The Greek poet Hesiod wrote the epic Theogony about the origins and genealogies of the gods. Composed in Ancient Greek, the poem presents a sweeping account of how the cosmos and divine order came into being.
The Theogony begins with primordial figures including Chaos, Gaia, Tartarus, and Eros. It then traces successive generations of gods, including the Titans, before describing Zeus’s rise to supreme power. The poem links mythology through family lines, turning a wide range of local Greek traditions into a connected story of cosmic succession.
Hesiod probably lived during the late eighth or early seventh century BC, around the same broad period traditionally associated with Homer. His other major surviving poem, Works and Days, is concerned more with farming, justice, labor, and practical wisdom. That contrast helps distinguish Hesiod from Homer, whose epics include the Iliad and Odyssey.
The Theogony is not a complete or universally fixed Greek mythology textbook. It preserves one influential poetic version of divine origins, while other Greek communities told different stories. Its 1,022 lines make it one of the most important surviving sources for early Greek cosmology and religion.