With the recent news of several states being slammed by the latest Hurricane Helene (which might be a fitting name for this post), it got me thinking about a wonderful topic of mythology, which I always love talking about as I am a Greek mythologist.
Great storms from the sea have been hitting and influencing human civilization and societies since before written history, and this time, the hurricane struck not only Florida, but several others, including my home State of North Carolina. It's certainly not the first time that a hurricane has devastated American land, and it won't be the last, and my prayers are with those who have been impacted.
To my memory, when I was a child, the worst we ever faced in North Carolina was Hurricane Hugo. Even though we lived in the central part of the State, and the storm hit the coast about 4 hours away, it still left us without power for a long time. Fortunately, we didn't get flooded out, but I image the coastal regions suffered greatly.
Greek religion always gives us something intriguing and mysterious to think about, though. In the religion and mythology of the Hellenes, hurricanes are caused by Typhon (a monster whom Zeus defeated and banished into the depths of Tartaros). It's where we get the name typhoon. So, O' blessed Muses, let me tell the story with wonderful elegance.
Gaia and Tartaros bore the monstrous giant named Typhon, after the Gods of Olympos had overthrown the Titans and destroyed the Giants. He was the youngest of the children, and so chaotic and horrible he was, with one hundred snakes about him that breathed fire and shrieked noises both known and unknown. Typhon challenged Zeus for His throne, and all shook and resounded, for it was a battle of cataclysm.
Zeus rumbled the heavens and exploded throughout the sky, and all of Earth responded, even down into the bowels of the world itself, gloomy Tartaros, where Titans and enemies of the Gods lay imprisoned, and even did they tremble as fear gripped all of the universe. The lightning of Zeus killed all the heads of the monster, and beaten and mangled as he was, Typhon was hurled down into the depths of Tartaros along with the others.
What a battle that must have been to witness! And I think, in some ways, the ancient battle between chaos and order, law and lawlessness, good and evil, still continues today across the world, whether it be among civilizations or nature itself. The good news is that the Gods always win, and good will always overcome.
In the Goodness of the Gods,
I'll see you at the next Herm down the road,
Chris Aldridge.
Photo of Zeus and Typhon is in the public domain because the copyright condition of the life of the author plus one hundred years has expired in its country of origin and in the United States of America.