Works and Days

“Theogony” by Hesiod (730-700 BCE)

“Theogony” is an early creation myth that also details the birth of the Greek gods. The work delves into the battle between the gods and the Titans, and it ends with Zeus’s ascension to the throne as absolute ruler. The tale itself predates Hesiod’s work, being a myth passed down through oral tradition. Along with Homer’s works, however, Hesiod’s “Theogony,” which is over 1,000 hexameter ( a line of verse with six feet) lines, is responsible for much of what we know about Greek mythology. Aside from “Works and Days,” it is the only known long epic of Hesiod’s that survives.

“The Iliad” and “The Odyssey” by Homer (750 BCE)

Homer’s works rest alongside Hesiod’s as source material for much of what we now know about the works of Antiquity and Greek mythology. Homer’s works, however, are more popular than Hesiod’s, having received a longer stint of staying power. Both “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey” are mainstays as far as epic poetry for teaching curriculums, and the works continue to provide source material for pop culture. Like other works from Antiquity, scholars debate whether Homer was an actual person writing or if the works derive from several authors. When they were written is also debated. For many, Homer means Homeric, in the same way that a work like “Shield of Herakles” is written by an unknown author in Hesiodic fashion and not by Hesiod himself.

“The Odyssey” addresses family ties, restoration, and sacrifices through the homecoming tale of Odysseus and his longsuffering wife Penelope. “The Iliad” covers the 10-year-long Trojan war being fought between the Achaeans and the Trojans. Both works address the machinations of the gods, human faith and frailty, and the importance of trust and community—themes also found in “Works and Days.”

Homeric Hymns

This collection contains 33 hymns or poems to Greek deities. The collection’s name derives from the fact that Homer received attribution for the poems, especially in Antiquity. Scholars now suggest that the poems have varying dates and origin sources. Some of the more popular hymns include those about Apollo, Dionysus, and Demeter. Like the praises to Zeus in “Theogony,” the Homeric Hymns praise the gods for various gifts and attributes.

“Shield of Heracles” by Hesiod

This epic poem, attributed to Hesiod, details a battle between Heracles (Hercules) and his nephew Iolaus against the war-god Ares’s son Cycnus. When Heracles and his nephew Iolaus travel through Thessaly, they encounter Ares and his son Cycnus also traveling. Cycnus challenges Heracles to a fight, and when Heracles kills him, Ares tries to kill Heracles. The poem’s themes of justness and fairness and the gods’ machinations mirror themes present in “Works and Days” and “Theogony.”

Though some scholars still attribute the poem to Hesiod, many now agree that the poem was written by an unknown poet in the style of Hesiod—doubts regarding Hesiod’s attribution existed even in the third century. The poem also borrows directly from Homer’s “Iliad.”

“Hymn to Zeus” by Cleanthes (third century BCE)

Like other works of Antiquity, including “Theogony,” much of Cleanthes’s works survive as fragments. “Hymn to Zeus” is the largest of these fragments. As the title suggests, the poem sings praises to Zeus as the just and righteous ruler of both the immortal gods and of humankind. The praise here draws parallels to Hesiod’s praise of Zeus in “Theogony” as a just and omnipotent being.