In this new and third edition, the additional fragments contained in the appendix of the second edition have been incorporated in the main text. Some further discoveries have been included, and reference has been made to the results of recent research on the relative placing of certain papyrus fragments. The index of names has been brought up to date.
Hesiod (Greek: Ησίοδος) was an ancient Greek poet generally thought to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer. Several of Hesiod's works have survived in their entirety. Among these are Theogony, which tells the origins of the gods, their lineages, and the events that led to Zeus's rise to power, and Works and Days, a poem that describes the five Ages of Man, offers advice and wisdom, and includes myths such as Pandora's box. Hesiod is generally regarded by Western authors as 'the first written poet in the Western tradition to regard himself as an individual persona with an active role to play in his subject.' Ancient authors credited Hesiod and Homer with establishing Greek religious customs. Modern scholars refer to him as a major source on Greek mythology, farming techniques, early economic thought, Archaic Greek astronomy, cosmology, and ancient time-keeping.
Pretty boring i thought. I read the translation by catherine schlegel. It rhymed and did a good job. But the story is kind of boring. Lots of lists of names. It can be summarized in a few sentences. Ouranus got his balls cut off. Kronos ate his children and then vomited them all after eating a stone. It twlls the origin of all the gods and many monsters like Hydra, hundred armed people, Cyclops, etc. for that reason its an important piece of literature, but didnt capture my attention. For example the Prometheus myth is like 1 page long. Atlas carrying the world is a small sentence. Zeus swallowing his wife is half a sentence. But the praise to hecate is multiple pages
After reading the various epic fragments and miscellaneous bits of Homerica, I turned to the remains of Hesiod. I had been disappointed when I read Hesiod's major works (Theogony and Works and Days) earlier this year. But I really got into these lesser, and often perhaps spurious, works.
After the two major works, this volume includes one other complete poem, the Shield of Heracles. I had never heard of this poem, but I thought it provided interesting context for the passage in the Iliad that describes the shield of Achilles. Perhaps this was an established genre in epic poetry.
Then we proceed into the fragments. The vast majority are from the "Catalogue of Women," which seems to have been a huge poem, probably dwarfing the Theogony in scale. It seems to have been similar in approach to that poem, in that it tells various mythological stories through genealogy: Such-and-such woman, daughter of so-and-so, married so-and-so and had such-and-such children who had such-and-such adventures. Many of the fragments come from papyri where only partial lines survive but it was often possible to pick out the gist just from seeing the names and a few other words.
The other fragments were interesting as well. I'm really glad I read this volume, as I've now been able to revise my estimation of Hesiod upward.
Having completed my survey of the oldest Greek poetry in Homer and Hesiod, I am now planning to turn to the slightly later work of the lyric poets.
Hesiod is a Hekate simp, so he and I can hang. On the other hand, he was a major misogynist who believed women existed to torment men, so he probably wouldn't like me anyway.
Joking aside, Hesiod's work is NECESSARY reading for any good Greek mythology course. The Theogony is the literal structure of the pantheon, and your understanding OF this structure is essential before moving on to other works. Yes, his opinions about women are awful, but the ancient world was just, awful period to women and non-citizens.