Myths What Are the Five

Myths

What are the Five Ages of Man? How do they compare to other myths about the creation of humanity?

Like many other myths about the creation of humanity, the Five Ages of Man suggests that humanity began in a time of idyllic happiness, known as the Golden Age. During this age, man knew no sorrow or strife. But like the Garden of Eden, this time was cut short by the actions of the gods -- not by the faults of humanity, but by the coming to power of Zeus, who ended this era.

The second age, the Silver Age, was less idyllic than the Golden Age. It is similar to that of the earliest era of the patriarchs in the Bible -- people lived for a long time, longer than in the present day. Unlike the Golden Age, they had to work to find food, toiling the soil, rather than living off of the fruits of the land. They still retained their special connection to the gods, like the patriarchs. Like Abraham and Sarah they could die after many years of life, although they had a special place in the underworld.

The third, Bronze Age was a harsh age of strife, almost like the era 'before the flood,' in Epic of Gilgamesh. The earth was filled with wild men who did not eat bread. "It was this generation of men that was destroyed by the flood in the days of Prometheus' son Deucalion and Pyrrha" (Ganz 3). The age that succeeded the Bronze was that of the Heroic Age, the age of Achilles and the other great warriors. These inhabitants were fierce like the warriors Bronze Age, but they were also wise and noble. These idealized warriors have their parallel with other great warrior-kings such as Beowulf, King Arthur, and King David. Finally, the fifth era is our own, the Iron Age. Weaker than the great warrior ages, less wise than the Silver and Bronze Ages, this age is imperfect and will someday be succeeded by another, better age at the end of days -- much like Christians wait for judgment, the British wait for Arthur's return, and the coming of the Messiah is predicted in Judaism.

Compare and contrast two other Olympic deities with the story of Zeus. Discuss and elaborate in your answer how these gods interact with Zeus and why the stories about their origins are important to our understanding of Greek mythology

Zeus overtook and destroyed his father, the Titan Cronos -- but was nearly destroyed by the birth of his own daughter, Athena. Zeus, fearing that her mother Metis would become wiser than himself, ate his lover while she was pregnant, and Athena was born from Zeus' skull, fully formed. Zeus proved his ability to 'give birth,' thus showing his greatness as a god, and Athena gained her unique status, having been entirely mentally generated by a male, although female in appearance. Unlike the other deities of Olympus, she seldom had conflicts with Zeus, as Zeus seemed to respect her wisdom.