Mythos

Introduction

Stephen Fry's "Mythos" is a captivating retelling of ancient Greek myths, focusing on the creation of the universe and the birth of the gods. Fry's lifelong fascination with myths and legends shines through in this engaging work, which brings to life the colorful and dramatic stories that have captivated audiences for millennia.

The book begins at the very beginning of creation and takes readers on a journey through the birth of the first gods, the rise of the Titans, and the eventual ascendancy of the Olympian gods. Along the way, we encounter familiar names like Zeus, Prometheus, and Pandora, as well as lesser-known figures from Greek mythology.

Fry's retelling is both accessible and entertaining, making these ancient tales come alive for modern readers. He infuses the stories with humor and insight, drawing parallels to contemporary ideas and scientific concepts where appropriate. This summary will explore the key ideas and stories presented in "Mythos," offering a glimpse into the rich tapestry of Greek mythology as presented by Fry.

The Beginning: Chaos and the First Order

In the Greek conception of the universe's origin, there was nothing but Chaos at the start. Unlike the scientific Big Bang theory, the Greeks imagined Chaos as a primordial state of nothingness, or as Fry humorously puts it, a "grand cosmic yawn." This concept of Chaos is intriguing because it suggests that even the idea of "before" didn't exist, as Time itself had not yet come into being.

From this initial state of Chaos, the first entities emerged:

1. Erebus (darkness)
2. Nyx (night)
3. Hemera (day)
4. Aether (light)
5. Gaia (earth)
6. Tartarus (underworld)

These primordial deities, known as the First Order, were not gods in the traditional sense. They had no personalities or stories associated with them; they were simply the fundamental elements of existence.

Gaia, the earth, went on to produce two sons on her own:

1. Pontus (the sea)
2. Ouranos (the sky)

The union of Gaia and Ouranos marked a significant moment in Greek mythology. As Ouranos covered Gaia – both literally as the sky covers the earth and figuratively in a sexual sense – Time itself began. This union brought forth personality, drama, and meaning to the universe.

From Gaia and Ouranos came twelve beautiful children known as the Titans, six male and six female. However, they also produced two sets of triplets that were less aesthetically pleasing:

1. The Cyclopes: one-eyed giants
2. The Hecatonchires: beings with 50 heads and 100 hands

Ouranos, disgusted by these "monstrous" offspring, forced them back into Gaia's womb, causing her great pain and anguish. This act of cruelty would set in motion a chain of events that would lead to the rise of the next generation of divine beings.

The Second Order: Rise of the Titans

Gaia, furious at Ouranos's treatment of their children, plotted revenge. She crafted a powerful sickle made of adamantine, an indestructible material, and approached her Titan children with a plan to overthrow their father. Only Kronos, the youngest and most ambitious of the Titans, agreed to help.

When Ouranos next came to cover Gaia, Kronos lay in wait with the sickle. In a swift and violent act, he castrated his father, ending his reign. As Ouranos writhed in agony, he cursed Kronos, prophesying that he too would be overthrown by his own children.

With Ouranos defeated, Kronos took control and ushered in the era of the Titans, known as the Second Order of divine beings. He took his sister Rhea as his wife, and they began to have children. However, haunted by his father's curse, Kronos took drastic measures to prevent his downfall.

Each time Rhea gave birth, Kronos would swallow the newborn whole, consuming his own children to prevent them from growing up to challenge him. This horrific cycle continued until Rhea, pregnant with her sixth child, decided to take action.

Rhea devised a clever plan to save her unborn child:

1. She traveled to Crete, where she met with a she-goat named Amalthea and the Meliae (nymphs of ash trees).
2. She found a smooth, bean-shaped rock and wrapped it in linen to resemble a swaddled baby.
3. When the time came, she tricked Kronos into swallowing the rock instead of the baby.

This deception allowed Rhea to give birth to Zeus in secret. The infant god was raised on Crete, nurtured by the milk of Amalthea and the manna provided by the Meliae. As Zeus grew, Rhea visited him often, teaching him about his heritage and instilling in him a desire for revenge against his father.

The Rise of Zeus and the Third Order

When Zeus reached adolescence, Rhea introduced him to Metis, a wise and cunning friend. Under Metis's tutelage, Zeus learned valuable skills that would serve him well in his quest to overthrow Kronos:

1. Patience and strategic thinking
2. The ability to read others' intentions
3. Reason and planning
4. Emotional control

On Zeus's 17th birthday, armed with these newfound skills and a potion prepared by Metis, he set out to confront his father. Rhea brought Zeus to Mount Othrys, where Kronos resided, introducing him as a new cupbearer.

Zeus offered Kronos a goblet containing Metis's potion, which the Titan greedily consumed. The potion had two effects:

1. It induced vomiting, causing Kronos to regurgitate the five children he had previously swallowed.
2. It put Kronos into a deep sleep.

With Kronos incapacitated, Zeus was reunited with his siblings: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon. Together, they pledged allegiance to Zeus and decided to establish a new divine order, no longer calling themselves Titans but gods – the gods.

This moment marked the beginning of the Third Order of divine beings, with Zeus at its head. However, the other Titans were not willing to relinquish their power without a fight, leading to a massive conflict known as the Titanomachy.

The Titanomachy: Gods vs. Titans

The war between the newly established gods and the remaining Titans was a cataclysmic event that reshaped the world. For ten years, the two sides battled, with the very fabric of the earth being torn asunder in their struggles. Mountains erupted in fire, the ground quaked and split, and entire landmasses shifted and reformed.

Although the Titans initially had the upper hand due to their greater numbers and strength, Zeus made a strategic move that would turn the tide of the war. He released the Cyclopes and Hecatonchires, who had been imprisoned by Kronos, and enlisted their help in the fight against the Titans.

The addition of these powerful allies proved decisive. The Cyclopes crafted mighty weapons for the gods, including Zeus's thunderbolts, while the hundred-handed Hecatonchires hurled mountains at the Titans. Eventually, the Titans were forced to surrender.

In the aftermath of the war, Zeus took swift action to secure his new order:

1. Atlas, one of the Titan leaders, was sentenced to hold up the sky for eternity.
2. Kronos was exiled, doomed to wander the earth measuring out time (hence his later association with "Father Time").
3. The Titans who had fought alongside the gods were rewarded, including Prometheus, who became a close companion to Zeus.

With the Titans defeated, Zeus set about establishing a new home and assembly for the gods, which he called the dodecatheon. This group of twelve major deities would come to be known as the Olympians, ruling over various aspects of the world and human life from their seat on Mount Olympus.

Prometheus and the Creation of Humanity

Among the Titans who had sided with the gods, Prometheus held a special place as Zeus's favorite. Intelligent, handsome, and well-mannered, Prometheus had become a trusted advisor to the king of the gods.

One day, shortly before the inauguration of the dodecatheon, Zeus shared with Prometheus his plan to create a new race of beings. These creatures would be similar to the gods but smaller and less powerful. They would possess consciousness and worship the gods, serving as their playthings and subjects.

Zeus tasked Prometheus with crafting these new beings, providing him with the perfect clay for the job. Prometheus set to work, carefully molding the first humans. When Zeus returned to inspect the creations, he brought along his favorite daughter, Athena. Both were delighted with Prometheus's work, and Athena breathed life into each of the clay figures, bringing them to animation.

Prometheus, feeling a connection to these new creatures, vowed to become their friend and teacher rather than their god. He planned to instruct them in various skills, including:

1. Agriculture
2. Cooking
3. Metalworking and tool-making

However, Zeus interrupted Prometheus's plans with a stern warning: the humans were never to be given fire. With a clap of his hands, Zeus caused the first humans to multiply rapidly, soon populating every corner of the earth.

This marked the beginning of a golden age for humanity. There was no disease, poverty, famine, or war. The gods, Titans, and other immortals enjoyed the company of humans, and life was idyllic. However, this peaceful existence would not last, as Prometheus's compassion for his creations would soon lead him to defy Zeus's decree.

The Gift of Fire and Zeus's Wrath

As time passed, Prometheus began to feel that something was missing from the lives of his human creations. While they were content, their existence was safe and unchallenging, lacking in passion and drive. He decided that what they truly needed was fire – the very thing Zeus had forbidden.

Determined to help humanity progress, Prometheus secretly climbed Mount Olympus while the gods were feasting. He lit a fennel stalk from the divine fire and fled back to earth with this stolen gift. At first, the humans were afraid of the strange, flickering substance. But with Prometheus's guidance, they soon learned to harness its power for various purposes:

1. Cooking food
2. Keeping warm
3. Crafting tools and weapons
4. Illuminating the darkness

When Zeus surveyed the earth and saw the telltale flickers of fire spread across the landscape, he was furious. He immediately knew who was responsible for this act of defiance. Zeus decided to exact revenge not only on Prometheus but on all of humanity as well.

To punish mankind, Zeus devised a cunning plan. He ordered Hephaestus, the god of craftsmanship, to create a beautiful young woman. Each of the gods contributed to her creation, bestowing upon her various gifts and talents. They named her Pandora, meaning "all-gifted" in Greek.

As a final touch, Zeus presented Pandora with a sealed pithos – a large, decorative jar. He instructed her never to open it, claiming it contained nothing of interest to her. With Pandora's creation complete, Zeus sent her to earth as a "gift" to Prometheus's brother, Epimetheus.

Pandora's Box and the Spread of Misery

Hermes, the messenger god, delivered Pandora to Epimetheus as his bride-to-be. Despite Prometheus's warnings to be wary of gifts from the gods, Epimetheus was captivated by Pandora's beauty and accepted her into his home. The two were married and lived happily together for a time.

However, Pandora was constantly plagued by curiosity about the contents of the jar Zeus had given her. Despite her promise never to open it, the temptation grew stronger with each passing day. Finally, unable to resist any longer, Pandora sneaked out to the garden where she had buried the jar and opened its lid.

The moment the seal was broken, a cloud of terrible creatures burst forth from the jar. These were the children of Nyx and Erebus, embodiments of all the world's evils:

1. Hardship
2. Pain
3. Starvation
4. Anarchy
5. Lies
6. Quarrels
7. Wars
8. Murders

These malevolent beings spread rapidly across the world, bringing suffering and misery to humanity. Pandora, horrified by what she had done, quickly closed the lid of the jar. Unbeknownst to her, one creature remained trapped inside – Hope.

With this act, Zeus's revenge on humanity was complete. The idyllic golden age came to an end, and humans were forced to contend with the harsh realities of a world filled with struggle and strife.

The Punishment of Prometheus

Having dealt with humanity, Zeus turned his attention to Prometheus, the architect of this defiance. The punishment he devised for the Titan was both cruel and eternal:

1. Prometheus was chained to a rock in the Caucasus Mountains.
2. Each day, two vultures would descend upon him and tear out his liver.
3. Being immortal, Prometheus's liver would regenerate overnight, only to be consumed again the next day.

This torment was meant to last for eternity, a constant reminder of the consequences of defying the will of Zeus. However, Fry hints that this may not be the end of Prometheus's story, suggesting that one day a hero will come to free humanity's champion from his bonds.

Conclusion: The Legacy of Greek Mythology

Stephen Fry's "Mythos" brings to life the vibrant and complex world of Greek mythology, from the primordial chaos to the establishment of the Olympian gods. Through these stories, we see the Greeks' attempts to explain the world around them and the nature of existence itself.

The myths explored in this book touch on timeless themes that continue to resonate with modern audiences:

1. The struggle for power and the cyclical nature of rule
2. The consequences of defying authority
3. The double-edged nature of knowledge and progress
4. The complexity of divine beings, with their human-like flaws and emotions

Fry's retelling of these ancient tales breathes new life into them, making them accessible and relevant to contemporary readers. By connecting the myths to modern concepts and injecting his trademark wit and humor, Fry invites us to see these stories not just as quaint legends, but as profound explorations of the human condition.

"Mythos" serves as an excellent introduction to Greek mythology, providing a solid foundation for understanding the gods, heroes, and monsters that populate these timeless tales. It also whets the appetite for more, hinting at the vast array of stories yet to be told about the adventures of gods and heroes in the age that followed the creation.

As we reflect on these myths, we're reminded of the enduring power of storytelling and the universal human desire to make sense of our world through narrative. The Greek myths, with their larger-than-life characters and epic conflicts, continue to captivate us, offering insights into our own nature and the eternal questions that have puzzled humanity since the dawn of consciousness.