The Earliest Heroes

The Earliest Heroes

PROMETHEUS AND IO (Baka vs prisoner)

After Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to mankind, Zeus punished him by chaining him to a rocky mountain in the Caucasus. There he suffered alone, unable to escape.

One day, a strange creature wandered toward him. It looked like a white heifer, but it spoke with the voice of a young woman filled with misery. She was Io, once a beautiful princess, now transformed into a beast.

Prometheus recognized her immediately and said that Zeus had fallen in love with her, while Hera's jealousy had caused all her suffering.

Io explained what had happened. Zeus often came to her in dreams, telling her he desired her. But when Hera began to suspect him, Zeus quickly transformed Io into a white cow to hide the truth. Hera was not fooled. Pretending innocence, she asked Zeus to give her the heifer as a gift. Unable to refuse, Zeus handed Io over to her.

Hera then placed Io under the watch of Argus, a giant with a hundred eyes who could never fully sleep. Zeus wanted to save Io, so he sent Hermes to kill Argus.

Hermes disguised himself as a shepherd and slowly lulled Argus to sleep with music and stories. When all of Argus's eyes finally closed, Hermes killed him.

But Hera still refused to let Io go free. She sent a gadfly to sting and torment her endlessly, driving her into madness and forcing her to wander across the world without rest.

Io met Prometheus during this painful journey. Though he pitied her, he told her that her suffering was not over yet. Still, he gave her hope. He foretold that she would eventually reach the Nile River in Egypt, where Zeus would restore her human form. There she would bear Zeus a son named Epaphus and finally live in peace.

Prometheus also revealed that one of Io's descendants would someday become a great hero who would free him from his chains. That hero would be Hercules.

EUROPA (Giilogan sa continent, and ending gi kidnap ni Zeus)

Europa was the beautiful daughter of the King of Sidon. Unlike Io, whose love story with Zeus brought her endless suffering, Europa's fate was far kinder, though it began with fear and wonder.

One spring morning, Europa woke troubled by a strange dream. In the dream, two continents appeared as women arguing over her. Asia claimed Europa belonged to her because she had given her birth, while another unnamed land declared that Zeus would one day give Europa to her.

Unable to sleep again, Europa went with her companions to the flowery meadows beside the sea, their favorite place for gathering flowers and spending time together. The girls carried beautiful baskets, but Europa's was the most remarkable of all. Made by Hephaestus, it showed scenes from the story of Io: her transformation into a cow, the death of Argus, and Zeus restoring her human form.

As the maidens wandered through the meadow gathering roses, violets, crocuses, narcissus, and hyacinths, Europa shone among them with extraordinary beauty. Watching from Olympus, Zeus saw her and instantly fell in love.

To approach her safely, he transformed himself into a magnificent bull unlike any ever seen before. His body was bright chestnut in color, a silver circle shone upon his forehead, and his horns curved like the crescent moon. Though powerful, he appeared so gentle and beautiful that the girls were not afraid.

The bull walked calmly among them, and Europa herself stroked him. He responded with a soft musical lowing sweeter than the sound of a flute. Then he knelt before her as if inviting her onto his back.

Laughing, Europa told her friends that the creature seemed more like a kind man than a bull. She climbed onto his back, but before the others could follow, the bull suddenly sprang forward. He raced to the shore and then moved across the sea itself.

As they traveled over the water, the sea became calm before them. Sea gods and creatures rose from the deep to accompany Zeus: Nereids riding dolphins, Tritons blowing their horns, and even Poseidon himself.

Europa, terrified, clung tightly to the bull's horn while holding up her purple dress above the waves. The wind filled her garments like the sail of a ship. Realizing no ordinary creature could do such things, she begged the bull not to abandon her in some strange land.

Then Zeus revealed his true identity. He told Europa not to fear because he loved her and was bringing her to the island of Crete, where she would become the mother of great sons who would rule over men.

Everything happened as Zeus promised. They arrived in Crete, where the Seasons themselves prepared Europa for her bridal. She became the mother of famous sons, including Minos and Rhadamanthus, who later became judges of the dead because of their wisdom and justice.

And though her sons became legendary, Europa's own name became even more famous, for the continent of Europe was named after her.