Before Zeus and the Olympians the Titans ruled the heavens. Prometheus was one of the few Titans who sided with Zeus and the younger generation as they overthrew Cronus and the old gods. His allegiance to Zeus counted for little, though, as his found himself condemned to an eternity of suffering by the ‘Father of Gods and men’ for stealing fire and giving it to man. Fire gave man enlightenment and civilisation and for this crime Prometheus was to be perpetually chained to a rock and, each day, have his newly regrown liver torn out by eagles.
Yet Prometheus, like all great characters, isn't a simple hero and doesn't have a simple story. In the earliest accounts by Hesiod Zeus takes fire from man only after Prometheus tricks him so that man need only sacrifice bones and fat to the gods. For receiving the stolen fire from Prometheus Zeus sends Pandora, the first woman, to live with mankind; with Pandora comes her infamous box which brings ‘evils, harsh pain and troublesome diseases which give men death’. In this way Prometheus’ gift of enlightenment and knowledge results in man being doomed to eternally suffer, much like another light bringer.
Unlike the biblical Lucifer, however, Prometheus was celebrated for his double-edged gift to man. As time progressed he moved from the trickster thief to the beneficent martyr and eventually to the creator and champion of mankind. With the evolution of this tale we can see a change in the concept of resistance and disobedience as Prometheus is celebrated more and more.
As a trouble causing upstart Prometheus’ actions brings down the wrath of the powers that be. Without his actions man would not know suffering and we now perpetually pay the price of opposition to the establishment. The parallels with the biblical fall from grace are clear—though Prometheus is not cast as the devil for condemning man to evil, pain, and disease—and a similar message can be heard if we listen right; ignorance is bliss and you shouldn’t oppose the will of the establishment.
Yet if we cock our head to a different angle the myth of Prometheus becomes a celebration of rebellion; and this is the path the Greek myth followed in its evolution. While the Abrahamic tradition asserted the folly of enlightenment and condemned opposing the powers that be, the ancient Greeks celebrated the gift of fire and chose to turn Prometheus into a self-sacrificing humanitarian. This raised learning above obedience and celebrated political dissent. It is no surprise then that as Europe progressed in learning and expression the figure of Prometheus was again raised up.
But Christian Europe posed a threat to the celebration of the light bringer, and there are tales of heretics being persecuted in the 13th century for their veneration of Lucifer and his rebellion against heaven. With a similar narrative Prometheus was cast out with the satanic bathwater. During the Renaissance, however, the tide seems to have changed and toward the end of the 17th century the most famous treatment of Lucifer was published, changing everything.
John Milton’s Paradise Lost cast Satan not as the traditional demonic beast but as a charismatic and intelligent character, sometimes bordering on being an anti-hero. For leading a rebellion of his fellows against what he saw was a tyrannical god he was cast into hell to suffer eternally. Though debate still abounds around the aim of Milton’s work and his depiction of Satan, Paradise Lost set a precedent by depicting Satan not as a horrible beast but as a rebel bucking against perceived tyranny who could be sympathised with.
Though it was as a fallen angel with the aim of disrupting and corrupting god’s plans that Satan tempted Adam and Eve with knowledge, the parallel between the Milton’s Satan and the myth of Prometheus is undeniable. Both openly rebelled against the tyranny of the gods they served and both brought enlightenment—and with it suffering—to mankind. In these two figures the rebellious and revolutionary Romantics found champions for their cause to further scientific understanding and cast of the shackles imposed by church, monarch, and patriarchal tradition.
The later half of the 18th century saw the world change drastically. Around the world people began to rise up against their masters and strive for freedom and independence. The industrial revolution was changing the nature of labour and society and theorists and philosophers were challenging the established doctrines of morality and law. Everywhere the torch of change could be seen putting asunder the established order as the head of the divinely anointed King Louis XVI rolled and Haitian independence and the rise of the abolitionist movement broke the chains of slavery.
The story of Prometheus has always been a divisive one, with a clear demarcation between those who support the Titan’s rebellion and those who oppose his defiance of authority. Even today the world struggles with reconciling freedom and enlightenment with authority and security. The struggle between the light bringers and retributive authority is current and perpetual.
Who do you think we should support? Should we defy authority to bring knowledge to the people or should their warnings and threats stop us from reaching for the fire or fruit? Is knowledge worth the suffering it brings or should we trust authority and live in ignorant bliss?
Listen back as Patrick talks with a panel of historians and classicists about the myth of Prometheus, its impact on society, and how it has changed through history.
