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Prometheus And Hermes Research Paper

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Prometheus and Hermes are the two most notable tricksters in Greek Mythology. While both of them are divine beings, they possess the quality of a deceiver or a swindler. The two of them acquire some similarities regarding their characteristics, but there are some distinct differences also. Prometheus is a very wise titan whose name means 'forethought'. He participated in the Titanomachy on Zeus' side and fought against the fellow titans and Atlas who were on Cronus' side (Class Notes). After the war was over after ten years, Prometheus was given the job of creating mankind with his younger brother Epimetheus (Class Notes). In this process, Prometheus partly reveals his quality of a trickster. First, he designs mankind based on the attributes of the god and fashions them to walk upright. Then, he decides to present the fire to the mankind so that their lives would get more easier--partly because Epimetheus gave away the 'good gifts' which were provided by the gods (Class Notes). The giving of fire to mankind also demonstrates Prometheus' attribute of being a thief because he stole the fire from the gods. …show more content…

When he was preparing the sacrifice to the gods, he prepared two piles of the ox, which one consisted of bones and fat and one consisted of meat and intestines and other parts (Theogony, line 536-541). When Zeus discovered this, he purposely choose the pile of bones and fat and from anger, made the power of fire disappear, which Prometheus again stole for mankind (Theogony, line 561-566). For this crime, Prometheus chained on Mt. Caucasus and is devoured his liver by an eagle every day. Then, when Zeus asks him about the sea nymph, Thetis, that he must avoid mating with which is another of his deception of

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