The first
thing I need to say is that the Greeks have multiple creation myths, and they
are not variations on a theme. They have completely different characters and
plotlines to the story. I will be tackling all of them, but not rapid-fire. The
Olympian myth is generally regarded as the predominant myth, and makes the most
sense in terms of the body of Greek mythology.
I have to
also warn that this myth is one of the reasons I put a sex disclaimer in my
class syllabus. So, do not proceed unless you’re prepared to deal with sex,
some disturbing kinds of it, too.
As with
other creation myths, something emerges from chaos, namely, Gaea and Uranus.
And right away, we have sex going on, sans Barry White music. Gaea gives birth
to the hundred-handed ones, and the Cyclopes before giving birth to Cronus,
Rhea, and the other titans. Uranus, though, is not that great of a father
figure, and imprisoned the Cyclopes. Too, it’s implied that Gaea was not
completely willing when it came to the sexy times.
Now, Gaea
was not happy at the imprisonment of her children, nor of Uranus’s advances, so
she urges her children to, well, snip Uranus . . . using a flint sickle (pause
for all the man to cross their legs). Cronus is the one to do this, and he
tosses the genitalia into the ocean, which results in something quite
beautiful, but that’s another story.
So, after
Uranus is gone, Cronus takes his place, and begins having relations with his
wife Rhea to produce more gods and goddesses. He also imprisons the titans
because he doesn’t trust them, even though they are his siblings.
This myth
is very interesting on a number of levels as it shows the creative process in
Greek mythology, namely procreation. The Greeks create everything via sex, and
the trend actually continues with Zeus, who ends up fathering most of the gods,
goddesses, nymphs, and other entities in Greek mythology. However, we are also
shown that abuse of this power has repercussions, specifically the fury of a
woman scorned. Uranus is literally unmanned in this, and by his own son, who
supplants him.
This shows a bizarre kind of spin
on the idea of succession. It’s natural for the son to replace the father, in
time. Yet Cronus does so one, before Uranus passes, and two, at the urging of
his mother. This suggests that Gaea is acting as an equal determiner as to who
should rule, and a kind of moral compass. She determines that the behavior of
Uranus is unacceptable, and takes steps to remove him from his position of
power.
Also, this myth is an example of
the corruptive influence of power. Uranus is able to affect Gaea by
impregnating her, making him believe he is the dominant force over her. Now,
some may question why she doesn’t take direction against him. There’s an aspect
of balance within this myth, not unlike the Chinese and Japanese.
Gaea is a mother earth goddess,
firmly a creation deity. While Uranus contributes to this creation, he isn’t
the actual force of creation, as is evidenced by the numerous ways in which
Gaea becomes impregnated without a living god being necessary (suffice it to
say, Gaea is an extremely fertile woman). Uranus, then is actually a force of
destruction, as evidenced by his actions forcing himself on her and in
imprisoning his children. Like many polytheistic deities, their role, their
specific domain, is set and unchangeable. Gaea cannot become an agent of
destruction. She cannot exact vengeance or justice on Uranus as she is a
nurturing mother of creation. It’s against her nature to take the sickle to her
husband.
While this is before the fates have
actually come into being in the pantheon, the idea of fate is firmly reflected
in the rigidly defined roles of the deities, and this persists throughout the
Greek pantheon . . . with a couple of notable exceptions (but that’s another
myth).