Images of Darkness
Darkness is a first-generation god in this story, so primordial that the word "god" seems to fail to refer to Darkness completely. The imagery of the unknown is contained in the passages about Darkness and her children and grandchildren, Night, Death, Doom, Fear—all corresponding in some way to the human discomfort toward the unknown. The imagery of Darkness is a reference to the unknowable aspects of human life.
Order as the imposition of authority
When order is introduced by the pantheon, it comes as a celebration of a victory. Zeus is so powerful that he can defeat the Titanic forces of creation and submit them to his authority. He sets them into Tartarus, which is a pit of eternal oblivion. That doesn't mean Titans die and go to hell—they are still active, but they have to overcome Zeus himself in order to effect reality. Therefore, order is portrayed in Zeus's story, in the imagery associated with him imposing his will.
Natural imagery
When there is no picture of heavenly courts, we return to the literal imagery of human life on earth. There are ample references to different kinds of plant and animal life, as well as a thorough account of how the natural order developed. Among the elements of nature explained by these god stories include: night, day, the sun, the moon, the human discovery of fire on the Veldt, the human discovery of social order, and also, the passage of time and the progress of life from one lifeform to infinite lifeforms.
Human imagery
Hesiod makes an interesting assumption in his Theogony which is simply this: All his gods are humanoid in form. Zeus stands upright and throws lightning from his hands. All these gods are sexually enabled like humans and mate like humans. They experience the same field of emotions, albeit on an extreme level, and they are said to be ugly or beautiful. These characters which are painted with divine language are from Hesiod's mind, and in his mind, all the gods are primates.
