Synopsis
Overview
The Titanomachy was the war between the Olympians and their fore-bearers the Titans.[1]
The Titans were the children and progeny of the ancient primeval sky-god Ouranos and his wife Gaea the primeval Earth-goddess. Ouranos was very proud of the Titans for their physical perfection, but Gaea had other children, known as the Cyclopes, who had one eye in the center of their heads, and the hundred-armed Hekatonkheires. Ouranos hated his other children and exiled them into the other-dimensional world of Tartarus. Gaea greatly grieved for her children and called upon one of her sons to depose Ouranos and free their siblings from the underworld. None of her sons would raise a weapon against Ouranos except for Cronus, the youngest of the Titans, who used a sickle to castrate Ouranos and dismember his corpse. The dying Ouranos prophesied that Cronus would be overthrown by one of his own sons.[2]
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Cronus seized Olympus and ruled over Ancient Greece, but he neglected to free the Cyclopes or the Hekatonkheires. His wife, Rhea, upon the birth of each of his own children, Cronus had the infant imprisoned in Tartarus. The offspring he sent there were Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia. Appalled at the mistreatment of their children, Cronus's wife Rhea concealed her sixth pregnancy from him and secretly gave birth to Zeus and hid him on the island of Crete.[1]
Zeus grew to adulthood among the shepherds of Mount Ida, Crete, and then set about taking revenge on Cronus. Zeus went down into Tartarus and freed his siblings, who had all now grown to adulthood, Zeus also freed the three one-eyed giants called Cyclopes and the three hundred-handed giants called Hekatonchieres, all six of whom Cronus had imprisoned there for fear they would help overthrow him.[1] The Cyclopes provided the young Olympians powerful weapons to defeat the the gave Poseidon a powerful "Trident", Hades the Helm of Invisibility and gave Zeus the powerful "Thunderbolts". The young Olypmians and his allies fought a ten year war with the Titans which ended with Zeus's victory. [1]
Aftermath
The Titans were imprisoned in Tartarus, and the Hekatonkheires were made their guards. Atlas was given the special punishment of holding up the heavens.[3]
Following their final victory, the three brothers divided the world among themselves: Zeus was given Olympus, and was recognized as overlord. Poseidon was given the oceans of Earth, whereas Hades was given the Underworld, the realm of the dead. He was tasked with guarding the Titans for all eternity.See Also
- 1 minor appearance(s) of Titanomachy
- 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Titanomachy
- 1 image(s) of Titanomachy
- 3 article(s) related to Titanomachy