“Another story I remember from high school was about Prometheus.  So, Prometheus was a titan. During his time, Earth did not have the element of fire because fire was intended only for the Gods.  One day, Prometheus had given fire to humanity and it caused chaos both on earth and with the Gods.  As punishment, he was forced to push a boulder up a hill and he is stuck doing this task for eternity.” – Anonymous

Anonymous had learned this story from high school through a Latin class that required the teaching of Roman mythology.  These stories were told orally; however, they were given as curriculum to the teachers by way of written commercialized folklore which may affect its authenticity.

As I analyzed Anonymous’ story, I connected it to the bible, especially since it has Roman origins (as someone who attended Roman Catholic schools their whole life).  There could be varying stories of how each element was brought to Earth, but in this case, it was gifted by Prometheus.  I believe his intent was not to start chaos, but to share beauty in what he and the Gods had created.  Just as God in the bible intended to bring life and natural beauty together, but the devil or some other power will always interfere if we are not careful.  As Prometheus is sentenced to punishment for eternity without intent of harm, it could also be reflected with Jesus carrying and dying on the cross for others’ sins.

As the element of fire was a privilege that was not meant for people, but for Gods and titans.  This could resemble something in our time today in how certain powers are only given to certain individuals who are deemed worthy of harnessing that power.  However, abuse of power is always prevalent and can cause extreme chaos as seen in this story with Prometheus.  It had made me recognize the repetition of history and patterns seen in folklore that can come true in modern time and emphasizes the importance of sharing these stories to learn more about our present.