I am sure we all know about Greek Mythology right? Many of us have even read the Percy Jackson series. However, Greek mythology is really confusing. Don't worry. It will be clear soon. Read ahead to untangle the web.
Introduction
I think a lot of people assumed that this post is going to start with Zeus, lord of the sky and the ruler of Olympus. But...no. Greek Mythology has more before Zeus came into existence, Yep, We are going to start at the very beginning, way before Zeus raised his thunderbolt and became king of Olympus. We are going to start with Chaos.
What was there before the Gods?
First, There was Chaos. Chaos further created to Erebos (darkness), Nyx (Night) and according to some sources Gaia (Earth), Tartarus (The abyss) and Eros (Love/desire) too. However, other sources claim the last three came independently and that Chaos only created Erebos and Nyx. These are known as Primordials.
Next, Nyx and Erebos together gave birth to Hemera (Day) and Aether (Light). But, they are not part of our story and indeed, our story is complex enough without adding them as well. Gaia self-created Ouranous(sky), Pontus (sea) and Ourea (mountains).
Gaia and Ouranous/Uranus- First generation of Titans
This pair, earth and sky, together made the Titans. But, who were titans? The Titans were the generation of gods before the olympians. Now, From here our story gets complex. Gaia and Ouranous together gave birth to the following 12 Titans:
Male Titans
Oceanus - Titan of the great river/ ocean
Hyperion - Titan of light
Coeus - Titan of Intellect and the axis of heaven
Crius- Titan of constellations
Iapetus - Titan of morality (Yes! Bob in Percy Jackson series!)
Cronus- King of the titans, defeated by his son Zeus.
Female Titans/ Titaness
Theia - Titaness of sight and shining light.
Rhea - Titaness of fertility and motherhood (Mother of Zeus and his siblings and wife of Cronus)
Themis - Titaness of divine law and justice
Mnemosyne - Titaness of memory
Tethys - Titaness of freshwater
Phoebe - Titaness of prophecy and radiance
Second generation of Titans
A lot of children, right? Well, here's the weird part. A lot of them actually had more children with their own 'siblings'. Yep, this is seen in a lot of myths in Greek Mythology. The children of these Titans are known as the Second-generation of Titans.
Hyperion + Theia = Helios (The Sun god), Selene (The moon goddess) and Eos (the dawn goddess)
Coeus + Pheobe = Leto (the mother of Artemis and Apollo) and Asteria (Goddess of falling stars)
Iapetus + Clymene (an oceanoid- type of sea nymph) = Atlas (The Titan who holds up the sky), Prometheus (Foresight) (Created the humans and gifted them fire. He was punished by Zeus who nailed him to a mountain in Caucasus and sent an eagle to eat his immortal liver which constantly replenished itself.), Epimethus (Hindsight) (He married Pandora, a woman created by Zeus. Pandora took off the great lid of the jar which was given by her father and evils, hard work and disease flew to plague humanity. Only hope remained within.) Menoetius (Violent and prideful)
Cronus + Rhea = The Olympians- Zeus (Lord of the sky), Poseidon (God of the sea), Hades (God of the underworld), Hera (Goddess of marriage) and Hestia (Goddess of the hearth)
Overthrowing Ouranous
After the Titans were created, Ouranous, fearing the power of his children, imprisoned them back inside Gaia, causing her intense pain. Gaia, furious and desperate, crafted a sickle and asked her children to overthrow their cruel father. When nobody volunteered, Cronus stepped up. One night, he attacked his father with a sickle and threw his genitals into the sea. From his spilled blood came Aphrodite (The goddess of love) and in some versions, the furies too.
War of the Gods
The Titans ruled the cosmos for ages, with Cronus as their king. But, a prophecy warned him that one of his children would overthrow him- just as he had once overthrown his own father- Ouranous. Fearing this fate, he swallowed (Yes! Swallowed!) his children at birth. However, Rhea hid baby Zeus at his birth and tricked Cronus by feeding him a stone in a cloth. Once Zeus came of age, he came out of the shadows and confronted his father. With the help of a magical potion, Zeus made Cronus vomit out his sibling- Hestia, Hera, Poseidon and Hades- now fully grown gods. These siblings- the Olympians- challenged the gods for control of the universe. Thus began the Titanomachy, a war that lasted ten years. Eventually? The Olympians emerged victorious. Most of the Titans were banished to Tartarus (Deepest abyss of the Underworld) with some exceptions like that of Prometheus and Oceanus due to their neutrality. This marked the age of the Olympians and ended the rule of the Titans.
Simplified Version
What about the Giants?
The Giants were also children of Gaia. Stay tuned for Before the Gods- Origins of Greek Mythology Part 2 to learn more.
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