Prometheus was the son of Iapetos and Klymene. His name means Forethought.
The Crimes of Prometheus
Zeus had many plans for the reshaping of creation. After the fall of Kronos and his confinement in Tartaros, Zeus took no interest in the mortal race of men on the bountiful earth, he intended for them to live as primitives until they died off. Zeus said that knowledge and divine gifts would only bring misery to the mortals and he insisted that Prometheus not interfere with his plans.
Despite Zeus’ warning, Prometheus took pity on the primitive mortals and again, he deceived Zeus. Prometheus gave the mortals all sorts of gifts: brickwork, woodworking, telling the seasons by the stars, numbers, the alphabet (for remembering things), yoked oxen, carriages, saddles, ships and sails. He also gave other gifts: healing drugs, seer-craft, signs in the sky, the mining of precious metals, animal sacrifice and all art.
To compound his crime, Prometheus had stolen fire from Zeus and given it to the mortals in their dark caves. The gift of divine fire unleashed a flood of inventiveness, productivity and, most of all, respect for the immortal gods in the rapidly developing mortals. Within no time (by Immortal standards), culture, art, and literacy permeated the land around Mount Olympus. When Zeus realized the deception that Prometheus had fostered, he was furious. He had Hephaestus shackle Prometheus to the side of a crag, high in the Caucasus mountains. There Prometheus would hang until the fury of Zeus subsided.
Each day, Prometheus would be tormented by Zeus’ eagle as it tore at his immortal flesh and tried to devour his liver. Each night, as the frost bit it’s way into his sleep, the torn flesh would mend so the eagle could begin anew at the first touch of the Dawn.
This is my latest prim sculpture, the first in a line of mythological gods, beasts, and characters. I chose to start with Prometheus because i was always intrigued by the story. The Titan who gave man his ability to create, to think past survival, and in doing so, also impregnated us with just as much ability to do evil. Weighing in at 385 prims, this is a highly detailed work, and took most of 3 days without sleep
. Sleep is over-rated anyways. You can come take a look at it at my shop at DamagedGoods
