Titans

Remember the Titans Jasmine Cunning and powerful, the Greek Titans once ruled the universe we live in today (according to Greek mythology, if you believe in it). Without the Titans, there would be no Olympians, the Greek gods and goddesses that are more commonly known to us today. My intention is to find out who the Titans were, what each one was responsible for, which Titans gave birth to which gods and goddesses, if they were more powerful than the Olympians, and what the Greeks believe ruled before the Titans.

Titans are, in Greek religion and mythology, the sons and daughters of Uranus and Gaea. With six sons and six daughters, there are twelve main Titans. Their names are Kronos, Iapetus, Hyperion, Oceanus, Coeus, Creus, Theia, Rhea, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Tethys, and Themis. Their offspring, Prometheus, Atlas, Hecate, Selene, and Helios, are sometimes known as the Titans as well. Led by Kronos, the twelve main Titans destroyed their father so they could have complete control over the universe. Kronos and the rest of the Titans paid dearly for their actions, as they were forced into a great battle with the Olympians when Zeus released the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires (hundred-handed giants) from Tatarus, a land far beneath the Earth. They helped to defeat the Titans with their power and weapons in the crusade that is known as the Titanomachy. Zeus led the Olympians to a victory during that war. All who sided with Zeus were granted permission to remain on Olympus, while the rest of the Titans were sentenced to go somewhere else. Each was designated a specific responsibility to Earth that they would forever be committed to. ([|Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia])

Kronos, the youngest of the Titans who became their leader, was the God of eternal time ([|University Press Inc.]) and the leader and king of the Titans. He is often depicted bearing a sickle, given to him by his mother, Gaea. Iapetus is the one Titan mentioned by Homer in The Iliad. Different stories suggest different ideas, but the most popular one in Greek mythology is that he was married to the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. Hyperion was the Titan god of light. He was married to Theia. Ancient Greeks once believed that the ocean was a very large river that encircled the world. Oceanus is the Titan who was thought to be that large river. Coeus was the Titan of intelligence. Although not as well known as some of the others, he still played a key role to the Greeks in ancient times. Little is known about the Titan Creus, so all we know is that he was the son of Gaea and Uranus. Theia’s name alone simply means “goddess.” She was the wife of her brother, Hyperion, and the mother of his children. Rhea was the wife of Kronos, and she had six children with him. Her name means “she who flows.” Mnemosyne was the female Titan of memory. When ancient Greeks spoke of memory, they spoke of it as if it were living, which is how Mnemosyne came about in mythology. Phoebe was the female Titan of brilliance and was originally associated with the moon. She gave birth to three children with her brother, Coeus. Tethys was the sea goddess and wife of Oceanus. Together they produced three thousand ocean nymphs and created the rivers. Themis was one of the female Titans and she was very commonly known because she was so ancient (she was one of the first Titans to be known by people). Some believe that she was the goddess of virtue and justice, but she was also thought to take part in deciding the afterlife of one's mortal spirit. Along with all their marriages came children, and lots of them. (Crystal)

Kronos and Rhea first began with five children, and they were Demeter, Hera, Hades, Hestia, and Poseidon. All of them were swallowed by Kronos immediately after birth. When their final child, Zeus, was born, Rhea made a plan to save him from his carnivorous father. She gave birth to Zeus in Crete and presented to Kronos a stone wrapped up in clothes, which he then swallowed. Rhea hid Zeus in a cave on Mount Ida so Kronos would not know that he existed and was safe. There are different versions of how Zeus was raised from there. Iapetus had three children, and they are Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Atlas, but his wife is not known. Hyperion had three children with his wife Theia, and they are Eos the light of dawn and day, Helios the sun, and Selene the moon. Oceanus and his wife Tethys do not have any children other than the nymphs and rivers they created. Coeus, the Titan of intelligence, and Phoebe were the parents of Leto. Creus fathered Astraios and Pallas as well as Perses, but his wife, too, remains unknown. Mnemosyne, as a result of sleeping with Zeus for nine nights in a row, created the Nine Muses. Themis is known to have created the Fates (Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos) and the Seasons on her own. What the Titans did not know at the time was that the generations to come from their offspring (the Olympians) would someday take over. ([|M. Hunt])

At first, the Titans were the most powerful creatures in the universe. Once their father, Uranus, was destroyed, the Titans completely took over. Kronos thought he had eaten all of his children, for he did not know that Zeus was safe in Crete. When Zeus was grown, he confronted Kronos and freed his brothers and sisters that had been stuck inside his stomach for all those years. By this time, all of Zeus’ siblings had grown to their full potential. There are multiple versions of how Zeus rescued them. One story suggests that Zeus forced Kronos to regurgitate them. Another theory is that Zeus cut open the stomach of Kronos and let them all out. Then he released the brothers of Kronos along with the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires. Zeus and his siblings were not happy about the things that were done to them, so they took action and declared war. Because of the Olympians’ advantage in numbers, they won the Titanomachy and took over. Just as Kronos had feared from the time he conquered his own father, he and the rest of the Titans were under the rule of their children. For this reason, Kronos had eaten all of his children until Zeus came along and he was tricked. This made them more powerful than even the Titans. Prior to the Titans being in control, there must have been something else that ruled the universe. ([|Crystal])

Long before the Titans, there was only Chaos. It is not entirely clear what Chaos was, but it is believed to be the long silent abyss from which all things came into existence. Later, a theory ([|B. Hunt]) suggested that it was a formless matter from which the cosmos, or harmonious order, was created. According to legend, it created the Earth and the cloud-filled Heaven ([|M. Hunt]). Another more humane name for Earth was Gaea, and Heaven was also known as Uranus, who early Greeks believed was the very first to have ruled the world. Uranus then created the Hecatoncheires, and Gaea, following his lead, produced the Cyclopes. Uranus and Gaea finally made the twelve Titans, but Uranus insisted they be kept locked up, as he was not a very decent parent and took pleasure in having his children in darkness. As the Titans grew up in the land of Tartarus, Gaea was grieving the absence of her beloved children. She presented her best son Kronos with a sickle. When Uranus came to make love with Gaea, Kronos revealed himself to his father and attacked him. He cut off his testicles and let them fall into the sea, allowing for the freedom and birth of other gods and goddesses. ([|Gill])

Although the Titans were not directly recognized for their feats by the ancient Greeks, they did provide them with the Olympians. Without these gods and goddesses, the people would have had no deities to praise and worship throughout their lives.

Works Cited

Crystal, Ellie. "The Titans." Crystalinks Home Page. Ellie Crystal, 2010. Web. 03 Dec. 2010. [].

Gill, N. S. "Greek Creation Myths." Ancient / Classical History - Ancient Greece. The New York Times Company, 2010. Web. 09 Dec. 2010. [].

Hare, John B. "The Theogony of Hesiod." Internet Sacred Text Archive Home. 2010. Web. 08 Dec. 2010. [].

Hunt, John M. "Greek Mythology: Story Creation." University of Tennessee: Department of Mathematics. The University of Tennessee, 2010. Web. 03 Dec. 2010. [].

Hunt, John M. "Greek Mythology: The Titans." SDSU College of Education: Home Page. San Diego State University. Web. 03 Dec. 2010. [].

Pearson Education. "Titans, in Greek Religion and Mythology." EBSCO. Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, 01 July 2010. Web. 03 Dec. 2010. [|http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=17&sid=21545295-0f71-47ef-91fa-e361bc28c4dd%40sessionmgr10&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ulh&AN=39036339].

University Press Inc. "Titans of Ancient Greece." Ancient Greece - History, Mythology, Art, War, Culture, Society, and Architecture. University Press Inc., 2008. Web. 03 Dec. 2010. [].