Myth & Literature, Supplement to Classes, Jan. 8, 10

Besides the material listed on the syllabus, you should also be familiar with Aeschylus, Agamemnon, lines 75-81 (H & P, p. 620 "Long since ... be yours"), where the sequence of divine rulers, Ouranos, Kronos, Zeus, is clearly alluded to - even though only Zeus is mentioned by name.

Note Hesiod's description (Theogony, 677-691, H & P, p. 94) of Zeus' relationship with Metis and the subsequent birth of Athena - but not of a son who would potentially overthrow Zeus.

Besides the various passages from Xenophanes which H & P (p. 35) quote as poetic passages, you should also be familiar with a Xenophanes passage which they merely paraphrase (near top of p. 35). This additional poetical material can be found as fr. 11 in John Burnet, Early Greek Philosophy:

"Homer and Hesiod have ascribed to the gods all things that are a shame and a disgrace among mortals, stealings and adulteries and deceivings of one another."

or as fr. 7 in Arthur Fairbanks, The First Philosophers of Greece.:

"Homer and Hesiod attributed to the gods all things which are disreputable and worthy of blame when done by men; and they told of them many lawless deeds, stealing, adultery, and deception of each other."