Hesiod

Hesiod’s name is interpreted as meaning “the one who sends the song”, which may suggest that he belonged to the group of aoidoi – renowned singers in ancient Greece who entertained court banquets with songs celebrating the deeds of gods, heroes, and legendary figures.

The poet tended flocks on the slopes of Mount Helicon, where, according to his own account, he experienced his first poetic “revelation,” which inspired the creation of the epic The Birth of the Gods (Theogony). In this work, he discusses the origins of the world, describing successive generations of deities and their relationships with nature and human beings, while also attributing divine ancestry to the families of rulers.

His didactic epic Works and Days contains a collection of agricultural, ethical, and philosophical advice. The inspiration for its creation was a dispute with his brother Perses over the division of their inheritance, which had been unjustly settled by aristocratic judges.