Cronus/Kronos- as previously mentioned has often been linked with the older deity Khronos i.e Father Time. He is given as Gaia and Ouranos' youngest son, and was persuaded by Gaia to lead his siblings in a revolt against their father Ouranos, when he imprisoned their more monstrous siblings. Cronus cut off his father's genitals with an adamantine sickle Gaia gave him and thus assumed power, but he betrayed Gaia by reimprisoning the monstrous children- the Hecatonchires, the Gigantes, and the Cyclopes. His age was known as the Golden Age, said to be divine and perfect without law or crime. Despite this Cronus is still usually represented as a paranoid tyrant.
Sometimes he was said to have obtained rule by casting down Ophion/Ophioneus and his consort Eurynome, aided by his wife Rhea. Eurynome was a daughter of Okeanos and wrestled by Rhea.
When Ouranos (and/or Gaia in some sources) predicted that he would be overthrown by his own child he swallowed them one by one at birth, but Rhea switched baby Zeus with a stone. When Zeus grew up he or Metis forced Cronus to regurgitate his now grown siblings with an emetic, and after freeing the Hecatonchires, the Gigantes, and the Cyclopes, Zeus started the war known as Titanomachy. Cronus lost the war and was banished to Tartarus or drugged with honey and chained in Nyx's cave were he dreamed and prophesied.
He is also father to the wise centaur Chiron, siring her with the nymph Philyra. Cronus transformed into a horse when Rhea found him with Philyra, giving his son his half-horse form.
In some stories Zeus freed him from Tartarus to rule on the Blessed Isles.
The Kronia was an Athenian festival in his honour during which rich, poor, slaves and the free all became equal and mingled.
His Roman counterpart was Saturn/Saturnus a god of liberation, harvest, wealth and time who was more benevolent than Cronus. His first consort was Lua, a goddess to whom soldiers offered weapons they had taken from their enemies, and his second consort was Ops, the Roman counterpart of Rhea. He was viewed as the first king of Italy, said to be welcomed by the god Janus after his son Jupiter cast him out. In this story he actually came from Greece and thus was one and the same as Cronus rather a counterpart. As with Cronus he ruled in a Golden Age and a festival was held in his honour, Saturnalia.
Hyperion- the god of watchfulness, wisdom, and light, consort to Theia and father to Eos, Helios and Selene. He is associated with the East, and said to have held Ouranos down at this point when Cronus wished to attack him. He is known as the Watcher. Presumably he fought alongside his siblings against the Greek gods and was imprisoned in Tartarus for it. Sometimes he is considered a sun Titan, predecssor to his son Helios.
Okeanos/Oceanos- See previous page. He did not take part in the revolt again Ouranos nor did he battle Zeus.
Krios/Crius/Kreios- Titan of the constellations. His consort was Eurybia and his children were Astraios, Pallas and Perses. He is associated with the South. Through Perses he was the grandfather of Hecate. He was linked to the constellation Aries.
Koios/Coeus- His consort was Phoebe and with her he was father to Leto and Asteria. Through Leto he was the grandfather of Artemis and Apollo, and through Asteria he was the grandfather of Hecate. He was associated with the mind, prophecies and the North, and the celestial axis.
He had a Roman counterpart, Polus.
Iapetos/Iapetus/Japetus- His consort was an Oceanid named Clymene/Klymene or Asia, with her he fathered Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius. He is given as the Titan of mortal lifespan. He is associated with the West.
Rhea from God of War II
Rhea- The consort of Cronus and with him parent of the Olympians. Goddess of female fertility and motherhood. When Cronus started devouring their children she went to Gaia and Ouranos for help, they helped her devise the plan to swap Zeus with a rock, sparing him and giving him a chance to grow up to save his siblings. She hid Zeus in a cave in Crete on Mt. Ida were he was raised either by Gaia, the goat Amalthea, a nymph called Amalthea or Adamanthea whilst the Curetes made noise to drown out his cries.
The Curetes/Korybantes/Corybantes became her followers, they were armed dancers, male and drummers they were nine or three in number. The Dactyls were similar followers, small phallic smiths and healers who numbered ten and were said to be created when Rhea drove her fingers into the ground during labor. Three were named- Acmon (anvil), Damnameneus (hammer), and Celmis (casting). Other names were Heracles (thumb), Aeonius (forefinger), Epimedes (middle finger), Jasius (ring finger/healing finger), and Idas (little finger). Also Paionios, Epimedes, and Iasios.
With Ichnaea/Ikhnaeie, Dione, Themis and Amphitrite she attended the birth of Apollo and Artemis. They washed and clothed Apollo once he was born.
She was also sent by Zeus, according to Homeric Hymns, to bring Demeter back to the Olympians after she was reunited with Persephone in the Underworld.
In one story she helped the Moirae restore Pelops to life after his father Tantalus had slain him and served him to the gods.
She has strong ties to the Great Goddess Cybele and they are often seen as one and the same, they are both also linked to Gaia, seen as mother and earth goddesses. She is shown and associated with lions, two pull her chariot.
Her Roman counterpart is Ops/Opis. A fertility , riches, prosperity, and earth goddess she was Saturn's second wife and was usually shown holding a sceptre or corn. She was also linked to the god Consus, god of grains, storage bins and secret conferences, whose symbol was a grain seed.
Phoebe/Phoibe- Consort to Koios and titanness of the bright and intellect. She is mother to Leto and Asteria and through the former grandmother of Apollo and Artemis and through the latter grandmother of Hecate. She is described as radiant and gold-crowned. She is described as prophet, the Oracle of Delphi after Gaia and Themis, she gifted it to Apollo. It is from her that Apollo takes the title Phoebus Apollo. She was a titan of the moon too, predecessor to Selene.
Theia/Thea/Thia- The titan of sight and shining light/brightness ih the sky and jewels. Her consort was Hyperion and with him she was parent to Eos, Helios and Selene. Another name for her was Euryphaessa (wide-shining).
Ikhnaie/Ichnaea the tracing goddess who had an oracle at Thessalia may have been another form of her, alternatively she was a daughter of Helios and thus Thea's granddaughter.
Tethys- See previous page
Themis- The titan of divine law and order. She was associated with prophecy and was the second Oracle of Delphi, after Gaia and before Phoebe. She is depicted holding the scales of balance and sometimes a sword. She was the second wife of Zeus and with him she had the Horae/Horai (season and time goddesses, Auxo (grower), Carpo (fruit bringer) and Thallo (plant raiser), or Eunomia (order of law), Eirene (peace) and Dike (justice) ), and the Moirae (Atropos, Clotho and Lachesis).
She presided over order amongst men and women, family and courts. When she was ignored, Nemesis avenged her.
With Ichnaea/Ikhnaeie, Dione, Rhea and Amphitrite she attended the birth of Apollo, washed him and clothed him.
She advised Deucalion, the sole male survivor of the deluge, to repopulate the earth by throwing the bones of his mother over his shoulder i.e stones.
She sat beside Zeus and acted as his counsellor, advising him over the Trojan War, telling him not to murder thieves who had stolen honey from the Dictaean Cave in which he was born and other affairs.
As an oracular goddess she predicted that Thetis would birth a son more powerful than his father, that the golden apples in the Garden of the Hesperides would be taken from Atlas by a son of Zeus, and that the Titans and Gigantes would fall.
Her Roman counterpart was Justitia/Iustitia, also known as Lady Justice, also linked to her daughter Dike.
Mnemosyne- the Titan of memory and mother to the nine Muses with Zeus. She presided over Lethe, the river of forgetfulness in the Underworld.
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