theogony

Theogony is an ancient Greek epic poem by Hesiod, probably written in the early 7th to 8th century BCE. It is a primary source for Greek mythology, recounting the origins of the gods and the structure of the cosmos, and establishing the hierarchy of the Olympian gods with Zeus as king.

The poem opens with an invocation to the Muses and proceeds through a cosmogony in which primordial beings such as Chaos, Gaia, Tartarus, Eros, Nyx, and others generate successive generations. Gaia and Uranus produce the Titans, including Cronus and Rhea; Cronus defeats Uranus, and later Zeus defeats Cronus and the Titans in the Titanomachy, establishing Zeus as ruler of the gods. The work also provides etiologies, including the creation of Pandora, the first woman, and the distribution of divine powers among the gods.

The Theogony presents a systematic account of divine genealogy and cosmic order, exploring the relations between gods and mortals and stressing piety toward the divine. It supplied a framework for later Greek myth and religious practice, influencing poetry, philosophy, and art.

The text survives in ancient manuscripts and is typically read together with Hesiod's Works and Days as part of the Hesiodic corpus. It remains a central source for understanding Greek religion and myth.