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Father And Son Relationships In Greek Mythology

654 Words3 Pages

Time and time again, we see distant relationships between father and son. The strained father/son relationships in Greek mythology goes as far back as the creation of the universe and the gods. From Cronus dethroning Ouranos and Zeus dethroning Cronus to Laius attempting to kill Oedipus, the relationships in Greek mythology is truly harsh. The father/son relationships in Greek mythology is a result of the fight for power. Fathers are willing to go to extreme lengths to ensure that their son will not take over their place as ruler. In How the World and Mankind Were Created, Cronus is willing to get rid of his children in order for his reign to last longer, thus creating tense father/son relationships.
In the beginning, Cronus eats his children because he is scared that they will overpower and dethrone him in the future. “He had good cause to do so, for Cronus had learned that one of his children was destined someday to dethrone him and he thought to go against fate by swallowing them as soon …show more content…

One of them is that no one can go against fate, not even immortals. When Cronus finds out about his fate, he goes to extreme measures to try to escape it. However, Cronus is not able to escape his own fate, and is conquered by Zeus in the end. He tries greatly and fails, which results in a pitiless punishment. This leads into a second theme: greed will eventually strike you back. Cronus is greedy for power, and to ensure that he remains ruler, he devours his children, which results in drastic consequences. This greed for power leads him to committing terrible sins, and he pays for it by facing horrible punishments.Zeus tortures Cronus by trapping him in the Tartarus forever. Cronus’ greed is what nets him the harsh punishments from Zeus. If he didn’t commit these terrible sins, there is a chance that he stays ruler of the Universe. One of the prime reasons that Zeus goes against him is because he wants revenge for what Cronus did to his

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