The Olympians take over

It’s been some time since the last article on the battle between the Titans and Olympians, or more accurately, between Kronos and his son, Zeus. What followed next was a complete annexation of the Titans and the dominion of the world taken over by the Olympian Gods. Though, there were some Titans who didn’t fight against the younger gods and rewarded for their support. The female Titans were free to live, and Themis (who Zeus married later) and Mnemosyne, became Zeus’ lovers, and birthed the Fates and the Muses.

Zeus’ first wife was Metis, who had protected him on the island of Crete as a baby and then into adolescence. But like his father before him, he was paranoid about losing his power as King of the Gods and Men, and there was a prophecy a child between himself and Metis would be his equal. Zeus decided that wasn’t going to happen and somehow sweet-talked Metis into allowing him to subsume her into his belly. He didn’t eat her like Kronos had done with his children, but she ceased to exist afterwards.

Now Zeus, king of the gods, made Metis his wife first, and she was wisest among gods and mortal men. But when she was about to bring forth the goddess bright-eyed Athene, Zeus craftily deceived her with cunning words and put her in his own belly, as Earth and starry Heaven advised. For they advised him so, to the end that no other should hold royal sway over the eternal gods in place of Zeus; for very wise children were destined to be born of her, first the maiden bright-eyed Tritogeneia, equal to her father in strength and in wise understanding; but afterwards she was to bear a son of overbearing spirit, king of gods and men. But Zeus put her into his own belly first, that the goddess might devise for him both good and evil. Hesiod, Lines 886

Zeus had numerous liaisons with the Titanides before marrying Hera, and his wanderings didn’t stop there, having had affairs with many mortal women. It will take many articles to cover Zeus’ philandering!

With regards to the male Titans, exceptions were Prometheos, his brother Epimetheos and somehow, Okeanos, who managed to avoid imprisonment. All others were incarcerated, except Kronos, who escaped and Atlas, who was condemned to hold up the ‘heavens and sky for eternity’ (Hesiod) following the near collapse of the sky onto the earth that was precipitated by the war.

Zeus then divided the world into three realms. He became ruler of the celestial region and known as ‘god of gods’, Poseidon, the sea god, and Hades the god of the underworld. The goddesses had realms that were earthlier.

BTW, Kronos wasn’t on the run for too long and did end up being banished to Tartaros with the other Titans.

Thank you for your continued support and as always, I look forward to your comments and will respond.

Historical fiction novelist and a secondary teacher, Luciana Cavallaro, burnt out but not done… yet.

References:

Atsma, AJ. (2017). Hesiod, Theogony. Theoi Project. https://www.theoi.com/Text/HesiodTheogony.html

Thomas, G. (2022, July 24). Titanomachy: The War of The Gods. History Cooperative. https://historycooperative.org/Titanomachy/

Titanomachy in Greek Mythology. (nd). Greek Legends and Myths. https://www.greeklegendsandmyths.com/titanomachy.html

Download sample chapters

Ancient History, Greek Mythology, myths and legends