Legend of Prometheus short content for children. The story of Prometheus. Prometheus steals fire

Once upon a time, people did not know fire, did not know crafts, lived in caves and ate raw meat. Then the world was ruled by the gods who lived on the high Olympus, strong and beautiful, omniscient and omnipotent. They had enough of everything. They believed that all goods should belong to them alone. And the Olympians had no rivals, except for the more ancient rulers - the titans generated by the Earth and Sky.

The young Prometheus, the son of the freedom-loving titan Iapetus (Iapetus), was the messenger of peace between the gods and the titans who had not yet been defeated. Prometheus was endowed with a sensitive heart and a brave soul. Prometheus looked with pity at people suffering from cold, disease and ignorance. And he decided to make life easier for them, against the will of the gods.

As a messenger of peace, Prometheus ascended Olympus with a rod in his hand. But one day he came with a hollow reed that looked like a rod. Imperceptibly put a smoldering ember from the hearth of the gods into the dewdrop. He gave fire to people and taught them how to use it: he taught them how to cook food, how to burn pots and how to smelt metal.

Zeus once looked at the earth and was surprised. People no longer roamed in herds, and lived in families in huts and houses, mastered the arts, and if it were not for death, against which they were powerless, they could be mistaken for gods. Kronid came into a rage, summoned his servants Strength and Power. He understood who gave people fire and knowledge against his will and without his knowledge. And he ordered to chain Prometheus to a rock on the high mountain Ararat. Together with them he sent the god-smith Hephaestus.

Hephaestus really did not want to fulfill his order, but Strength and Power were inexorable and followed every movement of the blacksmith god. With heavy sighs, Hephaestus chained his friend to the rock. But even this was not enough. Zeus ordered Prometheus to be nailed to a rock with an indestructible iron stake. Hephaestus closed his eyes and, without looking, drove the point into the chest of Prometheus.

The titan trembled, but not a single groan escaped his lips. And only when the tormentors left, he cried out in pain and grief. But new torments awaited the proud Prometheus. Zeus sent his Eagle to fly every day to the mountain to the chained prisoner and tear his body with his claws and peck at the liver. Since Prometheus was, like all titans, immortal, during the night the terrible wound healed and the liver grew back. At dawn, over the mountains, the sound of gigantic wings was again heard. The eagle descended on Prometheus, and his torment resumed.

The suffering of Prometheus lasted for centuries. But just as long was human gratitude. Potters and people of other fiery professions revered him as a god. Poets of all times and generations glorified Prometheus in their works as a fighter against injustice and the liberator of mankind.

For many centuries the proud titan Prometheus suffered, but his torment did not last forever. The hour has come for his release along with the great hero of Hellas Hercules. Titan tells Hercules about his evil fate and about what great feats the hero has to accomplish. He looks with horror at the torment of Prometheus, and compassion takes possession of him. Full attention listens to the titan Hercules. But not all the suffering of Prometheus was seen by Hercules. In the distance, the sound of mighty wings is heard - this is an eagle flying to its bloody feast. Hercules did not let him torment Prometheus. He shot a deadly arrow, and the eagle, pierced, fell into the stormy sea.

Hercules broke the chains of Prometheus with his heavy club and pulled out of his chest the point with which the titanium was nailed to the rock. The titan stood up, now he was free. His suffering is over. Thus the prophecy was fulfilled that a mortal would set him free.
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In this legend we meet one of the most ancient images of veneration of rebellion against the gods, against that divine power, which is depicted as ruthless and devoid of philanthropy. Prometheus turns out to be a hero who showed love and compassion for humanity. Moreover, in the ancient Greek poet Aeschylus, he is endowed with the gift of clairvoyance and knows in advance what punishment awaits him for helping people: "Everything that has to be demolished is well known to me." Thus, Prometheus deliberately makes self-sacrifice for the sake of people. The gods in this myth clearly symbolize various kinds of rulers and possessors of earthly goods, who care only about their own power, wealth, fame and pleasure. There are many such individuals in history.

In the religious thinking of people, the gods are often perceived just like that - in the image and likeness of a human. Even the God of the Bible, who is proclaimed to be philanthropic, retains the same traits. Richard Dawkins, the staunch atheist who wrote the best-selling book The God Delusion, gives the biblical God a very unflattering characterization: “The God of the Old Testament is perhaps the most obnoxious character in world literature. Jealous and proud of it, petty, unjust, ruthless power-hungry, vengeful, bloodthirsty ethnic cleaner, misogynist, homophobe, racist, child-killer, sadomasochist sowing plague and death, capricious, vicious bully.

It is not at all necessary to be an atheist to notice in an unbiased reading of the Bible that its authors attribute to God just such features: He condemns entire nations, orders even the women, children and cattle of enemies to be exterminated, forbids marriages with "foreign wives", orders to be stoned to death for apostasy, as well as for adultery, homosexuality, incest, and even for marital intercourse during female menstruation. One does not need to be "seven spans in the forehead" to guess that such an extremely anthropomorphic, cruel image of God is simply a reflection of certain cultural stereotypes of ancient people.

It is not surprising that the image of Jesus Christ, who proclaimed God's love for humanity, has pronounced parallels with the image of the Greek Prometheus: both sympathize with people, both want to do good to them, help them in their troubles, both know in advance that they will undergo a difficult fate for this. Both suffer innocently. "I suffer without guilt - look!" - exclaims Prometheus Aeschylus.

Thus, it is not so much the rebellion against the gods in itself that comes to the fore in the myth, but rather the fact that Prometheus wants to give people good and agrees to suffer for this. Suffering in the name of man is the main meaning of this ancient legend.

This was noticed by George Byron in the poem "Prometheus":

PROMETHEUS
1

Titanium! To our earthly lot,
To our mournful vale,
For human pain
You looked without contempt;
But what was the reward?
Suffering, stress
Yes kite, that without end
Torments the liver of the proud,
Rock, chains a sad sound,
The suffocating burden of torment
Yes, the groan that is buried in the heart,
You suppressed, calmed down,
So that about your sorrows
He couldn't tell the gods.

Titanium! Did you know what the fight means
Courage with flour ... you are strong,
You are not afraid of torture
But bound by a violent fate.
Almighty Rock is a deaf tyrant,
Obsessed with universal malice,
Creating for the joy of heaven
That which can destroy itself
Delivered you from death
Gifted immortality.
You accepted the bitter gift as an honor
And the Thunderer from you
I was able to achieve only a threat;
So the proud god was punished!
Loving your suffering
You didn't want to read to him
His fate is but a sentence
Opened your proud eyes to him.
And he comprehended your silence,
And lightning bolts trembled...

You are good - that is your heavenly sin
Ile crime: you wanted
Put an end to misfortune
So that the mind makes everyone happy!
Rock destroyed your dreams
But in the fact that you did not reconcile, -
An example for all human hearts;
What was your freedom
Greatness is hidden pattern
For the human race!
You are a symbol of strength, demigod,
You have lit the way for mortals, -
Human life is a light current,
Runner, sweeping the path,
Partly a person can
Your watch to anticipate running:
aimless existence,
Resistance, vegetative...
But the soul will not change
Breathing immortal firmness,
And the feeling that he can suddenly
In the depths of the most bitter torments
Get yourself a reward
Celebrate and despise
And turn death into victory.

Interestingly, the last words “And turn Death into Victory” find clear parallels with the suffering and death of Christ. Regardless of our faith or disbelief in His resurrection, suffering in the name of people, suffering for the love of people, embodied in the images of Prometheus and Christ, is an unconditional moral victory: Love conquers Anger, in spite of any suffering, and suffering makes this victory greater and more impressive. And the result of this is eternal gratitude and veneration of such heroes from generation to generation.

The legend of Prometheus thus glorifies the rebellion against the religion of soullessness, against the unjust and cruel gods. The fire of knowledge destroys the absurd stereotypes of the religious thinking of the past. Moreover, it is not rebellion for the sake of rebellion as such that is glorified, but rebellion for the sake of philanthropy and compassion. In other words, the Prometheus rebellion is nothing but the philosophy of humanism, which is still so hated by many orthodox believers.

“... the ancients created a noble and suffering image of the Rebel,” wrote Albert Camus (existential philosopher, writer, Nobel Prize winner), “and endowed us with the greatest myth of the rebellious mind. The inexhaustible Greek genius, who created many myths about modesty and devotion, managed, however, to create a symbol of rebellion. Undoubtedly, some Promethean properties have found a second life in the rebellious history in which we live: the fight against death (“I arbitrarily saved a mortal tribe from death in Hades”), messianism (“I endowed them with blind hopes”), philanthropy (“Yes , I am hated by Zeus ... because I did not know the measure, loving mortals").

The moral of the legend is this: love for a person is above any religion, and if religion embodies hatred instead of love, if it violates human freedom and human dignity, if it is inhumane, then rebellion against such a religion and such gods is not a sin, but a feat. And this rebellion occurs through the theft of the fire of knowledge, that is, through enlightenment and education.

Elena Preobrazhenskaya

Prometheus- the ancient Greek character of myths and subsequent fairy tales. It is believed that Prometheus was a titan and part-time protector of people. He was in a tough confrontation with Zeus, the supreme god.

About Prometheus:

• Son of Iapetus and Clement;
• Cousin of Zeus;
• Titanium;
• Possibly the illegitimate son of Gaia (according to Aeschylus);
• "Prometheus" in translation "thinking before";
• Prometheus had a brother - Epimetheus ("thinking after"), husband;
• Brought people the fire of the gods;

The myth of Prometheus

There was a time when oppressed and poor people lived on Earth, hiding in caves and chewing sprouts and roots, while the gods drank nectar from ambrosia and enjoyed the dances of beautiful graces. Humans, at the dawn of mankind, were equated with wild animals that shook with fear at every appearance of lightning and thunder, dying like flies from diseases, probably caused by dampness and unsanitary conditions. On Earth there were only torments and hardships.

Prometheus, an intelligent titan, a companion of the gods, who helped in the ascent of Zeus, felt sorry for the poor people. He began to think about how to help them. The instructions of the coming titan did not help people in any way, because “having eyes, they could not figure out what and where; listened but understood nothing; acted by touch, they could not hew a stone or build a dwelling. With the help of fire, they managed to learn how to burn clay and build a house, cook food, distinguish between the seasons and protect themselves from seasonal changes in the weather.

How did Prometheus steal fire?

Love for people prompted Prometheus to commit theft. On the island of Lemnos, in the middle of the ocean, there was Mount Mosikhl - the place where the forge of the god of fire, Hephaestus, was located. Zeus, hating all earthly offspring, forbade the gods and titans to give gifts to people, including presenting fire, which was used only for the needs of the Olympians. Prometheus, having made his way to the island of Hephaestus, secretly carried out a flaming reed, lit from the spark of a forge.

Returning to the caves to people, he showed how to kindle a fire, how to build houses and cook food. For the first time in their lives, previously blind and frightened people saw each other - since then the sunrise and sunset have appeared, and the divine spark smoldering in the mountains of people began to be passed from hand to hand, informing and bringing the settlers closer.

Prometheus' Punishment

Upon learning of the "betrayal" of Prometheus, Zeus became very angry and punished, first of all, people, sending them hard work in order to raise funds for food. Prometheus did not abandon his wards and now: having returned to the people, he taught them crafts, which soon grew into beautiful arts.

Then Zeus ordered Hephaestus to forge chains that even a titan could not destroy. Having chained Prometheus to a rock (Caucasian mountains according to Pseudo-Apolodorod), he sent a giant eagle to peck at the liver of a titan. Since Prometheus was immortal and capable of recovery, he received a kind of eternal torment - he regenerated in the evening, and in the morning a bird flew in again and pecked at his insides.

Subsequent fate

According to the myths of Ancient Greece, in one of his 12 journeys, he met Prometheus, who helped the hero, showing the way to the Hesperides, and in gratitude he cut the bonds and killed the eagle from the bow, freeing the martyr.

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The Greeks have a myth about Prometheus. Prometheus was a titan. At one time, he helped Zeus gain power on Olympus, but then he stole fire from Olympus and gave it to people. For this act, Zeus was very angry with his former ally.

Prometheus fell in love with people, he began to try to make their life easier. He took away the gift of foresight from people, leaving it only to the elect, he began to teach people everything that he himself knew. Having taught people to build ships, Prometheus showed them how wide the world is. Prometheus also taught people to read and write. Zeus did not know the secret of Prometheus.

The fact is that in the first years of his reign, Zeus was a very cruel god, he built his power on unquestioning obedience. Everyone was afraid of the thunder god Zeus.

Prometheus told Zeus that the day would come when the son of Zeus would overthrow his father from Olympus. The Thunderer demanded that the titan tell him the name of the woman from whom his son would be born, but the proud Prometheus refused.

Then the faithful servants of Zeus, Strength and Power, in the Scythian country led Prometheus to the rock. The gloomy god Hephaestus, who was also the son of Zeus, trailed behind Strength and Power. Prometheus was his great friend, so Hephaestus suffered greatly from what he had to do. And his mission was to chain Prometheus to a rock, to drive an iron rod into his chest, which would more tightly chain the titan. Despite the fact that Prometheus was a friend of Hephaestus, the fear of the fury of his father in Hephaestus prevailed.

The chained titan, when everyone left, turned to the ocean, the sun and the sky with a prayer. He called them to witness what Zeus had done to him.

The Oceanids, his cousins, arrived at the voice of Prometheus. It pained them to watch their cousin suffer, but there was nothing they could do. Then the Ocean itself came to Prometheus. He invited Prometheus to yield to Zeus. The ocean said that he himself would immediately set off on his journey to Olympus to Zeus. But the proud titan dissuaded Ocean from this act.

Prometheus was visited by Io, the daughter of the river god Inach, who was turned into a cow by Zeus. A gadfly chased Io and constantly stung her, so Io's body was bloody. Io, crying in her voice, turned to Prometheus: when will my suffering end? The wise titan answered her that Io would still have a long way to go, she would visit many countries, but in the end her appearance would be returned to her. And she will become the mother of a whole family of heroes.

The God of Thunder could not calm down and sent Prometheus even more suffering. Zeus made the rock, to which the titan Prometheus was chained, fall into the abyss. But the titan was not afraid of this either. Then Zeus sent the most terrible torment. Every morning, an eagle flew to Prometheus, which tore the flesh of the titan and pecked at his liver. In the evening the eagle flew away, and during the night the liver of Prometheus grew again. The same thing happened again in the morning.

No matter how painful Prometheus was, he did not succumb to torture and still did not betray his secret to Zeus. He knew that the time would come, with which his savior, the greatest hero of all time, would come.

And that time has come. Hercules came to the aid of Prometheus. He broke the chains binding the titan, pulled the steel bar from his chest, and killed the eagle that was pecking at his liver. And only then did Prometheus reveal his prediction.

The Titan knew that a mortal would come for him and free him. But someone had to go to the underworld of the dead instead of Prometheus. This fate was chosen for himself by the wisest centaur Chiron, to whom Hercules inflicted an incurable wound.

2. The myth of the exploits of Hercules

And who was Hercules? This mythical hero was the son of Zeus and an ordinary woman. In Rome, he is better known under the name of Hercules, in the mythology of other countries there are also stories about such heroes.

According to legend, a tribe called Teleboi stole herds from the Mycenaean king Electrion. Trying to return them, all the sons of Electrion died. The king of Mycenae despaired and said that whoever returns his flocks will get the beautiful Alcmene as his wife. Soon there was a man who returned the stolen goods. His name was Amphitryon.

But the young couple did not live long in Mycenae. During the wedding feast, Amphitrion killed King Electryon and was forced to flee to Thebes. Alcmene was burning with the desire to take revenge on the tele-boys for the murdered brothers. And her husband went to fulfill her wish. While Amphitryon was not at home, Zeus saw Alcmene. God liked the young woman very much, and he appeared to her at night in the guise of her husband. Alcmene and Amphitryon were to have two boys, one of whom was the son of Zeus. The Thunder God knew about this and was very proud of it. He announced to all the gods of Olympus that a glorious hero from the Perseus clan would soon be born, who would later rule the entire Perseus clan.

The wife of Zeus, the goddess Hera, was very angry. She, with the help of the goddess of deceit Ata, demanded that Zeus swear in his words, which he did. Then Hera made sure that on that day a son was born to the wife of the Perseid Sthenelus. The boy was born very weak, later he became very cowardly. Hera returned to Zeus and reminded him of his oath. Only now did Zeus realize that he had been deceived. Then he grabbed the goddess of deceit Ata and threw her from Olympus to the people, ordering her never to return. Since then, Ata has been living among people. With Hero, he concluded another agreement, according to which the son of Zeus gained complete independence from Eurystheus (son of Sthenelus) and immortality. To do this, he had to perform twelve feats, which Eurystheus would instruct him to perform.

Alcmene and Amphitryon soon had two sons: Alkid, who later became known as Hercules, and Iphicles. Hercules grew up as a physically strong child. The goddess Hera, violating the contract, sent two poisonous snakes into his cradle, but the boy easily strangled them.

Amphitryon and Alcmene wanted Alcides to grow up comprehensively developed. They hired him a teacher, who was Lin, brother of Orpheus. But the boy did not like these activities, and one day Lin, angry, hit him, and Hercules hit him in return. Lin was killed, and Hercules was tried but acquitted. Amphitrion sent Hercules to tend the flocks.

Many years later. Hercules entered the service of Eurystheus. Eurystheus himself did not personally meet with the son of God, but transmitted all orders through his messenger.

The first feat of Hercules. For a short time, Hercules lived a calm and measured life. Eurystheus ordered him to kill the Nemean lion. This lion settled in the vicinity of the city of Nemea and constantly attacked herds and people. Hercules, with great difficulty, but still found the lair of the Nemean lion in the mountains. It was even more difficult for him to wait for him there.

The owner of the lair was a very scary beast. The Nemean lion was much larger and stronger than any other lion, his parents were Echidna and Typhon. The huge fangs of the lion were frightening, and its skin was so strong that three arrows of Hercules flew off from it. But the hero was not afraid, he hit the lion on the head with his club. The beast, not expecting this, fell, and Hercules grabbed him by the neck and strangled him.

Hercules brought the body of his slain enemy to the city of Nemea. He also arranged the Nemean Games in this city, which were held every two years and were dedicated to Zeus. At the time of the Nemean Games, wars ceased throughout Greece.

The second labor of Hercules. The next feat of Hercules was to go to the city of Lerna. In the swamps located near the city, another brainchild of Echidna and Typhon settled - the hydra. The Lernaean Hydra had a snake body and nine dragon heads. One of these heads was immortal. The hero did not go to battle alone. He took with him Iolaus, the son of Iphicles.

Approaching the swamps, Hercules ordered Iolaus to wait for him here, while he himself went ahead. He fired many arrows at the hydra, which made her angry. Getting out of her hiding place, she wanted to straighten up to her full height, but Hercules did not let her do this: he pressed her to the ground and began to cut off the heads of the hydra. But all his labors were in vain, because two new ones grew in place of the severed head. Hydra, realizing that she alone could not defeat Hercules, called for help from a huge cancer. Cancer, coming out of the grove, grabbed Hercules by the claws by the legs. The hero could not resist, but Iolaus came to his aid. Iolaus killed the cancer, and then he set fire to the thicket. Hercules continued to cut off the heads of the hydra. The hero understood how to defeat his opponent. He ordered Iolaus to cauterize the neck, from which the head had just been cut off. Finally, that single immortal head was also cut off.

So that the hydra could never get out again, Hercules buried it, and put a huge rock on the “burial place”. Then the son of Zeus cut the body of the hydra into pieces and lowered his arrows into her poison. Now the arrows of Hercules have become deadly, the wounds from them have become incurable.

The third feat of Hercules. Eurystheus did not let Hercules rest for a long time. Immediately after his arrival, Hercules is sent back on the road. For an even more difficult and dangerous task.

In the forests of the city of Stimfal, terrible birds began to nest. Cruel and bloodthirsty, they attacked both animals and people. Stymphalian birds had copper claws with which they tore flesh. And their feathers were an even more terrible weapon. The feathers of the Stymphalian birds were made of bronze, they could freely rise up and start the "bombardment". Feathers seemed to become arrows, and they struck on the spot.

Zeus ordered the goddess Pallas Athena to help Hercules in every possible way. It was this goddess who gave the son of the god of thunder two copper tympanums that Hephaestus forged. Hercules stood on a high hill (next to the forest where these birds nested) and, with the help of the gifts of the goddess, made a terrible noise. The frightened birds rose up and attacked Hercules, but were struck down by his deadly arrows. The remaining birds flew away to the Black Sea coast and never returned.

The fourth labor of Hercules. The goddess Artemis created a beautiful Kerinean doe, which was sent as a punishment to people. This doe destroyed all the crops in its path, but it was very beautiful. Her horns were made of gold and her feet were made of copper. The deer never knew fatigue, she was constantly in motion. That is why Eurystheus wanted to get her. He ordered Hercules to get the Kerinean doe and bring her back alive.

Hercules searched for her for a long time, and then for a whole year he pursued the doe throughout all the lands. Having reached the Danube, the doe ran in the opposite direction. Hercules, who could not catch her at the river, again set off in pursuit of her. Then he took out his arrow, pulled the string of his bow and wounded the Kerinean doe in the leg. Then the goddess Artemis immediately appeared. She was very angry with Hercules, saying that it was her doe and he did not dare to touch her. Then Hercules knelt before the beautiful goddess and said that he honors all the gods of Olympus, including Artemis, but he does not consider himself equal to the gods, although Zeus is his father. The gods themselves, said Hercules, ordered me to serve Eurystheus and carry out all his orders. It was on his orders that he, Hercules, was to catch the Kerinean doe. Artemis, having heard such words from Hercules, had mercy and forgave him.

Fifth Labor of Hercules. A little time passed, and Eurystheus ordered Hercules to hit the road again. This time, the path of the glorious hero lay in the vicinity of the city of Psofis, where a monstrous boar lived on Mount Erimanthe. This boar killed everyone who got in his way.

Not far from this city lived a friend of Hercules. This friend was called the centaur Fall. Foul was so delighted with the appearance of Hercules that he opened a vessel with wonderful wine for him. The main mistake of the centaur was that he opened this vessel without the permission of other centaurs. The other centaurs, smelling the fine wine, got angry and attacked Fall's house. Taken by surprise, Hercules began to defend himself. He began to throw burning brands at the attacking centaurs and put them to flight. Hercules started chasing them.

The centaurs took refuge in the house of another friend of Hercules - the centaur Chiron. Hercules was in a terrible rage. Therefore, breaking into Chiron's dwelling, he fired one of the arrows smeared with the poison of the hydra. He wanted to hit the enemy, but hit Chiron. Hercules immediately came to his senses and began to help the centaur wash the wound, although both knew that it was useless. Chiron did not want to suffer for a long time and voluntarily (instead of Prometheus) descended into the kingdom of the dead.

Hercules, angry with himself, immediately went to carry out his task. He found the boar's lair and kicked it out. For a long time the boar tried to escape from the hero, but got stuck in deep snow. Then Hercules tied him up and carried him to Mycenae alive. King Eurystheus of Mycenae, seeing a boar, was so frightened that he climbed into a bronze vessel.

The sixth labor of Hercules. King Eurystheus of Mycenae ordered Hercules to go to King Augeus. King Avgiy possessed great treasures. He was especially famous for the fact that he had a large barnyard. Augeas had three hundred bulls that had white legs, two hundred red bulls, twelve white bulls (which were dedicated to the god Helios) and one special, most beautiful bull.

Hercules concluded the following deal with Avgiy: he, Hercules, cleans out the entire barnyard in one day, and Avgiy gives him a tenth of his herds. The king thought that it was impossible to do this, that is, to clean out the entire barnyard in one day, and therefore agreed.

Hercules dismantled two walls in the fence that surrounded the barnyard, and then changed the direction of the flow of the waters of two rivers: Alfea and Peneus. King Avgiy deceived Hercules and did not fulfill his promise. For this, Hercules took revenge on him. When he, Hercules, freed himself from the power of the Mycenaean king, he gathered a huge army and defeated the army of Augeas. He killed Augeas himself.

The seventh labor of Hercules. The god Poseidon gave the king of Crete Minos a beautiful bull. The Cretan king was supposed to sacrifice him to Poseidon, but he felt sorry for such a beautiful bull. He, hoping that Poseidon would not unravel the deception, sacrificed another bull. Poseidon was just furious with Minos. He sent him a curse in the form of a bull that came out of the sea. The Cretan bull rushed all over the island and destroyed everything in its path. It was for this bull that Eurystheus sent Hercules.

The hero was able to sit on the back of a bull and swam across the sea on it. Arriving in Mycenae, Hercules gave the Cretan bull to Eurystheus. But the Mycenaean king was afraid to keep such a terrible beast in his herd and set him free. The Cretan bull again began to destroy everything in its path. In the end, he reached the Marathon field, where he was killed by the Athenian hero Theseus.

The eighth labor of Hercules. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to get King Diomedes. The path of Hercules lay through the country, which was ruled by his friend - King Admet.

Hercules did not know at what difficult time for Admetus he arrived. Once upon a time, Apollo told Admet that his life would be extended if someone else voluntarily descended into the kingdom of Hades instead of him. Sensing the approach of death, Admet began to make a corresponding request to all people. But no one was willing to give his life for his king. Even the elderly parents refused. But there was a woman who agreed. It was the beloved wife of Admet - Alcestis.

Before her death, Alcestis said goodbye to everyone, and Admet, killed by the impending loss, asked her to change her mind. But the woman loved her husband too much. The time has come when Alcestis died. Admet ordered everyone to mourn for eight months. And it is at this time that Hercules comes. Admet says nothing to him and arranges a real feast for the hero. But Hercules sees that something is wrong with his friend, and asks to tell everything. Admet speaks in a confused and unclear way, from which Heracles concludes that Admet's distant relative has died.

During the feast, Hercules asks for a servant to join him, but he refuses. Noticing the sad expression on the servant's face, Hercules asks to tell about what happened after all.

When Hercules heard the whole truth, he felt very ashamed - while his friend is experiencing the death of his wife, he is feasting in his house. The hero sees only one way to atone for his guilt - to save Alcestis. Hercules secretly makes his way to the tomb with Alcestis and waits there for Tanat, who is about to fly in for his victim. When the god Tanat arrives, Hercules grabs and ties him up. The knots were so strong that God could not untie them. And then Hercules offered to make a deal - in exchange for his freedom, Tanat must return Alcestis. And God agrees.

Thus, Hercules returns happiness and love to the house of his friend Admet.

The ninth labor of Hercules. The ninth task of Hercules was to get the girdle of the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta. This belt was presented to Hippolyta by the god of war Ares, and he, the belt, liked the daughter of the king of Mycenae Admeta. Hercules gathered a small but strong army. This army included many glorious heroes, one of whom was Theseus. The glory of Hercules also reached the lands of the Amazons, so when the heroes came to them, Hippolyta wanted to voluntarily give up her belt.

But Hera prevented this. The stepmother of Hercules took the form of an Amazon and began to slander the newcomers: they came, she said, to take Hippolyta hostage. Believing Amazons grabbed their weapons. The battle was terrible, but the army of Hercules won. Then Hippolyta exchanged her belt for one of the Amazons, which Hercules captured. Another Amazon, whose name was Antiloa, Hercules gave as a reward to Theseus.

The tenth labor of Hercules. King Eurystheus ordered Hercules to drive him the herd of Gerion. The hero, without delay, went on a solo journey. He was to reach the westernmost lands. Hercules made a long journey to the Ocean, and having reached it, he thought: how would he reach the island of Eritheia, where the herds of Geryon graze. Then the sun god came to his aid. Helios invited Hercules to use his chariot. The delighted hero at the moment reached the desired island.

But the herds were guarded by the two-headed dog Orfo and the giant Eurytion. Hercules easily defeated both. When he drove the herds to the chariot, Geryon himself appeared. It was a huge giant who had three heads, three bodies, six arms and six legs. Gerion threw three spears at once and covered himself with three shields, but Hercules launched his arrow, which hit the giant in the eye, and then the second and third arrows flew. Geryon was defeated.

Having transported the herd to the other side, Hercules thanked Helios and went home. But when he drove the herd through Italy, one of the cows sailed to Sicily. Hercules left the herd to Hephaestus and went in search of a runaway cow.

King Erike, the son of Poseidon, drew attention to this cow. He challenged Hercules to a duel. The winner received a cow. Hercules easily killed Eryx and took the cow to her herd.

But Hera made the herd fall ill with rabies and fled. Most of the cows Hercules never found, and those that were found, he drove to Mycenae, where King Eurystheus sacrificed them to Hera.

Eleventh labor of Hercules. Eurystheus ordered Cerberus, the three-headed dog Hades, to be brought to him. Hercules had to go down to the realm of the dead, where he saved the captive Theseus. Hercules reached the throne of Hades, brother of Zeus, and said why he went down to him. Hades agreed to give up his dog on the condition that Hercules find him and defeat him. The hero searched for the dog for a long time, but still found him. Hercules grabbed the dog by the neck and began to choke him. The dog gave up.

Hercules took him to Mycenae, but Eurystheus was frightened of the formidable dog and asked Hercules to return Cerberus to Hades, which the hero did.

The twelfth labor of Hercules. King Mycenae ordered Hercules to bring him golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides. The difficulty was that no one knew the way there. Nobody, except for the sea elder Nereus, from whom Hercules learned the way.

While Hercules was going for apples, he had to fight with the son of the goddess Gaia Antaeus. The giant invited everyone to fight him and always won. Antey killed his opponents, and no one knew the secret of the giant's strength. But Hercules found out this secret: Antey was given strength by his mother Gaia, Hercules simply raised the giant above the ground and strangled him.

Arriving in the garden for apples, Hercules saw the titan Atlas, who held the sky on his shoulders. Atlas asked Hercules to stand in his place while he went for apples, and Hercules agreed. Atlas, returning with apples, decided to get rid of his burden by cunning: he offered Hercules to support the firmament for the time being, and for now he would take the apples to Mycenae. Hercules figured out this trick and said: "Well, I agree, but let me first make myself a pillow, which I will put on my shoulders." The titan again shouldered the firmament, and Hercules went home.

3. Mythology of the ancient Slavs

Our ancestors, the ancient Slavs, like all other peoples of the world, had their own idea of ​​the world and the place of man in this world. Myths are, first of all, an expression of a point of view on many philosophical and eternal problems. Attempts to give a motivated and the only correct answer to these questions have been and will be made for a long time, until this answer is found.

As a “legacy” from the ancient Slavs, we got a lot of beautiful myths and legends that tell about how the ancient gods lived and, of course, how the Universe and man appeared.

The Slavs claimed that at the very beginning of time the whole world was in deep darkness. But then the Golden Egg appeared, from which Rod hatched - the parent of everything that exists now. With the help of the power of Love (Mother Lada, which Rod himself gave birth to), he managed to destroy his shell. As a result, the Universe appeared with its countless number of star worlds, including our earthly world. Here we see some similarities with the Big Bang theory.

The Slavs also attributed to the “merits” of the Sort that he divided Yav (i.e., the real world) and Novi (i.e., the spiritual world), and also separated Truth from Krivda (from lies, untruth).

Then Rod took up the fact that he began to appoint the gods to "positions": for example, the thundering Thunder was approved in the fiery chariot. Numerous children of Rod also took their places: the sun god Ra, who, according to legend, came out of the face of his father Rod, took a place in a golden boat, and the Moon in a silver one. Rod emitted from his mouth the Spirit of God - the bird Mother, with the help of the Spirit of God, Rod then gave birth to the Heavenly Father - Svarog. Svarog was destined to complete the "construction" of the world. When he finished doing this, he became the master of the World. Svarog also approved 12 pillars that support the firmament.

Rod also gave birth to the god Barma, who constantly whispered prayers and recited the Vedas. Then the waters of the World Ocean were created, it was in them that the World Duck appeared, which gave birth to many other gods. The clan gave birth to the Cow Zemun and the Goat Sedun, who created the Milky Way. Rod churned the Milky Way with the Alatyr stone, and Mother Earth Cheese was created from the oil obtained after churning.

The myth of the stone Alatyr. What kind of stone is this, Alatyr? According to ancient Slavic tradition, Alatyr appeared at the beginning of time. He lay at the bottom of the Ocean, from where he was raised by the World Duck. Since the stone was very small, she decided to hide it in her beak. But Svarog did not allow this. He spoke the magic word and the stone began to grow. He got bigger and bigger. In the end, the World Duck dropped it. Stone Alatyr fell, continuing to grow.

The Slavs called Elbrus Alatyr, there was also Alatyr in the Urals, the Altai Mountains were also called Alatyr-mountains. If we assume that Alatyr is still Elbrus, then its ancient names become clear to some extent: Bel-Alabyr, White Mountain, Belitsa. The White River flows from Elbrus, and at the foot of the mountain was the White City. In fact, the Baksan River flows down from Elbrus. Until about the 4th c. n. e. she was called Altud, or Alatyrka. The root "alto" means "gold" (hence the word "altyn").

The Alatyr stone has a philosophical meaning, it is neither heavy nor light, neither big nor small; he is a sacred stone, is the focus of the Knowledge of the Vedas.

The legend says that Svarog, with his hammer blows on Alatyr, knocked out sparks from him. And from these sparks the gods were born. The mythical creature Kitovras (like the ancient Greek centaurs) built a temple of the Most High on this mountain. It follows that Alatyr is also a stone for sacrifices. It is on it that the Almighty sacrifices himself.

Alatyr, as is known from the legend, fell from the sky. The laws of Svarog were carved on it. Thus, this sacred stone "connected" two worlds: heavenly and earthly.

Alatyr also had his own intermediaries, who also acted as his symbols - these were the book of the Vedas that fell from the sky, as well as the magical bird Gamayun.

Alatyr is a triune system: it is the true path (the path of Rule) between Yavu and Naviu. The Alatyr stone unites all the worlds in itself, therefore it is one.

The legend of Svarog, Semargl and the Great Black Snake. As mentioned above, Svarog hit the Alatyr stone with his hammer and struck sparks from it. Gods were born from these sparks, including the Fiery God Semargl. Under Semargl there was a horse with a golden mane. The banner of this god was smoke, and fire became his horse.

A strong wind rose from Semargl - this is how the god of the winds Stribog was born, who fanned the flames of Svarog and Svarozhich (this was also called Semargl).

By this time the World Duck had given birth to the Great Black Snake, who began to envy Svarog. The serpent also decided to hit Alatyr with his hammer. But when he hit him, black sparks flew from the stone, from which the forces of evil, evil demons were born.

The brave Semargl began to fight with the Black Snake, but lost. The Black Serpent captured the whole earth, the Sun went out, complete darkness came. Semargl did not want to give up, he went up to heaven to his father Svarog for help. The Black Serpent was frightened and decided to fly after the god of fire and secretly penetrate into the heavenly forge of Svarog. The serpent was able to lick through the three vaults of heaven with his tongue, but Svarog and Semargl grabbed him and harnessed him to the plow. Having plowed the whole land, they divided it into two parts: Yav and Nav. In Yavi, they began to rule themselves, and in Navi, the Black Serpent began to rule.

Svarog was worshiped not only by the Slavs. It is known that in India he was called Tvashtar (in Slavic Tvastyr - the Creator). Tvashtar was revered in India, his image merged with the image of Lord Shiva himself, and the so-called Brahminists identified the Word of Svarog with Brahma.

Somewhat later, in the popular mind, the place of Svarog and Semargl was taken by Boris-Gleb and Nikita Kozhemyaka. It was said that they were blacksmiths. Their smithy stretched 12 versts in the sky, it had 12 doors. They also had 12 assistants.

The legend of the god Perun and the Skipper-Beast. Perun was the god of princes and warriors. He also came from the god Svarog. According to legend, Mother Sva was Perun's mother. When Perun was still very small, the evil Skipper-Beast came to earth. He destroyed everything in his path. However, it was destined for him to die at the hands of Perun. Therefore, the Skipper-Beast kidnapped the baby, put him to eternal sleep and hid him in a dungeon. Three hundred years have passed. Perun's brothers decided to find him. To this end, they turned into birds: Veles turned into a Sirin bird, Khors turned into Alkonost, and Stribog became Stratim. For a long time they were looking for their brother. To find out where he is after all, the gods made a dangerous journey to the Skipper Beast itself. However, he decided to deceive them, but Veles, Khors and Stribog did not succumb to tricks.

After some time they found Perun. However, it was not easy to revive him - living water was needed. For her, the brothers asked the magical bird Gamayun to fly. They explained to the bird where to find it: near the Riphean mountains, beyond the Eastern Sea. Gamayun brought them Surya, i.e. living water.

The awakened Perun, straightening his shoulders and straightening his long beard, immediately began to prepare for a campaign against the Skipper-Beast.

Having received the blessing of Mother Lada, Perun went to the Dark Kingdom. It was very difficult to get there, because on the way there were serious, for many insurmountable, obstacles.

So, the first obstacle that Perun encountered was the forest. Mighty roots and branches were intertwined together so that no one could pass through this wall. Perun was not afraid and threatened the forest that if he did not part, then he, Perun, would break all the trees into small chips. The forest was frightened and missed the god of warriors and princes. The next obstacle that Perun encountered was the rivers. The current in these rivers was very fast, and the banks were very steep. Stones constantly poured into the water from the shore, but Perun ordered the rivers to part. The rivers were very frightened and parted. The third obstacle that Perun encountered was steep mountains. Perun ordered them to disperse to the sides, and the mountains obediently let God through.

Perun continued his march. Then Perun met the Magur bird (Indra's bird). A huge bird sat on twelve oaks, and in its claws it held a miracle-yudo fish-whale. Magur could whistle like a snake and growl like a beast. From her voice, leaves fell from the trees, and the grass pressed against the ground. But this bird turned out to be very weak: Perun shot her right wing, and she, having fallen from her perch, ran away.

Moving on, Perun found his own sisters. The Skipper Beast kidnapped them three hundred years ago, and they've been herding fire-breathing snakes ever since. The enemy severely mutilated the beautiful sisters: now they had bark instead of skin, and grass instead of hair. Perun ordered his sisters (Zhiva, Marena and Lele) to go to the Riphean mountains. There they were to find a milky river, and then a sour cream lake. In order to get rid of Skipper Beast's spell, they had to first bathe in a milky river and then in a sour cream lake.

Perun himself continued on his way. He soon found Skipper Beast's lair. The monster's palace was made of human bones, and the whole tyn was hung with skulls. The Skipper-Beast was not afraid of Perun, because he did not know that Veles, Khors and Stribog found their brother and revived him. When Perun killed his enemy, he raised his body high above his head and threw it to the ground. The earth could not stand it, and the body of the Skipper-Beast fell into the bottom. And Perun filled up the resulting gorge with the Caucasus Mountains.

Perun and Diva. One day, walking in a beautiful garden, Perun met a beautiful girl, Diva. Diva was the daughter of the god Dyya, the god of the night sky, and the goddess Livia, the goddess of the moon. Perun fell in love with the beautiful daughter of the gods at first sight, but she was very capricious and impregnable. Perun did not wait long and invited Diva to play a wedding. But, having heard Perun's proposal, the girl simply burst into tears and ran away. Perun nevertheless decided to achieve his goal and went to Diva's father, the god of the night sky Dyu, but he did not go empty-handed. Perun wanted to appease the god of the night sky with his gifts. It should be said that Perun nevertheless married his chosen one. And the Bottom King of the Black Sea Serpent played a significant role in this.

While Perun was at Dyy, Diva liked the Black Sea Serpent, who was the Bottom King. The serpent also did not postpone his matchmaking and immediately went to his chosen one. Having made an offer to Diva, the Black Sea Serpent received a sharp and categorical answer - Diva refused to marry him.

The Black Sea Serpent got angry and, as legend has it, turned into a three-headed serpent. One of his heads threw sparks, another head "breathed" the icy wind, and the third loudly demanded that Diva be immediately married to him.

The Black Sea Serpent was soon pacified, because the god Dyy flew to the aid of his daughter along with his future son-in-law Perun. Dyi and Perun turned into huge eagles. They began to fight with the Serpent, began to throw lightning at him. At first, the Black Sea Serpent repulsed his opponents, but then all Svarozhichs flew to the aid of Dyu and Perun. Then the Black Sea Serpent was very frightened and, as the legend says, dived back into the Black Sea.

Then only Diva agreed to marry Perun. They played a magnificent and cheerful wedding, and it was then that Veles fell in love with Diva. He began to persuade Diva to run with him. The young wife refused, saying that Veles would anger Rod with this proposal. But much later, Diva still fell in love with Beles. By the way, it will be said about who the god Veles was. Veles was the son of the Cow Zemun. He was the god of wealth, the god of all cattle. Along with this, he was also assigned the role of a guide to the afterlife. According to another point of view, Veles was the god of wisdom. He was most revered in Southern Russia. He was cast out of heaven. Later, Storm-Yaga, the goddess of death, became his wife. According to legend, her hut stood on the border of two worlds. God Veles played an important role in Sadko's life (this will be discussed below). It should also be said that Veles in Northern Russia was one of the supreme heavenly gods.

Perun and Devana. A daughter was born to Perun and Diva. The legend says that the girl inherited the beauty of her mother and the power of her father. In Roman mythology, she corresponds to Diana, the goddess of the hunt. According to legend, Devana was able to turn into a forest animal, swim in the water like a fish, and fly like a Magur bird.

One day, Devana was driving through an open field, two huge wolves were running in front of her, a bird was sitting on each shoulder: on the right - a falcon, and on the left - a white gyrfalcon. The god Veles rode after her and tried to draw Devana's attention to himself: he shouted like an animal, whistled like a nightingale. But it was all in vain: she did not even turn around in his direction.

The god Dazhbog rode to meet Devan (he was the god of the entire universe, it was from him that all Russian people originated, it was he who defeated Koshchei). Dazhbog was also the son of Perun, he was delighted to meet Devana and hurried to ask her about where she was heading. Devana replied that she was going to Iriy (a paradise among the ancient Slavs, which was located in the mythical Ripe Mountains and in which Svarog ruled) and that she wanted to take the throne of Svarog. Dazhbog hastened to Perun. He wanted to warn his father about what Dewan wants to do. Perun, as soon as he heard about this, immediately tried to stop his daughter. The heart of a loving father was worried about his daughter. But verbal persuasion had no effect on her, and then Perun was forced to fight with his own daughter.

Devana was armed; since she had a long way to go, she amused herself by throwing her mace hundreds of miles ahead, and then picking it up and throwing it forward again.

When the spears and maces of Devana and Perun were broken, then Devana turned into a Lioness, and Perun turned into a Lion. The result of this terrible battle was that the Lion defeated the Lioness. But Devana did not give up and turned into a Magur bird, and Perun became an Eagle. And again Perun defeated his daughter, but Devana continued to resist. She turned into a Whitefish. Then Perun called for help Makosh (the goddess of fate) and her two assistants: Dolya and Nedolya. The share weaved a happy fate, and Nedolya - an unhappy one. Makosh, together with his assistants, tied a frequent net. It was with his help that Devana was caught. And only now the foolish daughter of Perun realized her mistake. She understood that everyone should take their place, and also with special gratitude bowed to her father, the god Perun. In connection with this myth, the proverb is also recalled: "It is not the place that makes the man, but the man the place."

Sadko. Sadko lived in the most beautiful city of those times - Tsar-grad. This city stood out for its architecture: beautiful and high temples, wide squares, a tower made of white stone. Sadko was a simple gusler. One day he decided to go down to Lake Ilmen and play there. Sadko played very cheerfully, so cheerfully that he could not even stand it and the god Ilm Ozerny came out to him from Lake Ilmen. Ilm thanked Sadko and said that he had not had such fun for a long time. Ilm told Sadko to argue with all the merchants in the city for all the goods in the shops. According to this dispute, Sadko was supposed to catch a fish with a golden feather in Ilmen Lake. The merchants argued with Sadko: after all, in nature there are no fish with feathers, especially with golden ones. But Lake Ilm helped, and Sadko won the argument. Overnight, he turned from a gusliar into a rich merchant.

Sadko decided to engage in trade. Veles himself helped him in this. In gratitude for this, Sadko built a beautiful temple in honor of Veles in Constantinople. Sadko traveled a lot around the world for his trading business. According to legend, he had thirty equipped ships. Sadko visited the paradise island - Berezan, another paradise island Buyan and many other places. He was returning home along the Black Sea, and suddenly a strong storm arose. Only here the sailors remembered that during their entire long journey they had never once paid tribute to the god Chernomorets. Panic had already begun to rise on the merchant ships when everyone saw a miracle: a fiery boat was sailing towards them, and in it were the servants of Chernomorets. When the servants of Chernomorets sailed up, they demanded not tribute, but Sadko himself. Sadko decided to sail with them.

They sailed to Chernomorets itself. It turned out that the Sea King had a real feast. Therefore, Sadko was ordered to play the harp. Hearing the sounds of the harp, Chernomorets began to dance. Then the god Veles appeared before Sadko, who said that the more Chernomorets dances, the stronger the storm at sea becomes and the more people die. Then Sadko broke his harp. Chernomorets thanked the guslar by giving him his daughter Ilmara as his wife. They played a merry wedding, and Sadko and his young wife went to bed. Waking up in the morning, Sadko found that he was lying near the walls of Constantinople, and his ships were sailing towards the city.

Some historians claim that on the basis of the legend about Sadko, the legends about Odysseus and Sinbad the Sailor appeared. As for the Greek legend of Odysseus, historians say he performed the same feats as Sadko. Odysseus also sailed in the Black Sea, but then for some reason he was transferred to the Mediterranean Sea.

Veles. According to legend, the god Veles was born several times. The first time he was born by the Heavenly Cow Zemun, and his father was the god Rod. The legend claims that they tried to steal the newborn Veles. This attempt was made by the son of Viy, the god of the underworld, Pan. According to legend, Pan lifted the cradle with the newborn Beles and carried him. Pan carried the baby over the ocean, but suddenly Veles began to grow and become heavier. In the end, Pan could not hold him and dropped him down. Veles fell down into the blue waters of the ocean. His cradle washed up on the shores of Taurida Island. Here he fought the kite and thereby saved Azovushka, the Swan Princess, who was the spirit of the Sea of ​​Azov. Veles and Azovushka fell in love and got married. According to legend, they began to live in a beautiful palace on Buyan Island, and a magical oak and spruce grew next to the palace. This legend was reflected in one of his works by the great Russian poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. Only his hero's name was not Veles, but Gvidon. And this work is called "The Tale of Tsar Saltan."

Some time passed, the god Dyy overlaid people with an unbearable tribute. Then Veles stood up for the people. He managed to defeat Dyu and also destroy his palace, which was built entirely of eagle feathers. Dyy himself was thrown to the very bottom - to the underworld, to Viy.

Then people began to praise their savior Veles, but Dyy was not with Viy for long. He managed to rise to the ground again and arrange a feast. This feast was conceived on purpose. Dyy invited Veles to the feast, telling him that he wanted to make peace. In fact, Dyy wanted to give Veles a glass of poison. Veles did not suspect a dirty trick and came to the feast. And drank this cup.

Thus, Veles himself was visiting Viy. But the power of love is very great: Azovushka herself descended into the underworld, to Viy. She managed to persuade the underground god to let Veles go. And Wii agreed. Then the lovers Azovushka and Veles went to look for a way out of the numerous underground halls. After some time, they found a gate that led outside, but it turned out that only Azovushka could get out. Veles, on the other hand, lost his physical body, and therefore he could get out only by being reborn. But even here Azovushka did not leave her beloved - she began to wait with him. Veles died and was born many times, he was also Taurus (that's why the island, to which the cradle with the baby Beles was nailed, was called Taurida; “taurus” means a bull, so Veles was also called Veles Bykovich). Azovushka also died and was born many times.

Veles was also born to his mother's sister, the Heavenly Cow Zemun Amelfa. He had a sister, whose name was Altynka. As the legend says, when Veles and Altynka were small, Amelfa sent them to learn to read and write. Reading the book, the brother and sister learned that Svarozhichi and Dyevichi had once freed from the captivity of Viy clouds - cows (their mother's sisters). But then it turned out that the Svarozhichs took the whole herd for themselves.

The brother and sister were very indignant and decided to accomplish a feat: to return the clouds - cows. And they succeeded. All Svarozhichs were extremely angry about this, and Dazhbog gave chase. But Veles in his new life learned to play the harp from other gods. When Dazhbog heard Veles playing the harp, he instantly forgot why he was catching up with them, and exchanged the whole herd for Veles' harp.

Some more time passed. Veles asked Svarog to forge a plow for him and give him an iron horse. When he got what he wanted, he began to teach people various sciences. Namely: how to plow the land, how to sow, how to reap, how to brew beer, etc. The legend also claims that it was Veles who gave people the first laws and the first calendar, and also divided people into classes. Moreover, in educating people, Veles did not hesitate to use his strength, especially he did not like those who did not listen to him.

In the end, people complained to Ameltha about her son, and she called him to her and scolded him. But what child would like to be scolded, as he believes, for a just cause? Therefore, Veles did not pay attention to this complaint, but arranged a feast with his squad. Later, the combatants offered to arrange a competition: who is stronger. Gradually, the competitors staged a real battle.

Veles, seeing this, tried to separate his warriors, but then someone hit him in the ear. God got angry, gathered his squad and began to fight with simple men. Then the men ran for the second time to complain about Veles Amelfe. Amelfa sent her youngest daughter Altynka for Beles. Veles loved his younger sister and therefore followed her to his mother. The mother, realizing that her words had no effect on her son, locked him in the cellar. And the battle continued. The men began to defeat the vigilantes. Altynka saw this, she took pity on her brother.

She secretly ran from her mother to the cellar where Veles was locked, and released her brother. Veles, breaking free, rushed to the aid of his squad. The legend claims that Veles uprooted a hundred-year-old elm that grew near the cellar and ran to help with him.

The men lost that battle, obeyed Veles. They brought gold and silver to the god, and Veles drank a cup with them and made peace.

As the legend says, when Diva rejected Veles, he went where his eyes looked. Went to the bank of the Smorodina River. In the forest near this river he met three giants: Dubynya, Gorynya and Usynya. Dubynya uprooted centuries-old trees; Gorynya turned huge mountains; The son-in-law caught sturgeons in the river with his mustache. Veles made friends with them, and then they went on together. So they reached the bank of the river, and on the other side stands the hut of Buri-Yaga. Veles knew that Storm-Yaga was his wife in one of her past lives.

The hostess was not at home, and the travelers settled down for the night. In the morning they left Gorynya alone in the hut, and they themselves went hunting. Storm-Yaga flew to her home, saw that there was someone in her hut on chicken legs, and went into the hut. She went into the hut and killed Gorynya. She cooked dinner from his corpse and ate it, and then again flew away on her own business.

The hunters returned home in the evening, and Gorynya was killed. His brothers and Veles were very upset, but nothing can be done. The next morning, only Dubynya remained in the hut, but the fate of Gorynya also befell him. And on the third day the same fate befell Usynya.

On the fourth day, Veles himself met with Burya-Yaga, and a battle began between them. Then Burya-Yaga recognized in Veles her husband Don (one of the incarnations of Veles), and Veles recognized her ex-wife Yasunya Svyatogorovna in her. They reconciled and decided to live together as husband and wife.

But Amelfe did not like such a daughter-in-law. She locked Storm-Yaga in the bathhouse, where she killed her. She put the body of her daughter-in-law in a coffin-deck, which was allowed to float on the sea. Veles managed to find and revive his wife, but he could not marry her, because the law did not allow marriage without parental blessing.

In general, Veles never sat at home. He wandered around the wide world, and also fought with the god Dyem, his descendants and those who worshiped them. But Dy's supporters did not decrease, and Veles saw the meaning of his struggle in the struggle itself.

But the time came when he decided to ask for the forgiveness of his sins. To do this, he had to get to the Alatyr stone in the Iry garden. He could get to him in two ways. Short way: in just 7 weeks it was possible to get to the place, but it was necessary to sail along the Pa-river and Smorodnya, past Buyan. But this road was guarded by giants - they threw stones at ships passing by and drowned them. On the other road, it was necessary to sail for two hundred years: from one ocean to another, from one sea to another, etc. Therefore, Veles decided to sail a short way. When they sailed to the place guarded by the giants, Veles went ashore and found Gorynya on the top of the Sarachinskaya mountain. But before that, he met a black skull. Veles kicked this skull, in response he heard that it was a good fellow no weaker than Veles himself. Then he saw the Black Stone. It was written on the stone that the one who begins to amuse and have fun near this stone, namely, to jump over this stone, will remain here forever. But Veles was not up to it. He told Goryn why he was going to the Iry garden. The giant god let him through, taking a promise from Veles to pray for them, who remained here forever.

When Veles reached Alatyr, he began to earnestly pray for forgiveness. After his prayer, he bathed in the Milk River, and then went back. The way back again lay past that same Black Stone. Veles went ashore, went up to the stone and began to have fun: jump over the stone. Then the prediction written on the stone came true: Veles became one of the guardians of the Currant River, as well as the Ra River and the Black Stone itself.

Conclusion

The theory of the concept of modern natural science is a very multifaceted science. It cannot be said that it is independent, because it depends on history, physics, chemistry, biology, biophysics, biochemistry and a number of other sciences. Studying these sciences together, we study the theory of the concept of modern natural science.

Famous and outstanding personalities who have made discoveries in the field of physics, chemistry, biology, biophysics, biochemistry and a number of other sciences are the founders of the concept of modern natural science. Therefore, one cannot belittle the role of man in science and art, he "acts" on a par with the laws of nature. It is human thought that pushes science forward, to new achievements, and helps humanity to develop.

It is the whole set of natural sciences (physics, anthropology, chemistry, astronomy, biology) that provides the most complete scientific picture of the world. In the theory of the concept of modern natural science, there are three signs of science:

1) construction of a mathematical object of the object under study, expression of the phenomenon under study in a mathematical expression;

2) obtaining empirical material;

3) mental generalization of physical and mathematical types.

Thus, the concept of modern natural science is a whole set of natural sciences that give a person an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bhis origin, structure, his place in the universe and his cultural and historical development. Studying this course, it is impossible not to get in touch with the secrets of the universe. Many peoples explained the creation of the Universe in their own way, but in these stories there are a lot of similar descriptions.

Titan Prometheus: the myth of the creation of man. - Division of Prometheus. - The fire of Prometheus. - The myth of Pandora - the first woman. - Pandora's Box. - Bound Prometheus: The punishment and release of the Titan Prometheus.

Titan Prometheus: the myth of the creation of man

Titan Iapetus personifies in mythology the progenitor of the entire human race. Perhaps, in the Titan Iapetus of Greek myths, the biblical Japheth, the son of Noah, the progenitor of the entire human race, should be recognized. The Titan Iapetus has no specific mission or role in ancient mythology. The ancient Greeks revered Iapetus as the oldest representative of the Titans. Iapetus is a contemporary of the god Kronos (). From Asia, the daughter of the Ocean, the Titan Iapetus has several children, including Prometheus, Epimetheus, Atlas and others.

Titan Prometheus personifies the thinking power of the human mind, cunning and intelligence. The very name of Prometheus, translated from the ancient Greek language, means “knowing in advance”, “seer”. Although the Titan Iapetus in the myths of ancient Greece is considered the ancestor of mankind, nevertheless, according to ancient legends, people owe it to the Titan Prometheus for their appearance, which distinguishes them from animals.

“Prometheus,” says the Roman poet Ovid, “having soaked the earth with water, fashioned a man out of it in the image of the gods, and – while all animals have their heads forever bowing to the earth – a person can freely raise his head to the vault of heaven and look at the stars.”

The art of antiquity depicted very often the myth of the creation of man by the Titan Prometheus, most often it is found on carved stones and bas-reliefs. One cameo depicts the Titan Prometheus as a sculptor assembling a human skeleton. On another antique cameo, Titan Prometheus collects into one whole the human members, which he sculpted each separately.

In all ancient images, Titan Prometheus is a craftsman who forms only the material shell of a person, and not a god who inspires him. This role, according to ancient mythology, belongs to (Minerva), the goddess of wisdom. On many monuments of ancient art, the roles that fell to the lot of each of these mythological characters in the creation of mankind are clearly expressed.

A well-preserved bas-relief depicts the Titan Prometheus sitting on a rock, under the canopy of a tree. In front of Prometheus, there is a small man on the table, more like a child, whom Prometheus has just fashioned, but has not quite finished yet. Three children, completely ready, stand near the goddess Athena (Minerva). Athena plants a butterfly on the head of one of them, among the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Thus, the Titan Prometheus is not the creator of one person, but a craftsman who makes people in large numbers.

Prometheus division

The myth of the Titan Prometheus is the myth of the eternal protector of humanity. Distinctive features of the character of Prometheus are proud conceit and non-recognition of the power of the gods.

After the victory over the Titans (titanomachy), a dispute arose between the gods and the human race about what exactly people should sacrifice to the gods, and Titan Prometheus was the guardian of the interests of mankind.

ZAUMNIK.RU, Yegor A. Polikarpov - scientific editing, scientific proofreading, design, selection of illustrations, additions, explanations, translations from Latin and ancient Greek; all rights reserved.

The most popular of Greek folklore is the myth about which we will convey in our article. This story has many interpretations. Various sources attribute various deeds to the hero - from the creation of mankind to the construction of civilization. 3-4 candidates (according to various sources) claim to be the father, and the same number are called possible mothers. Even the fact of stealing fire is described in different ways.

Primary source - ancient Greek classics

The most popular source is "Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece" by N. A. Kuhn. In this book, the myth of Prometheus, a summary of which is studied by everyone still in school, occupies one of the central places. The myth itself formed the basis of the tragedy of Aeschylus "Chained Prometheus". From the work of the great ancient Greek tragedian, only the second part has survived. The first and third were lost. In all sources about the wise and powerful titan, despite some discrepancies, the main points of life and activity are the same - he stole from handed it over to people, for this he was chained to a rock, and the eagle daily (according to some versions, every three days ) pecked out his liver. Actually, this is the essence of the work "The Myth of Prometheus", a summary of which is known to most people around the world. And why he stole it, how he did it, was there another reason for Zeus's hatred of him - this must be discussed in more or less detail.

Absolutely positive hero

It should be noted right away that Prometheus is an unambiguously positive image. He did not kill anyone accidentally or in anger, like Hercules, he did not quarrel with anyone over trophies, like Achilles, and did not spend his life in feasts, intrigues and revelry, like the dissolute Zeus and other gods. In general, when reading Myths and Legends, you often find yourself thinking that the actions of both gods and heroes are mostly devoid of logic and consistency. Prometheus is a whole, heroic, sublime and tragic nature. His image is considered "eternal" in world art and literature. The Greek myth of Prometheus combines in this image the features inherent in God the Father and Jesus Christ - a titan and the creator of mankind, who molded the first people from clay, and a hero who went to unprecedented torments in the name of people's happiness.

The true god is kind and just

According to one version, in those ancient times, when there was no Ancient Greece, it was Prometheus who was the supreme deity among the people who inhabited these lands. In Hellenic mythology, the role of the creator of mankind was left to him. The myth of Prometheus, the brief content of which does not imply a detailed description of the process of creating the first people, tells why, according to this version, the distant ancestors were so weak and defenseless. The legend also tells about what the name of the hero means - it is translated as "seer", because he alone knew the future, or as "thinking before". That is, simply clever or genius. The brother who took part in the modeling was called Epimetheus, or "thinking after."

Family ties

The second brother of Prometheus, Atlas, holds everything and holds the sky. Stupid Epimetheus has done a lot of trouble. The wise titan wanted to create a perfect man, equal to the gods. For some reason, a strictly limited number of skills and abilities were allotted for this, which Epimetheus, who was weak in brain, spent on animals. And according to another version, he generally exhausted all the clay on them. As a result, Prometheus created people by pinching off a piece of clay from each of the animals. It is very similar to the truth - a person does not have either the strength, or the grip, or the cunning, or the instinct of the animal to the fullest, but the weak features of each beast are present in human nature. Even Epimetheus introduced Pandora, which brought strife, wars and diseases into the world of people.

The gods are very fond of sacrifice

They were weak and defenseless. However, they somehow figured out that they could sacrifice bones to the gods by burning them on altars, and keep the best pieces for themselves.

The gods were angry. The ancient myth about Prometheus tells that the wise titan, in order to protect his clay creations, into which he breathed life, deceived the vindictive and vengeful Zeus, forcing him to choose the bones from the two parts of the chopped animal. "Aegis-powerful" remembered and began to take revenge on people purposefully. Hating his cousin, according to one version, brother and adviser, "the god of gods and people" decided to destroy humanity and create a new one. Once the titans rebelled against Zeus, and he defeated them only thanks to the help of Prometheus and his mother Gaia who went over to his side.

The reason for the discord is love for people

Prometheus alone was not afraid of the wrath of Zeus. He not only defended mankind, but also gave him the fire stolen in heaven. And here the authors do not agree. One ancient Greek myth about Prometheus claims that the fire was stolen from the forge of a friend of Hephaestus and carried out in a reed, another that the flame was delivered using a flaming torch lit right on Olympus (there are versions that it is the symbol of the Olympic Games). Of course, this was a courageous act of a theomachist who hates the tyranny of a tyrant and revelers. But the point is, in fact, not in the struggle with Zeus, the point is in sincere love for humanity. Prometheus descended into the caves and taught people everything. He endowed beings with a soul, breathed into them reason and the ability to think. Explained the basics of all sciences and crafts. People began to write, read, understand the stars, know everything about the bowels of the earth, extract minerals and process them. Mankind received information about medicine and cooking, learned how to cultivate the land and grow bread. Even Prometheus explained to people the essence of lightning as a carrier of a spark, thus providing mankind with fire forever. After all, Zeus is nowhere without lightning, and, therefore, there is where to get fire from.

True background

The sage taught people even to build ships - this is how the myth of Prometheus testifies. It's hard to talk about everything briefly. The process of the transformation of mankind turned out to be so fascinating that some gods, tired of the constant consumption of nectar, began to willingly help Prometheus. The patience of the supreme deity snapped, or he just waited for the right moment. The fact is that only Prometheus knew the future, including what awaits Zeus himself, who was dying of fear - which of the hundreds of sons would overthrow him, as he once did the father of Kron. It should be mentioned that the main Olympian god also had names - Kronid or Kronion, in honor of his father, and Diy. So, Kronid needed to know which of the women should not be approached, because the case was put on stream, and death was inevitable - a hero capable of overthrowing him had to be born. And only the Seer knew the cherished name and did not divulge the secret, despite all the tricks. Under the pretext of stealing fire, the hero was chained to a rock - he did not say peacefully, he would say under torture.

Hero for all time

The most common myth of Ancient Greece about Prometheus indicates that the titan was chained to the rocks of the Caucasus Range. Zeus was often angry, and in anger he was insane, this was expressed in the fact that he threw lightning every minute and wherever he got. One of them landed in forming a cornice. A titan was chained to him, and sophisticatedly - his chest was pierced with a metal point, forged by a friend Hephaestus. He, sighing and lamenting, plunged the wedge. Then, with groans, he retired in the company of soulless Force and Power, carrying out the action. From whatever side you look, Prometheus is the only hero from all the "Myths and Legends" who corresponds to this concept in the universal human sense of the word. He has one truth, and he follows it without hesitation to the end. Moreover, he does not have “that” truth, which “everyone has his own”. This is the highest understanding of good and evil. And it is very good that the true cause of the atrocities of Zeus fades into the background, and the myth of Prometheus remains, which briefly looks like this - the hero gave people fire, literally and figuratively, and went to death for it.

Torture spanning millennia

No one, ever, in any country in the world can compare with the sacrificial and great image of Prometheus. Therefore, he lives in our days, and everyone knows him, and songs about him win at modern competitions (“... give fire like Prometheus ...”). Although Zeus, threatening him with punishment, promised complete oblivion of his name by ungrateful humanity. And it is simply strange why this god, with such a one-sided glory, who made extremely contradictory decisions in matters of peace and war, was worshiped by the Greeks for so long as the highest deity. Prometheus, chained to a rock, languished for centuries. Periodically, Zeus sent to him either his son Hermes, or the titan of the Ocean or other envoys who submitted to the despot, with the only requirement, as in that film - "Name, brother." But the great martyr did not give up.

Prophets are always doomed

Each time the punishment increased - either Kronion would cast him into the gloomy Tartarus along with the rock, or he would extract and set the eagle. So says the myth of Prometheus, the content of which for the most part is devoted precisely to the moment Prometheus carries out his punishment. Even just by hearsay, everyone knows that an eagle regularly flew to the chained hero to peck at the liver growing during his absence. For centuries, Prometheus was crucified on a rock without the arrival of a bird. And then the eagle appeared for a very long time, according to some sources - unthinkable torture continued for 30 millennia. And Zeus, shocked by the steadfastness of the hero, allegedly surrendered. From this moment, Prometheus is also read.

He knew everything beforehand

The Seer predicted his liberation millennia before the birth of the beloved son of the Great Power. Poor cow Io, tormented by a gadfly, in a fit of madness rushed past the crucified titan, who predicted to her that it would not be very soon, but the curse of jealous Hera would lose its power, and that one of her husband's former girlfriends would become the founder of a family in which a mighty hero would eventually appear, invincible Hercules. It all happened. Hercules killed the bloodthirsty eagle and cut the fetters of the martyr. In gratitude, Prometheus warned Zeus that he should not approach Thetis, and in general it would be better to marry her to a mortal, because an invincible hero would be born from God. So they did, Peleus was appointed husband, in marriage with whom Achilles was born. In order to remain at the height of the situation anyway, Zeus forced the blacksmith Hephaestus to forge a ring from a link in the chain of Prometheus and insert into it in the form of a stone part of the rock on which the hero hung. And Prometheus was supposed to wear the ring forever, without taking it off.