Prometheus (Song)

The father of the gods, Zeus, rules the entire world after defeating a group of Titans in a gigantic battle, the "Titanomachy," alongside his brothers Poseidon and Hades. He demands regular sacrifices of livestock from the people. Prometheus, as the protector of humanity, wishes to relieve them of the burden of sacrifice.

At a gathering, Zeus makes an agreement with mortals regarding the obligation of sacrifice. From each slaughtered animal, a part is to be offered to the gods. Representing humanity, Prometheus performs the first sacrifice as a significant model for the future. To help his protégés, he resorts to trickery. He slaughters an ox and divides it into two piles, one larger made of bones that he artfully stacks and a smaller one made of meat. He covers the small pile with the skin and coats the large one with a layer of fat. Then he cunningly asks Zeus to choose the pile that pleases him more.

The father of the gods realizes that he is being deceived but pretends to be fooled. According to his will, the trickery must be executed first, and then the appropriate punishment will be meted out. He chooses the large pile and removes the covering. Upon seeing the bones, he becomes enraged. Henceforth, it is agreed that only the inedible parts of the sacrificial animals must be presented to the gods, while the meat is to serve human consumption. In fury over the deception, the father of the gods denies humanity the use of fire. This makes the use of wood impossible and blocks the path to a civilized life, preventing them from enjoying their share of the ox.

To still grant fire to humanity, Prometheus steals some embers from the heavens and brings them to earth. There, a widely visible fire shines forth. With this, Zeus is confronted with a completed act; what has happened cannot be undone. Upon seeing the flames, the father of the gods is filled with fierce anger.

The deceived ruler of heaven decides to take revenge both on humanity and on the defiant Titan. Delighted with his own plan of vengeance, he bursts into laughter. He sends Pandora to humanity. A harsher punishment awaits Prometheus. Zeus has him chained to a post or pillar and sends an eagle that eats his liver every day, which regenerates at night since the Titan is immortal. Later, however, the hero Heracles, a son of Zeus, ends this torment by killing the eagle. He does this with the approval of his divine father, for Zeus grants his famous son the additional glory of this deed, which is more important to him than his wrath against the stubborn Titan. However, Prometheus is not freed from his chains; the punishment of being chained remains eternal.