32 pages
The Titans
The children of Earth and Sky who ruled before Zeus, and the sun, moon, stars and craftsmen they had in turn.
Hesiod names twelve Titans, born to Gaia and Uranus: Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, Theia, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Tethys and Cronus. Phoebe has no page on this site yet; the others do.
Uranus kept the children hidden inside Gaia, so Cronus cut him down with a sickle and became king. He in turn swallowed his own children, until Zeus forced him to bring them up and led the Olympians in a ten-year war, the Titanomachy. Most of the Titans were imprisoned in Tartarus afterwards.
The second generation is what makes the Titans matter for later stories. Hyperion and Theia's children are the sun, moon and dawn. Iapetus's sons include Atlas and Prometheus. Several figures listed here, such as Metis and Dione, are strictly Oceanids, daughters of Oceanus and Tethys, but belong to the same older world.
The Titans of Hesiod
Cronus, Rhea and their siblings.
OceanusThe great river that circles the worldOceanus is the Titan of the world-encircling river, the source of all rivers and springs.CoeusThe Titan of intelligent questioningCoeus is a Titan, husband of Phoebe and grandfather of Apollo and Artemis through his daughter Leto.CriusA Titan of the constellations, according to later readersCrius is one of the twelve Titans, the husband of Eurybia and the father of Astraeus, Pallas and Perses.HyperionLight from above, and father of the sun, moon and dawnHyperion is the Titan of light, the father of Helios, Selene and Eos with his sister Theia.IapetusFather of Atlas, Menoetius, Prometheus and EpimetheusIapetus is a Titan, and the father of four sons who each meet a bad end: Atlas, Menoetius, Prometheus and Epimetheus.TheiaSight and shiningTheia is a Titaness associated with sight and brightness, the mother of the sun, moon and dawn.RheaMother of the OlympiansRhea is a Titaness, the sister and wife of Cronus, and the mother of the first Olympians.ThemisDivine order, law and customThemis is a Titaness who stands for the settled order of things: law, custom and what is right.MnemosyneMemory, and mother of the MusesMnemosyne is the Titaness of memory. Zeus spent nine nights with her, and she bore the nine Muses.TethysMother of rivers and the OceanidsTethys is the Titaness of fresh water, the wife of Oceanus and the mother of the rivers.CronusKing of the Titans before ZeusCronus, youngest of the first Titans, overthrew his father Uranus and was himself overthrown by his son Zeus.
Their children and kin
Their sons and daughters, and others counted with them.
AnytosA guardian in ArcadiaAnytos is a Titan named by Pausanias as one of the guardians who raised the infant goddess Despoina.AsteriaFalling stars and the island of DelosAsteria is a Titaness of the stars, the sister of Leto, who turned into an island to escape Zeus.AstraeusThe stars and the windsAstraeus is a Titan of the stars. With the dawn goddess Eos he fathered the winds and the stars.AtlasThe one who carries the skyAtlas is a Titan condemned by Zeus to hold up the sky at the western edge of the world.ClymeneAn Oceanid; mother of Atlas, Prometheus and their brothersClymene, an Oceanid, is the wife of Iapetus and the mother of Atlas, Menoetius, Prometheus and Epimetheus.DioneA goddess of DodonaDione is a goddess associated with Zeus at Dodona and, in Homer, the mother of Aphrodite.EosThe dawnEos is the dawn, who opens the gates of day with rosy fingers.EpimetheusAfterthoughtEpimetheus, whose name means afterthought, is Prometheus's brother, who accepted Pandora despite being warned.EurybiaMother of Astraeus, Pallas and Perses; her name means wide forceEurybia is a daughter of Pontus and Gaia, married to the Titan Crius, and the mother of Astraeus, Pallas and Perses.HecateA goddess honoured at crossroads, doorways and in night ritesHecate is a Titan's daughter whom Zeus honoured above the other gods, and who later became a goddess of crossroads and witchcraft.HeliosThe sunHelios is the sun god, who drives a chariot across the sky each day and sees everything.LelantosA Titan known only as the father of AuraLelantos is a Titan named by the late epic poet Nonnus as the father of the huntress Aura.LetoMother of Apollo and ArtemisLeto is a Titaness and the mother of Apollo and Artemis, born on the island of Delos.MenoetiusViolent prideMenoetius is a son of Iapetus, whom Zeus struck down with a thunderbolt for his arrogance during the Titan war.MetisCunning intelligenceMetis, an Oceanid, was Zeus's first wife. She personified cunning, and Zeus swallowed her before Athena could be born.NesoiThe islands, as nymphsThe Nesoi are the island nymphs, counted among the many daughters of Oceanus and Tethys.PallasA Titan of warfare, father of Victory and StrengthPallas is a Titan, the son of Crius, who married Styx and fathered Zelus, Nike, Kratos and Bia.PersesDestruction, and the father of HecatePerses is a Titan, brother of Astraeus and Pallas, and the father of the goddess Hecate.PhoebeA Titaness of bright prophecy; grandmother of Apollo and ArtemisPhoebe, whose name means bright, is a Titaness, the wife of Coeus and the mother of Leto and Asteria.PrometheusForethought, fire and craftPrometheus is the Titan who tricked Zeus on behalf of humans, stole fire for them and paid for it.SeleneThe moonSelene is the moon goddess, who drives her silver chariot across the night sky.