Ancient Greek and Roman Creation Tale Part III

The longer that man lived on earth, the stronger and more intelligent they became. However, the gods did not see this as an entirely positive thing. Humans started to take advantage of one another and Jove became very upset with the turn of events on earth. In this article, you will learn what happened to man in this ancient creation myth.

Advancements across the board also affected the way man interacted with one another. Man was now able to travel the sea, so sailors made their way to other locations in search of new lands and opportunities to gain power. Men became thirsty for wealth and looked to foreign destinations to get what they wanted. They also looked under the earth for different ways to maintain or obtain their status. A lot of suffering and wicked actions came from this time period. It was a time where friends betrayed one another and family members didn’t hesitate to do commit wrongful acts against their own flesh and blood.
 
The conflict that increasingly brewed on earth started to affect the gods and goddesses in heaven. Ancient civilizations use myths to explain how certain events took place on earth and why. For example, there is a legend that speaks of how giants tried to attack the realm of the gods by piling mountains together in order to reach the sky. Jove was successful in defending his kingdom by using his powerful thunderbolt. He destroyed the tower of mountains, crushing the giants in the meantime as the rocks fell on top of them. Blood flowed from the bodies of the giants and the earth became saturated in the redness. Because of this, the earth brought forth a new kind of man. They too, did not come with any greater respect for the gods.  

As he looked down from his kingdom in the sky to earth down below, Jove noticed that mankind was in a hopeless cycle of being violent and cruel. He gathered the other gods and called for a meeting. The gods and goddesses came from near and wide to hear what Jove had to say. Jove was so upset with man that he wanted the entire human race eradicated. He promised that after he wiped out man, he would watch over the creation of a new crop of man. The gods reluctantly agreed with Jove and believed that the only way to end man’s wicked ways was to accept this extreme plan.

As Jove was in the process of striking down the earth with a collection of thunderbolts, he realized that such an act could threaten the heavens. He decided that the only way to destroy mankind was to use water to remove the wickedness from earth. The North and South Wind were incorporated into his plan to bring endless rains upon earth. The tides and waves that rose up and covered the land was done by Jove’s brother, Neptune, who was the god of the seas. Neptune also caused the rivers to overflow the banks.