1) There were several ancient Greek creation myths, including the Pelasgian myth where Eurynome separated earth and sky and created other gods from a universal egg. 2) The Homeric and Orphic myths were similar but had Oceanus or Night and Wind playing the role of the first beings instead of Eurynome. 3) Hesiod's Theogony and Ovid's Metamorphoses were two philosophical creation myths describing how Gaia, Uranus, and other early gods came into existence. 4) The dominant Olympian creation myth told of Cronus castrating Uranus, and Zeus later overthrowing Cronus with the help of other gods to become the ruler of the

1. GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Creation Myths

2. Different Versions of Creation
Myths
 Pelasgian Creation Myths
 Homeric and Orphic Creation Myths
 Two Philosophical Creation Mtyhs
 Olympian Creation Myths

3. Pelasgian Myth
• In the beginning there was CHAOS.

4. • From Chaos rose Eurynome, the goddess of all things.

5. •But there was no land upon which she could set her
foot, but sea only.
•She danced upon the waves and separated earth and
sky.
•She rubbed the North Wind between her hands, and
Orphion, a giant snake came into being.

7. • North Wind and Eurynome mate.
• Eurynome transforms herself into a dove and lays the Universal Egg.
She orders Ophion to coil around the egg.

8. • From the Universal Egg, came her children:
• Sun
• Moon
• Planets
• Stars
• Earth
• Mountains
• Trees
• Rivers
• and other living creatures.

9. • Next Eurynome created Seven Planetary Powers:
•1. Hyperion + Thea (Sun)
•2. Atlas + Phoebe (Moon)
•3. Crius + Dione (Mars)
•4. Coeus + Metis (Mercury)
•5. Themis + Eurymedon (Jupiter)
•6. Oceanus + Tethys (Venus)
•7. Cronus + Rhea (Saturn)

10. HOMERIC AND ORPHIC MYTHS
•Homeric Myth
•All gods and living things originated from Oceanus.
•Tethys was the mother of all children.
•Homer’s myth is very similar to Pelasgian Myth.
•Tethys as Eurynome
•Oceanus as Ophion.

11. Orphic Myth
•Came from the poet Orpheus. Orpheus founded a
religion around 600 BC, and these myths became
part of people’s religious beliefs.
•Night was courted by Wind and they produced a
silver egg in the womb of Darkness.
•From the egg came Eros. He set everything into
order. He created earth, sky and moon. Later on his
scepter was passed onto Cronus.

14. Two Philosophical Creation Myths
•Hesiod’s Theogony
•Ovid’s Metamorphoses

15. Hesiod’s Version
• In the beginning there was Darkness. From Darkness sprang Chaos,
and from their union Night, Day, Erebus (Underworld) and Air were
born.
• The union of Night and Erebus produced Doom, Old Age, Death,
Murder, Sleep, Dreams, Discord, Misery, Nemesis, Joy, Friendship,
Pity and Three Fates.
• Air and Day created Mother Earth, Sky and Sea.
• Air and Earth: Terror, Craft, Anger, Strife, Lies, Oaths, Vengeance,
Oblivion, Pride, Battle, Oceanus, Metis, Titans, Tartarus and Furies.
• Earth and Tartarus: Giants

16. Ovid’s Version
•God of all things, appeared in Chaos, and separated
water from earth.
•Divided earth into zone: Cold, Hot, Moderate etc.
•Created Mountains, Trees, Grass.
•Set sky above earth and populated it with stars.
•Created Sun, Moon and Five Planets.

17. Olympian Creation Myth
• From Chaos rose Gaia (Mother Earth).
• She bore her son Uranus (Sky, Heaven).
•First children of Gaia and Uranus were semi human giants
called Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires.

21. • From Gaia and Uranus sprang Titans.
• Titans were elder gods of enormous strength and size.
• There were six sons and six daughters.
• Sons Daughters
• 1. Oceanus Tethys
• 2. Coeus Phoebe
• 3. Hyperion Thea
• 4. Iapetus Themis
• 5. Crius Mnemosyne
• 6. Cronus Rhea

22. Castration of Uranus
• Uranus did not like his semi human children Cyclopes and
Hecatoncheires and threw them down into Tartarus.
• When Uranus had fathered Titans, the mother Earth
persuaded the Titans to take action against their father
Uranus.
• She gave Cronus, the youngest of her sons, a sickle. Cronus
castrated his father when he was sleeping. Blood drops from
the wound fell on Mother Earth and she conceived and gave
birth to Three Furies or Ernniyes.
• Furies were created to avenge the crime of parricide.
• Cronus was elected leader of the Titans. Cyclopes and
Hecatoncheires were released from Tartarus only to be sent
back shortly afterwards.

24. Marriages
•Cronus married Rhea
•Hyperion---Thea
•Oceanus----Tethys
•Coeus-------Phoebe
•Iapetus------Themis/Clymene

25. Second Generation of Titans
• Hyperion and Thea’s Children.
• Helios, Selene, Eos
• Coeus and Phoebe’s Children
• Leto, Asteria
• Iapetus and Clymene/Themis’ children
• Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, Menoetius
• Oceanus and Tethys’ children
• Metis
• Crius and Eurybia (a sea goddess)
• Astraeus, Pallas, Perses

26. Cronus and Rhea
• Cronus was prophesied by his dying father Uranus and Mother Earth
that one of his own sons will dethrone him. Cronus devoured his
children one by one. First Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon.

28. Zeus is born
• Sixth child of Cronus and Rhea. Rhea was already infuriated and she
gave Zeus to Mother Earth.
• She gave a rock wrapped in swaddling clothes to Cronus; who took it
for Zeus and was satisfied.

29. •Zeus grew up on Mount Ida among shepherds.
•When he reached manhood, he met the Titaness Metis. She
advised him to meet his mother Rhea.
•Zeus asked Rhea to make him the cup-bearer of Cronus.
Rhea aided Zeus in the scheme of revenge by giving him an
emetic potion.
•Zeus became the cup-bearer of Cronus and mixed that
emetic potion in his honey drink.
•Cronus threw up all the devoured children who came out
safe.

30. •Zeus chosen as the war leader against
Titans.
•Atlas leads the army of Titans.
•Mother Earth prophesies the victory of her
grandson Zeus.
•Zeus releases the Cyclopes and
Hecatoncheires from Tatarus.

31. Gifts from Cyclopes
•Zeus Thurderbolt
•Hades Helmet of Darkness
•Poseidon Trident

38. •War lasted for 10 years.
•Hades and Poseidon stole into Cronus’ chamber and
diverted his attention, and in the meanwhile Zeus struck him
with thunderbolt.
•Hecatoncheries pelted other Titans with stones.
•Titanesses spared at the plea of Rhea.
•Cronus along with other defeated Titans were exiled to a far
off island guarded by Hecatoncheires.
•Zeus became the supreme ruler and sat up his abode on
Mount Olympus.