About this video
This is the first in a series of video lectures derived from my Birth of the Greek Gods lecture series exploring archaic poet Hesiod’s Theogony and part of his Works and Days.
Click play now, or read the transcription, or keep scrolling for more detail about what’s in the course and how to access it.
About this course
Claiming his authority from the Muses at the height of their ancient glory, Hesiod’s Theogony is not only one of the oldest sources of Greek mythology, but also represents a period of consolidation of cultural identity that crystallised into Panhellenism: the concept of what it meant to be a Hellene.
Often perceived as ‘the other poet’ in comparison to Homer, Hesiod’s material is often encountered in later reinterpretations that obscure the original myths - themselves deliberate reinterpretations of myths and legends Hesiod gathered and assiduously wove into a cohesive whole.
In this course, originally designed and taught live for Treadwell’s Events in 2021-2022, Sasha explores the origins of Greek myth through Hesiod’s poetry, unpacks the origins and history built into the myth. With the original poem as a springboard, she delves into the Ancient Greek landscape, monuments, philosophy and literature, Roman derivatives, Renaissance and Romantic art, alchemical emblems, and survivals in Western and Modern Greek culture respectively, as she traces the evolution and influences of the myths through time.
With a lively, richly illustrated delivery underpinned by solid academic research, this course is built on the primary sources and the best of current scholarship. Herself a native speaker of Greek, Sasha provides insights into the language and culture to resolve common misconceptions and to explore the power of myth as a vehicle for learning and inspiration.
Structure
The original course consisted of seventeen 90-minute lectures delivered in 4 sections. Sasha has now chopped them into bite-sized chunks so you can listen on the go, or dip in and out as you please.
Contents
0.1 Introduction to Hesiod (15 videos): This lecture contextualises Hesiod, explains key terminology, and provides context for the lectures that follow.
1.1 Hymn to the Muses
1.2 Cosmogony
1.3 Cronos and Uranus
1.4 Spirits of Night and Hades
2.1 The Sea Gods and the Titans
2.2 The Bestiary
2.3 Hecate
2.4 Children of Cronos
3.1 Prometheus
3.2 Titanomachy
3.3 Typhoeus (11 videos)
3.4 Gods, Goddesses, and Men
4.1 The Golden and Silver Ages
4.2 The Bronze Age
4.3 The Heroic Age
4.4 The Iron Age
About Hesiod
Believed to have lived in the 8th Century BCE, Hesiod was a contemporary of Homer. A poor farmer’s son turned poet, he drew on local oral traditions, his seafaring father’s tales, and his own travels and experiences to compile a genealogy of the gods and an allegorical narrative of the ages of humanity. His epic poetry is interwoven with rich insights, instructional guidance, and lay philosophical musings on ancient life. Widely disseminated across the ancient world through oral performances, they remain an enchanting quest for explaining the world, human relationships, and the vicissitudes of fate. Considered a ‘manifesto’ defining the pan-hellenic identity, Hesiod’s Theogony reveals the origins of the rich personifications of fate, circumstance, and archetypes. His Works and Days contains two of the most enduring aetiological (explanatory) myths exploring the human condition: those of Pandora’s ill-fated box, and the Myth of the Five Ages of Man.
Pricing
The Introductory section (15 videos) and one lecture from each of the four sections (another 48 videos - see bold entries above) are free and will be uploaded more or less weekly. The remaining lectures will eventually be made available for a small fee, and will be free for paying subscribers.
New videos are posted every Sunday.
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