Theogony
Hesiod's epic poem describing the origins and genealogies of the Greek gods
The Meaning of Theogony
The Theogony, composed by Hesiod around 700 BCE, is the earliest surviving systematic account of Greek divine genealogy. It begins with Chaos, from which emerged Gaia (Earth), Tartarus, and Eros. Gaia bore Ouranos (Sky), and their union produced the Titans, Cyclopes, and Hecatoncheires. Kronos overthrew Ouranos at Gaia's urging, and later Zeus overthrew Kronos in the Titanomachy, establishing the Olympian order. The poem traces the succession of divine rulers and the births of hundreds of gods, nymphs, and monsters, culminating in Zeus's reign as king of the cosmos. It served as the foundational text for Greek theological thought and influenced all subsequent mythological writing.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Hesiod
💭 conceptDidactic poetry, cosmogony
Boeotian poet who composed the Theogony and Works and Days in the archaic period
Dionysiaca
💭 conceptLiterature
Nonnus's sprawling epic poem narrating the life and conquests of the god Dionysus in forty-eight books
Bibliotheca
💭 conceptLiterature
An alternative title for the mythological handbook attributed to Apollodorus, cataloguing the full scope of Greek myth
Homeric Hymns
💭 conceptLiterature
A collection of thirty-three ancient Greek hymns celebrating individual Olympian and chthonic deities
Titans & Primordials
💭 conceptCosmic ancestry, divine succession
The elder gods who came before the Olympians — the Primordials who emerged from Chaos at the dawn of existence, and the Titans who ruled the cosmos until Zeus overthrew them.
Library of Apollodorus
💭 conceptLiterature
A comprehensive ancient handbook cataloguing Greek myths, genealogies, and heroic narratives
Virgil
💭 conceptEpic poetry, Rome, fate
Roman poet who composed the Aeneid linking Rome's founding to the Trojan War through Aeneas's journey
Nonnus
💭 conceptEpic poetry, Dionysus
Late antique poet who composed the Dionysiaca, the longest surviving epic poem from Greco-Roman antiquity
Athenian Kings
💭 conceptDynasty, Athens
The legendary succession of early rulers of Athens from the earth-born Cecrops to the hero-king Theseus
The Creation
💭 conceptCosmogony, power, succession
The Greek account of how the universe began — from Chaos to the reign of Zeus, through two wars of divine succession.
The Olympian Gods
💭 conceptDivine rule, cosmic order
The twelve great gods who ruled from Mount Olympus — each governing a domain of nature, civilisation, or human experience, and each as flawed and passionate as the mortals who worshipped them.
Aeneid
💭 conceptLiterature
Virgil's epic poem following the Trojan hero Aeneas from the fall of Troy to the founding of Rome