Greek Creation Myth: Pooja Gupta

Just as any other cultures creation myth, the greeks had one of their own.

The only thing there was in the beginning was empty darkness and in this void was Nyx, a bird with black wings. She laid an egg with the wind and after long life began to stir and out of it rose Eros the god of love. One half of the egg shell rose into the air and became the sky(Uranus) and the other became the earth(Gaia). Eros made them fall in love. They had many children together and then grandchildren; some of their children were afraid of the power of their children. And in order to protect himself; Kronus swallowed his infants while they were infants. However his wife Rhea had their youngest child and tricked him by giving him a rock swaddled in clothes which he swallowed.

Once the son Zeus had reached manhood he fought with his father winning the war with the rest of his generation into being able to furnish Gaia with life and Uranus with stars. Soon, he ordered the titans Prometheus and Epimetheus to create man and animals giving each of them a gift. Epimetheus gives each animal he creates one of the gift and when Prometheus is done with the men he figures that Epimetheus has foolishly used all of the gifts. So, he decides to give man fire which was supposed to be used only by the gods. In reaction, Zeus orders him to be chained to a mountain and for vulture to peck on his liver for eternity. Then he decides to punish mankind, and one of his creates A beautiful woman, Pandora. Zeus's present was curiosity and a box he ordered her not to open ad presented her to Epimetheus as a wife.

Convinced that this would be a glorious gift just as the ones she received from the other gods she opened the box in absence of Epithemeus one odd day and out flew all the horrors of the world today- pain, sickness, envy and greed. Later that night the release the box open when they hear her say "let me out. I am hope." letting her flow out into the world to give hope to mankind.

What seems to be interesting out here is the characteristics of humans that seem to remain the same. We still use the words 'Pandora's box' to signify evils that cannot be undone which comes from this myth. The idea of moral and immoral as two separate things and the idea of leadership(hierarchy) that loom large even in the world today.

From a point of view of those times this seems to be a valid explanation of how the world came into being. But, as mankind evolves, we now look upon them as mere tales to tell or at other times as something absurd and ridiculous. Just as they tried to explain the happenings around them at that point in history today we do the same through science and who knows what awaits in the future. But like then, even now we explain it the best way we can at a given time period and understood best.