Hesiod · Theogony Θεογονία

Hesiod, Theogony 650–699: The Titanomachy: Zeus's thunderbolts (650-699)

Cottus answers for the Hundred-Handers and the war begins, the sea, earth and heaven shaking at the clash. Then Zeus holds back his might no longer and comes from Olympus hurling lightning and thunderbolts, so that the earth burns, the sea and Ocean seethe, and the Titans are blinded by the glare.

Lines 650–699 · 432 words · click a number to copy its link
650φαίνετε Τιτήνεσσιν ἐναντίοι ἐν δαῒ λυγρῇ μνησάμενοι φιλότητος ἐνηέος, ὅσσα παθόντες ἐς φάος ἂψ ἀφίκεσθε δυσηλεγέος ὑπὸ δεσμοῦ ἡμετέρας διὰ βουλὰς ὑπὸ ζόφου ἠερόεντος. ὣς φάτο· τὸν δʼ ἐξαῦτις ἀμείβετο Κόττος ἀμύμων· 655Δαιμόνιʼ, οὐκ ἀδάητα πιφαύσκεαι· ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἴδμεν, ὅ τοι περὶ μὲν πραπίδες, περὶ δʼ ἐστὶ νόημα, ἀλκτὴρ δʼ ἀθανάτοισιν ἀρῆς γένεο κρυεροῖο. σῇσι δʼ ἐπιφροσύνῃσιν ὑπὸ ζόφου ἠερόεντος ἄψορρον δʼ† ἐξαῦτις ἀμειλίκτων ὑπὸ δεσμῶν 660ἠλύθομεν, Κρόνου υἱὲ ἄναξ, ἀνάελπτα παθόντες. τῷ καὶ νῦν ἀτενεῖ τε νόῳ καὶ ἐπίφρονι βουλῇ ῥυσόμεθα κράτος ὑμὸν ἐν αἰνῇ δηϊοτῆτι μαρνάμενοι Τιτῆσιν ἀνὰ κρατερὰς ὑσμίνας. ὣς φάτʼ· ἐπῄνεσσαν δὲ θεοί, δωτῆρες ἐάων, 665μῦθον ἀκούσαντες· πολέμου δʼ ἐλιλαίετο θυμὸς μᾶλλον ἔτʼ ἢ τὸ πάροιθε· μάχην δʼ ἀμέγαρτον ἔγειραν πάντες, θήλειαι τε καὶ ἄρσενες, ἤματι κείνῳ, Τιτῆνές τε θεοὶ καὶ ὅσοι Κρόνου ἐξεγένοντο, οὕς τε Ζεὺς Ἐρέβευσφιν ὑπὸ χθονὸς ἧκε φόωσδε 670δεινοί τε κρατεροί τε, βίην ὑπέροπλον ἔχοντες. τῶν ἑκατὸν μὲν χεῖρες ἀπʼ ὤμων ἀίσσοντο πᾶσιν ὁμῶς, κεφαλαὶ δὲ ἑκάστῳ πεντήκοντα ἐξ ὤμων ἐπέφυκον ἐπὶ στιβαροῖσι μέλεσσιν. οἳ τότε Τιτήνεσσι κατέσταθεν ἐν δαῒ λυγρῇ 675πέτρας ἠλιβάτους στιβαρῇς ἐν χερσὶν ἔχοντες. Τιτῆνες δʼ ἑτέρωθεν ἐκαρτύναντο φάλαγγας προφρονέως, χειρῶν τε βίης θʼ ἅμα ἔργον ἔφαινον ἀμφότεροι· δεινὸν δὲ περίαχε πόντος ἀπείρων, γῆ δὲ μέγʼ ἐσμαράγησεν, ἐπέστενε δʼ οὐρανὸς εὐρὺς 680σειόμενος, πεδόθεν δὲ τινάσσετο μακρὸς Ὄλυμπος ῥιπῇ ὕπʼ ἀθανάτων, ἔνοσις δʼ ἵκανε βαρεῖα Τάρταρον ἠερόεντα, ποδῶν τʼ αἰπεῖα ἰωὴ ἀσπέτου ἰωχμοῖο βολάων τε κρατεράων· ὣς ἄρʼ ἐπʼ ἀλλήλοις ἵεσαν βέλεα στονόεντα.

So he said. And blameless Cottus answered him again: “ Divine one, you speak that which we know well: no, even of ourselves we know that your wisdom and understanding is exceeding, and that you became a defender of the deathless ones from chill doom. And through your devising we have come back again from the murky gloom and from our merciless bonds, enjoying what we looked not for, O lord, son of Cronos. And so now with fixed purpose and deliberate counsel we will aid your power in dreadful strife and will fight against the Titans in hard battle.” So he said: and the gods, givers of good things, applauded when they heard his word, and their spirit longed for war even more than before, and they all, both male and female, stirred up hated battle that day, the Titan gods, and all that were born of Cronos together with those dread, mighty ones of overwhelming strength whom Zeus brought up to the light from Erebus beneath the earth. A hundred arms sprang from the shoulders of all alike, and each had fifty heads growing from his shoulders upon stout limbs. These, then, stood against the Titans in grim strife, holding huge rocks in their strong hands. And on the other part the Titans eagerly strengthened their ranks, and both sides at one time showed the work of their hands and their might. The boundless sea rang terribly around, and the earth crashed loudly: wide Heaven was shaken and groaned, and high Olympus reeled from its foundation under the charge of the undying gods, and a heavy quaking reached dim Tartarus and the deep sound of their feet in the fearful onset and of their hard missiles. So, then, they launched their grievous shafts upon one another, and the cry of both armies as they shouted reached to starry heaven; and they met together with a great battle-cry.

685φωνὴ δʼ ἀμφοτέρων ἵκετʼ οὐρανὸν ἀστερόεντα κεκλομένων· οἳ δὲ ξύνισαν μεγάλῳ ἀλαλητῷ. οὐδʼ ἄρʼ ἔτι Ζεὺς ἴσχεν ἑὸν μένος, ἀλλά νυ τοῦ γε εἶθαρ μὲν μένεος πλῆντο φρένες, ἐκ δέ τε πᾶσαν φαῖνε βίην· ἄμυδις δʼ ἄρʼ ἀπʼ οὐρανοῦ ἠδʼ ἀπʼ Ὀλύμπου 690ἀστράπτων ἔστειχε συνωχαδόν· οἱ δὲ κεραυνοὶ ἴκταρ ἅμα βροντῇ τε καὶ ἀστεροπῇ ποτέοντο χειρὸς ἄπο στιβαρῆς, ἱερὴν φλόγα εἰλυφόωντες ταρφέες· ἀμφὶ δὲ γαῖα φερέσβιος ἐσμαράγιζε καιομένη, λάκε δʼ ἀμφὶ πυρὶ μεγάλʼ ἄσπετος ὕλη. 695ἔζεε δὲ χθὼν πᾶσα καὶ Ὠκεανοῖο ῥέεθρα πόντος τʼ ἀτρύγετος· τοὺς δʼ ἄμφεπε θερμὸς ἀυτμὴ Τιτῆνας χθονίους, φλὸξ δʼ αἰθέρα δῖαν ἵκανεν ἄσπετος, ὄσσε δʼ ἄμερδε καὶ ἰφθίμων περ ἐόντων αὐγὴ μαρμαίρουσα κεραυνοῦ τε στεροπῆς τε.

Then Zeus no longer held back his might; but straight his heart was filled with fury and he showed forth all his strength. From Heaven and from Olympus he came immediately, hurling his lightning: the bolts flew thick and fast from his strong hand together with thunder and lightning, whirling an awesome flame. The life-giving earth crashed around in burning, and the vast wood crackled loud with fire all about. All the land seethed, and Ocean's streams and the unfruitful sea. The hot vapor lapped round the earthborn Titans: flame unspeakable rose to the bright upper air: the flashing glare of the thunderstone and lightning blinded their eyes for all that they were strong.

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English translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White (1914). Original text: Hugh G. Evelyn-White (ed.), Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns and Homerica, Loeb Classical Library, London: Heinemann; New York: Macmillan, 1914 (Greek text as digitised by Perseus).

Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library); translation public domain. Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.

Theogony 650–699: The Titanomachy: Zeus's thunderbolts