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1. HESIOD

Hesiod (VIII BC,) is the first to consider the myth of Eirene in his Theogony (14).

His concern fir peace and work is clear in The Works and the Days (15). Work of piety, it opens with an invocation to the Muses of Pieria expressing his loath to Zeus (16). Addressed to his brother Perses in a counselling style, it distinguishes at the beginning two kinds of Strife, one of them being criticizable. The other one, eldest daughter of the dark Night, is more friendly to men; she hastens the human being to be looking forward for richness and directs them to work, not to war (17). In this way, Hesiod urges Perses not to abandon himself to the bad Strife, who would refrain hum from working (18).

Hesiod observes that the Gods keep hidden to men the means of life. Were it not so, work would be sufficiently ease to obtain a whole year of supplies even without work. He describes the myth of Prometheus and the fire in order to explain this fact:

“Zeus in the anger of his heart hid it, because Prometheus the crafty deceived him, therefore he planned sorrow and mischief against men... He hid fire, but the most noble son of Iapetus stole it again for men from Zeus, the counsellor in a hollow fennel stalk, so that Zeus who delights in thunder did not see”(19).

Prometheus, creator of humanity from clay, stole Zeus the fire allowing the technique or art of metals. Zeus, angry, responds to this deed augurating:

“Son of Iapetus, surpassing in all cunning, you are glad you have... stolen fire, a real plague to you... and to men shall be... I wil give men as the price for fire an evil thing which they may all be glad of hrat... while they embrace their own destruction”(20).

Fire turns up to be the destruction and doom of of man. Zeus orders to Hephaistos to mix earth and water and put it in the voice and strength of human race, modelling a sweet and beautiful woman, similar to the goddesses. He asks Athenea that she teaches her to sew and knit , and to the golden Aphrodite that she infuses her grace and zeal, and to Hermes that he gives her of a shameless soul and a deceitful nature (21). And he calls her Pandora, sending her to Epimetheus. Prometheus warns him not to accept any of her presents, but he understood it when it was late (22).

“Men lived... free from ill and hard toil... for in misery men grow old quickly. But the woman took of the great lid of the jar... and scattered all these and her thought caused sorrow and mischief to men. Only hope remained there. Countless plagues wander amongst men; for earth is full of evils and the sea is full... So there is no way to escape the will of Zeus”(23).

Hesiod expresses that it is impossible to escape the will of Zeus. The myth of Pandora, who opens the box liberating all possible unfortune, aging man through suffering and work, shows that only hope remains, the only gift which remains inside the chest.

Thus, work is a sorrow that man must endure with spirit. In the same way, this idea is comprehended in Christian culture.

Hesiod observes that the gods and the mortals spring from the same stream (24). In a first period, the Olympian gods made a race of gold of mortal men who lived in the time of Chronos as gods without sadness and free from work and disgrace. They lived in peace. At death they were caught by a dream. They were rich in cattle and loved by saint gods (25). Then, the gods made a second race of silver, less noble. They were like children, and their disgrace was due to their silliness, without piety towards the immortals. Zeus, angry, put them apart because of this (26). Zeus made a third race of bronze, sprung out of ash trees, terrible and strong. They loved the pitiful works of Ares, the violent deeds. They did not nourish out of bread. Their heart was hard, fearful. Armed with bronze shields they were unconquerable; they reached the Hades: taken by the Black Death, they left the bright light of the sun (27). Zeus still even made another race, the fourth, out of the fruitful earth. Nobler and more just, it was the race of the semidivine heroes, before the human one. They were partially destroyed by war and terrible battles (28). Zeus made them live at the end of earth, not reachable by pain. Hesiod says, in his mythological history of mortal ages:

“And again, far seeing Zeus made yet another generation, the fifth, of men who are upon... earth.. now is a race of iron and never rest from labour and sorrow by day, and from perishing by night... the gods lay trouble upon them... even these have some food mingled with their evils”(29).

So, Zeus makes a fifth race, the one of iron. The mortals suffer from work without rest and from pain, dying by night. They have certain goodness mixed with an evil will. Zeus destroys them because because of their oblivion in caring about old persons and of piety. They envious and violent (30).

The myth of Prometheus, of Pandora, the human ages found in this work the following statements to Perses regarding peace and work. The observations of Hesiod, even from a primitive, mythological, Olympian worldview in an agricultural, seacraft, warlike age, persist in a noteworthy way. They root peace in daily work and labour in serenity.

Hesiod advieses to Perses:

“Perses, do not foster violence, for violence is bad for a poor man. Even the prosperous cannot easily bear its burden but he is weighed down under it, when he has fallen into the delusion the better path is to go by on the others towards justice, for justice beats outrage”(31).

Violence is a burden so much for the poor as for the rich one; and, it is an illusion to believe that it may lead towards justice. But only when the fool has suffered it , he may learn it (32). When one does not stay apart from the just, the city flourishes, the people thrive (33).

“peace, the nurse of children,... and all seeing Zeus never decrees cruel war against them. Neither famine nor disaster ever haunt men who do justice... but they happily tend their fields which all their care” (34).

Women bring about children, sheep grow beautiful fleeces and continually flourish with benefices in a thriving land among just and pacific people (35). But, “those who practice violence and cruel deeds far seeing Zeus... ordains a punish”(36). That is to say, in his Olympic piety, Provident Zeus chastises cruelty and violence. Often, the whole city suffers because a sinful man; plague and hunger overtakes everybody and men perish and women become sterile. Even the army is destroyed (37). Hesiod believes that “Zeus has spirits that watch over men”; because of his spirits, vigilant and attentive to the conduct of human beings, Zeus must be honoured and revered (38).

Zeus is for Hesiod a provident god, in an omnipresent mode, (as the Christian God will be treated later), and he judges the human injustices, violence (39). Zeus does not allow cruelty to be unpunished.

Zeus favours with prosperity the one who is right and knos the best law (40).

Thus, Hesiod warns Perses to stop thinking in violence (41); even when the path to the summit of good is long and steep , he is good who listens to the goodness (42). Because of this, Hesiod says: “Work.... That Hunger may hate you and Demeter... love you”(43). He observes, hence, that men are irritated at a lazy mand, who nourishes himself without working (44).

Hesiod belongs to a civilization far from our technological one; the natural rythms are crucial in the agricultural work. Therefore. He advises to Perses to properly order his tasks, according to the seasons, so the silos are full, and the cattle increase. Through work, men enrichen themselves and are loved by immortals. In words of Hesiod: “Work is no disgrace; it is idleness” (45). Work is no ailing at all. This is noteworthy in Hesiod´s work: the high value of working in peace. It is idleness what turns into a curse, a disgrace. Hence, Hesiod states: “whatever be your lot, work is best for you” (46). That is to say, whatever may your fortune and destiny, work is the best.

So, richness through violence (one must recall that battle for pillage and stealing was natural in that period), or through force by a thief, inasmuch as man deceives and so is dishonoured, only lasts a moment. The cause of that ephimeral existence are the gods themselves in their justice (47).

Hesiod invokes to be pious with gods, family, friends (48), and to work unceasingly : “Work with work upon work” (49), without delaying the task for the future (50), praying Zeus and Demeter (51). Hesiod instructs Perses in the techniques and proper moments for the serene activities, which are possible thanks to peace (52).

According to what Hesiod says in this work at the beginning of Western culture, this essay intuits that the mutual relation of peace and work is transcendent. Both create culture, make possible the effective real ethic. Even the most primitive animals exercise a modifying task on their habitat and so they survive. Human being, since ever felt the proud of being different, and its power lies upon the deep understanding of daily tranquillity in a creative labour.