Who were the Titans?

The Titans first appeared in Hesiod’s Theogony, where he gives an account of their birth and realms they ruled. They were the children of Gaea, their primordial Earth Mother, and that of her son, Ouranos, who was the god of Heaven. There were twelve siblings, though there were countless more. With all mythologies, the more renowned gods and goddesses held greater importance compared to those who had lesser roles and not as common but were considered as essential to the daily life of the ancient peoples.

The main players were Kronos, Okeanos, Iapetos, Hyperion, Krios, Koeos, Rhea, Tethys, Theia, Phoibe, Themis and Mnemosyne and then followed by their children Atlas, Prometheos, Epimetheos and Menoetios. Many of the names are recognisable, and still used today such as Phoebe. The family grew to include Helios, Selene and Eos, Leto, Asteria and Hekate and Pallas, Astraeos and Perses.
(The spelling with the ‘i’ ‘k’ and ‘o’ is Greek, the Latin form is with a ‘c’, ‘e’, and ‘u’.)

The word ‘Titan’ has a few definitions, one is a family of giants who ruled the earth until the Olympian Gods overthrew them; the second, a derivative of the first, is one who is gigantic in size and power; and another definition refers to standing out for greatness of achievement. (Merriam-Webster, n.d.)

The Titans were important to development of Greek mythology and explained the evolution of the world. They ruled the cosmos long before the Olympian Gods took power and were responsible for ordering time, not as we know it today but did systemise it giving it order and phases, and also established the ‘heavenly cycles’. (Theoi, 2017). In essence, the Titans created day and night, the sky, the moon, and sun.

They were powerful deities, and like a troubled family, there was niggling, arguing and patricide. Now, who said ancient history and mythology was boring?

In my next instalment, I’ll discuss the various Titans and their roles in the cosmos. 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, A. J. (2017). Titans & Titanesses | Theoi Greek mythology. THEOI GREEK MYTHOLOGY – Exploring Mythology in Classical Literature & Art. https://www.theoi.com/greek-mythology/titans.html

Cornelisz. van Haarlem, C. (1588 to 1590). The Fall of the Titans [Painting]. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titans#/media/File:Cornelis_Cornelisz._van_Haarlem_-_The_Fall_of_the_Titans_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
Public Domain

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Titan. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved February 9, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/titan

ancient greece, Ancient History, Greek Mythology, myths and legends