H1057_s10

H1057 The Myths That Inhabit Us

Session 10. He in Secret Stole your Pride and Joy - Part 2

Dr. Víctor Miguel Gutiérrez Pérez

Image: Hermann Julius Schlösser, Pandora Before Prometheus and Epimetheus, 1878.

Contents

The Concept of Hybris

Benefication and Progress

Bibliography

Activity

Towards Heroic Myths

Self-Reliance, Freedom, and Fragility

Hybris and Society

The Concept of Hybris

Hybris (or hubris) refers to excessive pride, arrogance, or defiance against the gods, often leading to severe punishment. Understanding hybris is crucial to grasping the moral lessons in many myths, including the story of Prometheus.

Hybris and Society

As a result of his hybris, Prometheus was bound to a rock where an eagle would eat his liver daily, which would regenerate each night. The myth serves as a warning against overstepping boundaries and disrespecting divine authority. This is portrayed by Hesiod in the Theogony. Hybris was not just a personal failing but a societal concern, often leading to chaos and disorder.

Benefication and Progress

Just as the story of Prometheus has several versions, the morals and representations entail various interpretations of its matter. For example, it is possible to realize that the gods do not have the slightest moral notion as we conceive it theoretically in contemporary times. Thus, Prometheus makes use of his cunning and his character as a trickster to steal the fire from the gods and give it to humans. On the one hand, he is an outcast who bursts the conformity of the gods of Olympus (hybris). On the other hand, Prometheus is a defender or benefactor par excellence of those who were oppressed and subjugated by the gods.

Self-Reliance, Freedom, and Fragility

According to Carlos García Gual, Prometheus is not only the benefactor of mankind, but also its most authentic representation. The main element that unites the titan with the human being is the one that results directly from his punishment: pain. The capacity to suffer, the vulnerability that suffering entails, and the impossibility of stopping it are the great elements that humanize a divine figure like Prometheus.

Image: Heinrich Friedrich Füger, Prometheus Brings Fire to Mankind, 1817.

In the perpetual punishment, the condition of primordial being is blurred to the extent of making Prometheus equal to the men for whose love he has decided to betray his lineage and challenge the implacable authority of the sovereign of the gods. Prometheus, as a metaphor, reveals that all progress implies a sacrifice. In the case of humanity, self-determination and the ability to sustain itself comes at a high cost: fragility. The human being, who thanks to Promethean rebellion is no longer subject to divine whims, is nonetheless a suffering creature, and pain manifests itself in both his creative and destructive impulses.

Before irrationality and immoderation, fragility is the principle that preserves freedom and makes self-reliance a virtue that makes life in society possible, far from admitting the abuses of tyranny or arrogance. Without its participation, virtue is corrupted, action is distorted and existence itself degenerates.

Towards Heroic Myths

With the Promethean myth, mythical thought shifts the center of its focus to humanity. It recognizes the contradiction that exists between the ideal state of things, represented by the harmonious cosmos of the gods, and the material state, in which man develops daily. Promethean rebellion and exploit inaugurate a series of transgressions and exploits that will no longer be the task of the gods, but of the heroes. However, it makes it clear that man, despite his infinite potential, is still fragile, still vulnerable, still mortal.

Image: Carl Bloch, The Liberation of Prometheus, 1864.

1. Look for works of plastic art (painting or sculpture) related to the theme of Prometheus. They should be different from the ones illustrated in the presentation.2. Choose one that particularly catches your attention.3. Explain the characteristics of the myth reflected in the work in a brief slideshow or infographic.4. Share your results with the class.

Activity

Before leaving, please answer the survey about the activity with IA.

40 min.

Bibliography

Lafuerza del Cerro, J. A. (1998). Acerca de los mitos prometeico y fáustico en la tradición cultural de occidente. Scriptura (14), 49-64.

García Gual, C. (1979). Prometeo: mito y tragedia. Madrid: Peralta.

Learn more

Prometheus. The Rebel of Olympus

Prometheus. The Trickster Titan