus. He not only defended humanity, but also gave him the fire stolen in heaven. And here the authors do not have consent. One ancient Greek myth of Prometheus claims that the fire was stolen in the forge of a friend of Hephaestus and carried out in the reed, the other that the flame was delivered using a flaming torch lit right on Olympus (there is a version that this torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games). Of course, this was a courageous act of the God of the fighter, who hates tyranny of tyrant and revelers. But the point is, in fact, not in the fight against Zeus, it is a sincere love of humanity. Prometheus, descending into the caves, taught people everything. He endowed the creatures with a soul, breathed into them the mind and the ability to think. He explained the basics of all sciences and crafts. People began to write, read, understand the stars, know everything about the bowels of the earth, extract minerals and process them. Mankind has received information about medicine and cooking, learned to cultivate the land and grow bread. Even Prometheus explained to people the essence of lightning as a carrier of sparks, thus providing humanity with fire forever. After all, Zeus without lightning is nowhere, and, therefore, there is where to get the fire from.
True background
The sage taught people to even build ships, as the myth of Prometheus testifies. It’s hard to talk about everything briefly. The process of transfiguration of mankind was so fascinating that some gods, tired of the constant consumption of nectar, began to willingly help Prometheus. The patience of the supreme deity burst, or he simply waited for the right moment. The fact is that only Prometheus knew the future, including what awaits Zeus himself, who was dying of fear - which of hundreds of sons would overthrow him, as he had once priest Kron. It should be mentioned that the main Olympian god also had names - Kronid or Kronion, in honor of his father, and Dius. So, Kronid needed to know which of the women should not be approached, because the matter was put on stream, and death was inevitable - a hero who was able to overthrow him had to be born. And only the Seer knew the cherished name and did not disclose the secret, despite all the tricks. Under the pretext of stealing fire, the hero was chained to a rock - he didn’t say peacefully, he would say under torture.
Hero for all time
The most common myth of Ancient Greece about Prometheus indicates that titanium was chained to the rocks of the Caucasus Range. Zeus was often angry, and in his anger he was insane, this was expressed in the fact that he threw metal lightning every minute and wherever he got. One of them landed in the mountains of the Caucasus, forming a cornice. A titan was also chained to him, and more sophisticatedly - his chest was pierced with a metal tip forged by a friend of Hephaestus. He, sighing and lamenting, plunged a wedge. Then, with groans, he retired to the company of soulless Force and Power, carrying out the action. Whatever side you look at, Prometheus is the only hero of all "Myths and Legends" that corresponds to this concept in the universal sense of the word. He has one truth, and he follows it, without hesitation, to the end. Moreover, he does not have “that” truth, which “everyone has his own”. This is the highest understanding of good and evil. And it is very good that the true cause of Zeus's atrocities fades into the background, and the myth of Prometheus remains, which briefly looks like this - the hero gave people fire, in the literal and figurative sense, and went for it with mortal torment.
Millennium torture
No one can ever, in any country in the world, compare with the sacrificial and great image of Prometheus. Therefore, he lives in our days, and everyone knows him, and songs about him win at modern competitions ("... give fire, like Prometheus ..."). Although Zeus, threatening him with punishment, promised the complete oblivion of his name to ungrateful humanity. And it’s just strange why this god, with such one-sided glory, who made extremely contradictory decisions in matters of peace and war, was worshiped by the Greeks for so long as the highest deity. Century languished chained to a rock Prometheus. Periodically, Zeus sent to him either his son Hermes, then the Titan of the Ocean or others who obeyed the despot of the envoys, with the only requirement, as in that film - "Name, brother." But the great martyr did not give up.
The prophets are always doomed
Each time the punishment increased - it would overthrow him Kronion into a gloomy Tartarus with a rock, then he would extract and poison the eagle. This is the myth of Prometheus, the content of which is for the most part devoted precisely to the moment Prometheus carries his punishment. Even just by hearsay, everyone knows that an eagle regularly flew to a chained hero to peck a liver growing during his absence. Centuries Prometheus was crucified on a rock without the arrival of a bird. And then the eagle appeared for a very long time, according to some sources - for 30 millennia unthinkable torture continued. And Zeus, shocked by the steadfastness of the hero, supposedly surrendered. From this moment the myth of Hercules and Prometheus begins.
He knew everything in advance
The seer predicted his release millennia before the birth of his beloved son of the Great Power. Poor cow Io, tormented by a gadfly, flashed past a crucified titan in a fit of madness, who predicted to her that it was not long, but the curse of the jealous Hera would lose strength, and that one of her husband’s former girlfriends would become the founder of a clan in which a mighty hero would appear over time, invincible Hercules. That is exactly what happened. Hercules killed the bloodthirsty eagle and cut the shackles of the martyr. In gratitude, Prometheus warned Zeus that he should not come close to Thetis, and in general it is better to marry a mortal, because from God she will give birth to an invincible hero. So they did, Peleus was appointed as husband, in marriage with whom Achilles was born. In order to remain at the highest position anyway, Zeus forced the blacksmith Hephaestus to forge a ring from the chain link of Prometheus and insert into it a stone part of the rock on which the hero hung. And Prometheus had to always wear the ring, without taking off.