TWELVE ORIGINAL TITANS In Greek mythology, any of the children of Uranus andGaea and their descendants.

There were 12 original Titans. The Titans were best known for their war against the Olympian gods. Many of these gods were captive within the stomach of their father, Cronus. After Zeus, king of the Olympian gods, freed his siblings the war with the Titans began. After ten long years of battle Zeus askedGaia for help. She told him to release the Cyclops and the hundred-handed ones. This led to Crius and the other Titans losing the long war. GREEK CLIPART The eldest of the Titans, Cronus and his four brothers Krios, Koios, Hyperion and Iapetos, were imprisoned TWELVE ORIGINAL TITANS after the War in the stormy pit of Tartarus, deep beneath the roots of the earth. Many of the younger Titan gods TITAN DESCENDANTS however had allied themselves with Zeus and so retained their divine portions under the new regime. Some of these later proved rebellious and were sentenced to other harsh punishments, such as Atlas, the heaven-bearer, and Prometheus. The female Titans (Titanides) remained neutral in the War, and mostly retained their positions as great prophetic goddesses, readers of time, or passed their divine privileges down to their children and descendants in the new regime. Several of these were consorts of Zeus who received a place on Mount Olympus as mothers of the younger gods. The twelve Titans were grouped in pairs, or couples; they included Oceanus and Tethys, Hyperion and Theia, Coeus and Phoebe, Cronus and Rhea and four separate gods: Mnemosyne, Themis, Crius and Iapetus. COEUS: Titan of Intelligence. Father of Leto. CRIUS (KRIOS): The Titan god of the heavenly constellations and the measurement of the year. His was the constellation Aries, the heavenly ram (which the Greeks called Krios), whose spring rising marked the beginning of the new year, and in whose wake the other constellations were said to follow. Krios was one of the four brother Titans who held their father fast, whilst Cronus castrated him with a sickle. He was later cast into the Tartarean pit by Zeus, which was probably used to explain why his constellation shone so dim: the faintest in all the heavens. Krios was sometimes also named as a leader of the Gigantes, apparently the troops of the Titan gods in some accounts. CRONUS (KRONOS): The ruling Titan who came to power by castrating his fatherUranus. His wife was Rhea. There offspring were the first of the Olympians. To insure his safety Cronus ate each of the children as they were born. This worked until Rhea, unhappy at the loss of her

children, tricked Cronus into swallowing a rock, instead of Zeus. When he grew up Zeus would revolt against Cronus and the other Titans, defeat them, and banish them to Tartarus in the underworld. Cronus managed to escape to Italy, where he ruled as Saturn. The period of his rule was said to be a golden age on earth, honored by the Saturnalia feast. HYPERION: The Titan of light, the father of the sun, the moon, and the dawn. IAPETUS: The father of Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Atlas. MNEMOSYNE: The Titan of memory and the mother of Muses. OCEANUS: Oceanus is the unending stream of water encircling the world. Together with his wife Tethys they produced the rivers and the three thousand ocean nymphs. PHOEBE: Titan of the Moon. Mother of Leto. RHEA: The wife of Cronus. Cronus made it a practice to swallow their children. To avoid this, Rhea tricked Cronus into swallowing a rock, saving her son Zeus. TETHYS: The wife of Oceanus. Together they produced the rivers and the three thousand ocean nymphs. THEA: Married her brother Hyperion. She gave birth to Helios the sun, Eos the dawn and Selene the moon. She also appears to have produced a troop of trickster monkeys called the Cercopes. THEMIS: The Titan of justice and order. She was the mother of the Fates and the Seasons

Battle of the Titans The beginning All the Titans come from Gaia and Uranus.Gaia was Earth and Uranus were the Heavens and the Skies. Together they had 18 children, 6 boys, 6 girls and 6 monsters.The six boys and six girls were called the Titans and the six monsters were the 3 Cyclops and 3 one-hundred handed ones. Uranus against the Titans Uranus then imprisoned his six monsters because they looked so ugly. Uranus put the first six sons down a deep dark pit in the Underworld called Tartarus.Gaia was deeply saddened by this and made a weapon for the Titans called a sickle. Gaia told the Titans to destroy Uranus and take the Hundred-handed ones and the Cyclopes out of the hole. Cronos was the strongest and the bravest of the Titans and took the sickle and wounded Uranus very badly and Uranus was eventually destroyed. Drops of his blood went in the ocean and these drops created the goddess Aphrodite and the Three Erinyes/Furies. But while the Titans took the Hundred-handed ones and the Cyclopes out of the pit they left them in an underworld prison guarded by a guard called Campe.

Zeus and the Olympians against the Cronos and the Titans Gaia was again deeply saddened that the hundred handed ones and the Cyclopes were still in prison but was patient because it had been foretold in prophesy that a son of the Cronos would defeat him and take over. Cronos learnt of the prophesy and began to eat all his sons and daughters before they could grew strong. Cronos and his wife Rhea had 6 children, known as the Olympians. Cronos ate Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon. When he got to his sixth son (who was Zeus) Rhea (Cronos wife) couldn't take it anymore, so instead of giving Cronos Zeus she gave him a rock wrapped in a blanket and gave Zeus to Gaia who hid him on the island of Crete. Zeus lived with the shepherds and Nymphs away from his father Cronos. He drank milk from a goat nymph. The goat nymph also gave him honey. If he cried he was so loud that the guards would have to bang their spears against their shields so that Cronos wouldn't hear him. Zeus slept in a golden cradle on a tree with guards protecting him. When Zeus was fully grown he disguised himself as a servant in Cronos palace and went to Rhea. He told Rhea to make a potion to make Cronos vomit up the 5 other Olympian gods. So Rhea made the potion and Zeus mixed it up. Cronos drank the drink and vomited up all of the children he had swallowed. A terrible war started between the Titans lead by Cronus against the Olympians lead by Zeus. The war went on for ten terrible years until Gaia told Zeus to free the hundred handed ones and the Cyclopes. So he went and killed the Campe the guard and freed the hundred handed ones and the Cyclopes. Because he freed them, the Cyclopes gave presents to the Olympians which helped them win the battle against the Titans. They gave Zeus the powerful lightning bolts, Hades the magic Cap of Invisibility which could make him invisible, and Poseidon a really sharp Trident which could rip the earth apart. Hades put on his Cap of Invisibility and stole the Titans weapons. Poseidon struck the ground ripping it apart terrifying the Titans. Then Zeus hurled his lightning bolts to drive the Titans into Tartarus. Prometheus and Epimetheus who had sided with Zeus, was allowed to remain with the new ruling gods. Atlas punishment for leading the Titans was that he had to hold the world on his shoulders forever.

Before there was Zeus and Hera overseeing the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus, the Greek Titans held the highest position in the Greek mythology food chain. Powerful and legendary, these deities ruled during what is known as the 'Golden Age.' They served as the Elder Gods until younger gods, called the Olympians, overthrew them. This shift in power that took place in the world of Greek mythology replaced the Greek Titans 12 in all with the likes of Zeus. The 12 first-generation Titans were led by the youngest, Kronos (Saturn), who overthrew their father, Uranus ('Sky') at the request of their mother, Gaia ('Earth'). Zeus was able to overthrown the Titans in a clash known as the 'War of the Titans' or the Titanomachy. After their defeat, the Titans were held prisoner in Tartarus the deepest part of the Underworld. Only a few that did not oppose Zeus were allowed to remain outside of Tartarus. The 12 Titans that ruled before the Olympians took over were, included the following ancient figures: Cronus At one point, Cronus (or Kronus) was the leader and youngest of the first generation of Titans. Just like he was overthrown by his sons, Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon, he too overthrew his father so that he could rule throughout the Golden Age of Greek mythology. Some accounts have Cronus imprisoned in Tartarus along with the other Titans, while other recollections show him sent to rule the paradise of the Elysian Fields. Rhea The daughter of Uranus and Gaia, Rhea served as the 'mother of gods.' Early traditions have her strongly connected to Gaia and Cybele, the Great Goddess. In later classical Greek texts, she is known as the mother of the Olympian gods and goddesses. While she was their mother, she never permanently lived amongst them. Themis Known as the embodiment of divine order, law, and custom, Themis was often described as 'of good counsel.' Whenever organized affairs involving the humans (like community assemblies) took place, it was she that was seen to have a hand in the planning. Themis' name translates into 'law of nature.' Oceanus The ocean waters that covered the world were personified in Oceanus, the Titan son of Uranus and Gaia. If you come across any Hellenistic and Roman mosaics depicting him, he is often seen with the upper body of a man with muscles and a lengthy beard and horns. His lower torso is the same as a serpent.

Mnemosyne In Greek mythology, Mnemosyne is the personification of memory. Born to Gaia and Uranus, she is also known as the mother of the Nine Muses, which she had with Zeus the ruler of all Greek gods and goddesses. Tethys As the daughter of Uranus and Gaia, Tethys served as the aquatic sea goddess in ancient Greek myths and was also both the sister and wife of Oceanus. In classical Greek poetry and other text, she is mentioned as the mother of the chief rivers of the world (the Nile, the Alpheus, and the Maeander). She is also mother to around 3,000 daughters, known as the Oceanids. Hyperion The son of Gaia and Uranus, Hyperion was often called the 'Sun High-one' and made literary appearances in the work of Homer and Hesiod. Theia This Titaness is known for ruling the sun and is featured in a handful of myths that date back to Classical Antiquity days. Coeus and Phoebe As part of the list of Titans, Coeus does not actively appear in any aspects of Greek religion. Coeus was known as the Titan of Wisdom in myth, and for this reason, considered one of the smartest out of the Titans. Along with his sister, known as 'shining' Phoebe, he fathered Leto and Asteria. Further down the family tree, Leto would bring twins Artemis and Apollo into the world with Zeus as their father. In traditional circles, Phoebe was associated with the moon.