All about history book of myths and legends. ( PDFDrive )

THE GOLDEN AGE

During the Golden Age, the world was ruled by Cronus (known

to the Romans as Saturn). It was a time of peace and tranquillity,

as there was no war or injustice, and the Golden Race did not

have to work because enough food was readily

available from plants and trees. In later eras, the

Golden Age became a byword for a time in the

distant past when things were much better than

the present. The idea of the Golden Age became

fashionable in the Renaissance (c.1350–c.1550),

when Italian artists and writers rediscovered the

culture of ancient Greece, and this Classical era

became a favourite subject for painters.

PROMETHEUS BOUND
As punishment for stealing fire from the gods, Zeus had
Prometheus chained to a rock in a place said to be on the
borders of Earth and Chaos. Here, he was condemned to
sufer while an eagle pecked at his liver, which constantly
repaired itself so that the torture could continue. Zeus
decreed that Prometheus should remain bound until
another creature ofered to be bound in his place. After
thousands of years, a wounded centaur called Cheiron
ofered to take Prometheus’s place. When he arrived at
the rock, Zeus turned Cheiron into a constellation of
stars, while the Greek hero Heracles
killed the eagle, ending
Prometheus’s agony.
THE CREATION OF HUMANKIND

Prometheus’s punishment
The eagle came each morning to
peck at Prometheus’s liver all day
long, then left in the evening.
By night the liver repaired
itself, ready for
the next day’s
torment.

The Golden Race

Renaissance artists saw

the Golden Age as a

time of such peace that

humans could live side

by side with wild animals

without any fear of attack.

Cronus

Despite his violence towards

his own children, Cronus

is often seen as a gentle,

just, and kind ruler of

Storage jar

Artists often portray Pandora carrying

a box, but Greek sources describe her

bearing a pithos, or large storage jar.

PANDORA

Zeus wanted to punish the humans after Prometheus stole

fire for them, so he (or, some say, Hephaestus) created a

beautiful mortal woman called Pandora. She married

Prometheus’s brother, Epimetheus,

who took her to Earth. The gods

gave her many gifts, which she

kept in a jar. When she opened the

jar, it contained plagues and

disasters, which condemned

humanity to a life marred by

misery. The only positive

thing in the jar was hope,

the sole consolation for the

human race.

Pandora

Aeschylus

The Greek dramatist

Aeschylus, who lived

in the 5th century BCE,

wrote several plays

about the myth of

Prometheus.

the Golden Age. He was

worshipped as a harvest deity.

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