The Rise of the Olympian Gods

The Titans were born of Gaia,Mother Earth, and her son Uranus and, 18 children were born:

The 3 Giants: Cottus, Briareusand Gyges. Each of them had 50 head and 100 arms. They were the mightiest of Gaia'schildren who even the Titans and Olympians feared. The 3 Cyclopes: Brontes,Sterops and Arges. Each had only one eye, were enormous with strong limbs. The12 Titans were 6 sons and 6 daughters. The daughters were: Theia , theearly goddess of light; Rhea  an earth goddess who became the mother ofthe Olympian gods; Themis , another earth goddess; Mnemosyne ,epitome of memory; Phoebe , an early moon goddess; Tethys ,embodiment of the fertile ocean. The sons were named: Oceanus , the eldestof the Titans and god of the primordial river and rivers themselves; Coeus ,who would become the father of Leto; Crius ; Hyperion , an early godof the sun; Iapetus , the father of Prometheus; Cronus , of thetwelve Titans, who  rose up againstUranus.

Gaia’s enlisted the aid ofCronus, her youngest child and one of the Titans. She gave Cronus a sharp sickle.  When Uranus came at night to lay with Gaia,Cronus struck and seizing his father's genitals, he sliced it off. He thentossed the organ into the sea.

The blood spattered over Gaia andmore children were born from the blood: The Furies, Alecto; Tisiphone, andMegara. The avengers of wrong, who against perjury and crimes against one's ownfamily; the Giants born in full armor and with spears in their arms; the Meliaethe Nymphs who would inhabit the forests of Greece.  From the organs in the sea there was whitefoam. From this foam, Aphrodite the goddess of love, beauty and sexual rapturerose. Naked and riding on a scallop shell, the sea carried her to Cyprus.

After the Titans were freed, theymade Cronus their king and also freed their brothers the Cyclopes and Giantsfrom Tartarus. However, Cronus threw the Cyclopes and Giants back to dungeonsin Tartarus.

12 of the Titans were still freeand eight of them married and had children: Theia and Hyperion - Gave birth tothe sun Helios and two daughters Selene, the moon and Eos the dawn. Phoebe andCoeus had two daughters,  Leto andAsteria; Oceanus and Tethys linked with the seas; and their offspring include3,000 rivers and 3,000 female Ocenanids. Cronus and Rhea the father andmother of the Olympian Gods produced six children. Three daughters: Hestia,Demeter, and Hera and three sons Hades, Poseidon and Zeus.

Cronus as a ruler of the immortalswas more a tyrant than Uranus. He feared the prophecy of Gaia and Uranus', thathe would one day be overthrown by his own son. To prevent this, he swallowed hisnewborn children whole as soon as they were born, so that they could do noharm.

Rhea, grieving for the loss of herchildren went to her parents Gaia and Uranus for aid, and when she conceivedher sixth child, Zeus They sent Rhea to Lyktos in Crete and when she gave birthto Zeus, she gave him to Gaia who hid him in a cave in and cared for him.  Rhea returned to Cronus and gave him largestone wrapped blankets. Cronus thinking that it was the newborn swallowed thestone.

When Zeus grew up, he travelledto the oceans and sought the help of Metis, a wise Oceanid. Metis gave him apotion. Zeus returned and disguised as a cupbearer gave Cronus the drink. Afterdrinking the potion, he threw up all his children, including the stone heswallowed.

Once Zeus was in control, hebattled the nearly invincible Titans with the help of his brothers and sisters.

Gaia said that Zeus could onlywin if they had the help of the Cyclopes and Giants still imprisoned inTartarus the Underworld. Zeus freed his six uncles. The Cyclopes forged newweapons for the Olymians: For Zeus, thunder and lightning; For Hades, the helmetof darkness, which made him invisible; For Poseidon, a trident, whichwould become the emblem for the future god of the sea.

The Titans led by a new Titan, Atlas,could not overcome Zeus with the new weapons and the help of the Giants andCyclopes. Zeus finally overthrew the Titans and locked them deep in the depthsof Tartarus.

Only one of the Titans, who hadopposed Zeus avoided eternal imprisonment. The Titan Atlas, was condemned by Zeusto bear the weight of the heavens forever on his head and shoulders.

Zeus reigned as lord of the gods andthe Olympian Gods came into being and their reign would last forever.