1. Zeus Sentenced Prometheus to an Eternity of Dreadful Torment
Zeus was livid when he looked down from the heavens and saw the dark of night dispelled by the flicker of fires. To vent his anger at mankind, the chief god sent Pandora down to earth with a box full of calamities. When the lid of Pandora’s box was eventually removed, all the evils that plague humanity were unleashed upon the world. From then on, mankind was afflicted with diseases, plagues, war, death, and the constant need for backbreaking labor to eke sustenance out of the earth. Only hope was left inside the box, to keep life bearable despite all its miseries.
As to Prometheus, Zeus devised a horrific punishment for him. He had the Titan taken to the Caucasus Mountains, where he was chained to a rock. There, Zeus’ vengeance took the form of a giant eagle that flew in every day to rip open Prometheus’ guts and feast upon his liver. The liver re-grew each night, and the eagle returned each day to repeat the process. That way, Prometheus was subjected to an eternity of torment by day, and nights full of dread of what the morrow would bring.
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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading
History Collection – Bizarre and Horrific Punishments of the Ancient Greek Gods
Ancient History Encyclopedia – Prometheus
Bulfinch, Thomas – Bulfinch’s Mythology (2010)
Dalby, Andrew – The Story of Bacchus (2005)
Encyclopedia Britannica – Cronus
Encyclopedia Britannica – Tantalus
Fry, Stephen – Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined (2018)
Fry, Stephen – Mythos: A Retelling of the Myths of Ancient Greece (2017)
Gantz, Timothy – Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources (1996)
Genealogical Guide to Greek Mythology – Actaeon
History Collection – Pythagoras Cup and Other Weird Ancient History Facts
Keefer, Professor Julia, New York University – The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus
Nilsson, Martin P. – Greek Folk Religion (1972)
Peabody, Josephine Preston, Tales Beyond Belief – The Myth of Niobe
Ranker – The Most Satisfying Revenge Stories in Greek Mythology
