Golden, Silver and Copper Ages. Having first created the world, then the immortal gods of people created and inhabited it. Happy was the human race; it lived in a golden age. Everything on earth grew in abundance, and there was no need to cultivate fields and gardens. People spent their lives carefree, not knowing illness or sorrow. During that golden time, the gods themselves often came to visit people: either to consult, or to have fun at a friendly feast. But the golden age ended, people died; The gods turned them into good spirits who give good luck and protect justice.

The second kind of people were no longer so happy - the Silver Age came. People have less strength and less wisdom; They lived to be a hundred years old, but saw a lot of grief and misfortune. They earned food by the sweat of their brow. They did not bring gifts to the immortal gods and did not obey their will. Zeus was angry and sent everyone to the dark kingdom of Hades. There they live, knowing neither joy nor sorrow.

They were replaced by people of the Copper Age. Above all else in life they loved war, did not know agriculture, did not eat fruits or bread, only meat. Zeus gave them enormous height and indestructible strength: their hearts were indomitable and their hands invincible. Their weapons were of brass, and their houses were of brass. In continuous wars they destroyed each other.

Zeus and King Lycaon. Zeus was also angry with the people of the Copper Age, and King Lycaon made him especially angry. One day Zeus appeared in his country in the guise of a mere mortal. True, he showed signs of divinity to the inhabitants; they fell prostrate before him. Lycaon not only did not give honor to Zeus, but also laughed at everyone who did. Lycaon decided to feed the traveler human meat: if he is Zeus, then, of course, he will guess what he will be treated to. The father of gods and men was angry at the behavior of the wicked king, incinerated his palace with lightning, and turned him into a bloodthirsty wolf.

Flood. Deucalion and Pyrrha. The people of the Copper Age infuriated Zeus so much that he decided to destroy every single one of them. “Let a terrible rain fall on the earth and drown them,” he decided. And the human race would have perished forever, but a titan named Prometheus found out about the plans of Zeus; it was not for nothing that his name meant “Prudent.” He realized that it would be bad in a world without people, and decided to stop Zeus. Prometheus told his son Deucalion, who was a man, about the intentions of God. On the advice of his father, Deucalion put together a huge box, carried supplies into it, and then climbed into it himself along with his wife Pyrrha.

And then a downpour poured onto the earth: streams of rain fell day and night, the cities with all the houses and temples disappeared under the water, the high mountains and dense forests disappeared. Where fields used to be green, now schools of fish swam, where forests grew, dolphins frolicked. For nine days and nights the box with Deucalion and Pyrrha floated across the waves, and when the rain stopped, it washed up on the top of Mount Parnassus, which rose above the water.

The emergence of a generation of heroes. When the water subsided, Deucalion and Pyrrha climbed out of the box. The land was empty and silent after the flood. Suddenly the messenger of the gods, Hermes, appeared to Deucalion and said: “The great Zeus knows your piety and therefore grants you and your wife the happiness of starting a new human race. To do this, you must throw the bones of your foremother over your head.” Deucalion was saddened: where to find the bones now, how to fulfill the will of the gods? But he guessed: the common ancestor of all living things is the earth, and its bones are stones! He and Pyrrha picked up stones and began throwing them over their heads; From the stones thrown by Deucalion, men emerged, and by Pyrrha, women. This is how new people appeared - a generation of heroes. They were courageous, like the people of the Copper Age, but more pious, noble and fair. Soon the land was inhabited again.

Prometheus and people. At first, people did not know how to resist the formidable forces of nature, did not know how to protect themselves from predators, and were afraid to sail on a stormy sea. Prometheus decided to come to their aid: he introduced people to metals and revealed the secret of their extraction and processing, subdued a wild bull and put a yoke on him so that he would pull a plow and carry loads, built the first ship that carried man into the vast expanses of the sea, taught him to recognize herbs and prepare medicines. Prometheus gave many gifts to people.

But Zeus did not want people to be powerful and independent, he was afraid that they would stop bringing gifts to the Olympian gods. And then Prometheus led him through. One day a dispute arose about which parts of a bull's carcass people should sacrifice to the gods. Prometheus was asked to judge. He cut up the bull carcass and put it in two bags: in one - all the pulp, covering it with tripe on top, in the other - the bones, hiding them under a thick layer of fat. Zeus was tempted by fat and chose the second bag. And when he realized that Prometheus had deceived him, he became furious. “So let people eat meat raw!” - he exclaimed and deprived them of the fire. This punishment was terrible; many began to die from the cold.

Prometheus steals fire

Prometheus brings fire to people. Prometheus could not calmly watch people suffer, and decided to give them fire against the will of Zeus. He once appeared on Olympus, leaning on a traveling staff. No one paid attention to this staff, and in vain: it was empty from the inside. Prometheus quietly placed coals from the divine hearth into it and carried it to the ground. People had fire again! They ceased to be afraid of darkness and cold, firewood crackled cheerfully in the hearths of their houses, and shepherd's fires were lit in the mountains. Zeus realized that Prometheus had outwitted him again.

Pandora. But Zeus was not the type to admit defeat. He conceived a new disaster for people. Zeus called the artist Hephaestus, ordered him to mix earth and water and make a girl from this mixture, and one so that she would not be inferior to the goddesses in beauty and charm. The clothes for the girl were woven by Pallas Athena herself; Aphrodite gave her irresistible charm, and Hermes gave her a cunning mind, resourcefulness and deceitful speech. They named her Pandora, that is, “Endowed with all gifts”: after all, she received something as a gift from each of the gods and goddesses.

Pandora's Vessel. They brought the beautiful Pandora to the house of Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus. He was simple-minded and trusting. The wise Prometheus told him more than once: “Do not take gifts from Zeus, he does not love us, his gifts are destructive!” Epimetheus promised his brother that he would flatly refuse any gift from Zeus. But when he saw Pandora, he forgot his vows and thought: “What danger can a woman conceal within herself, even if Zeus gives her? My brother is too careful! I will take the beautiful Pandora as my wife.” And he made her the mistress of his house. In the house of Epimetheus there was a small room in which there was a sealed vessel. Prometheus brought it and strictly forbade his brother to open it. Pandora also knew about the ban, and her curiosity tormented her. “Prometheus must be hiding his treasures in our house. How can I look at them?” - thought Pandora. One day, when Epimetheus was not at home, she sneaked into a mysterious room, went up to the vessel, and opened the lid. And... Care, Adversity, Sorrow, Grief, Disease, Hunger, driven there by Prometheus, flew out of the vessel. They took off and scattered all over the earth. Prometheus wanted to save people from them, but it didn’t work out, Pandora’s curiosity got in the way.

Zeus punishes Prometheus. Epimetheus’s gullibility had a cruel effect on people. But Zeus could not forgive Prometheus for trying to protect people from harm. God decided to punish the obstinate titan in such a way that everyone would understand how dangerous it is to measure strength with the Thunderer, and would be careful not to contradict him. Zeus called his servants, Power and Strength, and ordered them to take Prometheus to wild places - to the ends of the earth, where no man had gone before.

The snowy peaks rose impregnably there, at their feet the sea foamed and rumbled. It was there that Zeus ordered Prometheus to be chained to the top of a rock with indestructible chains. Hephaestus, obeying the order of the Father of the gods, chained Prometheus in heavy chains. And he would like to ease the suffering of Prometheus, but he could not: Power and Strength were vigilantly watching everything. And now Prometheus’s arms and legs are pulled by chains to the stone, and a sharp steel wedge is driven into his chest; The rebellious titan is nailed to the rock forever!

Curses to Zeus and his dangers. Suffering did not break the greatness and pride of Prometheus. He did not repent of any of his actions and, although people could not alleviate his suffering, he believed that his good deeds would not be forgotten. From a high cliff, the chained Prometheus sent curses to Zeus, his cruelty and injustice: “Your kingdom will not last forever, arrogant thunderer! - he exclaimed one day. - I know the secret of the future, I know your fate, I know how you can avoid it - but I won’t tell you! No amount of torment will wrest the secret from me!”

Zeus was afraid; He sent Hermes to find out the secret from Prometheus. Not so! “I will not exchange my torment for slavish service to your Zeus! - Prometheus answered proudly. “There is no such execution, no such torment with which he could frighten me!” “Well, this is what awaits you, impudent one,” exclaimed Hermes. - With a lightning strike, Zeus will throw you and the rock into the dark abyss. You will spend many centuries without sunlight in a stone prison, and when Zeus raises you to the light again, you will not be happy about it either! Every day an eagle will peck out your liver, and every night it will grow back for new torment. And you will be tormented for many centuries!”

The suffering of Prometheus. Nothing could frighten the heart of the proud titan; he remained adamant. And then everything happened as Hermes promised: in the roar of the storm, the roar of the earthquake and the flash of lightning, the rock collapsed along with Prometheus into a terrible abyss, into terrible darkness. After many, many centuries, Zeus raised her to the ground, bringing new torment to the titan. The eagle that tormented his body every day was terrible! But suffering did not break Prometheus!

One day, Hercules found himself in the places where Prometheus was chained. He looked with horror at the torment of Prometheus, and compassion grew hour by hour in his soul. When the fat eagle flew in to prolong its bloody feast, Hercules did not let him get closer to the titan. He pulled his tight bow and shot a deadly arrow. She pierced the eagle, and it fell into the stormy sea at the very foot of the rocks.

The Mystery of Prometheus and His Liberation. And soon Hermes rushed from Olympus and said: “You see, Prometheus, I’m here again; Zeus is forgiving and ready to reconcile with you and put an end to all torment if you reveal the secret to him.” - "Fine! - Prometheus answered. “You speak to me kindly, and therefore I will reveal what no torment has wrested from me.” Let the Thunderer not marry Thetis, daughter of the gray Ocean. She will have a son who will surpass his father in strength, no matter who he is. We must give Thetis in marriage to a mortal man, and then a great hero will be born to her!”

Zeus was pleased. He finally learned a terrible secret; nothing else threatened his power. Hercules broke the shackles of Prometheus with his club and tore out the sharp wedge with which the titan was nailed to the rock. But Zeus commanded that Prometheus always wear a ring on his hand, into which was inserted a piece of the rock at which he suffered unspeakable torment for so many centuries.

There is something completely unimaginable in this divine hierarchy: there is no respect for the supreme deity! Secretly from the supreme god Zeus, the titan Prometheus creates something, and even illuminates!

Zeus prescribes a punishment: chain the disobedient person to the rocks and send an eagle to peck at his liver. And so that there is no end to the torture, this liver grows back every day.

Why was Zeus so angry?

Prometheus, mixing earth with water, sculpted people and gave them fire secretly from Zeus...
When Zeus found out about this, he ordered Hephaestus to nail Prometheus' body to the Caucasus ridge.
There, chained to a rock, Prometheus stood tied up for many years, and every day an eagle flew in and pecked out the lobes of his liver, which grew back overnight.
Prometheus suffered such a punishment for stealing fire... (Apollodorus, “Mythological Library.”)

And where is the justice after this? Prometheus was condemned to eternal torment without the right to defense! Was there really not a single argument, not a single piece of evidence that the theft of fire (although it was theft) was useful not only to people, but also to the gods?

Oh, if only Prometheus had been given the floor in his defense! The executors of the sentence were Hephaestus and Hermes. It was to them that Prometheus laid out his arguments. They, in turn, acted as witnesses for the prosecution.

It turns out that not everything is so simple! Prometheus offended Zeus very cruelly. On some occasion, a sacrificial animal was slaughtered. This is where the offense happened:

When you were entrusted with the division of meat between you and Zeus, you first of all acted completely unfairly and dishonestly, taking away the best pieces for yourself, and fraudulently giving Zeus only the bones, “covering them with white fat.” (Lucian, “Prometheus, or the Caucasus”)

That's where the dog is buried! It turns out that Zeus was not given enough meat! Everything else is secondary, secondary, insignificant! This was the first. And here is the second accusation:

Then you sculpted people, these most criminal creatures, and, worst of all, women.

And there was no need to create people, much less women!

...to the grief of men
Women were sent into the world, participants in bad deeds. (Hesiod, Theogony).

But the women also brought this:

But he also created another misfortune instead of good:
Someone avoids marriage and women's harmful affairs
And he doesn’t want to get married: sad old age comes -
And the old man remains without care! (Hesiod, Theogony)

In general, it’s still bad! But this seems to be far from the gods, this is already a showdown between people. The third charge read:

In addition to all this, you stole the most valuable asset of the gods - fire - and gave it to people.
(Lucian, “Prometheus, or the Caucasus”)

Prometheus defends himself by arguing that he wanted to please the gods:

...since I always think about the common good and strive to increase the importance of the gods and help everything else achieve order and beauty, it occurred to me that it would be good to take some clay and make some living creatures and give them a look similar to ourselves. (Lucian, “Prometheus, or the Caucasus”)

Prometheus molded people in the image and likeness of the gods (so there is something divine in each of us - or at least in the Greeks)!

It seemed to me that the divine principle lacks something if nothing is opposed to it. However, this beginning had to be mortal, but, however, highly inventive, intelligent and understanding of what is best for him. (Lucian, “Prometheus, or the Caucasus”)

Prometheus had an excellent idea: intelligent, inventive, understanding creatures: “I wanted the best, but it turned out - as always”! Next, Prometheus addresses the gods:

...in particular, I am saddened by the fact that, blaming people for the creation and, perhaps, mainly women, you nevertheless fall in love with them and do not stop going to them, sometimes in the form of bulls, sometimes becoming satyrs and swans, and consider mortal women worthy to give birth to gods. (Lucian, “Prometheus, or the Caucasus”)

Here, really, from a sore point to a sound one: women seem to be not needed, but without them it is impossible, they are so attractive! And hints, hints! It was Zeus who stole Europa, turning into a bull, and it was he who became friends with Leda, becoming a swan...

But perhaps you will say that it was necessary to create people in some other form and not like us? And what other example could I imagine better than this, what more beautiful in every respect? Was it necessary to create a creature that was unreasonable, beast-like and wild? (Lucian, “Prometheus, or the Caucasus”)

This cannot be refuted: what could be better than the image of God? Moreover, the transformation of man into an unreasonable, bestial and wild creature happened by itself.

And that my creation even turned out to be useful for the gods - you will be convinced of this if you look at the earth: it has changed its primitive and uncultivated state, and has been decorated with cities, fields and useful plants. The sea, if you look at it, has become accessible to ships, the islands have become inhabited, and altars and temples, sacrifices and national holidays are found everywhere:

All streets, all city squares
Filled with Zeus. (Lucian, “Prometheus, or the Caucasus”)

In short, all people praise the Thunderer, although he opposes them. And about the last “sin”:

Now, if you allow me, I will move on to the fire and its shameful abduction. But, for the sake of the gods, answer me, without being at all embarrassed, to the following: have we lost at least any fire since people have had it? Surely you couldn't say that?

It seems to me that the very nature of this object is such that it does not decrease if someone else uses it. After all, a fire does not go out because another one is lit from it.

Consequently, it is sheer greed to forbid the transfer of fire to those who need it, if this does not cause any harm to you. (Lucian, “Prometheus, or the Caucasus”)

The best defense is an attack: from the accused, Prometheus turns into an accuser. He loudly tells his tormentors that Zeus is a greedy man!

These are the justifications Prometheus would give. But no one wanted to listen or hear him. People honored their intercessor (apparently, Hephaestus and Hermes conveyed the words of Prometheus to the people):

At Panopeia, on the road itself, there is a small building of adobe, and in it a statue of Pentelicon marble, representing, as some say, Asclepius, and others, Prometheus; the latter provide the following evidence to support their words.

Here in the ravine there are two stones; each is of such size that it can serve as a sufficient load for one cart; the color of the clay that composes them is not earthy, but what happens in ravines or sandy mountain streams, they emit a smell very similar to the smell of human skin.

They say that these stones still remain from the clay from which Prometheus sculpted the entire human race. (Pausanias, Description of Hellas)

(The city of Panopeia, apparently, disappeared from the map of Greece. Perhaps today it is such a small village that it was not included in the encyclopedia - B.R.)

Rubens painted the painting "Prometheus". The eagle is pecking the liver of a stadal man shackled to the rocks, and his paw stands on the face of Prometheus (this placement of the paw saved the artist from the need to show the face of the titan, distorted by hellish torment). His body is tense from pain, Prometheus tries to wriggle out from under the eagle, but he does not have enough strength to get rid of the chains that bind his hands.

Prometheus was freed by Hercules, who was told by Prometheus how to penetrate the gardens of the Hesperides and take the golden apples there. What happened to Prometheus then? It looks like he is in the realm of the dead. He failed in his attempt to escape from there - he was unable to bribe Charon (the carrier on the dead river Styx in the dead kingdom).

Let all this be the invention of idle storytellers, but Prometheus is remembered as the deliverer of humanity from impenetrable darkness.

P.P. Rubens. "Prometheus"

Many works of poets, composers and artists are dedicated to this character from one of the ancient Greek myths. Some of the most famous poetic lines addressed to him come from the pen of George Byron:

For the human race!
You are a symbol of strength, demigod,
You have illuminated the path for mortals..."

Prometheus. Why was he punished?

Benefactor of humanity. Rebel martyr. The one who challenged the almighty gods. Prometheus. Titan is the protector of people from the tyranny of the gods. His name is translated as thinking before, foreseeing. He was the one who had a vision of the future.

It is Prometheus who can be considered the creator of people. He sculpted them, that is, us, from clay, mixing earth with water. The goddess Athena breathed the soul into people. And in the future, Prometheus patronized his favorite creatures - people - in every possible way. This attachment to the inhabitants of the earth, not entirely understandable for the inhabitants of Olympus, led to his personal tragedy, when he was punished by the almighty Zeus for giving people fire.

So what do we know about the story of fire, according to the classics?

Prometheus decided to once again help his beloved creatures and, according to one version, deceived Athena, and according to another, with her help, penetrated Olympus, where he stole a small spark from the divine hearth. Hidden in a reed stalk, the spark was secretly transported to the earth and given to people. Zeus, who learned about this, was simply furious. He ordered Hephaestus to grab Prometheus and chain him to one of the Caucasian rocks. Every day a giant eagle would fly to him and peck at his liver. This could go on indefinitely, since Prometheus was immortal, and his liver grew back overnight. These torments, according to various ancient sources, lasted from several centuries to 30 thousand years, until Hercules killed an eagle with an arrow and freed Prometheus.

Torment of Prometheus

This is the classic version. Is there anything in it that might confuse inquisitive researchers like you and me, dear readers? Of course have. Incommensurability of the severity of the offense and punishment. Think about it, was it really so important for the supreme god of Olympus that people had fire, that he subjected his nephew to terrible torture?

In fact, the cunning Zeus used the story of fire as a reason to “arrest” and torture Prometheus. The fact is that Zeus knew a prophecy that one of his sons would depose him from the throne. But only Prometheus, who had the gift of foresight, could tell him the name of his mother. It is well known that the loving Zeus had many sons from different goddesses and women. And he had no intention of stopping there. But there was a disturbing factor - the danger of the birth of a son who could overthrow him.

This is what caused the titan to be tortured. It all ended with Prometheus, succumbing to the persuasion of his mother, the goddess of justice Themis, revealed this secret to the Thunderer and told Zeus that the mother of his child, who was destined to surpass his father, would be the beautiful sea goddess Thetis. After this, Zeus organized the release of Prometheus through the hands of his favorite Hercules. The great hero killed the eagle with an arrow from a bow, thereby completing his next feat. As for Thetis, she was wooed to the Thessalian king Peleus. By the way, the result of this marriage was the birth of Achilles, one of the greatest heroes among people.

It is interesting that Socrates called Prometheus the most unfortunate god. He explained that the titan was such not because he suffered an unfair and incredibly cruel punishment, but because he had the gift of foresight and knew the future. Indeed, in a lot of knowledge, there is a lot of sadness...

In the picture, for some reason, the eagle is trying not to the liver, but to the heart.

It is worth mentioning a couple more versions that explain the reason for Prometheus’ punishment and are found in very early ancient Greek sources. So, according to one of them, Prometheus was punished not for stealing fire, but for falling in love with the goddess Athena. According to the second, the reason for the punishment was that he was the illegitimate son of the Titan Eurymedon and Hera, the wife of the Thunderer. Naturally, the supreme Olympian god simply could not tolerate either one.

Personally, one thing confuses me about all this. If Prometheus was truly prescient, then he should have foreseen the torture to which he would be subjected and the fact that he would sooner or later split. If there had to be one finale, why did he endure all this? He could have confessed right away and saved himself the pain. Strange…

This article is a fragment of the book “100 Great Misconceptions of Humanity.” You can buy it.

The Greeks have a myth about Prometheus.

His name means "Seer".Prometheus was the son of the Titan Iapetus and the goddess of justice Themis. When the war between the gods and the Titans began, Prometheus, on the advice of his grandmother, Gaia, the goddess of the earth, took the side of the gods, and the gods won victory largely thanks to wisdom of Prometheus.

On Olympus Zeus the Thunderer reigned.In the first years of his reign, Zeus was a very cruel god; he built his power on unquestioning submission. Everyone was afraid of the thunder god Zeus.Prometheus became his advisor.Zeus instructed Prometheus to create people.

Prometheus kneaded the clay and got to work. He took his brother Epimetheus as his assistant. According to Prometheus, people should have turned out to be perfect creatures, but the stupid Epimetheus (his name means “thinking after”) ruined everything.According to one version, Epimetheus first of all sculpted animals from clay, endowing them with various means of protection from enemies: some with sharp teeth and claws, others with fast legs, others with a subtle sense, but forgot to leave anything to the lot of man. Therefore, people are naturally weak and poorly adapted to life.In another version of the myth, Epimetheus completely exhausted all the clay on animals, and Prometheus had to create humanity by pinching off pieces from different animals. Therefore, people have donkey stubbornness, fox cunning, hare cowardice and similar qualities in the most unexpected combinations.

Prometheus fell in love with people, he began to try to make their lives easier.The Titan took away the gift of foresight from people, leaving it only to a select few; he began to teach people everything that he knew himself.Prometheus taught people to cultivate the land and grow bread, build houses and make useful things for the household, read and write, distinguish the seasons and treat diseases.Having taught people how to build ships, Prometheus showed them how wide the world is. Zeus did not know the secret of Prometheus.

The people created by Prometheus did not worship the Olympian gods, and Zeus, dissatisfied with this, decided to destroy them. Prometheus promised Zeus to teach people to worship the gods and make sacrifices to them.

Prometheus slaughtered the sacrificial bull in advance and divided it into two parts: he covered the meat with skin, and hid the bare bones under a layer of fat.

On the appointed day, the gods descended to earth and met with people in a large clearing. Prometheus invited Zeus to choose any part of the bull to sacrifice to the gods. Zeus chose the one that seemed fatter to him, and from then on people began to sacrifice fat and bones to the gods, and ate the meat themselves.

Zeus, seeing that he had been tricked, became angry and, in revenge, took away the fire from the people. Cold and hunger reigned on the earth.

Prometheus felt himself an involuntary culprit of the disaster that befell the humanity he created, and swore by the waters of the Styx, a river in the underground kingdom of the dead, that he would bring for people the unquenchable heavenly fire burning in the hearth of Zeus himself.

He turned to Athena, asking permission to visit the home of Zeus, supposedly in order to admire the amazing servants that the blacksmith god Hephaestus forged from gold for the Thunderer. Athena secretly led Prometheus to her father's house. Passing by the hearth, Prometheus thrust a stalk of reed (narfex) into the fire. . Its core caught fire, and Prometheus in a hollow stem brought divine fire to earth,showed people how to preserve it by sprinkling it with ash. This reed has an interior filled with white pulp that can burn like a wick.

Having learned about this, Zeus became more angry than before and came up with a new punishment for people. Zeus sent to earth a girl named Pandora (“gifted by all the gods”). Prometheus' brother Epimetheus fell in love with Pandora at first sight and married her.

Zeus gave Pandora a tightly closed box as her dowry, without telling her what was in it. The curious Pandora, as soon as she entered her husband's house, opened the lid, and human vices, illnesses and misfortunes scattered from the box all over the world. Epimetheus and Pandora had a daughter, Pyrrha, who eventually married Prometheus' son Deucalion.

Zeus again began to think about how to destroy humanity - and sent a flood to the earth. But the seer Prometheus warned his son about this, Deucalion built a ship and escaped with his wife. When the flood waters subsided, Deucalion and Pyrrha found themselves alone on deserted land. The ship took them to the temple of Themis, the mother of Prometheus. Themis appeared to Deucalion and Pyrrha and ordered them to pick up stones and throw them behind their backs. These stones turned into people: thrown by Deucalion into men, thrown by Pyrrha into women. Thus the human race was reborn.

Later, Deucalion and Pyrrha had a son, Hellenes, the ancestor of the Hellenic tribe, who founded Hellas, that is, Greece.

Zeus, seeing that he could not destroy the human race, brought down his anger on Prometheus. He called his faithful servants Kratos and Biya - Power and Strength, ordered them to take Prometheus to the very edge of the world, to wild Scythia, and there the blacksmith god Hephaestus chained him to a rock. Hephaestus was a friend of Prometheus, but did not dare to disobey Zeus.

Zeus condemned Prometheus to eternal chains, but Prometheus knew that the power of Zeus himself was not eternal. The Moirai, goddesses of fate, revealed to Prometheus that from his marriage with the nymph Thetis, Zeus would have a son who would be stronger than his father and would overthrow him from the throne. The Moirai also said that Zeus could avoid such a fate if Thetis married a mortal man. Then the son born by her will become the greatest hero, but will not compete with Zeus.

Years and centuries passed. The immortal titan Prometheus languished, chained to a rock. He was tormented by heat and cold, tormented by hunger and thirst.

Wanting to break Prometheus, Zeus subjected him to new torments: he plunged the immortal titan into Tartras, into impenetrable darkness, where the souls of the dead wander, and then raised him again to the surface of the earth, chained him to a rock in the Caucasus mountains and sent his sacred eagle bird to torment Prometheus. With its claws and beak, the terrible bird tore apart the titan's belly and pecked at his liver. The next day the wound healed, and the eagle flew again.

The echo carried the groans of Prometheus far away; they were echoed by mountains and seas, rivers and valleys.The oceanid nymphs cried out of pity for Prometheus, begging him to reconcile himself, reveal the secret to Zeus and thereby ease his torment. His brothers the Titans and his mother, the goddess Themis, asked Prometheus for the same thing. But he answered them all that he would reveal the secret only if Zeus admitted that he punished him innocently and restored justice.

These torments, according to various ancient sources, lasted from several centuries to 30 thousand years (according to Aeschylus).

And Zeus gave up. He sent his son Hercules to the Caucasus mountains. Hercules killed the eagle and broke the chains of Prometheus with his club. Prometheus kept one link of the chain with a fragment of a stone as a souvenir, and since then people, in order not to forget about the suffering that Prometheus endured for the human race, began to wear rings with stones.

The freed Prometheus revealed the secret to Zeus, and he, heeding the warning of the moiras, gave the nymph Thetis in marriage to King Peleus. From this marriage Achilles was born - the hero of the Trojan War.

Karel Capek

Punishment of Prometheus

Coughing and groaning after a long, boring trial, the senators gathered for an emergency meeting, which took place in the shade of the sacred olive trees.

So, gentlemen,” yawned the chairman of the Senate, Hypometheus (1), “how long has this damned trial dragged on! I think that I shouldn’t even make a summary, but so that there are no formal quibbles... So, the accused Prometheus, a local resident, was brought to justice for finding a fire and thereby, as it were,... um, um, violated existing order, admitted that, firstly, he had actually found fire, then that he could, as soon as he pleased, with the help of so-called carving, cause this fire, thirdly, that he did not appropriately hid the secret of this reprehensible discovery and did not even notify the proper authorities about it, but issued it without permission, or, in other words, handed it over to ordinary people for use, as is clear from the testimony of the witnesses we interrogated... I believe that this is quite enough and we can immediately vote and decide on the guilt and punishment of Prometheus.

Excuse me, Mr. Chairman,” objected assessor Apometheus, “I believe that, taking into account the seriousness of this extraordinary meeting, it would perhaps be more convenient to pronounce a verdict only after a thorough and, so to speak, comprehensive discussion.

“As you wish, gentlemen,” said Hypometheus solemnly. - Although the point is clear, if any of you wants to add anything else, please.

“I would like to remind myself,” Juror Ametheus responded and cleared his throat thoroughly, “that, in my opinion, one aspect of this whole matter should be especially emphasized. I mean the religious side of the issue, gentlemen. Kindly define what this fire is? What is this struck spark? According to Prometheus himself, this is nothing more than lightning, and lightning, as everyone knows, is a manifestation of the power of the thunder god. Please explain to me, gentlemen, how some Prometheus got to the divine fire? By what right did he take possession of it? Where did he even get it? Prometheus wants to assure us that he simply invented it, but this is nonsense: if it were so easy, then why didn’t any of us, for example, invent fire? I am convinced, gentlemen, that Prometheus simply stole this fire from our gods. We will not be confused by his denials and subterfuges. I would classify this crime as the most ordinary theft, on the one hand, and as malicious outrage and sacrilege, on the other. Therefore, I am in favor of punishing him in the most severe manner for his godless insolence and thereby protecting the sacred property of our national gods. That’s all I wanted to say,” Ametey finished and blew his nose loudly into the hem of his robe.

Well said, agreed Hypometheus. -Who else wants to perform?

I apologize,” said Apometheus, “but I cannot agree with the conclusions of my respected colleague. I saw how the aforementioned Prometheus kindled the fire, and I will tell you frankly, gentlemen, between us, of course, there is nothing difficult in this. Every lazy person, slacker and goat herder could open fire; We didn’t do this only because serious people like us, of course, have neither the time nor the desire to amuse themselves with some kind of stones striking a fire. I assure my colleague Ameteus that these are the most ordinary natural forces, tinkering with which is unworthy of a thinking person, much less a god. In my opinion, fire is too insignificant a phenomenon to somehow affect our shrines. However, I must draw the attention of my colleagues to the other side of the issue. Namely, fire is apparently a very dangerous and even harmful element. You have heard testimonies from witnesses who said that while experiencing Prometheus's boyish discovery, they received severe burns, and in some cases even property was damaged. Gentlemen, if, through the fault of Prometheus, the use of fire becomes widespread, and this, unfortunately, cannot be prevented, none of us can be confident in our lives or even in the integrity of our property, and this, gentlemen, could mean the end of all civilization. The slightest carelessness is enough - and what will stop this rebellious element? Prometheans, gentlemen, with a frivolity worthy of punishment, brought this dangerous phenomenon to life. I would charge him with a crime that entails a number of serious injuries and threatens public safety. In view of this, I propose to deprive Prometheus of his freedom for life, adding to this a strict regime and shackles. I'm done, Mr. Chairman.

“You’re absolutely right, colleague,” Hypometheus sniffled. The question arises, gentlemen, why do we need any kind of fire? Did our ancestors use fire? To suggest something like that means to show disrespect for the order established over centuries, it... um... means to engage in subversive activities. We still couldn't get enough of playing with fire! Please also take into account, gentlemen, what this will lead to: people around the fire will become too pampered, they will prefer to lie on their sides instead of... well, instead of fighting and the like. This will result in softening, a decline in morals and - um... general disorder and the like. In short, something must be done against such unhealthy phenomena, gentlemen.

It's a serious time in general. This is what I wanted to remind you of.

“Exactly right,” exclaimed Antimetheus. “We all, of course, agree with our Mr. Chairman that the Promethen fire can cause consequences that were not foreseen by anyone. Gentlemen, let us not hide it from ourselves - fire is a matter of enormous importance. What new opportunities open up for those who wield fire! Just one example: he can burn the enemy's crops, burn down his olive groves, and so on. Fire, gentlemen, gives us people new strength and new weapons: with the help of fire we will be almost equal to the gods, Antnmetey whispered and suddenly shouted loudly: “I accuse Prometheus of entrusting this divine and irresistible element to shepherds, slaves and everyone.” who came to him; that he did not give it into the hands of the chosen ones, who would have guarded it as a state treasure and owned it! I accuse Prometheus of divulging the secret of the discovery of fire, which should have belonged to the rulers of the country! I accuse Prometheus, Antimetheus shouted indignantly, of teaching strangers to use fire; that he did not hide it from our enemies! Prometheus stole fire from us because he gave it to everyone! I accuse Prometheus of treason! I accuse him of a crime against public order! Antimetheus screamed so hard that he started coughing. “I propose to punish him with death,” he finally said.