The Beginning

In the beginning there was nothing but Chaos. It was thought of as an abyss that was immeasurable. But then, by some miracle, out of this bleak nothingness came a small miracle, Love. This newfound hope, Love, started to drive away all of the nothingness and confusion of Chaos. Love created Light and with Light came Day.
Nobody ever tried to explain how Earth came into existence. It just did and people did not try to describe how, just as Love did, it just came to be. So then Mother Earth (Gaia) and Father Sky (Uranus) came to be. The first creatures to appear on the earth were the offspring of Mother Earth and Father Sky. These first creatures were monsters, and thought of as similar in intelligence to humans.

Three of these creatures had one hundred hands and fifty heads and they were incredibly strong. Three others had just one eye in the centre of their head and these creatures were given the name of Cyclopes. The Cyclopes too were giant and strong. The last of the creatures were the Titans. These creatures were also strong and giant but these creatures were not all bad. In fact it would be some of these creatures that would eventually lead to the creation of the gods.

Mother Earth however, was very angry with Father Sky for the treatment of her children. So, Mother Earth went to her children and begged for their help. Only one of the Titans was brave enough to help their mother, the Titan Cronus. Cronus laid in wait for his father and ended up wounding him greatly. After this, Cronus and his sister, Rhea, became the King and Queen of the universe.

Cronus and Rhea had six children and they would end up being the first Olympians. But, every child that Cronus had he swallowed because he received an oracle that said one of his children would grow up to over throw him. This went on through the first five children. But, when the sixth one was born, Rhea could not bear to have it swallowed. So, instead she gave him a rock wrapped in a blanket and Cronus quickly swallowed it. The child's name was Zeus. Later, when Zeus was grown up he, with the help of Mother Earth, made his father Cronus give back up the children of Cronus and Rhea. After this there was a great war between Cronus and the Titans, and Zeus and his five brothers and sisters. Zeus eventually won the war because the hundred-handed monsters helped him that he released from the depths of the earth. After the war was won there were other attempts at overthrowing Zeus, but these attempts were also knocked down. After this, the world was cleared of the monsters and was ready for mankind.


The Creation of Mankind

There are two myths about the Creation of Mankind.

The first involves Zeus. Zeus made five "generations" of life forms to put upon the earth. They were all very different, but Zeus chose the fifth generation (humans) to be the permanent residents of earth. This is a passage about the third to fifth generations:
"But when earth had covered this generation also--they are called blessed spirits of the underworld by men, and, though they are of second order, yet honour attends them also--Zeus the Father made a third generation of mortal men, a brazen race, sprung from ash-trees; and it was in no way equal to the silver age, but was terrible and strong. They loved the lamentable works of Ares and deeds of violence; they ate no bread, but were hard of heart like adamant, fearful men. Great was their strength and unconquerable the arms which grew from their shoulders on their strong limbs. Their armour was of bronze, and their houses of bronze, and of bronze were their implements: there was no black iron. These were destroyed by their own hands and passed to the dank house of chill Hades, and left no name: terrible though they were, black Death seized them, and they left the bright light of the sun.

“But when earth had covered this generation also, Zeus the son of Cronos made yet another, the fourth, upon the fruitful earth, which was nobler and more righteous, a god-like race of hero-men who are called demi-gods, the race before our own, throughout the boundless earth. Grim war and dread battle destroyed a part of them, some in the land of Cadmus at seven-gated Thebes when they fought for the flocks of Oedipus, and some, when it had brought them in ships over the great sea gulf to Troy for rich-haired Helen's sake: there death's end enshrouded a part of them. But to the others father Zeus the son of Cronos gave a living and an abode apart from men, and made them dwell at the ends of earth. And they live untouched by sorrow in the islands of the blessed along the shore of deep-swirling Ocean, happy heroes for whom the grain-giving earth bears honey-sweet fruit flourishing thrice a year, far from the deathless gods, and Cronos rules over them; for the father of men and gods released him from his bonds. And these last equally have honour and glory.

“And again far-seeing Zeus made yet another generation, the fifth, of men who are upon the bounteous earth."
Hesiod's Works and Days

The second creation story involved Prometheus. Prometheus and Epimetheus were given the task of creating man. Prometheus shaped man out of mud, and Athena breathed life into his clay figure.
Prometheus had assigned Epimetheus the task of giving the creatures of the earth their various qualities, such as swiftness, cunning, strength, fur, and wings. Unfortunately, by the time he got to man Epimetheus had given all the good qualities out and there were none left for man. So Prometheus decided to make man stand upright as the gods did and to give them fire.

Prometheus loved man more then the Olympians, who had banished most of his family to Tartarus. So when Zeus decreed that man must present a portion of each animal they scarified to the gods Prometheus decided to trick Zeus. He created two piles, one with the bones wrapped in juicy fat, the other with the good meat hidden in the hide. He then bade Zeus to pick. Zeus picked the bones. Since he had given his word Zeus had to accept that as his share for future sacrifices. In his anger over the trick he took fire away from man. However, Prometheus lit a torch from the sun and brought it back again to man. Zeus was enraged that man again had fire. He decided to inflict a terrible punishment on both man and Prometheus.


The Punishment

To punish man, Zeus had Hephaestus create a mortal of stunning beauty. The gods gave the mortal many gifts of wealth. He then had Hermes give the mortal a deceptive heart and a lying tongue. This creation was Pandora, the first woman. A final gift was a jar, which Pandora was forbidden to open. Thus, completed Zeus sent Pandora down to Epimetheus who was staying amongst the men.
Prometheus had warned Epimetheus not to accept gifts from Zeus but, Pandora's beauty was too great and he allowed her to stay. Eventually, Pandora's curiosity about the jar she was forbidden to open became too great. She opened the jar and out flew all manner of evils, sorrows, plagues, and misfortunes. However, the bottom of the jar held one good thing - hope.

Zeus was angry at Prometheus for three things: being tricked on sacrifices, stealing fire for man, and for refusing to tell Zeus which of Zeus's children would dethrone him. Zeus had his servants, Force and Violence, seize Prometheus, take him to the Caucasus Mountains, and chain him to a rock with unbreakable adamantine chains. Here he was tormented day and night by a giant eagle tearing at his liver. Zeus gave Prometheus two ways out of this torment. He could tell Zeus who the mother of the child that would dethrone him was, or meet two conditions. First, an immortal must volunteer to die for Prometheus and second, a mortal must kill the eagle and unchain him. Eventually, Chiron the Centaur agreed to die for him and Hercules killed the eagle and unbound him.




--- From: http://www.geocities.com/the_temple_of_ares/creation.html