Role Of Power In Greek Mythology

In Greek mythology, there is always a constant notion for power. The desire for power is associated with the father figure of a family. The father sets the tone for the family by making the rules and establishing their reputation. From the beginning of time, there has been a fear for loss of power, starting with the Earth and sky. Fear occurs when a father finds that one of his children is a threat to his throne. It also occurs when a father realizes that since he sabotaged his father, potentially his child could over throw him. Taking into consideration both of these cases, it is understood that a male parent in ancient Greek consciousness seeks a role having power. This thirst for power has resulted in the betrayal of wives and the attempt …show more content…
They are the parents to six older Olympians “And Cronos swallowed them all down as soon as each / Issued from Rheia’s holy womb onto her knees, / With the intent that only he among the proud Ouranians / Should hold the title of King among the Immortals” (Hes. Theogony. ll. 463 – 466). Cronos did this because he learned that if he was able to over throw his father, by the will of his mother, then his own child could do the same to him. He knew “That is was fated for him, powerful though he was, / To be overthrown by his child, through the scheming of Zeus” (Hes. Theogony. ll. 468 – 469). Before their last child Zeus was born, Rhea managed to save him by “hiding him away on the island of Crete, and fed Cronos a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes” (Theoi 1). Cronos thought that this stone was the last of his children to be born, however later realized he was fooled. When Zeus grew up, he exerted his power and commanded Cronos to vomit his offspring. This act set the tone of who was really in power; …show more content…
This pattern also sets the standard for what a male parents role is like in Greek mythology. It can be observed that in each case, the father wanted to maintain power. The fathers did all they could to prevent their downfall, so they sabotaged their wives and neglected their children. A male’s role is clearly more important here, since the females did not have a choice in her children’s destiny. The male role has more importance while “negative views of women also represented here” (Trzaskoma, Smith, Brunet xxix). In a sense, a father is almost like their offsprings learning lesson. This is because each son learned how not to make the same mistake in letting their child take the throne. For an example, Cronos dealt with his wife differently than Ouranos, and Zeus in another way than