The Titans are the second generation of gods in Greek mythology, born of Gaia, the Earth, and Uranus, the Sky. There were twelve, six male and six female, and they ruled the world under Cronus until Zeus defeated them. See the origin of the world.
The twelve Titans
| Titan | Role | Children or famous links |
|---|---|---|
| Cronus | king of the Titans, linked to time and harvest | father of Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter and Hestia |
| Rhea | mother of the gods | wife of Cronus |
| Oceanus | the great river encircling the earth | father of rivers and the Oceanids |
| Tethys | wife of Oceanus | mother of springs and rivers |
| Hyperion | light | father of Helios (Sun), Selene (Moon) and Eos (Dawn) |
| Theia | brilliance | wife of Hyperion |
| Coeus | intellect, the axis of heaven | father of Leto, mother of Apollo and Artemis |
| Phoebe | the bright one | grandmother of Apollo and Artemis |
| Crius | the constellations | father of Astraeus, Pallas and Perses |
| Iapetus | father of mortals | father of Atlas and Prometheus |
| Themis | justice and order | mother of the Hours and, for some, the Fates |
| Mnemosyne | memory | mother of the nine Muses, with Zeus |
Children of the Titans
Many famous figures of myth are children of Titans and are sometimes called Titans too:
- Atlas, condemned to hold up the sky at the western edge of the world, whose name lives on in the Atlantic Ocean and the Atlas mountains; in one version Perseus turned him to stone with Medusa's head.
- Prometheus, the Titan who befriended humans and stole fire from the gods; see Prometheus and Pandora.
- Epimetheus, his brother, who married Pandora.
- Helios, Selene and Eos, the Sun, Moon and Dawn.
- Leto, mother of Apollo and Artemis.
The Titanomachy
Fearing he would be overthrown, Cronus swallowed his children. Zeus, saved by his mother Rhea, grew up on Crete and then led his brothers and sisters against the Titans. The war, the Titanomachy, lasted ten years and ended in victory for the Olympians. Not all Titans fought Zeus: Themis, Mnemosyne, Oceanus and Prometheus sided with him or stayed neutral and kept a place of honour. The rest were shut in Tartarus, guarded by the Hecatoncheires.
See also the twelve Olympians and the glossary.