Why Greece Needed Mythology: Zeus, King of the Gods (Episode 1)

Part 2 of this series is available here: https://youtu.be/rGDvPsfhhho

The whole playlist on Greek mythology is available here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEbAHi3fZpuFYsrqigjTAAKA7Di3D6PNg

What are the mythic origins of Zeus, King of the Olympians, and the other Greek gods? From what period did the earliest of the Greek myths derive? Who was Hesiod - alongside Homer, the greatest of the Greek poets, and the father of European literature - who first recorded Zeus’ story? When was the golden age of Greek myth? Who were the Titans, and why were they consigned to the fiery pit of Tartarus? Did different regions of Greece have different interpretations of the gods, and do these myths express something particular about ancient Greek culture? And, did people really believe in these famous stories of terrible gods, daring heroes, and great wars?

Join Tom and Dominic as they plunge into the glorious, technicolour world of the Greek myths, starting with the tumultuous early life of Cronos, his son Zeus, the war between the gods and the Titans, and some of the most famous Greek heroes of all time - from Perseus to Hercules.

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00:00 Intro
00:22 Adobe
01:04 The Rest Is History Tour!
02:08 Birth of Zeus (Hesiod’s account)
06:03 Homer, Hesiod: twin sources
09:57 Theogony = origin story of the gods
11:03 Poets vs priests: myths as literature
14:26 Myth as story not scripture
16:01 Do Greeks “believe” the gods?
17:13 Gods ≈ markets (Greg Anderson analogy)
18:45 Do Greeks accept the literal details?
21:52 Kronos castrates Uranus
25:00 Zeus grows, returns, frees siblings
25:49 Titans vs Olympians (10-year war)
27:07 Division of the cosmos (Zeus/Poseidon/Hades)
28:25 Zeus + Hera = king & queen of Olympus
33:00 Zeus’s moral problem
35:00 LRB
36:36 Uber
37:15 The gods become hyper-human (Colasso)
39:03 Why Greek gods still fascinate
41:22 Indo-European roots of Zeus
47:23 Heroes as city-founders & monster-killers
49:45 Perseus: Medusa, Andromeda, winged sandals
52:47 Heracles: 12 labours & monster slayer
57:31 Can cruelty and justice in the gods be reconciled?

Twitter:
@TheRestHistory
@holland_tom
@dcsandbrook

Producer: Theo Young-Smith
Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude
Social Producer: Harry Balden
Head of Digital and Video: Sam Oakley
Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor