Divine infancy: Threats, protections, and the shaping of Olympian power in Greek mythology

Abstract

Background: Greek mythology is comprised of numerous myths featuring infant gods with life threatening exposure to danger. These myths ranging from Zeus being devoured by Cronos, Hephaestus being harassed by Zeus, and Dionysus being harassed by Hera represents the fears that halt around a child's life along with the extreme steps taken to ensure divine child protection. Thereby, through the perspectives of the narrative concept: "divine infancy," this study was conducted to analyze the dangers caused and the steps taken to protect specified gods as it pertains to and illustrates cultural concern about a child's life. Method: This study adopted historic, thematic and content analysis under qualitative research methodology to analyze primary sources to observe recurring motifs of divine childhood, threats, and defense. Context was provided by secondary literature on Greek mythology, anthropology, and history of children. Results: The outcome of the study is that the fear of the usurpation, the fear of the loss of power, and the fear of the disturbance of order in divine hierarchy are what creates anxiety for divine infants making their lives exposed to life threatening dangers. Although these myths do not directly concern with the defense of a child, they still reiterate the potential threats for the existence of children even from a divine perspective. Conclusion: There is a subtle implication of an anxiety surrounding the life of divine infants suggesting that even the mightiest of the deities are not immune to dangers. This further implies the importance of child protection and guardianship to remedy the vulnerabilities surrounding a child's life. Moreover, these myths interpret the anthropological perception of preserving life and preparing for what is to come by displaying an understanding that should be taken seriously.