Hesiod · Around 700 BC
How the world and the gods came to be, from Chaos to the rule of Zeus, and a farmer’s guide to honest work and the ages of mankind.
Classic public-domain translations: H. G. Evelyn-White (1914). Read a full translation
Read it part by part
- Part 1: The Muses on Helicon. Hesiod tells how the Muses made him a poet.
- Part 2: The first gods. Chaos, Earth and Sky, and how Cronus overthrew his father.
- Part 3: Children of Night and the Sea. The great family trees of monsters, nymphs and powers.
- Part 4: The birth of Zeus, and Prometheus. Rhea saves Zeus, and Prometheus steals fire.
- Part 5: The war of the Titans and Typhon. Zeus defeats the Titans and the monster Typhon.
- Part 6: The wives and children of Zeus. Zeus's marriages, the birth of Athena, and gods who loved mortals.
- Part 7: Two kinds of Strife, Pandora and the Ages of Man. Hesiod warns his brother and tells how life became hard.
- Part 8: Justice and work. Justice brings good fortune, and honest work brings wealth.
- Part 9: The farmer's year and sailing. When to plough, harvest and go to sea.
- Part 10: Marriage, good manners and lucky days. Advice for life, and which days of the month are lucky.