Cronus

King of the Titans

Meet Cronus, the Titan ruler with one of the strangest parenting plans in mythology! Cronus was the youngest of the twelve Titans and the son of Gaia and Uranus. He overthrew his father and became ruler, but then heard a prophecy that one of his own children would replace him. His solution was to swallow them! Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon all disappeared until Rhea finally tricked him. She hid baby Zeus and gave Cronus a stone wrapped in blankets instead. Zeus grew up, rescued his brothers and sisters and eventually defeated Cronus. Greek mythology certainly does not do normal families!

Rhea

Mother of the Olympian Gods

Meet Rhea, the Titan mother whose clever trick helped save the Olympian gods! Rhea was the daughter of Gaia and Uranus and the wife of Cronus. When Cronus heard that one of his children would overthrow him, he swallowed each baby Rhea gave birth to. When Zeus was born, Rhea decided enough was enough. She hid him safely on Crete and handed Cronus a stone wrapped in baby clothes instead. Amazingly, he swallowed it! Zeus grew up, returned and rescued his brothers and sisters. Rhea did not need a sword to change Greek mythology. She just needed courage, patience and one very convincing rock.

Oceanus

The River Around the World

Meet Oceanus, the Titan who flowed all the way around the ancient Greek world! The Greeks imagined Oceanus as an enormous freshwater river surrounding the lands they knew. That means he was not the same as Poseidon, who ruled the sea. Oceanus was one of the twelve Titans and, with Tethys, became the father of thousands of river gods and Oceanid nymphs. That is one enormous family! Unlike many of the Titans, Oceanus does not seem to have joined the great war against Zeus. I like to imagine him staying out of the fighting and quietly flowing around the edge of the world instead.

Hyperion

Titan of Heavenly Light

Meet Hyperion, one of the twelve Titans and the father of a seriously bright family! Hyperion was the son of Gaia and Uranus and the partner of Theia. Together they had three amazing children: Helios, the Sun, Selene, the Moon, and Eos, the Dawn. That means his family could brighten the sky from morning until night! Hyperion does not have a huge collection of adventures like Zeus or Heracles, but he is still important in the Greek family tree. His name is linked with being high above. Just remember, Hyperion is not actually the Sun god. That job belongs to his son, Helios!

Themis

Titan of Divine Law

Meet Themis, the Titan goddess who made sure everyone knew the rules! Themis represented fairness, custom, divine law and the proper order of things. She was a daughter of Gaia and Uranus and later became an important adviser to Zeus. Their children included goddesses connected with good order, justice and peace. Themis also had links with prophecy and the famous oracle at Delphi. You might recognise her from pictures of Justice holding a pair of scales, although the familiar blindfold came much later. I like Themis because she proves that even mighty Zeus sometimes needed someone sensible around to tell him what should happen next!

Phoebe

The Bright Titan of Prophecy

Meet Phoebe, a bright Titan goddess with an incredibly famous family! Phoebe was one of the twelve Titans born to Gaia and Uranus. With the Titan Coeus, she became mother of Leto and Asteria. That made her grandmother of Apollo, Artemis and Hecate. Quite a collection! Phoebe was also connected with prophecy, and one ancient story says she once held the famous oracle at Delphi before giving it to Apollo. Her name is linked with brightness, but she was not the Moon goddess. That was Selene. Phoebe might be quieter than some Titans, but her family reaches into loads of brilliant Greek myths.

Atlas

The Titan Who Holds the Heavens

Meet Atlas, the Titan with possibly the hardest job in Greek mythology! Atlas was the son of Iapetus and the brother of Prometheus, Epimetheus and Menoetius. When the Titans fought Zeus and the younger gods, Atlas chose the losing side. His punishment was enormous: he had to stand at the edge of the world and hold up the sky. He later appears in one of the adventures of Heracles, when the hero needs help collecting some magical golden apples. One thing I always remember is that Atlas holds up the heavens, not planet Earth, even though later pictures often show him carrying a globe!

Prometheus

The Titan Who Stole Fire

Meet Prometheus, the clever Titan who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to humans! Prometheus was famous for thinking ahead and for being brave enough to challenge the king of the gods. When Zeus took fire away from humankind, Prometheus secretly stole it back inside a hollow plant stalk. Zeus was furious and punished him by chaining him to a rock, where an eagle ate his liver every day. Yuck! Because Prometheus was immortal, it grew back each night. Heracles eventually rescued him. I like Prometheus because his greatest power was not strength. It was clever thinking and his determination to help people.

Iapetus

The Titan of Mortality

Meet Iapetus, a Titan whose children became much more famous than he did! Iapetus was one of the twelve Titans born to Gaia and Uranus. He was the father of Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus and Menoetius, four brothers with very different stories. One ended up holding up the sky, another stole fire from Zeus, one accepted Pandora, and another was punished for his pride. Iapetus himself does not have one enormous adventure that everyone remembers, but his family appears all over Greek mythology. I think of him as the beginning of one of the most troublesome and interesting branches of the entire Titan family tree!

Theia

The Shining Titan Goddess

Meet Theia, the Titan goddess from one seriously bright family! Theia was the daughter of Gaia and Uranus and the partner of Hyperion. Together they had three amazing children: Helios, the Sun, Selene, the Moon, and Eos, the Dawn. Basically, her family had the whole sky covered! Theia’s name is connected with brightness, and Hesiod also called her Euryphaessa, meaning something like ‘wide-shining’. Later poetry even links her with the gleam of gold and precious things. She does not have a huge monster-fighting adventure, but being the mother of the Sun, Moon and Dawn is impressive enough for me!