The Myth of Prometheus || Greek Mythology || Grade 11 || Optional English || Summary and Exercise

 

Summary:
Prometheus stood against his father Iapetus who headed the revolt against the Gods. He helped Zeus to relieve from his headache by hitting him in the head with a stone. The Goddess Athena emerged from Zeus' head soon after the stone hit Zeus's head. Athena
breathed life into the clay figures made by Prometheus and his brother, Epimetheus.
The figures that Prometheus had created became Man, and the ones created by
Epimetheus became the beasts.

Zeus was angered by the brothers' actions and demanded a sacrifice from Man to the Gods. Prometheus instructed Man to sacrifice an ox and made them place the sacrifice into two bags. In one bag, the bones and the fat to
cover them were kept, and in the other the meat and the intestines to conceal the meat
were kept. Prometheus called for Zeus and asked to choose the portion of the sacrifice.
Zeus chose the bag with the fat on top. Zeus became angry to find the bones of the ox as
the offering. So he asked the Gods not to give fire to Man. Prometheus was upset with Zeus' announcement and was determined to bring fire to Man. Athena told him where he could find the fire. He left for the place at once and brought fire. Zeus was filled with rage, so he made a trap for Prometheus. He created Pandora, the first woman, and her box and sent her to Prometheus as a gift. Prometheus refused the gift and gave it to Epimetheus who opened the box releasing all the horrors upon the world. Zeus ordered Prometheus to be chained to a rock in the Mountains where every day a great Bagle would come and eat his liver, but the liver grew back the next day. Zeus offered to free Prometheus if he would tell the secret of the prophecy that told of the dethroning of Zeus. Prometheus refused to do so, and bound to the rock for the rest of eternity.

Important Question-Answers
1. Who was Prometheus? What does his name mean?
2. Who helped Zeus overcome his headache? How?
3. Who is Athena? How did she come into being?
4. What did the clay figures created by Prometheus and Epimetheus become after being given life to them?
5. What made Zeus angry? What did he demand?
6. Why did the Zeus choose the bag with the fat on top?
7. How did Prometheus bring fire to Man?