Dialogue ~ 40

Perhaps it is an appropriate time to have another look at the myth of Prometheus. The Wikipedia page informs, “The etymology of the theonym Prometheus is debated. The usual view is that it signifies ‘forethought’, as that of his brother Epimetheus denotes ‘afterthought’.

Breaking down the word Prometheus can offer some interesting information to consider. ‘Pro’ from Latin is ‘in favour of, on behalf of’. What about ‘-metheus’? It sounds similar to Latin ‘matthias’. In looking at the etymology of this word, it is contracted from Mattathias, from Hebrew mattityahu, literally ‘gift of God’. So can Prometheus be interpreted as being ‘in favour/representative of a gift of God?’ This is interesting given its context of ‘forethought’.

Hesychius of Alexandria wrote that ‘Ithas’ meant “the Herald of the Titans, Prometheus, whom others call Ithax”. A herald is one who makes proclamations or conveys official messages; it is a sign that something is about to happen, possibly an instigator.

Given as Prometheus is suggested as referring to an aspect of mind (forethought), are the Titans aspects of mind also? Did our ancestors create stories of the cosmos as a means of conveying aspects of what it is to be human? Why were the Titans overthrown by the Olympians? Have the titans and aspects of mind which they are representing become obscured in the midst (mists) of the unconscious?

Tartarus was said to be an abyss or dungeon of the titans and as a place of torment for the wicked. Certainly, it is true that an extent to which a person is not conscious of why they think as they do can have tremendous repercussions within life, experienced as challenging if not traumatic. How does it change how we comprehend ourselves – our own nature - if we associate the repressed or unknown/unseen energy of our being with the chthonic or the underworld? Many people are terrified of the supernatural and of what they don’t (want to) understand. The shadows on the wall of Plato’s cave are not terrifying once viewed from a perspective of light.

Looking at similarities between words can raise questions or insight into what one is thinking about. In looking into the word ‘Ithas’ or ‘Ithax’ (for Prometheus), I found a reference to ‘Itihasa’ (Sanskrit, an account of past events), derived from ‘iti ha asa’, which means ‘so indeed it was’ and which I believe is in turn derived from the word ‘Asti’.

‘Asti’ is from Proto-Indo-Iranian ‘hasti’ (to be), from Proto-Indo-European ‘h esti’ (to be), from ‘h es’. Cognate with ancient Greek ‘esti’, Latin ‘est’, Old Persian ‘asti y’, Hittite ‘eszi’, Old Church Slavonic ‘estu’, Gothic ‘ist’, English ‘is’.

So Asti effectively means ‘it is’. Are there connotations of ‘a herald’ or precursor (Prometheus) within the phrase ‘It is… So indeed it was’? Or even ‘I am … that I am’? An orientation of one’s will?

Prometheus was said to have been a trickster and to have stolen fire from the gods for humanity. Zeus punished him with eternal torment – Prometheus was chained to a rock and his liver was eaten by an eagle. His liver would grow back overnight only for it to be eaten again by the eagle.

Prometheus has been referred to as a ‘culture hero’, possibly from an interpretation of humanity’s aspirations, of striving or reaching for the heights of one’s potential. There is caution within this, in that whilst Prometheus had a regenerative capacity, for some reason and possibly through hubris, it was sabotaged or prone to a destructive component of the Olympian god known as Zeus.

What does it mean that Prometheus carried the fire of the gods? Is it the nature of such fire to instil passion and creativity for what one can do with or become in the world? Or does it imply that there is a spark within each of us, one that can ignite into flame as we set about connecting with (remembering) our origin – dare I say, creator? Others might feel more comfortable with the suggestion that there is a quest or lifelong search for the truth of our being.

There is evidence of a cult attributed to Prometheus in Athens in ancient Greece, where he was linked to Athena (associated with eternal youth, of reason and intelligence to create and to utilise a variety of crafts and skills) and Hephaestus (associated with metal working, craftsmanship, artisans and technology).

Today, we recognise aspects of mind such as memory, critical thinking, imagination etc. as being components of the whole and it is possible that the ancient Greeks attributed these ‘faces or perspectives’ to differing characters or deities within their cosmology.

It is interesting that the ancient cult chose in particular Prometheus as ‘seed or first thought’, Athena as reason and Hephaestus as craftsman however. Perhaps in exploring their attributes (and in their working as a team), we can glimpse something about the nature of creative or novel thought and of its purpose in the world.