Source: http://harpy.uccs.edu/greek/arch/acropolis.jpg

In the beginning there was only Chaos,

a deep and endless void.

Then from Chaos sprang Nyx(night), Gaia(earth),

Erebus(darkness), and Tartarus(underworld).In this darkness

there was nothing, only Chaos and his children.

Gaia then produced Uranus(sky), who became her husband. From their union came the Titans, the

Cyclops’, and the Hundred Hands. Though she now had children, Gaia wept. Uranus was so fearful of his children that he burried them deep within the earth. Gaia then devised a cunning plan which

would be carried out by Cronus, the youngest of her children. She then armed Cronus with a sickle and hid him. When Uranus came to lay upon Gaia that

night, Cronus castrated his father.

Cronus then married his sister Rhea and they had 12 children. Cronus who also feared his children, swallowed

them when they were infants. Rhea grew angery and she hid their youngest child. When Cronus asked for the child, Rhea handed him a rock bundled in cloth. Cronus swallowed the

rock and their youngest child, Zeus, was spared. Once Zeus reached adulthood his mother devised a plan to trick his

father into givving up the other children. Zeus poisoned his father with an herb to enduce vomiting. Cronus vomitted up his fully grown children who then waged war on all but three of the titans. After 10 years of fighting the children won and

Zeus became king of the Gods.

Zeus then ordered Prometheus and Epimetheus to create man kind and animals. He told them to give

each a gift. Prometheus went to work creating man kind, while Epimetheus created the animals. When it came time to give each a gift, Epimetheus confessed that he had given all of the gifts to the

animals. With no gifts left, Prometheus decided to give man kind the gift of fire, which was meant

only for the gods. When Zeus found out about this he ordered Prometheus to be chained to a

mountain where a vulture would peck at his flesh for all eternity.

When he was done with Prometheus’ punishment he began to devise a punishment for man kind. Zeus had Epimetheus create a beautiful woman, Pandora. All of the gods gave her a gift. Zeus

gave her curiousity, and a box which he ordered her never to open. As time passed Pandora grew

more curious and one day she opened the box. Out of the box flew pain, sickness, envy, greed, and all

of the horrors which plague the world today. Pandora fastened the lid but it was too late, all of the evils had already escaped. Later that night, she heard a voice coming from within the box.

When she opened the box, out flew hope, the only good thing that had been put inside the box.

In the beginning there were only Tepeu and Gucumatz, the feathered

serpent. They sat together and whatever thought came into being.

They thought earth, mountains, trees, sky, animals, etc. and so it happened.

They thought the earth and there it was.

They thought the mountains,trees,sky,

…and they were so.

& animals,

Since none of these things could praise them they formed beings out of

clay.

Because they were made of clay these beings fell apart very easily.

Then they made beings out of wood. These beings did not fall apart but

they proved to be unsatisfactory and they caused trouble on earth.

The gods sent a great flood to wipe out the wooden creatures so that they

could start over.

Help me!

The gods started over again and, with the help of Mountain Lion, Coyote,

Parrot, and Crow, created their new beings out of maize. These new

beings performed well and are the ancestors of the Quiche.

Compare & Contrast

• The greek believe life came from a golden egg, laid by the Nyx. Where half of the shell became the sky, the other half the earth.

• In the geek myth Zeus had his sons, Prometheus and Eqimetheus create man and animals.

• The Mayans believe all came from Tepeu and Gucumatz, and whatever they thought came. They thought the earth, mountains, trees ect. And they were there.

• The maya myth says, that after two attempts at creating man, they received help from a Mountain lion , coyote, Parrot, and crow to create man.