Prometheus: The Giver of Fire (I worked very hard on this report, so I figured I would use it for one of my essays!)

“I’m on fire!” You hear someone yell. Have you ever thought about where that fire came from? It came from Prometheus. Prometheus did not like Zeus and his ways. Prometheus wanted man-kind to receive the gift of fire, but Zeus did not agree. He thought it was much too dangerous. Mortals experienced no pleasure, but also no sorrow. They experienced no happiness but also no pain or sadness. Prometheus still did not agree with Zeus. He took a spark in his hands from the sunset, and gave humans the gift of fire. When Zeus found out he was very mad, and took Prometheus to Caucasus and chained him to a rock. The chains were unbreakable even to Prometheus. An eagle was sent to torment him for the space of eternity, eating his stomach, and chewing at his liver. Because Prometheus was an immortal, he could not die. To his despair, his liver was renewed every day, only to have it torn by the eagle the next. It was a vicious cycle. Finally, one day a brave man got the courage to rescue Prometheus. His name was Haracles, who we now know as Hercules. After saving Prometheus from Caucasus and the killing the vicious eagle, he became a hero. First, many myths tell us that the reason we have the things we do, is because of the gods. Second, in many myths heroes and titans defy the gods, and go against the god’s wishes. Third, Gods punish or curse both mortals and immortals. The story of Prometheus is similar to many other myths.

First, many myths tell us that the reason we have the things we do, is because they came from the gods. The first example of this is the story of Pandora. Pandora was a beautiful young woman. She received many gifts, one from each god. One of the gifts, if a gift at all, was the gift of curiosity. The gods gave her a box and the lock to the box. They were harsh, and told her to not open it, even with her curiosity. She decided that the best and least tempting easy way to keep from opening the box, would be to burry it deep into the ground. With her curiosity, Pandora could bear it no longer. She dug up the box from the ground, took they key, and opened the box. Realizing what a terrible thing she had done, shut the box as quickly as she could, but it was too late. All the evil things escaped from the box, out into the world, but along with those came hope. That is the reason we have evil things on earth. The second example is Poseidon. From his we received dolphins and horses. The third example is the story of Narcissus and Hyacinth. Many young women were in love with him, but he rejected them all. One young woman, Echo, went to a lonely place and faded away until her sad cries were all that was left of her. The goddess Nemesis, in anger, made Narcissus fall in love with his own reflection in the pool. When he was staring at his reflection in the pond, he fell in and was replaced with Hyacinth flowers. Although gods gave humans many gifts, both mortals and immortals defy the gods.

Second, Titans and heroes defy the gods. When they thought they could go against the gods, compete with them, or disobey them, it often resulted in trouble. The story of Arachne is a good example of this. Arachne told Athena that she could spin better and faster than her. As you may have guessed, that was a big mistake. This mistake was not made just once, but again by Midas. Midas told Apollo that Pan could play the flute better than Apollo. Once again, this resulted in disaster. Defying gods almost always resulted in gods cursing or punishing people.

Third, gods curse and punish people in many myths. The punishments were not easy. They were often impossible (or supposed to be), and many times last forever. The eternal punishments are demonstrated in at least three different myths. First, is the story of Sisyphus. Sisyphus revealed a secret affair of Zeus, and as a punishment, had to roll a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back down again. This is an obvious eternal punishment. Second, is the story of Tantalos. Tantalos tried to steal immortality from the gods. He was chained to a lake, with fruit trees. Frustrated, he reached for the fruit, but they were always just out of reach. When he tried to drink the water from the lake, the water magically dried up and disappeared. Since he was immortal, this temptation lasted forever. Last is the story of Ixion. Ixion tried to seduce Zeus’s wife. As a punishment, he was chained to a rotating wheel, spinning around forever. The moral of these stories are to listen, obey, and not make the people over you or in a higher position than you angry.

In Conclusion, Prometheus is similar to other myths because we received gifts from gods, gods curse people, and people defy the gods in many myths. Not only can the moral of these stories be applied to other myths and fairytales, but also in modern times.