A golden era with Kronos

I know it’s been a while since the last article on the history of the Titans, so let’s continue.

After Kronos usurped his father Ouranos from his mighty “throne” and took over as a chief and commander of the cosmos including Earth, he made sure he retained power. His time as ruler was known as The Golden Age of Man, as labelled by poet Hesiod, who was a renowned woman hater (more on Hesiod after this series). There were five ages of man and described the decline of humanity through these stages as perceived by the bard.

According to Hesiod, ‘the gods and mortal humans have the same origins’, which is why according to the Ancient Greeks the gods resembled humans from the way they look to their oft times acrimonious behaviour. During the Golden Age humans had an easy life, they didn’t have to work, didn’t age, feasted pretty much every day, didn’t have to worry about wars or deal with nastiness.

“… they lived like gods without sorrow of heart, remote and free from toil and grief”

Hesiod, Theogony Lines 115

They ate well, the earth produced abundant food and drink. Wealth wasn’t an issue, the people rich in land and flocks. These humans were good too, and when they died, it was if they just fell asleep and did not wake up. The dead became guardians of the living, called daimones, from which we get our word demon. These daimones roamed the earth and protected humans, bestowing wealth where they saw fit, an early spirit form of angels. A very different connotation and application of the word daimones, one of many terms Christianity twisted to suit their propaganda in demonising (pardon the pun) ‘paganism’.

This utopian world didn’t last after the Titanomachy, the war between the Titans and the Olympian gods. The Golden Age of Man died out after Kronos was deposed by Zeus. More to follow in my next post.

I wonder how the 20^th and 21^st centuries be described in the history books? Age of the ego. Age of materialism. Age of decline. How do you perceive the last few centuries?

Thank you for your continued support and as always, I look forward to your comments and will respond.

Historical fiction novelist and a secondary teacher, Luciana Cavallaro, burnt out but not done… yet.

References

Hesiod. The Homeric Hymns and Homerica with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White. Works and Days. Cambridge, MA.,Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914.

Hesiod’s Works and Days (2020) Translated by Christopher Kelk https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Greek/HesiodWorksDays.php

Ancient History, creative story, Greek Mythology