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Table of Contents
Besides the famous Olympian Greek gods and goddesses, the pre-Olympian gods known as the Titans also played a significant role in Greek mythology. They were the first rulers.
See the fact file below for more information on the Titans, or you can download our 26-page Titans worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
Background
- The Theogony of Hesiod states that the Titans were composed of the twelve children of Gaia, the Earth and Uranus, the Heaven.
- Six of them were male and six were female, known as Titanides or Titannesses.
- They were Oceanus, Crius, Coeus, Iapetus, Hyperion, Cronus, Theia, Themis, Rhea, Phoebe, Tethys, and Mnemosyne.
- Eight of them, namely Coeus and Phoebe, Hyperion and Theia, Oceanus and Tethys, and Cronus and Rhea, married each other.
- Cronus was able to overthrow Uranus, a dictator, from his throne and eventually became the ruler of the Titans.
- However, there was a prophecy that Cronus would be overthrown by his son, and due to this threat, he did everything to prevent it from happening.
- The prophecy came true, and a war known as Titanomachy, between the Olympians and Titans, broke out.
- Despite Cronus fighting alongside the Titans against his son, Zeus, he was still dethroned by him.
- As a punishment, Zeus brought Cronos, along with four of his brothers, Iapetus, Crius, Coeus, and Hyperion, to the pit of Tartarus.
- The Titanides sided with no one during the war, so they remained in their positions as goddesses.
- Oceanus did not take part in the war, so he also remained a god.
- The Titans had taken charge of the universe; however, they were defeated by their children, the Greek Olympians.
Twelve Significant Titans
Oceanus: Titan God of the Sea and Water
- He was married to his sister, Tethys.
- Both were blessed with several children because of Tethys’ incredible fertility.
- Their children were referred to as Oceanids or aqueous elements.
- The couple bore three thousand river gods and the same number of Oceanid nymphs.
- Their overproduction led to their divorce.
- It also ended natural catastrophes, specifically floods.
- As they were not involved in the Titanomachy, Tethys and Oceanus continued to rule the watery kingdom.
- However, his realm was given to Poseidon and Oceanus was only allowed be a simple ocean god.
Tethys: Titan Goddess of Fresh Water
- Tethys, the wife of Oceanus, gave birth to several river gods and Oceanids.
- She was the mother of numerous deities, yet she was not diligently worshipped.
- When Rhea wished to protect Hera, she brought her to Tethys.
- Tethys treated and raised Hera as her daughter.
Theia: The Titan Goddess of Sight
- The name of this goddess means divine.
- She was said to be the most beautiful of the Titan daughters.
- She was the goddess of light.
- Theia was the goddess who instilled gold, silver, and other precious gems with their brightness.
- She married her brother, Hyperion, and gave birth to celestial personifications, namely Helios (Sun), Selene (Moon), and Eos (Dawn).
Coeus: Titan God of the Oracles, Wisdom, and Foresight
- Coeus’ name came from the Greek word Koios, which means query, questions, or intelligence.
- He was also called Polos, which shows that he was the Titan pillar of the north.
- He married his sister, Phoebe, and had daughters, Asteria and Leto.
- Coeus tried to stop Zeus and the Olympians during the Titanomachy. However, he failed and was forced to stay with Cerberus, the underworld guardian.
Hyperion: Titan God of Light and Observation
- He was the husband of Theia.
- He and his brothers Coeus, Crius, and Iapetus formed the four Titan cosmic pillars.
- They kept the heavens and earth apart, and the pillars were also established as a way to deal with their father, Uranus.
Phoebe: Titan Goddess of Prophecy and Intellect
- She was the wife of Coeus, and the mother of Asteria and Leto.
- Her name means bright.
- Apollo, Artemis, and Hecate were her grandchildren.
- She did not join the Titanomachy, so was not brought to Tartarus.
Crius: Titan God of Heavenly Constellations
- The name Crius is an ancient Greek term that means ram.
- The wife of Crius was his half-sister Eurybia.
- They had three children, Pallas, Perses, and Astraeus.
- He was said to be associated with Aries, the constellation.
- Crius was one of the four Titan pillars, but had no specific role.
- He was also sent to Tartarus with his brothers.
- He was also referred to as the leader of the Gigantes, who rebelled against Zeus.
Mnemosyne: The Titan Goddess of Memory
- Mnemosyne had nine children with Zeus.
- She and Zeus had daughters who were known as Muses, namely Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (love and lyric poetry), Urania (astronomy), Polyhymnia (hymns and sacred poetry), Melpomene (tragedy), Thalia (comedy), and Terpsichore (dance).
- Each muse represents a specific role which made them the inspirational goddesses of science, literature, and the arts.
Themis: Titan Goddess of Law, Order, and Justice
- Themis was the second wife of Zeus.
- As the goddess of law, she assisted Zeus in balancing his power over the gods and humans.
- She made the divine laws that helped all the gods and goddesses maintain order.
- The oracles of Dodona and Delphi were both given to her.
Iapetus: Titan God of Mortal Life or God of Death
- Iapetus was the god of craftsmanship and mortality.
- He was one of the Titans’ pillars who represented the west pillar.
- A member of the Oceanids, named Clymene or Asia, was his consort.
- They had four children: Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius.
Rhea: Titan Goddess of Fertility
- She was referred to as the Queen of the Titans.
- Rhea was considered the queen, but had few followers.
- Rhea was the sister and wife of Cronus.
- She and Cronus had six children, Demeter, Hestia, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, and Zeus.
- When Cronus thought about swallowing his children, Rhea got upset, so she came to the rescue and was able to save Zeus.
- She hid Zeus in a temple she had in Crete.
Cronus: The Titan of the Universe
- Despite being the youngest, Cronus was the strongest Greek Titan.
- Thus, he was also known as the King of Titans.
- He and his brothers dethroned their father, Uranus.
- He married his sister Rhea, and the couple had six children.
- However, because of a prophecy that said he would be replaced by one of his children, he became a dictator like his father.
- His fear led him to swallow his children. However, Zeus, was saved.
- He was successfully overthrown by Zeus and was sent to Tartarus.
Titanomachy
- The Titanomachy was the Great War that broke out between the Titans and the Olympians.
- Metis, a titan who was the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, married Zeus.
- She helped Zeus and advised him not to attack Cronus alone and said he should look for companions to defeat him.
- Metis convinced Cronus to eat a magical herb that he believed would make him undefeatable.
- Metis was able to fool Cronus with this.
- Instead of being undefeatable, Cronus threw up his children that he swallowed, who were Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Hera, and Demeter.
- The siblings worked together and fought against their father.
- Cronus was already weak from vomiting his children, so he became helpless and incapable of fighting them.
- As the Olympians won, the Titans were locked up in Tartarus, while the great uncles of Zeus were freed.
TITANS IN ANCIENT CIVILIZATION
- The Titans, the first Greek gods in Greek mythology, were a significant factor in why famous gods and goddesses, such as Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon, existed.
- Despite being defeated by the Olympians, it does not change the fact that the myth started with them.
Religion
- The name of Mnemosyne, one of the twelve Titans, was used for a river in the Underworld.
- It flowed parallel to the river of Lethe, a word that also means forgetfulness.
- The myth behind this became a part of a religion or associated with Orphic poetry.
- According to the story, the souls of the dead who drank from Lethe will forget everything from their past lives as they are reincarnated.
Tradition, Rituals, Festivals
- Cronus was also known as the god of harvest.
- His festival in Attica, called Kronia, celebrated the harvest, and was said to be similar to the famous celebration of Saturnalia.
- Dionysus, as one of the children of Zeus and Persephone, was associated with festivals during the spring.
Arts
- Despite the significant role played by Titans in Greek mythology, they did not feature in as many ancient arts forms as the Olympian gods and goddesses. However, Cronus was an exception.
- In Roman, the name Cronus means Saturn.
- One of the most famous works of Francisco Goya, a legendary painter, is Saturn Devouring One of His Children (1823).
- In his painting, he created a scene where Cronus was seen swallowing all of his children to avoid the prophecy of his downfall coming true.
- Saturn Devouring One of His Children by Francisco Goya.
- Rhea, Cronus’ consort, was also often represented with a pair of lions pulling a chariot.
- One of the most popular portrayals of Rhea is the Lion Gate found in Mycenae.
The Titans Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about The Titans across 27 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching kids about The Titans, who were the pre-Olympian gods in ancient Greek mythology.
Complete List of Included Worksheets
Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.
- The Titans Facts
- The Twelve Titans
- Gods and Goddesses
- Titanomachy
- Titans
- Connect
- Truth and Lies
- Culture Influences
- Who Am I?
- The Throne
- Significance
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the twelve Greek Titans?
According to Hesiod’s Theogony, there were 12 original Titans: Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus (or Japetus), and Cronus and his sisters Thea, Rhea, Themis (or Erike), Mnemosyne, Phoebe, and Tethys. The Titans rebelled against their father because he had kept them in the underworld.
Why is Zeus not a Titan?
The word “Titan” is used to describe a powerful class of beings that were around before the Gods. Titans are usually described as being involved in the creation of the world.
All titans were born from Uranus (Sky) and Gaia (Earth). They were the first creatures to be created when the world was formed. The Gods were born from the Titans, with Zeus specifically fathered by Cronus and Rea. Cronus was afraid that his children would try to overthrow him, so he resolved to eat them instead. Rea managed to save Zeus, who later succeeded in overthrowing Cronus.
Who ruled before the Titans?
The Theogony, written by Hesiod, details the story of the universe’s creation. In it, he lists Chaos as the first being, followed by Gaia, Tartarus, Eros, and so on. From Gaia and Uranus came the Titans and Cyclopes.
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Use With Any Curriculum
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