The Flood 

Towards the end of the Age of Bronze the human world became very cruel．

Men grew hungry，impolite and ungodly．Neither rightn or law was respected any longer，and the rule of hospitality was forgotten．Dressed up in human form，Zeus visited Arcadia andThessaly，and disliked the deadly wrongs of men ．He decidedto clear the earth of them all．Without hesitation¹ he released therainy south wind and called upon the heartless Poseidon to help．Soon the whole world sank in a vast ocean， and the entire humanrace disappeared in the unheard of flood，all but two poor Thessalians ．

These were an old childless couple，kind and faithful and contented² with life．The man was called Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha．Son of Prometheus，Deucalion had been warned beforehand by his father of the coming flood  and made himself a hugechest．When the roaring flood came the couple hid themselves init and floated for nine days until it touched land again on Mt Parnassus．

The once active world presented a frightening sight．It was all death and ruin．Feeling lonely and unsafe，the old coupleprayed to the gods for help．A sage³ instructed them to cast the bones of their mother about ．The son of the wise Titan， havingguessed the true meaning of the mysterious command， started throwing stones behind him． A miracle occurred． The stonesthat the man cast became men；the stones that the woman threwturned into women．Since then，people appeared on the land again．The Heroic Age had begun．

到了青铜期末代，人类世界变得非常残忍，人类也变得贪婪、粗鲁且不虔诚。公理与法律不再受到尊重。殷勤好客的风俗被遗忘。宙斯装扮成凡人的样子查看了阿卡迪亚和色萨利两地。他不喜欢凡人极度的罪恶，决心将他们从地球上铲除。他毫不犹豫地释放了夹雨的南风，并召来冷酷无情的波塞冬协助他。很快整个人类世界被淹没在一片汪洋之中。除了两名恭顺的色萨利人幸免于难外，人类被史无前例的洪水吞噬。

这对老夫妻没有孩子。他们善良、虔诚、对生活心满意足。丈夫是普罗米修斯的儿子，名叫丢卡利翁，妻子名为皮拉。丢卡利翁的父亲事先就警告他会爆发洪水，因此，他制了个巨大的箱子。当咆哮的洪水涌来时，夫妻俩就躲藏在箱中，这样漂泊了九天，最终漂到了帕那萨斯山。

曾经生机勃勃的大地呈现出恐怖的景象。死亡与毁灭四处可见。老夫妻深感孤独和危险。他们就向上帝祈祷，乞求帮助。一位圣人指示他们把母亲的遗骨掷向四周。这位聪明的泰坦的后代，马上悟出了这个神秘指示所隐含的意义。他们开始将石头抛向身后。奇迹出现了。男人抛出的石头变成了男人，女人抛的则变成了女人。从此人类再次在陆地上出现，英雄时代来临。