{"id":9381,"date":"2026-02-26T05:00:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T04:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eden-saga.com\/en\/mythology-golden-age-evergreen-before-the-bomb.html"},"modified":"2026-04-12T08:39:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T07:39:56","slug":"mythology-golden-age-evergreen-before-the-bomb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eden-saga.com\/en\/mythology-golden-age-evergreen-before-the-bomb.html","title":{"rendered":"An Everlasting Springtime"},"content":{"rendered":"

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For the ancient Greeks, the golden age follows the creation of man while Cronus<\/a>, Time, reigns in heaven and on earth: a time of innocence, justice, abundance and happiness. In a perpetual spring, the fields produce without culture, men live for centuries and die without suffering, smiling…\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Strangely, there is no or very little ancient imagery of the golden age: no trace of this myth on Greek or Roman vases, paintings, mosaics. Before the Christian representations of Paradise, they were not images of the golden age and other ages of humanity.<\/p>\n

Why this lack of ancient images?<\/span><\/p>\n

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Hesiod And the Golden Age<\/h4>\n

In the continuation of his Theogony<\/em> entitled The Works and the Days<\/em>, the immortal Hesiod<\/a> describes this lost paradise with an ineffable nostalgia.<\/p>\n

When men and gods were born together, first the heavenly inhabitants of Olympus created the golden age for speech-endowed mortals. Under the reign of Saturn who commanded in heaven, mortals lived like the gods, they were free from worries, works, and sufferings; cruel old age did not afflict them; their feet and hands kept constantly the same vigor, and far from all evils, they rejoiced amidst the feasts, rich in delicious fruits and dear to the blessed Immortals. They died as if chained by a sweet sleep. All good things were born around them.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The fertile land produced by itself abundant treasures; free and peaceful, they shared their riches with a crowd of virtuous friends. When the earth had enclosed this first generation in its bosom, these men, called the terrestrial genii, became the protectors and tutelary guardians of mortals: they observed their good or their bad actions, and, wrapped in a cloud, travel the entire earth spreading wealth: such is the royal prerogative they have obtained.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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\nHesiod Without the Golden Age<\/h4>\n

But believe me, Hesiod speaks of it by hearsay. The only ones who have made the most of this blessed period are not the little men, our ancestors. But the former Giants<\/a>, their masters…<\/p>\n

Theogony means Birth of the Gods. Let\u2019s see what speaking means. Hesiod attacks like this: When men and gods were born together.<\/em><\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Huh? There was a time when men and gods were not ‘born together’<\/em><\/span>? Yes, the three (or four) ages that preceded the one where we are took place without us. The first, the Golden Age, was that of the Cyclops. The second, of silver, was that of the Giants before. The third, of bronze, that of the Gods before. The fourth, that of the Heroes.<\/p>\n

The only age that saw the birth of the fifth humanity, ours, it\u2019s the Iron Age where we are.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

When Hesiod believes that we have known the golden age, he is mistaken. Moreover, in his Theogony, there is no place for the golden age so gentle and peaceful<\/strong>. Nothing but fights, pitched battles, deadly hecatombs. In previous ages, the Gods fought tirelessly and fearfully against beings of unheard-of power: gigantic snakes, hydra-flies, octopuses with indescribable tentacles, and enormous long-necked beasts in which we can recognize dinosaurians.<\/p>\n

The golden age is like happiness: it is recognized only when it is past.<\/p>