Myth of the 5th century summary. Ancient myth about the five centuries of the life of Hesiod

The immortal gods living on the bright Olympus created the first human race happy; it was a golden age. God Kron ruled then in the sky. Like blessed gods, people lived in those days, knowing neither care, nor labor, nor sorrow. Nor did they know feeble old age; their legs and arms were always strong and strong. Their painless happy life was an eternal feast. Death, which came after their long life, was like a calm, quiet dream. They had everything in abundance during their lifetime. The land itself gave them rich fruits, and they did not have to spend labor on cultivating fields and gardens. Their flocks were numerous, and they grazed quietly on rich pastures. The people of the golden age lived serenely. The gods themselves came to consult them. But the golden age on earth ended, and none of the people of this generation remained. After death, people of the golden age became spirits, patrons of people of new generations. Shrouded in mist, they rush all over the earth, defending the truth and punishing evil. So Zeus rewarded them after their death.

The second human race and the second age were no longer as happy as the first. It was the silver age. The people of the Silver Age were not equal either in strength or intellect to the people of the Golden Age. For a hundred years they grew up foolish in the houses of their mothers, only when they grew up did they leave them. Their life was short in adulthood, and since they were unreasonable, they saw many misfortunes and grief in life. The people of the Silver Age were rebellious. They did not obey the immortal gods and did not want to burn their sacrifices on the altars, the Great son of Cronos Zeus destroyed their family on earth. He was angry with them because they did not obey the gods living on the bright Olympus. Zeus settled them in the underground gloomy kingdom. There they live, knowing neither joy nor sorrow; they, too, are honored by the people.

Father Zeus created the third generation and the third age - the age of copper. It doesn't look like silver. From the shaft of a spear, Zeus created people - terrible and powerful. The people of the copper age loved pride and war, plentiful with groans. They did not know agriculture and did not eat the fruits of the earth, which give gardens and arable land. Zeus gave them enormous growth and indestructible strength. Indomitable, courageous was their heart and irresistible their hands. Their weapons were forged from copper, their houses were made of copper, they worked with copper tools. They did not know even in those days of dark iron. With their own hands, people of the copper age destroyed each other. They quickly descended into the gloomy realm of the terrible Hades. No matter how strong they were, yet the black death stole them, and they left the clear light of the sun.

As soon as this race descended into the kingdom of shadows, immediately the great Zeus created the fourth century on the earth that feeds everyone and a new race of people, a nobler, more just, equal to the gods race of demigods-heroes. And they all died in evil wars and terrible bloody battles. Some died at the seven gates of Thebes, in the country of Cadmus, fighting for the legacy of Oedipus. Others fell near Troy, where they came for the beautifully curly Helen, sailed across the wide sea on ships. When all of them were kidnapped by death, Zeus the Thunderer settled them on the edge of the earth, away from living people. The demigod-heroes live a happy, carefree life on the islands of the blessed by the stormy waters of the Ocean. There, the fertile land gives them fruits as sweet as honey three times a year.

The last, fifth century and the human race is iron. It continues to this day on earth. Night and day, without ceasing, sadness and exhausting work destroy people. The gods send people heavy worries. True, the gods and good are mixed with evil, but still there is more evil, it reigns everywhere. Children do not honor their parents; a friend is not faithful to a friend; the guest does not find hospitality; there is no love between brothers. People do not keep this oath, they do not appreciate the truth and kindness. Each other's cities are being destroyed. Violence reigns everywhere. Only pride and strength are valued. Goddesses Conscience and Justice left people. In their white clothes, they flew up to the high Olympus to the immortal gods, and only serious troubles remained for people, and they have no protection from evil.

The last, fifth century and the human race is iron. It continues now on earth. Night and day, without ceasing, sadness and exhausting work destroy people. The gods send people heavy worries. True, the gods and good are mixed with evil, but still there is more evil, it reigns everywhere. Children do not honor their parents; a friend is not faithful to a friend; the guest does not find hospitality; there is no love between brothers. People do not keep this oath, they do not appreciate the truth and kindness. Each other destroy the people of the city. Violence reigns everywhere. Only pride and strength are valued.
Goddesses Conscience and Justice left people. In their white clothes, they flew up to the high Olympus to the immortal gods, and only serious troubles remained for people, and they have no protection from evil.

Listen, my dear boy, listen, listen, understand, because it happened, because it happened, because it was back in that distant time when Tame Animals were Wild Animals.
The Dog was wild, and the Horse was wild, and the Cow was wild, and the Sheep was wild, and the Pig was wild—and they were all wild, wild, and wandered wildly through the Wet and Wild Woods.
But the Wild Cat was the wildest - she wandered where she liked and walked by herself.
The man, of course, was also wild, terribly wild, terribly wild. And he would never have become tame if not for the Woman. It was she who announced to him - at the first meeting - that she did not like his wild life. She quickly found him a cozy, dry Cave to live in, because sleeping in the Cave was much better than lying in the open on a pile of damp leaves. She strewed the floor with clean sand and lit an excellent fire in the depths of the Cave.
Then she hung the skin of the Wild Horse tail down at the entrance to the Cave and said to the Man:
- Wipe your feet, dear, before you enter: after all, now we have a household.
This evening, my dear boy, they dined on wild sheep, roasted on hot stones, seasoned with wild garlic and wild pepper. Then they ate a wild duck stuffed with wild rice, wild apples, and wild cloves; then cartilages of wild bulls; then wild cherries and wild pomegranates.
Then the Man, very happy, went and fell asleep by the fire, and the Woman sat down to conjure: she loosened her hair, took a lamb shoulder bone, very flat and very smooth, and began to stare intently at the stains passing over the bone. Then she threw logs on the fire and sang a song. It was the First Witchcraft in the world, the First Magic Song.
And all the Wild Beasts gathered in the Wet and Wild Forest; huddled together in one herd and, looking at the light of fire, did not know what it was.
But the Wild Horse stamped his wild foot and wildly said:
- Oh my friends! O my Enemies! My heart feels: not for good, a Man and a Woman lit up a big fire in a large Cave. No, it's not good!
Wild Dog turned up his wild nose, sniffed the smell of roast lamb and said wildly:
I'll go and see and then I'll tell you. I don't think it's that bad there. Cat, come with me!
- Well, no, - answered the Cat. - I, the Cat, go where I like and walk by myself.
- Well, then I'm not your friend, - said Wild Dog and ran to the Cave at full speed.
But he did not run even ten steps, and the Cat already thought: “I, the Cat, go where I please and walk by myself. Why don't I go there and see how and what? For I will go of my own free will."
And she quietly ran after the Dog, stepping softly, and climbed into a place where she could hear absolutely everything.
When Wild Dog approached the Cave, he lifted up the horseskin with his wild nose and began to revel in the wonderful smell of roast lamb, and the Woman who conjured the bone heard a rustle and said, laughing:
- Here comes the first one. You, from the Wild Forest Wild Thing, what do you want here?
And Wild Dog answered:
“Tell me, O my Enemy, Wife of my Enemy, what is it that smells so tender among these Wild Woods?”
And the Woman bent down, and picked up a bone from the floor, and threw it to the Wild Dog, and said:
- You, from the Wild Forest Wild Creature, taste, gnaw this bone.
The Wild Dog took this bone in his wild teeth, and it turned out to be the tastiest of all that he had gnawed up to that time, and he addressed the Woman with these words:
- Listen, O my Enemy, the Wife of my Enemy, rather throw me another such bone.
And the woman answered him:
- You, from the Wild Forest Wild Thing, go help my Man go for prey, guard this Cave at night, and I will give you as many bones as you need.
- Ah, - said the Cat, listening to their conversation, - this is a very smart Woman, although, of course, no smarter than me.
Wild Dog climbed into the Cave, put his head on the Woman's knees and said:
- Oh my Friend, my Friend's Wife, okay. I am ready to help your Man hunt, I will guard your Cave at night.
“Ah,” said the Cat, listening to their conversation, “what a fool this Dog is!
And she went away, making her way through the Wild Forest and wildly waving her wild tail. But about everything that she saw, she did not say a word to anyone.
Waking up, the man asked:
What is Wild Dog doing here?
And the Woman answered:
“His name is no longer Wild Dog, but First Friend, and he will be our friend forever and ever.” When you go hunting, take him with you.
The next evening, the Woman cut a large armful of grass in the water meadows and laid it out to dry by the fire, and when the smell of freshly cut hay came from the grass, she sat down at the entrance to the Cave, made a bridle from horse skin and, staring at the humerus of a mutton - on a wide, large shoulder blade, - again began to conjure and sang a magical song.
It was the Second Sorcery and the Second Magical Song.
And again all the Wild Beasts gathered in the Wild Forest and, looking at the fire from a distance, they explained that such a thing could happen to the Wild Dog. And then Wild Horse stamped his foot wildly and said:
"I'll go take a look, and then I'll tell you why Wild Dog hasn't returned." Cat, do you want to go together?
- No, - answered the Cat, - I, the Cat, wander where I like and walk by myself. Go alone.
But in fact, she crept quietly behind the Wild Horse, stepping softly, and climbed into a place where absolutely everything was heard.
The Woman heard the clatter of horses, heard the Wild Horse making her way towards her, stepping on her long mane, laughed and said:
- And here comes the second one! You, from the Wild Forest Wild Thing, what do you want here?
Wild Horse replied:
- You, my Enemy, the Wife of my Enemy, answer me quickly, where is the Wild Dog?
The woman laughed, picked up a mutton shoulder from the floor, looked at her and said:
“You, Wild Beast from the Wild Forest, you didn’t come here for the Dog, but for hay, for this tasty grass.
Wild Horse, kicking and stepping on his long mane, said:
- This is true. Give me some hay!
The woman replied:
- You, from the Wild Forest Wild Creature, bow your wild head and wear what I put on you - wear it without taking off forever and ever, and three times a day you will eat this wondrous grass.
- Ah, - said the Cat, listening to their conversation. - This Woman is very smart, but, of course, not smarter than me.
And the Wild Horse bent his wild head, and the Woman threw a freshly woven bridle over it, and he breathed his wild breath right on the Woman's feet and said:
- O my Lady, O Wife of my Lord, for this wonderful grass, I will be your eternal slave!
- Ah, - said the Cat, listening to their conversation, - what a fool he is, this Horse!
And again she rushed into the thicket of the Wild Forest, wildly waving her wild tail. But about everything that she heard, she did not say a word to anyone.
When the Dog and the Man returned from hunting, the Man said:
What is Wild Horse doing here?
And the woman answered:
- Not the Wild Horse is already his name, but the First Servant, since from place to place he will carry us forever and ever. When you are going hunting, mount it.
The next day I went to the Cow Cave. She, too, was wild and had to lift her wild head high so as not to catch her wild horns on wild trees. The cat crept after her and hid in the same way as before; and everything happened exactly the same as before; and the Cat said the same thing as before; and when the Wild Cow promised the woman her milk in exchange for fine grass, the Cat rushed into the Wild Forest and wildly waved her wild tail, again just as before.
And about everything that she heard, she did not say a word to anyone.
And when the Dog, the Man and the Horse returned from hunting, and the Man asked, just as before, what the Wild Cow was doing here, the Woman answered exactly the same as before:
“Now her name is not Wild Cow, but Giver of Good Food.” She will give us white fresh milk forever and ever, and I am ready to follow her while you, our First Friend and our First Servant, are hunting in the forest.
In vain the Cat waited all day for another of the Wild Beasts to come to the Cave: no one else came from the Wet Wild Forest. So the Cat involuntarily had to wander alone, on her own. And then she saw a Woman who was sitting and milking a Cow. And she saw light in the Cave and felt the smell of white fresh milk. And she said to the woman:
- You, my Enemy, the Wife of my Enemy! Say: have you seen the Cow?

- You, Wild Thing from the Wild Forest, go to the Forest for yourself in good health! I don't need any more servants or friends. I have already braided my braid and hidden the magic bone.
And the Wild Cat answered:
“I am neither a friend nor a servant. I, the Cat, go where I like and walk on my own, and so I decided to come to you in the Cave.
And the woman asked her:
- Why didn't you come with the First Friend on the first evening?
The cat got angry and said:
“The Wild Dog must have already told you lies about me!”
The woman laughed and said:
- You, Cat, walk by yourself and go where you like. You yourself say that you are neither a servant nor a friend. Go from here on your own wherever you like!
The cat pretended to be offended and said:
- Is it really impossible for me sometimes to come to you in the Cave and bask by the hot fire? And will you never let me eat fresh white milk? You are so smart, you are so beautiful - no, even though I am a Cat, you will not be cruel to me.
The woman said:
- I know that I'm smart, but I didn't know that I'm beautiful. Let's make a deal. If I praise you even once, you can enter the Cave.
- And if you praise me twice? asked the Cat.
“Well, it won’t happen,” said the Woman. “But if that happens, come in and sit by the fire.”
- What if you praise me three times? asked the Cat.
“Well, it won’t happen,” said the Woman. - But if it happens, come and get milk three times a day until the end of time!
The cat arched its back and said:
- You, the Curtain at the entrance to the Cave, and you, the Fire in the depths of the Cave, and you, the Milk Pots, standing by the Fire, I take you as witnesses: remember what my Enemy, the Wife of my Enemy, said!
And, turning, she went into the Wild Forest, wildly waving her wild tail.
When the Dog, the Man and the Horse returned to the Cave from hunting that evening, the Woman did not say a word to them about her contract with the Cat, for she was afraid that they would not like it.
The cat went far, far away and hid in the Wild Forest for so long that the Woman forgot to think about her. Only the Bat, hanging upside down at the entrance to the Cave, knew where the Cat was hiding, and every evening flew up to that place and told the Cat all the news.
One evening she flies to the Cat and says:
- And in the Cave - Baby! He's brand new. So pink and fat and tiny. And he really likes a woman.
"Very well," said the Cat. - And what does the baby like?
- Soft and smooth, - answered the Bat. - How to go to sleep, he takes something warm in his little hands and falls asleep. Then he likes to be played with. That's all he likes.
"Very well," said the Cat. If so, then my time has come.
The next evening, the Cat made her way to the Cave through the Wild Forest and sat not far away until the morning. In the morning the Dog, the Man and the Horse went hunting, and the Woman took up cooking. The child was crying and tearing her away from work. She carried him out of the Cave and gave him pebbles to play with, but he did not let up.
Then the Cat stretched out her soft paw, and stroked the Child on the cheek, and purred, and went to rub against his knee, and tickled his chin with her tail. The child laughed, and the Woman, hearing him laugh, smiled.

Then exclaimed the Bat, the little Bat that hung upside down at the entrance to the Cave:
- O my Mistress, the Wife of my Master, the Mother of the Master's Son! Out of the Wild Forest came the Wild Thing, and how nicely she plays with your Child!
“Thank you Wild Thing,” said the Woman, straightening her back. “I have so much work to do and she has done me a great favor.
And so, dear boy, before she had time to say it, as in the same minute and in the same second - bang! boo! - the horse skin falls, hanging with its tail down at the entrance to the Cave (it was she who remembered that the Woman had an agreement with the Cat), and before the Woman had time to pick it up, the Cat was already sitting in the Cave, sat down more comfortably and sits.
- You, my Enemy, you, the Wife of my Enemy, you, the Mother of my Enemy, - said the Cat, - look: I'm here. You praised me - and here I am and I will sit in the Cave forever and ever. But still remember: I, the Cat, go where I please and walk by myself.
The woman was very angry, but she bit her tongue and sat down at the spinning wheel.
But the Child cried again, because the Cat had left him; and the Woman could not appease him: he fought, kicked, and turned blue all over from screaming.
“You, my Enemy, you, the Wife of my Enemy, you, the Mother of my Enemy,” said the Cat, “listen to what I tell you: take a piece of thread from the one you are spinning, tie your spindle to it, and I
I will conjure you so that the Child will laugh this very minute and will laugh as loudly as it is crying now.
"All right," said the Woman. - I've completely lost my head. But remember, I won't thank you.
She tied a clay spindle to a thread and pulled it along the floor, and the Cat ran after him, and grabbed him, and somersaulted, and threw him onto her back, and caught him with her hind legs, and purposely let him go, and then rushed after him, - and behold, the Child laughed even louder than he cried; he crawled after the Cat all over the Cave and frolicked until he was tired. Then he dozed off with the Cat, not letting go of her.
- And now, - said the Cat, - I will sing him a song, lull him to sleep for an hour.
And as she went to purr louder, then quieter, then quieter, then louder, the child fell into a sound sleep. The woman looked at them and said with a smile:
- It was a good job! Whatever it is, you're still smart, Cat.
Before she had time to finish - pfft! - smoke from the Fire swirled in clouds in the Cave: it was he who remembered that the Woman and the Cat had an agreement. And when the smoke cleared, lo and behold, the Cat was sitting by the fire, sitting comfortably and sitting.
- You, my Enemy, you, the Wife of my Enemy, you, the Mother of my Enemy, - said the Cat, - look: I am here. You praised me again, and here I am, by the warm hearth, and from here I will not leave forever and ever. But still remember: I, the Cat, go where I please and walk on my own.
The woman got angry again, let her hair down, threw wood on the fire, took out a mutton bone and went to conjure again, so as not to praise this Cat somehow inadvertently for the third time.
But, dear boy, she conjured without a sound, without a song, - and then it became so quiet in the Cave that some Little Mouse jumped out of the corner and quietly ran across the floor.
- You, my Enemy, you, the Wife of my Enemy, you, the Mother of my Enemy, - said the Cat, - did you call the Mouse with your witchcraft?
- Ah ah ah! No! the Woman shouted, dropped the bone, jumped up on the bench that stood by the fire, and quickly picked up her hair so that the Mouse would not run over it.
“Well, if you haven’t bewitched it,” said the Cat, “it won’t hurt me to eat it!”
- Of course of course! - said the Woman, braiding her hair. - Eat it quickly, and I will forever be grateful to you.
In one jump, the Cat caught the Mouse, and the Woman exclaimed from the bottom of her heart:
- Thank you a thousand times! First Friend himself does not catch Mice as fast as you. You must be very smart.
Before she had time to finish, how - bang! - at the same minute and at the same second, the Krynka with milk, standing by the hearth, cracked, - cracked in half, because she remembered what agreement the Woman had with the Cat. And before the Woman had time to get off the bench, lo and behold, the Cat was already lapping white fresh milk from one shard of this Krynka.
- You, my Enemy, you, the Wife of my Enemy, you, the Mother of my Enemy, - said the Cat, - look: I am here. For the third time you praised me: give me three times a day more white fresh milk - forever and ever. But still remember: I, the Cat, go where I please and walk by myself.
And the Woman laughed, and putting down a bowl of fresh white milk, she said:
- Oh Cat! You are reasonable as a person, but remember: our contract was concluded when neither the Dog nor the Man was at home; I don't know what they'll say when they get home.
- What do I care about this! - said the Cat. - I would only have a place in the Cave and three times a day more white fresh milk, and I will be very pleased. No Dogs, no Men touch me.
That same evening, when the Dog and the Man returned from the hunt to the Cave, the Woman told them everything about her contract with the Cat, and the Cat sat by the fire and smiled very pleasantly.
And the Man said:
- All this is good, but it would not be bad for her to conclude an agreement with me. Through me she will conclude it with all the Men who come after me.
He took a pair of boots, took a flint ax (three items in total), brought a log and a small ax from the yard (five in total), put it all in a row and said:
- Let's make a deal. You live in the Cave forever and ever, but if you forget to catch Mice - look at these objects: there are five of them, and I have the right to throw any of them at you, and all Men will do the same after me.
The woman heard this and said to herself: "Yes, the Cat is smart, and the Man is smarter."
The cat counted all the things - they were quite heavy - and said:
- OK! I will catch Mice forever and ever, but still I am a Cat, I go where I like and walk on my own.
- Walk, walk, - said the Man, - but not where I am. If you catch my eye, I will immediately throw either a boot or a log at you, and all Men who come after me will do the same.
Then the Dog stepped forward and said:
- Wait a minute. Now it's my turn to make a deal. And through me the contract will be concluded with all the other Dogs who will live after me. - He bared his teeth and showed them to the Cat. - If, while I am in the Cave, you will be unkind to the Child, - he continued, you until I catch you, and when I catch you, I will bite you. And so will all the Dogs who will live after me forever and ever.
The Woman heard this and said to herself: “Yes, this Cat is smart, but not smarter than the Dog.”
The cat counted the dog's teeth, and they seemed very sharp to her. She said:
- Well, while I'm in the Cave, I will be gentle with the Child, unless the Child becomes too painful to drag me by the tail. But do not forget: I, the Cat, go where I like and walk by myself.
- Walk, walk, - answered the Dog, - but not where I am. Otherwise, as soon as I meet you, I will immediately bark, fall on you and drive you up a tree. And so will all the Dogs who will live after me.
And immediately, without losing a moment, the Man threw two boots and a flint hatchet at the Cat, and the Cat rushed out of the Cave, and the Dog chased her and drove her up a tree - and from that very day, my boy, and to this day three Men out of five - if they are real Men - throw various objects at the Cat, wherever she catches their eye, and all the Dogs - if they are real Dogs - one and all drive her up a tree. But the Cat is also faithful to its contract. While she is in the house, she catches mice and is affectionate with children, unless the children drag her by the tail too painfully. But the minute will improve a little, the night will come and the moon will rise, and now she says: “I, the Cat, go where I like and walk on my own,” and runs into the thicket of the Wild Forest, or climbs wet Wild Trees, or climbs wet Wild Roofs and wildly waving his wild tail.

State Polar Academy

Department of Russian Language and Literature

Hesiod's myth of the five ages. Origins and Parallels in Other Mythologies.

Completed by: Dmitry Remizov

Group: 211-A

Saint Petersburg 2002

The lifetime of Hesiod lends itself only to an approximate definition: the end of the 8th or the beginning of the 7th century. BC. He is thus a junior contemporary of the Homeric epic. But while the question of the individual "creator" of the Iliad or the Odyssey is a complex and unresolved problem, Hesiod is the first explicit figure in Greek literature. He himself calls his name or provides some biographical information about himself. Because of severe need, Hesiod's father left Asia Minor and settled in Boeotia, near the "Mountain of Muses" Helikon

Near Helikon he settled in the sad village of Askra,

"Works and Days"

Boeotia belonged to the relatively backward agricultural regions of Greece with a large number of small peasant farms, with a weak development of handicrafts and urban life. Monetary relations were already penetrating this backward region, undermining the closed subsistence economy and traditional life, but the Boeotian peasantry for a long time defended its economic independence. Hesiod himself was a small landowner and at the same time a rhapsodist (wandering singer). As a rhapsodist, he probably also sang heroic songs, but his own work belongs to the area of ​​didactic (instructive) epic. In the era of breaking old social relations, Hesiod acts as a poet of peasant labor, a teacher of life, a moralist and a systematizer of mythological traditions.

Two poems survived from Hesiod: "Theogony" (The Origin of the Gods) and "Works and Days" ("Works and Days").

The reason for writing the poem "Works and Days" was the trial of Hesiod with his brother Persian because of the division of the land after the death of his father. The poet considered himself offended by judges from the tribal nobility; at the beginning of the poem, he complains about the venality of these "kings", "gift eaters"

... you glorify the kings-givers,

Our dispute with you is completely, as you wished, those who judged.

In the main part, Hesiod describes the work of the farmer during the year; he calls the ruined brother Persian to honest work, which alone can give wealth. The poem ends with a list of "happy and unlucky days". Hesiod is very observant; he introduces vivid descriptions of nature, genre paintings, knows how to capture the reader's attention with vivid images.

Particular attention in the poem should be paid to the myth of the five centuries. According to Hesiod, the whole world history is divided into five periods: golden age, silver, copper, heroic and iron.

The immortal gods living on the bright Olympus created the first human race happy; This was golden age. God Kron ruled then in the sky. Like blessed gods, people lived in those days, knowing neither care, nor labor, nor sorrow. Nor did they know feeble old age; their legs and arms were always strong and strong. Their painless happy life was an eternal feast. Death, which came after their long life, was like a calm, quiet dream. They had everything in abundance during their lifetime. The land itself gave them rich fruits, and they did not have to spend labor on cultivating fields and gardens. Their flocks were numerous, and they grazed quietly on rich pastures. The people of the golden age lived serenely. The gods themselves came to consult them. But the golden age on earth ended, and none of the people of this generation remained. After death, people of the golden age became spirits, patrons of people of new generations. Shrouded in mist, they rush all over the earth, defending the truth and punishing evil. So Zeus rewarded them after their death.
The second human race and the second age were no longer as happy as the first. It was silver Age. The people of the Silver Age were not equal either in strength or intellect to the people of the Golden Age. For a hundred years they grew up foolish in the houses of their mothers, only when they grew up did they leave them. Their life was short in adulthood, and since they were unreasonable, they saw many misfortunes and grief in life. The people of the Silver Age were rebellious. They did not obey the immortal gods and did not want to burn their sacrifices on the altars, the Great son of Cronos Zeus destroyed their family on earth. He was angry with them because they did not obey the gods living on the bright Olympus. Zeus settled them in the underground gloomy kingdom. There they live, knowing neither joy nor sorrow; they, too, are honored by the people.
Father Zeus created the third race and the third age - copper age. It doesn't look like silver. From the shaft of a spear, Zeus created people - terrible and powerful. The people of the copper age loved pride and war, plentiful with groans. They did not know agriculture and did not eat the fruits of the earth, which give gardens and arable land. Zeus gave them enormous growth and indestructible strength. Indomitable, courageous was their heart and irresistible their hands. Their weapons were forged from copper, their houses were made of copper, they worked with copper tools. They did not know even in those days of dark iron. With their own hands, people of the copper age destroyed each other. They quickly descended into the gloomy realm of the terrible Hades. No matter how strong they were, yet the black death stole them, and they left the clear light of the sun.

As soon as this race descended into the kingdom of shadows, immediately the great Zeus created the fourth century on the earth that feeds everyone and a new human race, more noble, more just, equal to the gods. demigod heroes. And they all died in evil wars and terrible bloody battles. Some died at the seven gates of Thebes, in the country of Cadmus, fighting for the legacy of Oedipus. Others fell near Troy, where they came for the beautifully curly Helen, sailed across the wide sea on ships. When all of them were kidnapped by death, Zeus the Thunderer settled them on the edge of the earth, away from living people. The demigod-heroes live a happy, carefree life on the islands of the blessed by the stormy waters of the Ocean. There, the fertile land gives them fruits as sweet as honey three times a year.
The last, fifth century and the human race - iron. It continues to this day on earth. Night and day, without ceasing, sadness and exhausting work destroy people. The gods send people heavy worries. True, the gods and good are mixed with evil, but still there is more evil, it reigns everywhere. Children do not honor their parents; a friend is not faithful to a friend; the guest does not find hospitality; there is no love between brothers. People do not keep this oath, they do not appreciate the truth and kindness. Each other's cities are being destroyed. Violence reigns everywhere. Only pride and strength are valued. Goddesses Conscience and Justice left people. In their white clothes, they flew up to the high Olympus to the immortal gods, and only serious troubles remained for people, and they have no protection from evil.

From a socio-historical point of view, this passage is extremely important, as it depicts the disintegration of family ties and the beginning of a class society, where indeed everyone is an enemy to each other.

The picture of the change of centuries is of absolutely exceptional importance in world literature. The poet for the first time captured in it the idea of ​​antiquity about continuous regression in the sphere of spiritual and material. It is a development of a more general worldly wisdom in Homer (Od. II, 276):

Rarely are sons like fathers, but for the most part

Parts are worse than their fathers, only a few are better.

The transfer to distant, immemorial antiquity of the state of earthly perfection - the doctrine of the "golden age" - is characteristic of folk ideas and is known among many nations (ethnologist Fritz Gröbner notes it, for example, among the Indians of Central America). It should also include the biblical doctrine of an earthly paradise, based on Babylonian myths. Similar points are found in Indian philosophy. But this general idea is developed by Hesiod into a whole system of the stepped fall of humanity. Later literary formulations of the same idea are found, for example, in the Metamorphoses of Ovid, a Roman poet who lived from 43 BC. to 18 AD

Ovid has four ages: golden, silver, copper and iron. A golden age in which people lived without judges. There were no wars. No one wanted to conquer foreign lands. There was no need to work - the earth brought everything by itself. It was always spring. Rivers of milk and nectar flowed.

Then came the silver age, when Saturn was overthrown and Jupiter took over the world. There were summer, winter and autumn. Houses appeared, people began to work in order to get their livelihood. Then came the copper age

He was a harsher spirit, prone to terrible abuse,

But not criminal yet. The latter is all iron.

Instead of shame, truth and fidelity, deceit and deceit, intrigues, violence and a passion for possession appeared. People began to travel to foreign lands. They began to divide the land, to fight with each other. Everyone began to be afraid of each other: a guest - a host, a husband - a wife, a brother - a brother, a son-in-law - a father-in-law, etc.

However, there are differences between the ideas of Ovid and Hesiod: Ovid has a continuous decline, figuratively expressed in a decrease in the value of the metal that denotes the "age": gold, silver, copper, iron. In Hesiod, the descent is temporarily delayed: the fourth generation is the heroes, the heroes of the Trojan and Theban wars; the lifetime of this generation is not determined by any metal. The scheme itself is certainly older than the time of Hesiod. Heroes are outside of it. This complication is probably a tribute to the authority of the heroic epic, although the opposition of the class to which Hesiod belongs is directed against its ideology. The authority of Homer's heroes forced the author to take them beyond the gloomy picture of the third (“copper”) generation.

Also in ancient literature, we find the legend of the change of centuries, except for Ovid, in Aratus, partly in Egigil, Horace, Juvenal and Babrius.

List of used literature:

1. THEM. Tronsky. History of Ancient Literature. Leningrad 1951

2. N.F. Deratani, N.A. Timofeev. Anthology on Ancient Literature. Volume I. Moscow 1958

3. Losev A.F., Takho-Godi A.A. and others. Antique Literature: A Textbook for High School. Moscow 1997.

4. ON THE. Kuhn. Legends and myths of Ancient Greece. Kaliningrad 2000

5. History of Greek Literature, vol.1. Epos, lyrics, drama of the classical period. M.-L., 1947.

6. Hesiod. Works and days. Per V.Veresaeva. 1940

*1 ___________ *1 The poet Hesiod tells how the Greeks of his day viewed the origin of man and the change of ages. In ancient times, everything was better, but life on earth was constantly deteriorating, and life was worst of all in the time of Hesiod. This is understandable for Hesiod, a representative of the peasantry, small landowners. In the time of Hesiod, the stratification into classes deepened more and more and the exploitation of the poor by the rich intensified, so the poor peasantry really lived poorly under the yoke of the rich large landowners. Of course, even after Hesiod, the life of the poor in Greece did not get any better, they were still exploited by the rich. Set out according to Hesiod's poem "Works and Days" The immortal gods living on the bright Olympus created the first human race happy; it was a golden age. God Kron ruled then in the sky. Like blessed gods, people lived in those days, knowing neither care, nor labor, nor sorrow. Nor did they know feeble old age; their legs and arms were always strong and strong. Their painless self, their happy life, was an eternal feast. Death, which came after their long life, was like a calm, quiet dream. They had everything in abundance during their lifetime. The land itself gave them rich fruits, and they did not have to spend labor on cultivating fields and gardens. Their flocks were numerous, and they grazed quietly on rich pastures. The people of the golden age lived serenely. The gods themselves came to consult them. But the golden age on earth ended, and none of the people of this generation remained. After death, people of the golden age became spirits, patrons of people of new generations. Shrouded in mist, they rush all over the earth, defending the truth and punishing evil. So Zeus rewarded them after their death. The second human race and the second age were no longer as happy as the first. It was the silver age. The people of the Silver Age were not equal either in strength or intellect to the people of the Golden Age. For a hundred years they grew up foolish in the houses of their mothers, only when they grew up did they leave them. Their life was short in adulthood, and since they were unreasonable, they saw many misfortunes and grief in life. The people of the Silver Age were rebellious. They did not obey the immortal gods and did not want to burn their sacrifices on the altars. The great son of Cronos Zeus destroyed their family on earth. He was angry with them because they did not obey the gods living on the bright Olympus. Zeus settled them in the underground gloomy kingdom. There they live, knowing neither joy nor sorrow; they, too, are honored by the people. Father Zeus created the third generation and the third age - the age of copper. It doesn't look like silver. From the shaft of a spear, Zeus created people - terrible and powerful. The people of the copper age loved pride and war, plentiful with groans. They did not know agriculture and did not eat the fruits of the earth, which give gardens and arable land. Zeus gave them enormous growth and indestructible strength. Indomitable, courageous was their heart and irresistible their hands. Their weapons were forged from copper, their houses were made of copper, they worked with copper tools. They did not know even in those days of dark iron. With their own hands, people of the copper age destroyed each other. They quickly descended into the gloomy realm of the terrible Hades. No matter how strong they were, yet the black death stole them, and they left the clear light of the sun. As soon as this race descended into the kingdom of shadows, immediately the great Zeus created the fourth age on the earth that feeds everyone and a new race of people, a nobler, more just, equal to the gods race of demigods-heroes. And they all died in evil wars and terrible bloody battles. Some died at the seven gates of Thebes, in the country of Cadmus, fighting for the legacy of Oedipus. Others fell near Troy, where they came for the beautifully curly Helen, sailed across the wide sea on ships. When all of them were kidnapped by death, Zeus the Thunderer settled them on the edge of the earth, far from living people. The demigod-heroes live a happy, carefree life on the islands of the blessed by the stormy waters of the Ocean. There, the fertile land gives them fruits as sweet as honey three times a year. The last, fifth century and the human race is iron. It continues to this day on earth. Night and day, without ceasing, sadness and exhausting work destroy people. The gods send people heavy worries. True, the gods and good are mixed with evil, but still there is more evil, it reigns everywhere. Children do not honor their parents; a friend is not faithful to a friend; the guest does not find hospitality; there is no love between brothers. People do not keep this oath, they do not appreciate the truth and goodness. Each other's cities are being destroyed. Violence reigns everywhere. Only pride and strength are valued. Goddesses Conscience and Justice left people. In their white clothes, they flew up to the high Olympus to the immortal gods, and people were left with only serious troubles, and they have no protection from evil. Deucalion and Pyrrha (the Flood) *1 ___________ *1 In this myth, a story is given about the global flood and how Deucalion and Pyrrha are saved in a huge box. The myth of the flood also existed in ancient Babylon: this is the myth of Pirnapishtim, or Utnapishtim, which was also borrowed by the ancient Jews. They have a biblical myth about the Flood and Noah. Many crimes were committed by people of the copper age. Arrogant and impious, they did not obey the Olympian gods. The Thunderer Zeus was angry with them; Zeus was especially angered by the king of Lycosura in Arcadia * 2, Lycaon. Once Zeus, under the guise of a mere mortal, came to Likosur. So that the inhabitants knew that he was a god, Zeus gave them a sign, and all the inhabitants fell on their faces before him and honored him as a god. Only Lycaon did not want to give divine honors to Zeus and mocked everyone who honored Zeus. Lycaon decided to test whether Zeus is a god. He killed a hostage who was in his palace, boiled part of his body, fried part and offered it as a meal to the great thunderer. Zeus was terribly angry. With a lightning strike, he destroyed Lycaon's palace, and turned him into a bloodthirsty wolf himself. ___________ *2 An area in the center of the Peloponnese. People became more and more impious, and the great cloudmaker, the auspicious Zeus, decided to destroy the entire human race. He decided to send such a heavy downpour to the earth that everything would be flooded. Zeus forbade all winds to blow, only the humid south wind Noth drove dark rain clouds across the sky. The rain poured onto the ground. The water in the seas and rivers rose higher and higher, flooding everything around. The cities with their walls, houses and temples disappeared under the water, and the towers that rose high on the city walls were no longer visible. Gradually, the water covered everything - both the forested hills and high mountains. All Greece was hidden under the raging waves of the sea. The peak of the two-headed Parnassus rose alone among the waves. Where the peasant used to cultivate his field and where the vineyards rich in ripe clusters were green, fish swam, and herds of dolphins frolicked in the forests covered with water. Thus perished the human race of the Copper Age. Only two escaped among this common death - Deucalion, the son of Prometheus, and his wife Pyrrha. On the advice of his father Prometheus, Deucalion built a huge box, put food in it, and entered it with his wife. For nine days and nights, the box of Deucalion was carried along the waves of the sea, which covered the whole land. Finally, the waves drove him to the two-headed peak of Parnassus. The downpour sent by Zeus stopped. Deucalion and Pyrrha came out of the box and made a sacrifice of thanksgiving to Zeus, who kept them amid the stormy waves. The water subsided, and again the land appeared from under the waves, devastated, like a desert. Then the aegis-powerful Zeus sent a messenger of the gods Hermes to Deucalion. The messenger of the gods quickly rushed over the deserted land, appeared before Deucalion and said to him: - The ruler of the gods and people, Zeus, knowing your piety, ordered you to choose a reward; express your desire, and his son Kropa will fulfill it. Deucalion answered Hermes: - Oh, the great Hermes, I only pray for Zeus, let him again populate the earth with people. Fast Hermes rushed back to the bright Olympus and conveyed to Zeus the prayer of Deucalion. Great Zeus ordered Deucalion and Pyrrha to pick up stones and throw them without looking over their heads. Deucalion fulfilled the command of the mighty thunderer, and men were created from the stones that he threw, and women were created from the stones thrown by his wife Pyrrha. So the earth received a population again after the flood. It was inhabited by a new kind of people who came from stone. PROMETHEUS The myth of how Prometheus was chained to a rock by Zeus's command is based on the tragedy of Aeschylus "Chained Prometheus". titan Prometheus. The mighty titan, against the will of Zeus, stole fire from Olympus and gave it to people; he gave them knowledge, taught them agriculture, crafts, ship building, reading and writing; By doing this, Prometheus made people's lives happier and shook the power of Zeus and his assistants - the Olympic gods. But the main fault of Prometheus is that he does not want to reveal to Zeus the secret from whom Zeus will have a son who will be more powerful than him and overthrow him from the throne. Marx for the words that Prometheus says: “In truth, I hate all the gods,” and for his answer to Hermes: “Know well that I would not exchange my sorrows for slavish service. It would be better for me to be chained to a rock than faithful to be a servant of Zeus," he says about him like this: "Prometheus is the most noble saint and martyr in the philosophical calendar" (K. Marx and F. Zngels, Soch., vol. I, p: 26). Desert, wilderness on the very edge of the earth, in the country of the Scythians. Severe rocks go behind the clouds with their pointed peaks. Around - no vegetation, not a single grass is visible, everything is bare and gloomy. Dark masses of stones torn off the rocks rise everywhere. The sea roars and rumbles, hitting its waves against the foot of the rocks, and salty sprays fly high. Coastal stones are covered with sea foam. Far behind the rocks one can see the snowy peaks of the Caucasian mountains, shrouded in a light haze. Terrible clouds gradually cover the distance, hiding the mountain peaks. Higher and higher clouds rise across the sky and cover the sun. It's getting darker all around. Harsh, harsh terrain. Never before has a human foot set foot here. Here, to the ends of the earth, the servants of Zeus brought the chained titan Prometheus to chain him with indestructible chains to the top of the rock. The irresistible servants of the thunderer, Strength and Power, are Prometheus. Their huge bodies seem to be carved from granite. Their hearts do not know pity, compassion never shines in their eyes, their faces are stern, like the rocks that stand around. Sad, with his head bowed low, the god Hephaestus follows them with his heavy hammer. He has a terrible job ahead of him. He must chain his friend Prometheus with his own hands. Deep sorrow for the fate of a friend oppresses Hephaestus, but he does not dare to disobey his father, the Thunderer Zeus. He knows how inexorably Zeus punishes disobedience. Strength and Power have erected Prometheus to the top of the rock and are urging Hephaestus to get to work. Their cruel speeches make Hephaestus suffer even more for his friend. Reluctantly he takes up his huge hammer, only the need makes him obey. But the Force hurries him: - Hurry, hurry, take the shackles! Chain with mighty blows of the hammer of Prometheus to the rock. In vain is your grief for him, because you mourn for the enemy of Zeus. The Force threatens Hephaestus with the wrath of Zeus if he does not chain Prometheus so that nothing can free him. Hephaestus chains the hands and feet of Prometheus to the rock with indestructible chains. How he now hates his art - thanks to him he must chain his friend for long torment. The inexorable servants of Zeus follow his work all the time. - Beat harder with a hammer! Tighten your shackles! Don't you dare weaken them! Heather Prometheus, he skillfully knows how to find a way out of insurmountable obstacles, - says Strength. - Fasten him tight, let him know here what it's like to deceive Zeus. - Oh, how cruel words fit your whole stern appearance! - Hephaestus exclaims, getting to work. The rock trembles from the heavy blows of the hammer, and the roar of mighty blows resounds from end to end of the earth. Chained, finally, Prometheus. But that's not all, you still need to nail him to the rock, piercing his chest with a steel, indestructible point. Medlit Hephaestus. - Oh, Prometheus! he exclaims. - How I grieve, seeing your torment! - Again you hesitate! Force says angrily to Hephaestus. - You all mourn for the enemy of Zeus! See how you don't have to mourn for yourself! Finally it's all over. Everything is done as Zeus commanded. A titan is chained, and a steel point has pierced his chest. Mocking Prometheus, Force tells him: - Well, here you can be as arrogant as you want; keep being proud! Give now to mortals the gifts of the gods stolen by you! Let's see if your mortals will be able to help you. You yourself will have to think about how to free yourself from these shackles. But Prometheus keeps a proud silence. For all the time while Hephaestus chained him to the rock, he did not utter a single word, not even a quiet groan escaped from him - he did not betray his suffering in any way. The servants of Zeus, Strength and Power, left, and with them the sad Hephaestus left. One remained Prometheus; Now only the sea and dark clouds could listen to him. Only now did a heavy groan escape from the pierced chest of the mighty titan, only now did he begin to complain about his evil fate. Prometheus exclaimed loudly. His lamentations sounded with inexpressible suffering and sorrow: - Oh, the divine ether and you, the swift winds, oh, the sources of the rivers and the unceasing roar of the sea waves, oh, the earth, the universal mother, oh, the all-seeing sun, running around the whole circle of the earth, - all I call you to witness! See what I endure! You see what a shame I must bear for innumerable years! Oh, woe, woe! I will moan from torment even now, and for many, many centuries! How can I find an end to my suffering? But what am I saying? After all, I knew everything that would happen. These torments did not come upon me unexpectedly. I knew that the decrees of terrible fate were inevitable. I must bear these torments! For what? Because I gave great gifts to mortals, for this I must suffer so unbearably, and I cannot escape these torments. Oh, woe, woe! But then a quiet noise was heard, as if from the flapping of wings, as if the flight of light bodies stirred the air. From the distant shores of the gray-haired Ocean, from a cool grotto, with a light breeze, the oceanides were brought in a chariot to the rock. They heard the blows of the hammer of Hephaestus, and the groans of Prometheus reached them. Tears clouded, like a veil, the beautiful eyes of the oceanids, when they saw a mighty titan chained to a rock. He was native to the oceanids. His father, Iapetus, was the brother of their father, Oceanus, and the wife of Prometheus, Hesion, was their sister. Oceanids surrounded the rock. Deep is their sorrow for Prometheus. But his words, with which he curses Zeus and all the Olympian gods, frighten them. They are afraid that Zeus will not make the suffering of the titan even more severe. For what such a punishment befell him, the Oceanids do not know this. Full of compassion, they ask Prometheus to tell them why Zeus punished him, what angered his titan. Prometheus tells them how he helped Zeus in the fight against the Titans, how he convinced his mother Themis and the great goddess of the earth Gaia to side with Zeus. Zeus defeated the titans and overthrew them, on the advice of Prometheus, into the bowels of the terrible Tartarus. Zeus seized power over the world and shared it with the new Olympian gods, and the Thunderer did not give power in the world to those titans who helped him. Zeus hates the titans, afraid of their formidable power. Did not trust Zeus and Prometheus and hated him. The hatred of Zeus flared up even more when Prometheus began to protect the unfortunate mortal people who lived at the time when Kron ruled, and whom Zeus wanted to destroy. But Prometheus took pity on the people who still did not have reason; he did not want them to descend unfortunate into the gloomy kingdom of Hades. He breathed hope into them, which people did not know, and stole the divine fire for them, although he knew what punishment would befall him for this. Fear of a terrible execution did not deter the proud, mighty titan from wanting to help people. Nor did the warnings of his belongings to his mother, the great Themis, deter him. With trepidation, the oceanids listened to the story of Prometheus. But on a fast-winged chariot, the prophetic old man Okean himself came to the rock. The ocean is trying to persuade Prometheus to submit to the power of Zeus: after all, he must know that it is fruitless to fight the victor of the terrible Typhon. The ocean takes pity on Prometheus, he himself suffers, seeing the torments that Prometheus endures. The prophetic old man is ready to rush to the bright Olympus to beg Zeus to have mercy on the titan, even if by praying for him he brought the wrath of the Thunderer upon himself. He believes that a wise word of protection often soothes anger. But all the pleas of the Ocean are in vain, Prometheus proudly answers him: - No, try to save yourself. I'm afraid lest sympathy harm you. To the bottom I will exhaust all the evil that fate sent me. You, Ocean, be afraid to provoke the wrath of Zeus by praying for me. - Oh, I see, - the Ocean answers Prometheus sadly, - that with these words you make me go back without achieving anything. Believe me, oh Prometheus, that only concern for your fate and love for you brought me here! - No! Leave! Hurry, hurry, get out of here! Leave me alone! exclaims Prometheus. With pain in my heart I left the Ocean of Prometheus. He raced away on his winged chariot, and Prometheus continues his story to the oceanides about what he did for people, how he did them good, violating the will of Zeus. In Mount Moskh, on Lemnos, Prometheus stole fire from the forge of his friend Hephaestus for people. He taught people the arts, gave them knowledge, taught them counting, reading and writing. He introduced them to metals, taught them how to mine and process them in the bowels of the earth. Prometheus humbled a wild bull for mortals and put a yoke on him so that people could use the strength of bulls while cultivating their fields. Prometheus harnessed the horse to the chariot and made it obedient to man. The wise titan built the first ship, equipped it and spread a linen sail on it, so that the ship would quickly carry a man across the boundless sea. Previously, people did not know medicines, they did not know how to cure diseases, people were defenseless against them, but Prometheus revealed to them the power of medicines, and they subdued illnesses with them, He taught them everything that eases the sorrows of life and makes it happier and more joyful. With this, he angered Zeus, for which the Thunderer punished him. But Prometheus will not suffer forever. He knows that evil fate will befall the mighty Thunderer. He will not escape his fate! Prometheus knows that the kingdom of Zeus is not eternal: he will be overthrown from the high royal Olympus. He knows the prophetic titan and the great secret of how to avoid this evil fate for Zeus, but he will not reveal this secret to Zeus. No force, no threat, no torment will wrest her from the lips of proud Prometheus. Prometheus finished his story. Oceanids listened in amazement. They marveled at the great wisdom and invincible fortitude of the mighty titan, who dared to rise up against the Thunderer Zeus. Horror seized them again when they heard what fate Prometheus threatened Zeus. They knew that if these threats reached Mount Olympus, then the Thunderer would stop at nothing to learn the fatal secret. With eyes full of tears, the oceanides look at Prometheus, shocked by the thought of the inevitability of the decrees of severe fate. A deep silence reigned on the rock; he was interrupted only by the unceasing sound of the sea. Suddenly, in the distance, there was a barely audible, barely perceptible groan of grief and pain. Here it comes again from the rock. Closer, louder this groan. Driven by a huge gadfly, sent by Hera, all covered in blood, covered with foam, the unfortunate Io, the daughter of the river god Inach, the first king of Argolis, rushes in a frantic, crazy run, turned into a cow. Exhausted, exhausted by wanderings, tormented by the sting of the gadfly, Io stopped in front of the chained Prometheus. Groaning loudly, she tells what she had to endure, and prays to the prophetic titan: - Oh, Prometheus! Here, at this limit of my wanderings, open to me, I pray you, when will my torment end, when will I finally find peace? - Oh, trust me, Io! - Prometheus answered, - it is better for you not to know this than to know. You will pass many more countries, you will meet many horrors on your way. Your hard way lies through the country of the Scythians, through the high snowy Caucasus, through the country of the Amazons to the Bosporus Strait, so it will be called in honor of you when you swim across it. For a long time you will then wander around Asia. You will pass by the country where the death-bearing Gorgons live; on their heads writhing, hissing, snakes, instead of hair. Beware of them! Beware of vultures * 1 and one-eyed arimasp; and you will meet them on your way. Finally, you will reach the Biblin Mountains, from which the Nile overthrows its fertile waters. It is there, in the country that the Nile irrigates, at its mouth you will finally find peace. There Zeus will return your former beautiful image to you, and your son Epaphus will be born. He will rule over all Egypt and will be the father of a glorious generation of heroes. From this generation will also come the mortal who will free me from the shackles. This is what, Io, my mother, the prophetic Themis, told me about your fate. ___________ *1 Vultures - monsters with eagle wings and a head and with a lion's body, guarding gold placers in the far north of Asia; arimaspi - a mythical people who lived next to the vultures and waged an ongoing struggle with them. Loudly exclaimed Io: - Oh, woe, woe! Oh, how much suffering promises me still evil rock! My heart flutters in my chest with horror! Again madness seizes me, again a fiery sting pierced into my tormented body, again I lose the power of speech! Oh, woe, woe! Madly rolling her eyes, in a frantic run, she rushed away from the rock of Io. As if caught by a whirlwind, she rushed into the distance. With a loud buzz, the gadfly rushed after her, and, like fire, his sting burned the unfortunate Io. She hid in clouds of dust from the eyes of Prometheus and the Oceanids. Quieter and quieter Io's cries reached the rock, and they froze, finally, far away, like a quiet groan of sorrow. Prometheus and the Oceanides were silent, mourning the unfortunate Io, but Prometheus exclaimed angrily: - No matter how you torment me, Zeus the Thunderer, the day will come when you will be cast into insignificance. You will lose your kingdom and you will be cast into darkness. Then the curses of your father Kron will be fulfilled! None of the gods knows how to prevent this evil fate from you! Only I know it! Now you are sitting, mighty, on the bright Olympus and throwing thunder and lightning, but they will not help you, they are powerless against the inevitable fate. Oh, cast into the dust, you will know what a difference there is between power and slavery! Fear clouded the eyes of the oceanids, and horror drove the color from their beautiful cheeks. Finally, stretching out their hands to Prometheus, white as sea foam, they exclaimed: - Mad! How are you not afraid to threaten the king of gods and people, Zeus? Oh, Prometheus, he will send you even more severe torments! Think about your fate, have pity on yourself! - I'm ready for anything! - But the wise man bows before the inexorable fate! - Oh, pray, you ask for mercy! Crawl on your knees to the formidable lord! And to me - what is the Thunderer Zeus to me? Why should I be afraid of him? I am not destined to die! Let him do what he wants, Zeus. It won't be long for him to rule over the gods! As soon as Prometheus uttered these words, the messenger of the gods Hermes swept through the air quickly, like a shooting star, and, formidable, appeared before Prometheus. He was sent by Zeus to demand that the titan reveal the secret: who will overthrow Zeus and how to avoid the dictates of fate? Hermes threatens Prometheus with terrible punishment for disobedience. But the mighty titan is adamant, he answers Hermes with a sneer: - You would be a boy, and your mind would be childish if you hoped to learn at least something. Know that I will not exchange my sorrows for the slavish service of Zeus. I'd rather be here chained to this rock than become a faithful servant of the titan Zeus. There is no such execution, no such torment with which Zeus could frighten me and tear out even a single word from my mouth. No, he will not know how to save himself from fate, the tyrant Zeus will never know who will take power from him! “So listen, Prometheus, what will happen to you if you refuse to fulfill the will of Zeus,” Hermes answers the titan. - With a blow of his lightning, he will overthrow this rock with you together into a gloomy abyss. There, in a stone dungeon, deprived of the light of the sun for many, many centuries, you will be tormented in deep darkness. Centuries will pass, and again Zeus will raise you to the light from the abyss, but not for joy he will raise you. Every day an eagle will fly in, which Zeus will send, and with sharp claws and a beak he will torment your liver; it will grow again and again and your suffering will be more and more terrible. So you will hang on a rock until the other agrees to voluntarily descend instead of you into the gloomy kingdom of Hades. Think, Prometheus, wouldn't it be better to submit to Zeus! After all, you know that Zeus never threatens in vain! The proud titan remained adamant. Could anything frighten his heart? Suddenly the earth trembled, everything around shook; there were deafening peals of thunder, and lightning flashed with an unbearable light. A furious black whirlwind raged. Like the bulk of mountains, foamy ramparts rose to the sea. The rock shook. Among the roar of the storm, among the thunder and the roar of the earthquake, there was a terrible cry of Prometheus: - Oh, what a blow Zeus sent against me to cause horror in my heart! Oh, highly esteemed mother Themis, oh, ether, streaming light to everyone! See how unfairly Zeus punishes me! The rock with Prometheus chained to it collapsed with a terrible roar into the immeasurable abyss, into the eternal darkness*1. ___________ *1 This ends the tragedy of Aeschylus "Chained Prometheus". Centuries passed, and again Zeus raised to the light from the darkness of Prometheus. But his suffering did not end; they got even harder. Again he lies, stretched out on a high rock, nailed to it, entangled in chains. The scorching rays of the sun burn his body, storms sweep over him, rain and hail whip his exhausted body, in winter snow falls in flakes on Prometheus, and a chilling cold fetters his limbs. And these torments are not enough! Every day a huge eagle flies, rustling with mighty wings, onto a rock. He sits on the chest of Prometheus and torments it with claws as sharp as steel. The eagle tears the liver of a titan with its beak. Blood flows in streams and stains the rock; blood freezes in black clots at the foot of the cliff; it decomposes in the sun and infects the air around with an unbearable stench. Every morning the eagle flies in and starts its bloody meal. During the night, wounds heal, and the liver grows again to provide new food for the eagle during the day. Years, centuries, these torments last. The mighty titan Prometheus was exhausted, but his proud spirit was not broken by suffering. The Titans have long reconciled with Zeus and submitted to him. They recognized his authority, and Zeus freed them from the gloomy Tartarus. Now they, huge, mighty, came to the ends of the earth to the rock where Prometheus lay chained. They surrounded his rock and persuade Prometheus to submit to Zeus. The mother of Prometheus, Themis, also came and prays to her son to humble his proud spirit and not resist Zeus. She begs her son to take pity on her - after all, she suffers so unbearably, seeing the torment of her son. Zeus himself forgot his former anger. Now his power is strong, nothing can shake it, nothing is afraid of him. Yes, and he rules no longer like a tyrant, he protects the state, keeps the laws. He patronizes people and the truth among them. Only one thing still worries the Thunderer - this is the secret that only Prometheus knows. Zeus is ready, if Prometheus reveals a fatal secret to him, to have mercy on the mighty titan. The time is near when the torments of Prometheus will end. A great hero has already been born and matured, who is destined to be freed by fate from the shackles of a titan. The adamant Prometheus still keeps the secret, languishing in agony, but his strength is beginning to leave him. Finally, the great hero, who is destined to free Prometheus, during his wanderings comes here, to the ends of the earth. This hero is Hercules, the strongest of men, mighty as a god. He looks with horror at the torment of Prometheus, and compassion takes possession of him. Titan tells Hercules about his evil fate and prophesies to him what other great deeds he has to accomplish. Full of attention, listening to the titan Hercules. But not all the horror of the suffering of Prometheus was seen by Hercules. In the distance, the sound of mighty wings is heard - this is an eagle flying to its bloody feast. He circles high in the sky above Prometheus, ready to descend on his chest. Hercules did not let him torment Prometheus. He grabbed his bow, took out a deadly arrow from his quiver, called on the archer Apollo, so that he would more accurately direct the flight of the arrow, and let it go. The bowstring rang loudly, the arrow flew, and the pierced eagle fell into the stormy sea at the very foot of the cliff. The moment of liberation has arrived. Brought from the high Olympus swift Hermes. With an affectionate speech, he turned to the mighty Prometheus and promised him immediate release if he revealed the secret of how to avoid an evil fate for Zeus. Finally, the mighty Prometheus agreed to reveal the secret to Zeus and said: - Let the Thunderer not marry the sea goddess Thetis, since the goddesses of fate, the prophetic moiras, took out such a lot for Thetis: whoever was her husband, from him she will have a son who will be more powerful than his father. May the gods give Thetis as a wife to the hero Peleus, and the son of Thetis and Peleus will be the greatest of the mortal heroes of Greece. Prometheus revealed a great secret, Hercules broke his shackles with his heavy club and pulled out of his chest his indestructible steel point, with which the titanium was nailed to the rock. The titan stood up, now he was free. His suffering is over. Thus was his prophecy fulfilled that a mortal would set him free. With loud, joyful cries, the titans greeted the release of Prometheus. Since then, Prometheus has been wearing an iron ring on his hand, into which a stone is inserted from that rock, where he endured unspeakable torment for so many centuries. Instead of Prometheus, the wise centaur Chiron agreed to descend into the underworld of the souls of the dead. By this he got rid of the suffering caused to him by an incurable wound, inflicted on him by accident by Hercules.

The first age of mankind was a golden age, when people directly communicated with the gods and ate with them at the same table, and mortal women gave birth to children from the gods. There was no need to work: people ate milk and honey, which at that time were in abundance throughout the earth. They didn't know sadness. Some argue that the golden age ended when people became too impudent with the gods, arrogant and arrogant. Some of the mortals allegedly even demanded equal wisdom and strength with the gods.

Then came the Silver Age, when people had to learn how to cultivate the soil in order to get their own food. They began to eat bread. However, despite the fact that people then lived up to a hundred years, they were too effeminate and completely dependent on their mothers. They constantly complained about everything and quarreled among themselves. In the end, the great god Zeus got tired of looking at them, and he destroyed them.

The first Bronze Age followed. The first people of this kind fell from the ash trees like seeds. People at that time ate bread and meat, and they were much more useful than people of the Silver Age. But they were too belligerent and in the end they all killed each other.

The Second Bronze Age was the era of glorious heroes. These people were born of gods and mortal women. Hercules and the heroes of the Trojan War lived in this century. People fought valiantly, lived a virtuous and honest life, and after death they ended up on the blessed Champs Elysees.

Our time is the Iron Age. It is easy to see that with each new age, the value of the metal corresponding to it decreases. The same thing happens with the character of mankind: in the Iron Age it is much worse than in all previous eras. People no longer communicate with the gods; nay, they have lost their piety altogether. Who can reproach the gods for indifference to man? The people of the Iron Age are cunning, arrogant, lustful and cruel. The only reason why the gods have not yet destroyed humanity is that there are still a few righteous people left.

Cit. Quoted from: J.F. Beerlines. Parallel mythology