Thursday, November 12, 2020

Prometheus Greek Mythology

 Prometheus is the Titan who stole fire from Mount Olympus and gave it to humans. In some versions, he was punished for doing so by being tied to a rock in the Caucasus mountains. Every day an eagle would come to eat his liver, which would grow back every night.

This story is a parable about the dangers of knowledge (fire) and bestowing it on humans, as Prometheus did. Each day his liver was eaten by an eagle, he would be healed overnight so that he could suffer again the next day.

Prometheus was rescued by the Greek hero Heracles (Hercules) and eventually freed. Zeus, sorry I mean Jupiter, was so angry that he chained Prometheus to a rock in the Caucasus Mountains.

The lesson is that humans cannot be trusted with knowledge, wisdom or fire. Knowledge (fire) must remain the preserve of a select few. Rulers such as kings and emperors should keep the masses in ignorance.

In the same way, it is argued that knowledge of sexuality should be kept from children. It is for their own good. This is why parents and teachers are so opposed to sex education.

The story of Prometheus is the origin of the phrase, Foolish as an old man who forgets his own youth.

Prometheus was a titan in Greek mythology and the son of Iapetus (one of the titans who were overthrown by Zeus) and Clymene. Later, he is seen as being responsible for giving fire to humanity. But why did Prometheus do this? He gave humans what they needed to survive: Fire gives warmth, cooked food, light, protection from animals at night; it also makes hunting easier. The ability to grow food gave humans more leisure time and lessened human mortality rates by lowering disease transmission rates.

The problem is that Prometheus was stealing fire from the gods. He wanted to give it to humans, but at the same time he knew Zeus would be angry with him for doing so. Why did Prometheus do this? The answer seems obvious: He didn't want humanity to suffer anymore and thought they deserved a better existence than what they had.

Zeus decided to punish Prometheus for his actions. Zeus tied him to a rock while a great eagle was sent daily to eat at his liver, which regenerated every night due to the magical powers of Hephaestus (the god of fire). The torture would eventually kill Prometheus.

But there is a deeper meaning to Prometheus' actions. Zeus, and the gods in general, are seen as being cruel and unjust by humans (especially in the play 'Prometheus Bound', but also throughout Greek mythology). Therefore, while many people see what he did as good or heroic (by giving humans fire), it can be argued that Prometheus was just expressing his feelings of anger at what he sees as an injustice: Humans were getting punished for something that they couldn't control.

So, in the end, there is a deeper meaning to Prometheus' actions. He wanted humans to suffer less by giving them fire that he knew would make Zeus punish him for his actions.

It is a tragedy that the play 'Prometheus Bound' focuses on his punishment and suffering, rather than why he did it. This could be a fault of the genre (tragedy) or just because most people enjoyed seeing Prometheus suffer.

All mythology is a fiction but there are common themes in all myths, the most important mythological character being Prometheus. Greek mythology includes all the greats; Zeus, Poseidon, Hades and many others. The theme of fire features prominently throughout this mythology as does its representation across different cultures.

Prometheus, by his actions and his gift to humanity has become the greatest mythological character of history. By giving fire to man he gave us knowledge, we could keep warm, cook food which then meant we could feed more people; this resulted in an increase in population growth.

We can look at fire itself as a symbol for knowledge in general. Without knowledge we are not able to function effectively in the world, with it we can be great.

Prometheus is a compelling character because of his actions. He challenged the Gods, he gave humanity knowledge and independence from the gods which in turn led to greater understanding and control over our world. Think about this for a moment, we are able to feed more people by cooking food with fire; with better agriculture brings an improvement in health due to better sanitation facilities. We can warm ourselves against the cold and protect ourselves from dangerous animals.

Prometheus gave us the knowledge to know better and with this came power and strength. With Prometheus’ actions he has become immortalised in our culture, a great mythological figure who will never be forgotten.

So, you see Prometheus is a unique character who has become the single most important mythological figure of all time.

Prometheus was a great hero to the human race. He was brave enough to stand up against gods, and selfless enough to give fire away for free to mankind rather than keeping it all for himself.

Prometheus is a symbol of mankind's potential. He showed the humans that they can be brave, noble, and selfless like gods. Prometheus set an example for all future generations of the human race and also gave them hope.

Prometheus was a great man and he will always be remembered as a hero.

The greatest lesson we can learn from Prometheus is that humans should always follow their dreams.

Mankind is a symbol of potential. We can be like gods.

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