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Zeus and the Succession Myth

After Gaia (Earth) begins producing male progeny, a power struggle develops among the first three generations of descendants, culminating with the accession of Zeus.

What did the succession myth mean to the Greeks?

After Hesiod's original narrative about the castration of Uranus (Heaven or Sky) by Kronos, the Greeks developed other ways of looking at this story:

• Pausanias offers two stories:I and II

• Plato offers etymologies for Zeus and Uranus, and skepticism about such myths, not to mention fears about the effect of these myths on children.

• Finally consider the extraordinary transformation of the marriage of Heaven and Earth by Aeschylus in the speech Clytemnestra after she has killed Agamemnon.

• Study images of the Gigantomachy from a vase painting, including Poseidon fighting a giant, an overview of the war, and a close-up of Zeus. Think about the way the battle is depicted; is this typical of the Greek tendency to anthropomorphize many divine activities?

• The Gigantomachy was also a popular subject in sculptural groups as seen in the Siphian Treasury, and the Temple of Apollo, both at Delphi. Why would Delphi be so concerned about the defeat of the Giants by the Olympians?

• See painting of the punishment of Prometheus

Zeus

We can now begin to consider the representation of Zeus. In our first example, there has been much debate over whether this statue is Zeus or Poseidon. What, exactly, do you think causes this uncertainty? Do you think the statue is Zeus or Poseidon?

If you cannot decide, perhaps you might want to see a similar painting of Zeus.

• Zeus and Nike

• Compare this vase painting of to another which presents Zeus and Ganymede along side Eos and Kephalos How are the images similar? Check out also Ganymede's job when he reaches Olympus.

• Leda and the swan (aka Zeus)

• Compare The birth of Athena with the birth of Dionysus. While Dionysus and Athena seem as opposite as possible, consider whether they might ultimately be alike in some ways.

• Zeus (in disguise) and Europa. What does that apinting have to do with this one?

• Using the Perseus database, consider the range of representations of Zeus on vase paintings. What types of actions does Zeus most frequently engage in.

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