Following our introductory exploration of mythology in the previous issue, we now delve into the dramatic power struggles of the divine realm, beginning with the foundational myth of the Titans.

Following our introductory exploration of mythology in the previous issue, we now delveinto the dramatic power struggles of the divine realm, beginning with the foundationalmyth of the Titans.

\ Tyranny of Cronos

Cronos married his sister Rhea and she became the Queen of the Cosmos. They had six children,but there was a problem: Cronos continuously remembered his father’s prophecy, and feared,“What if these children do the same thing to me? What if my end becomes the same as myfather’s?” Then, he committed a desperate act: he swallowed his children one by one. First, hisdaughters: Hestia, Demeter and Hera. Then, his sons: Hades and Poseidon.

After he swallowed his five children, when his sixth child, Zeus, was born, Rhea decided toprotect him child from Cronos. Rhea protected her last child, Zeus, with the help of Uranos andGaia. They made a plan: Rhea gave Zeus to Gaia, and Gaia brought infant Zeus to the island ofCrete, to a cave beneath Mount Ida. Zeus was raised in this cave. Meanwhile, Rhea wrapped astone (the Omphalos Stone) in swaddling clothes to resemble Zeus and gave it to Cronos.Without looking at what it was, Cronos took the stone and swallowed it.

Thus, Zeus was saved, and as time passed, he grew up and went to his father, Cronos, to takerevenge. Zeus prepared a drink and gave it to Cronos. Incidentally, Cronos did not recognise hisson because he had already supposed that he had swallowed him. After Cronos drank themixture, he vomited up his children. The siblings of Zeus survived because they were gods andgoddesses and had the power of shape-shifting, so Zeus rescued them. After that, he alsorescued the Cyclops and Hecatoncheires.

\ Titanomachy

Continuing the saga of the divine lineage, we now witness the epic confrontation known as theTitanomachy, a war that would ultimately decide the fate of the Cosmos.

There were two sides: The Titans and the Olympians (the Gods). Atlas, the strongest of the Titansand son of Iapetos, was the leader of the Titans in this war. The sons of Iapetos were split: Atlasand Meneoitos supported the Titans, while Epimetheus and Prometheus aligned with theOlympians. The Titans fought from Mount Othrys, attempting to climb Mount Olympos by pilingMount Pelion upon Mount Ossa.

Zeus crushed them with the lightning bolts given to him by the Cyclopes as a gift for rescuingthem from the prison where Cronos had held them. Not only Zeus, but also Poseidon and Hadesreceived gifts from the Cyclopes: The Trident was given to Poseidon, and a helmet (which makesthe wearer invisible) was given to Hades. Furthermore, Zeus released the Hecatoncheires, whojoined the side of the Olympians, providing a great advantage.

The Hecatoncheires threw hundreds of rocksat the Titans. Since each of the three Hecatoncheires (Cottos, Briareos, and Gyges)had a hundred arms and fifty heads, three hundred rocks rained upon the Titans atonce, resembling a literal meteor shower. Zeus empowered the Hecatoncheires with nectar and ambrosia, urging them to demonstrate their unbeatable strength. Cottos gave a loyalty oath to Zeus, and the Hecatoncheires began to fight.

When the clash began, the sea roared, and both the earth and sky shook. Zeus no longer heldhimself back, hurling his thunderbolts one after another. Fire reached the heavens, and all the chaos was burned with dazzling heat. The Hecatoncheires threw rocks at the Titans and pushed them into Tartaros. Afterwards, Poseidon surrounded Tartaros with bronze gates, and theHecatoncheires became the loyal guardians of Tartaros.

Then came the punishment of the sonsof Iapetos. First, Atlas, as the leader ofthe Titans, was punished by beingforced to hold the pillars of the skyforever. Menoitios was struck by Zeus’sthunderbolts and banished to the dark,deep Tartaros. The other two,Prometheus and Epimetheus, remainedwithout punishment because they hadnot yet committed any wrongdoing.

The war lasted for ten years and finally ended. Zeus became the king of the gods and the rulerof the Cosmos. Divine missions were shared among the gods and goddesses, and everythingseemed peaceful, but there was one more factor. Gaia grew furious because her children, theTitans, were imprisoned. Seeking revenge, she gave birth to Typhon…

\ Typhon vs Zeus

As Gaia sought revenge for her fallenchildren, she unleashed her most terrifyingcreation: Typhon. This final confrontationwould decide if the newly establishedOlympian order could withstand the ultimateprimordial threat.

Typhon was the most monstrous, terrible, andenormous creature ever known. As the son ofTartaros and Gaia, he was truly formidable.From his shoulders, hundreds of serpentheads rose; while the upper part of his bodylooked horrific, the lower part was entirelyserpentine. His wings covered his massivebody, his arms reached from the west to theeast, and his height extended beyond themountains; his heads even touched the stars.

When he appeared, mountains and seasshook. Because of his fiery breath, the sky wasfilled with fire. Zeus stood against himwithout fear and struck him with histhunderbolts. The moment they began toclash, the cosmic order broke, and chaosspread everywhere due to the violence.However, even Typhon could not endure thethunderbolts of Zeus. Zeus scorched andburned Typhon with his divine power. Finally,when Typhon was exhausted and stunned,Zeus cast him down beneath Mount Etna andimprisoned him deep within the mountain.Since then, Etna became a volcano due to thefiery breath of the imprisoned Typhon.

The heads sprouting from his shoulders letout various sounds: sometimes like a god,sometimes like an animal, and sometimes likea hunting howl.

After this struggle came to an end, the godsreturned to their own affairs. Zeus, as the kingof the gods, assigned them their duties: the seasto Poseidon, the underworld to Hades, and soforth. But to rule alongside him, a queen wasneeded for the gods…

\ Marriages of Zeus

Following the establishment of his reign, the king ofthe gods sought a queen to rule by his side. Thispursuit led to a series of divine unions that shapedthe celestial hierarchy and the various aspects of theCosmos.

So, the womanizer Zeus sought a Queen for himself.His first wife was Metis, the goddess of wisdom. Metisbecame pregnant with the goddess Athena, but aprophecy loomed over them: “Her first child will be agirl, and her second will be a boy who will becomegreater than his father.” To ensure that he remainedthe king of the gods, Zeus swallowed his first wife, thewise goddess Metis.

His second wife was Themis, the goddess of divine law. From thismarriage, the Horae (Hours) and the Moirai (fates) were born. TheHorae set the order of the Cosmos, while the Moirai set thedestiny of everything and everyone. The names of the Horae areEunomia (order), Dike (justice), and Eirene (peace). The names ofthe Moirai are Klotho, Lachesis, and Atropos.

Next, Zeus married Eurynome, thedaughter of Oceanus. This union producedthe Charites (Graces), the three beautiesnamed Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia.Afterward, Zeus united with his sister Demeter, and Persephone was born fromthis marriage.

Then, Zeus lay with Mnemosyne, and the nine Museswere born. These nymphs serve as the sources of inspiration, each presiding over a different field:Calliope, head of the Muses, epic and lyric poetry; Clio,history; Polyhymnia, pantomime; Euterpe, choralpoetry; Melpomene, tragedy; Thalia, comedy; Urania,astronomy.

Following this, Zeus and Leto produced Apollo andArtemis. Finally, Hera became the last and permanentwife of Zeus; Hebe, Ares and Eileithyia were born fromthis final marriage.

\ The Birth of Athena and the New Olympians

While the reign of Zeus was established through alliances, the birth of his children brought newpowers and conflicts to Mount Olympos. When Zeus’s head grew larger and his headachesbecame unbearable, he ordered his head to be split open with an axe. Once his command wasfulfilled, Athena was born from his head, fully armed. Hera, the queen of the gods, witnessed thisevent and fueled by her anger and jealousy. He decided to give birth to a child of her own withouta partner.

Unfortunately, the result wasnot at all pleasant.Hephaestus, the blacksmithgod, was born from her. Whenshe saw him, she realized hewas very ugly; the ugliestamong the gods. In herdisappointment, she threw herown son from Mount Olympos.After a long fall (as mentionedin the myth, lasting nine days),he landed on the island ofLemnos. Sadly, the falldamaged his leg, leaving himlame for life. Hephaestus grewup on this island as a mightyblacksmith, forging manyitems for the gods andmortals alike, such as thewinged sandals of Hermes.

One day, he crafted a goldenthrone for his mother, Hera.However, when she sat on it, abooby trap was triggered, andshe was locked in. Hephaestuswas called to rescue her, buthe had conditions: He wantedAphrodite, the most beautifulgoddess, as his wife, andpermanent permission to enterOlympos. Once his wisheswere granted, he released hismother.

Meanwhile, when Leto became pregnant with Apolloand Artemis, she sought a place where Hera’s wrathcould not reach. After Artemis was born, Leto eventuallyfound refuge on the island of Delos, where Apollo wasborn. Artemis, having witnessed her mother’s suffering,made a vow of chastity and became the goddess of theHunt, while Apollo became the god of the sun, music,and art. Later, Apollo reached Mt. Parnassos, killed thedragon Python, and established the famous temple at Delphi.

Lastly, we see the birth of Hermes, the son of Maia¹.Almost as soon as he was born, he performed twonotable acts: He stole the cattle of Apollo and createdthe first Lyre from a tortoise shell. He gave theinstrument to Apollo, who loved it so much that heforgave Hermes and even gifted him his staff, thecaduceus.

To be continued in the next issue: The Story ofHumankind…

Bibliography

Can, Şefik. Klasik Yunan Mitolojisi. 22. baskı. stanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, 2023.

Hesiod. Theogony and Works and Days. M. L. West./Trans. Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press, 2008.

¹The month “may” comes from this name