The Titans

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The Titans

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sat Jun 28, 2003 11:35 am

Salvete
Since information on these deities is limited i have started to study these deities like i'm doing with the Olympian Gods, the Protogenoi and the Moirai. I will post it here as well as the sources will be mentioned here.
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The Titans/ Theoi Titanes

The Titans were the first generation of gods; the offspring of the primordial earth-goddess Gaia and the sky-god Ouranos. Generically they included six gods and six goddesses, collectively known as the Titanides. Six pairs of Titans and Titanides married and produced all the other deities in Greek mythology, with the youngest Titan, Kronos, fathering the Olympians by the Titanid Rhea. Kronos overthrew his father after Gaia gave him a sickle to separate him from her. In the process, Kronos castrated Ouranos, and the blood and semen fell upon earth to beget the Giants and other beings, to include Aphrodite according to some as did the Giants and the Erinyes. Kronos’ rule was compared to the Golden Age where mankind didn’t know any disease or death. During the Kronia, this is celebrated again by letting the servants be the masters. It is the Greek equivalent of the Saturnalia.
Several Titans, Okeanos, Prometheos, Thethys, not only declined to side with Kronos against Ouranos, but be sided with Zeus when he overthrew his father Kronos and the Titans in a ten-year war. During this time the struggle became so intense that a blistering heat seized Chaos (i.e. the universe). It ended when Zeus released the Cyclopes and Hekatoncheires (100-armed giants) from Tartaros to help him finally defeat the Titans. Its been said that the Titans were jealous of the younger Gods and refused to devolve any power to the younger Gods. This led to a rebellion led by Zeus against the Titans. After a violent ten-year war the Titans were overthrown and cast into Tartaros. Okeanos and the Titanides who had remained neutral or sided with Zeus in the war remained free. Tartaros is the deepest underworld, a place that is as far beneath the earth as heaven is above it. Around Tartaros runs a bronze fence and gates, which Poseidon fixed, and there their keepers, the Hekatoncheires, confined the Titans.
But Atlas who led the Titans was severely punished, more than the rest. He was sentenced to hold the weight of the world on his shoulders for all time. The Titanides, however, seem to have not participated and not only escaped punishment, but went on to become mothers to various deities. Kronos was likewise cast into Tartaros, though other traditions seem to have him being exiled to an island in the Far West where he forever sleeps with his followers. The west is commonly seen as the location of the Otherworld and found in Greek myth as the Hesperides, the Isles of the Blessed, the location of the Elysian Fields, and so on. Later Roman tradition assimilated him as Saturn and had him immigrating to Italy to become a celebrated god there.
Many human generations later, at the end of the Age of Heroes, Zeus released the Titans from their prison. He made Kronos king of the Elysian Islands to rule over the shades of the Heroes. The rest of the Titaness presumably also settled there.
Some Titans represent aspects of nature, such as the oceans and heavens. Others represent abstract concepts such as justice and intelligence, memory, etc…
The Titans, like the Giants, in that the greater gods defeated them. This battle, known to the Greeks as the Titanomachia ('battle of the Titans'), is also found in Irish mythology with the Dannans defeating the Fomorii, in Zoroastrian religion with the Ahuras defeating the Daevas, and in Hindu religion with the Devas defeating the Asuras.
The Titans seem to have also been associated with the planets, sun, and moon in their husband/wife pairs. This concept has some parallel in Near Eastern mythology, surviving even in Zoroastrianism. The strong celestial associations of the Titans also seem related to their implicit connections with the 'World Serpent'. This appears in two pertinent Greek myths: as Draco whom Athena flung into the heavens while helping her father Zeus defeat the Giants, and again as Typhon which, like the Giants and Titans, was an offspring of the earth-goddess Gaia. Serpent monsters were also allies of the Daevas in Zoroastrianism and of the Jotuns in Norse mythology. Instead of being directly allied with the Titans, however, Typhon arose after the Titans had been defeated and thrown into Tartaros.
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The Titans part 2

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sat Jun 28, 2003 11:40 pm

Salvete
This is the second part.
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The numbers of the Titans differ. The Orphici say there are 12 to 14 Titans, who slew and devoured the child Zagreos. However Homeros and Hesiodos seem to mention only 12; 6 male and 6 female as mentioned above. Some might even suggest that Nyx, Erebos and other pre- Olympian deities were also Titans because they represent aspects of nature like the night or darkness and the Titans did this as well. In fact Nyx may be a part of a trinity of Goddesses who play mother over the world (Nyx, Gaia and Thethys). Trinity of gods appears allot in Greek Mythology, as it isn’t a real coincidence. Gods are usually formed in-groups, pairs.
The Titans were thought to be a race of giants that ruled the Earth before the Olympian Gods took over. This is what stands in the most mythology books i have read so far. They are wrong. Its probably because of this assumption that many people link Greek mythology with Norse mythology because of the fact that the Gods who were born out of a race of giants. The most popular belief is that the Titans were with 12. This is not true. They were with a lot more. The twelve Titans were the popular ones: Oceanos, Crios, Kronos, Japetos, Hyperion, Coeos, Theia, Thetys, Rhea, Phoebe, Themis, Ouranos & Gaia. Of course they had children who were the third generation of Titans. I belief that the first generation of Titans were the twelve popular ones. To the second generation of Titans belong also the Olympian Gods. There aren't that much information about the Titans anymore besides the ones that were allies of the Olympian Gods like Prometheos, Epimethos, Oceanos and Thetys. The information was according to one theory on purpose destroyed by the priests of Zeus and of the other Olympian Gods to destroy the cult of the Titans. The myths say that the Titanomachy lasted about ten years. Maybe they mean that it took them ten years to destroy the cult of the Titans and that they changed it into a divine war.
There are many Titans out there. The Titans symbolizes the beautiful and distrustful Forces of Nature. You can call them Gods of Nature, because that is what they are. Their functions didn't stop at the force they symbolize but they had also more humanlike functions. Protectors of arts, dance, entertainment, war, law, etc... But many of their functions were lost. Here is a complete list of the Titans (1st, 2nd generation) with the help of Arionsite.

Kronia:

There aren't many festivals dedicated to a Titan or Titans. Although the Kronia is the first major festival of the Athenian year, it belongs to a carnavalesque time where social roles are inverted. Kronos was the king of the Gods before Zeus, and was imprisoned by his own son with the other titans. These tales may underlie the Kronia, for during this festival Athenian slaves ran free and were treated to a sumptuous banquet by their masters. It is a celebration of the golden age where the current social order did not exist yet.
For modern day Hellenists this day might stand for being free of nagging habits, social obligations as financial, free of any restraints even if it is only temporary. A ritual may be performed on this day to honor Kronos and the elder Gods. This ritual can be performed outdoors, in a park or other convenient setting. This ritual includes purification by water, hymnodia, sacrifice & libation and concluding the ritual by feasting. Hymnodia is basicly the citing of chanting of the appropiate hymns. One sacrifice and offers to the deity in question what is known to be sacrificed or offered. A suggested feast menu: grilled meat and/ or vegetable skewers, bulghers and chickpea salad, chopped salad, sweet cakes or breads and light wines. This festival takes place on Hekatombaion the 12th ussually between 10th and 14th of july.
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Next the list of Titans and the functions.
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List of Titans

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sun Jun 29, 2003 10:58 am

Salvete

Here is a list of the Titans. I think its complete, although i believe that some of the Protogenoi are also Titans, but that is an entire other matter.

List of Titans:

Cronus: Elder Titan/ God of Time, Harvest, Earth, Second ruler of Olympus, justice, laws, male rituals and initiations, personification of the tenth month, Earth, Sky, Heaven and strength.
Rhea: Elder Titaness of the Earth, Harvest, Fertility, a mother goddess, love, birth, female rituals and initiations, second queen of Olympus, virtues, personification of the first month.
Iapetus: Elder Titan of Justice, laws, virtues, courts, councilors, personification of the third month. Also the Titan of the Wind
Mnemosyne: Elder Titaness of Memory, arts and wisdom
Crius: Elder Titan of War, Battles, forge, arts, wisdom, protection, warriors patron, memory maker of the first armor. Personification of the twelfth month. Also Titan of Gravity and Density
Themis: Elder Titaness of Justice, laws, virtues, courts, councils, a major patroness of those of the law, personification of the fifth month and Goddess/Titaness of Divine Law and that from Nature.
Coeus: The Elder Titan of Intelligence and the Moon, Night time, creator of the stars and arranger of constellations, astronomy and astrology, purity and personification of the ninth month and also a titan of Fear according to some.
Phoebe: The first Goddess of the Moon. It was she who tamed the first horses for the moon chariot.(some say swans), psychism, cleansing, beauty and youthfulness, personification of the second month. She was also called the elder Titaness of the Moon.
Hyperion: Elder Titan of the Sun. Second God/Titan of the Sun, heat, light, he tamed the first horses to pull the sun chariot and personified summer. Personification of the eight month.
Thea : First and only queen of the Sun, justice over murder, vengeance, personification of the seventh month and Elder Titanide of the Sun.
Oceanus: Second King of the Sea, water Element, shape shifting, psychism, personification of the sixth month, Elder Titan of Water.
Tethys: Second queen of the sea, beaches, islands, fishing, harbors, created coral and silver, personification of the forth month and Elder Titaness of the Sea and Water.
Eurybea: A Elder Titaness of the sea and the dawn, before Eos was born and took the position. Eunomea: ?
Dione: Elder Titaness of oracles, divination, dreams and visions
Pallas: Titan of war, battles and protection. Husband of Styx
Zelos: Titan of zealousness, speed, lighting and storms
Bia: Titaness of balance, order of nature, The Force
Kratos: Titan of strength, endurance and power
Styx: Titaness (or Oceanid) of all the rivers of the world and the element of water
Eurymedon:?
Olymbros:?
Menoeteos: Titan of strength and courage
Atlas: Titan of the earth, heaven, sky, and strength. An good patron
Prometheos: Titan of memory and recollection and Fire.
Epimetheos: Titan of memory, an oracle, visions and divination
Ophion: Titan of heaven who ruled jointly with Kronos. Also a Titan of law, order and Justice Astraea: Titan of the night, stars, constellations, wind, astronomy and astrology
Klymene: Titaness of the 4 seasons and of time
Kampe:?
Kybele: Some times thought of as the Titaness.Rhea (that is how I see her).
Leto: Titaness of sylvanian areas, woodlands and forests
Eurynome: Titaness on heaven and wife of Ophion. Some say the two ruled Olympos before Kronos' reign.
Enipeos: Titan that escorted the dead to Tartaros
Olympos: She is the greatest Titaness. She sacrificed herself so that the first deities could build a home. At her death she formed a mountain. All the Titans and Olympians still pay homage to her to this day.
Perse: Titan of the arts of magic, divination, oracles and healing. He was the first deity to give divine gifts to mortals
Daemonea: Titaness and messager to Kronos. Some say that it was she who warned Kronos about his fate by the hands of his children. The Titans were the early ruling dynasties, according to locals that live about Ithaca. There where 4 ruling orders, Chaos & his children, Pontos & his children, the Titans and such, the Olympians.
Lelantos: The younger Titan-god of being unobserved, son of either Krios or Koios. Father to Aura.
Anytos: One of the younger Titanes, Anytos was the foster-parent of Demeter's daughter Despoine.
Hekateros: The younger Titan-god of hands and fingers. He was the father of the hand-skilled Daktyloi. Married to Ankhiale.
Ankhiale: The younger Titanis-goddess of the drawing of heat. She was the wife of Hekateros the titan of hands and fingers and the mother of the metalworking Daktyloi.
Synkeus: The elder Titan-god of the fig tree who was hidden beneath the earth by Gaia saving him from the pursuit of Zeus.

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Generations of Titans

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Mon Jun 30, 2003 12:15 pm

Salvete
This is a list of generations of Titans. There are normally two generations, but there are three according to me.
This is the first generation of Titans were the well known 12 are listed.
First generation (the offspring of Uranus and Gaia):

Coeus/ Koios
Crius/ Krios
Cronus/ Kronos
Dione?
Hyperion
Iapetus/ Japetos
Mnemosyne
Oceanus/ Okeanos
Phoebe/ Foibe
Rhea
Tethys
Themis?
Thea

Second generation (descending from the first):

Asteria
Astraeus
Atlas
Eos
Styx
Epimetheos
Helios
Pallas
Leto
Menoetios
Pallas
Perses
Prometheos
Selene
Zeus
Poseidon
Haides
Demeter
Hestia
Hera

Third generation, descending from both the first and second generation:
There were to many to list them all so i will list the ones who are known best. Keep in mind that although i think that the Olympians are 2nd and 3rd generation of Titans, not everyone will agree with me.

Ares
Eileitheya
Hephaestos
Athena
Hermes
Aphrodite (?)
Apollo
Artemis
Hercules
Hekate
Uncertain generation:
Anytus.
Lelantus.
Titanis.
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Postby Primus Aurelius Timavus on Mon Jun 30, 2003 3:59 pm

Salve Orce,

Thanks for your interesting post on the Titans. Could you tell me, where did the Cyclopes and Hekatoncheires come from?

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Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Mon Jun 30, 2003 4:16 pm

Salve Tergeste
The Cyclops and the Hekatoncheires are children of Gaia and Ouranos, but some Cyclops were only children to Gaia or another deity. Like the famous Cyclops Polyphemos was the son of Thoosa and Poseidon, but i thought i read somewhere that Polyphemos was the son of Gaia and Poseidon, but i could confuse Polyphemos with Antheus here.
Trust me, these posts on the Titans aren't done yet.
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The Titans- Kronos and Rhea

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Mon Jun 30, 2003 5:19 pm

Salvete
Now i shall begin with individual entries of each Titan beginning with Kronos followed by Rhea.

First Generation of Titans:

Kronos

Kronos was the ruling Titan who came to power by castrating his Father Ouranos. Titan/ God of Time, Harvest, Earth, Second ruler of Olympus, justice, laws, male rituals and initiations, personification of the tenth month, Earth, Sky, Heaven and strength. His wife was Rhea. Their offspring were the first of the Olympians and included Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Haides, Poseidon, and Zeus. Kronos learned that one of his children would overthrow him, and so swallowed them to ensure that this did not happen. This succeeded until Rhea tricked him by giving him a rock wrapped like a baby. She the real baby, Zeus, off to be reared in secret by the nymphs of Mt. Ida. After becoming an adult, Zeus revolted against Kronos and the other Titans, defeated them, and cast them to Tartaros, the deepest part of the underworld. As his functions reveal, he can be called upon for justice, to uphold the laws to assist in male rituals and initiations. Kronos can also be a good patron to inspire strength, justice.

Rhea

The elder Titaness of the Earth, Harvest, Fertility, a mother goddess, love, birth, female rituals and initiations, second queen of Olympus, virtues, personification of the first month. Rhea was the Titanes sister and wife of Kronos and mother of the first generation of Olympians, including Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Haides, Poseidon, and Zeus. She is often called "Mother Earth", complimenting Zeus as the earth-mother/sky-father couple as Gaia and Ouranos. As mother and guardian, she was in Roman times sometimes equated with the Anatolian 'Great Mother' goddess known variously as Cybele, Agdistis, Ma, and so on; but who was also identified with Artemis and Aphrodite. She is also known as Dindumene. Rhea is the Titaness who has many functions, but can be seen (at least by me) as a Titaness who can help find love and help you keep it. Not just sexual love, but love for everything you like. She along with Hera and Gaia can be called upon for fertility or for a pregnancy. She can help assist in giving birth and with initiations.
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The Titans: Okeanos and Hyperion

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Thu Jul 03, 2003 7:11 pm

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Okeanos:
One of the elder Titanes and also a Protogenos (ancient elemental god). He was the Titan-God of the Earth-encircling River Okeanos, the source of all fresh water on earth. Also he was the Second King of the Sea, water Element, shape shifting, psychism, personification of the sixth month, Titan of Water. He was neutral in the Titan-War. Okeanos was the eldest son of Gaia and Ouranos and was the unending body of water flowing around and encircling the world, bounding it on all sides. As Greek knowledge of geography grew, Oceanus became identified with the Atlantic Ocean.
His wife was Tethys, and they were the parents of water deities, including river gods, sea gods (except Poseidon); also of the Oceanides, which were ocean nymphs numbering as many as 3000 in Greek myth, and the Naiads, which were nymphs of springs, wells, fountains, and so on. All bodies of water were believed to flow from and sink into the 'World Ocean'.
Okeanos was the only Titan that declined to help his brother Kronos overthrow their father Ouranos. He later sided with Zeus when he overthrew Kronos and the rest of the Titans, protecting Hera and Rhea. For this he was the only Titan not cast into Tartaros. He is depicted as a kindly old man with a long beard and the horns of a bull.
Tethys represented the sea's female fertility aspect, complimenting that of Okeanos, the ocean god. She was the youngest of the Titanides and the sister and wife of the Okeanos. By him she was the mother of the rivers, Oceanides, Metis, and Tyche. Tethys nursed and protected Hera during the Titanomachia. Similar to Oceanus, Tethys' realm came to be recognized as being located in the Far West, beyond the Hesperides, where the sun went down each evening
Hyperion
The elder Titan-god of observation also of the Sun. Second God/Titan of the Sun, heat, light, he tamed the first horses to pull the sun chariot and personified summer. He is the personification of the eight-month. Hyperion was also the Titan of light. His sister and wife was Theia, and by her he was the father of the Helios the sun, Selene the Moon, Eos the Dawn, and Hesperus the Sunset.
A Titan, husband and brother of Theia; father of the Helios the Sun, Selene the Moon, Eos the Dawn, and of Hesperus. His name often used an epitaph to the Sun, with which he is sometimes considered synonymous, as in Homer. Helios and then Apollo later succeeded him. To me, Hyperion is the Titan who can help scientists in observing. He can be the light at every dark tunnel (metaphorically speaking). He can lead you out of a depression or out of problems, not just out of the darkness. Along with Theia, he can help people getting a better understanding, insight to get out of their problems.
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The Titans: Mnemosyne and Themis

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Thu Jul 03, 2003 7:14 pm

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Mnemosyne:
The elder Titaness of Memory, arts and wisdom, words and language. Mnemosyne (or Eurybia) was the Titaness of memory and intelligence. She slept with her nephew and husband Zeus in Pieria for nine nights and became the mother of the nine Muses. These daughters inherited the knowledge of Mnemosyne, whose name translates as 'memory'. A spring dedicated to her was at the oracle of Trophonius at Lebadea. Mnemosyne as along with the Muses, Apollo, Athena and Hekate can be called upon for inspiration for either art, poetry, literature, politics, science, etc… She can assist in learning new languages, attaining wisdom, and becoming an artist.
Themis:
Themis ('Convention, Law') was the Titaness of universal law and justice. She was recognized not only for guiding the affairs of humans with her divine sense of right and fairness, but her counsel was also sought out by the Olympians because of her great integrity and sense of justice. This even included Zeus, whom she warned not to marry Thetis, lest their son overthrow him. She also warned Atlas that one of Zeus' progeny would steal the golden apples.
Themis was also an early wife of Zeus and was by him the mother of the Moirai fate-goddesses, the Horae, the Hesperides, and Astraea (the goddess of justice). Themis also gave the tree of golden apples to Hera at her wedding to Zeus, which she planted in her garden in the Hesperides.
In character she seems to overlap Gaia, her mother, and may be a recycling of the earth goddess in Greek myth. As such, oaths were sworn to her because of her omniscience. Themis also was a prophetess, originally presided at Delphi before relinquishing that post to Apollo, who thus also gained his oracular powers and wisdom which she taught him.
Themis was depicted as a mature woman, with large with open eyes, holding a sword and chain in one hand and a balance in the other. This was meant to indicate the accuracy and severity with which her justice is administered and meted out.
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The Titans: Japetos- Koios- Krios- Phoebe and Theia

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sat Jul 05, 2003 8:50 am

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Iapetos
The elder Titan-god of voice and thought also the Titan of the Wind of Justice, laws, virtues, courts, councilors, personification of the third month. Iapetos was the father of Atlas, Prometheos, Epimetheos, and Menoitios. Hesiodos had him marry the Oceanid Clymene. Others said that his wife was the Oceanid Asia or Asopis. Through Prometheos and Deucalion he was a progenitor of the human race. Some scholars have tried to link his name to Japhet, one of the sons of Noah. Zeus banished Iapetos to Tartaros after defeating him and his Titan brothers in the Titanomachia.
Koios
Koios was the Elder Titan of Intelligence, questioning intellect, the Moon, Night time, creator of the stars and arranger of constellations, astronomy and astrology, purity and personification of the ninth month and also a titan of Fear according to some. He was the husband of Phoebe and by her the father of Leto and thus the grandfather of Apollo and Artemis. He was also the father of Asteria.
Krios
Crios is the elder Titan-god of mastery, lordship, War, Battles, forge, arts, wisdom, protection, warriors patron, memory maker of the first armor. Personification of the twelfth month. Also Titan of Gravity and Density. Crios was married to his sister Eurybia (Mnemosyne) and father of Astraeus, Pallas, and Perses.
Phoebe
Phoebe was the elder Titaness of the Moon, answering intellect. The first Goddess of the Moon. It was she who tamed the first horses for the moon chariot.(some say swans), psychism, cleansing, beauty and youthfulness, personification of the second month. wife of the Titan Coeus, and mother of Leto and Asteria. In later poetry she was also referred to as Titanis, as Hyperion was called Titan.Her name, 'the bright one', was also frequently used as an epithet of Artemis and adopted by Apollo as Phoebus. She was a keeper of the oracle at Delphoi, which she gifted to her grandson Apollo.
Theia
The elder Titaness of sight. The First and only queen of the Sun, justice over murder, vengeance, personification of the seventh month and Titanide of the Sun.
Theia was the Titaness wife of Hyperion and mother of Helios (Sun), Selene (Moon), Eos (Dawn), and Hesperis (Sunset).
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The Titans: Dione- Tethys and the Elder Mousai

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sat Jul 05, 2003 8:52 am

Salvete
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Dione
Dione was according to some accounts an Oceanid, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys; others that she is an Atlantid, daughter of Atlas. She is also variously the mother of Niobe and Pelops by Tantalus, who was thrown into Tartaros and thus perhaps originally a Titan, or of Aphrodite by Zeus. Some also recognize her as being synonymous with Aphrodite.
Tethys
The Elder Titaness of Fresh Water. She was the foster-mother of Hera during the Titan-War. She is the mother of Oceanids.
The Elder Mousai
Three elder Titanides who were goddesses of music and song. Mnemosyne is the most famous of the three elder Muses. Both Cicero as Pausanias give different names.
Cicero's De Natura Deorum: Thelxinoe, Aiode, Arkhe, Melete
Pausanias: Melete, Mnemosyne, Aiode.
Their parents are Ouranos and Gaia, but Pausanias only mentions their father Ouranos but no mother suggesting that they came into being after Ouranos was castrated.
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Next the second generation of Titans
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The Titans: 2nd generation

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sun Jul 06, 2003 8:35 pm

Salvete
These are the second generation of Titans.
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Epimetheus:
Titan of memory, an oracle, visions and divination Was a stupid Titan, whose name means "afterthought". He was the son of Iapetus. In some accounts he is delegated, along with his brother Prometheos by Zeus to create mankind. He also accepted the gift of Pandora from Zeus, which lead to the introduction of evil into the world.
Leto:
Titanid daughter of Coeus and Phoebe. The Titaness of being unseen.
Zeus came to her in the form of a swan and seduced her. For this Hera persecuted her, denying her any place in the world to bear her children. Harassed by Hera, Leto wandered pregnant on earth, finally giving birth to Apollo and Artemis on Delos, the floating island said to have been formed by her sister Astreia.
This was done after Leto promised that Apollo would found a temple there, and Poseidon anchored that floating island to the sea floor and shrouded the island with his waves so that is would not offend Hera's demands. Here Leto suffered birth-pains for nine days and nine nights because Hera delayed the arrival of Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth.
First born was Artemis, who immediately acted as midwife for her brother Apollo. According to some, it was this childhood trauma that convinced Artemis to remain chaste.
Asteria:
'Starry'. Titanid daughter of Phoebe and Coeus and sister of Leto. She is the Titaness of Fire. By Perses she was mother of Hecate. Zeus desired her (an alternate myth says it was Poseidon), and to escape his advances she changed herself into a quail and jumped into the sea and became Ortygia (Quail Island), the floating island later named Delos and where her sister Leto bore the twins Artemis and Apollo.
Astraios:
The younger Titan-god of astrology and astronomy and an ally of Kronos in the Titan-War
Metis:
'Wise Counsel'. A Titanid (or Oceanid) daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, Metis was the Titaness of Wisdom and the planet Mercury. She was the first wife of Zeus. For him she persuaded Kronos to drink a potion that caused him to regurgitate his siblings.
Metis was the wisest of the gods, but Zeus still tricked her into letting him swallow her. In this way he always had her wise counsel to guide him. This was done after Gaia and Ouranos warned him that Metis' second child would someday overthrow Zeus as the most powerful god in the world. Metis was pregnant at the time, and eventually Athena burst from his head, though Metis was never mentioned as her mother.
Pallas:
Titan son of Crius and Eurybia (or Mnemosyne) and brother of Perses and Astraeus. Hesiodos had him mating with Styx, the eldest Oceanid, and their offspring included Zelos, Nike, Cratos, and Bia (Zeal, Victory, Strength, and Force). According to others, he was the father of the dawn-goddess Eos. Titan of war, battles and protection. Husband of Styx.
Another Pallas was a Giant whom Athena killed or a childhood friend of hers that she killed by accident. The overlap of Pallas as Nike's father suggests that Athena and Nike may have been manifestations of the same goddess.
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The Titans: Perses, Nike, Philyra and Eurynome

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Mon Jul 07, 2003 9:47 am

Salvete
Perses:
Titan son of Crius and Eurybia (Mnemosyne), though another tradition has him as the son of Helios and Perse. His brothers were Pallas and Astraeus. He was married to the Titanid Asteria, the daughter of Phoebe and Coeus. They were the parents of the goddess Hecate.
Nike:
The winged goddess of victory, Nike was the Titanid daughter of Pallas and of Styx (Hesiod, Theog.), and sister of Zelos, Kratos, and Bia (Rivalry, Strength, and Force). She fought with the gods against the Titans. She was mostly associated with Athena, and was very popular with the Greeks during and after the Persian wars.
She was also the patron goddess of more friendly rivalries such as athletic, musical, even beauty and crafts contests. Nike had cults in Ilion, Tralles, Olympia, and elsewhere.
Philyra:
'Linden Tree'. A Titanid daughter of Oceanus and Tethys (or Oceanid) whom Chronus seduced to beget the centaur Chiron, a half-horse Titan. This happened according to two different accounts. One is that Chronus changed them into horses while they were mating in fear of being discovered by his jealous wife Rhea.The other says that Philyra changed into a mare and fled from Chronus' advances, but he turned into a stallion and caught her.
Chiron was born on Mount Pelion in Thessaly, where Philyra and Chiron lived in a cave. Later, Philyra helped Chiron raise the children entrusted to them, including Achilles. Another account has Philyra praying to change her form as she was horrified at giving birth to such a hideous son. Thus she was changed into a linden tree.
Eurynome:
Titanid (or Oceanid) daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. She once reigned in Olympus with her consort Ophion the sea serpent until Chronus and Rhea expelled them. She and Ophion retreated to the sea (or were cast into Tartarus).
She and Thetis later welcomed Hephaestus when he was thrown from Olympus, teaching him their metallurgical skills in their palace cave at the bottom of the sea. Eurynome was, by Zeus, the mother of the Charites and the river-god Asopus.
Her very ancient temple outside of Phigalia is in a grove of cypresses. Her statue there has the torso of a woman but the tail of a fish, suggesting that Eurynome was a very ancient goddess of pre-Hellenic origin, with similar likenesses of goddesses found over much of the Near East and far back into prehistory.
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The Titans: Selene, Helios and Eos

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Tue Jul 08, 2003 8:35 am

Salvete
Selene:
Greek moon-goddess, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia. She was sister to the sun-god Helios, the dawn-goddess Eos and, according to some, the sunset-goddess Hesperis. Her name is derived from selas, 'light, radiance'. By Zeus she was the mother of three daughters: Pandia, Erse (the dew), and Nemea (some myths make her the mother of the Nemean Lion, also by Zeus). She drives the moon chariot, drawn by horses or oxen, or she rides a horse, mule or ox. From the firth century BCE she was identified with Artemis, perhaps because the characters of both overlapped with Hecate. Another explanation is that she represents the physical orb of the moon, while Artemis represents its power and influence, as with nocturnal hunting. Later she was sometimes called Mene perhaps because the Phrygian moon-god Men was worshipped in Greece, where the luminary itself was revered.
The Romans assimilated her as Luna. She was depicted clad in long heavy robes with a veil covering the back of her head, and carrying a torch. She also had a half-moon on her brow and leaned forward as if moving with speed and riding in her chariot.
Selene's best-known myth is her affair with Endymion. There are two versions:1) She consummates her love with Endymion is the mother of fifty daughters.2) She comes upon a sleeping Endymion and, enraptured, steals a kiss. She asks Zeus to give him immortality and eternal youth. Zeus grants this, but Endymion must remain eternally asleep. Selene comes each night to gaze upon her love and to steal another kiss
Helios:
Helios was the original Greek sun god. He was never a major god, as there is little evidence of sun worship in Greece. Apollo even appropriated some of his myths, as with his son Phaethon (also an epithet of Helios in Iliad). His myths and centers of worship also indicate that his cult in classical times was a remnant of his importance in the Bronze Age. Helios was perceived as a golden-haired driver of a fiery chariot who daily rode across the sky, pulled by four marvelous horses. The names of these fire-breathing steeds are given as Aethon, Pyroeis, Phlegon, and Eous. Like Apollo, he was depicted as a young, vigorous, and handsome man. He had a swastika emblazoned on his chest, which is thought to symbolize the motion of the sun as a wheel or his chariot's wheels. Light radiated from his brow. His head was surrounded by sunbeams (i.e. halo), which in Greek art was also depicted as a crown of seven rays. Helios owned seven herds of cows and seven herds of lambs, with fifty in each herd, whose number never increased or decreased. The herds were sacred to him, and he loved to watch them grazing when he rose in the morning, and when he descended in the evening. These animals were of immaculate whiteness and his cattle also had gilded horns. His daughters, the Heliades, tended them.
Eos:
Dawn-goddess and daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia. She was sister of the sun god Helios, the moon-goddess Selene, and, according to some, of the sunset-goddess Hesperis. Like her siblings, she drives over the sky in her chariot.
She became the lover of many young men, including Tithonos. Like her sister Selene, she fell in love with a handsome young man. This was Tithonos, for whom she begged Zeus to grant immortality. Zeus granted Eos's wish but, just as he condemn Selene's lover Endymion to eternal sleep, so he condemned Tithonos to grow forever more haggard and wrinkled. She had by him two sons, Emathion and Memnon, but eventually she locked Tithonos in a room because, although old and infirm, he talked perpetually. He remained there until the gods took pity and turned him into the cicada, an insect famous for its complaining sound.
By the Titan Astreos she was mother of the wind-gods Boreas, Zephyros, Euros, and Notos, and also Eosphoros, the morning star, and the stars. She was also the mother, by various lovers, of Emathion, Phosphorus, Phaeton, and Hesperos. Eos incurred the wrath of Aphrodite by having an affair with Ares. In revenge, Aphrodite inflicted Eos with being smitten with love for many mortals, including Tithonos, Orion, Kleitos, Kephalos, and so on. The Romans assimilated Eos as Aurora.
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The Titans: Atlas

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sat Jul 12, 2003 12:08 pm

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Atlas:

The younger Titan-god of daring-thought also of the earth, heaven, sky, and strength. An good patron. Atlas was the son of the Titan Iapetos and the Oceanid Klymene (some say Asia), and brother of Menoetios, Prometheos, and Epimetheos. According to some Atlas was also the father of the Pleiades and Hyades by Pleione, and of the Hesperides by Hesperis. Other offspring sometimes included the goddess Dione and the gods Hyas and Hesperos. In some accounts he was a son of Ouranos and Gaia and thus a Titan proper.
Because of Kronos' advanced age, Atlas led the Titans against Zeus and the Olympians in the Titanomachia. For this he was singled out for special punishment and thousand so was condemned carry the sky on his shoulders. His role as the bearer of the sky on the western edge of the world may have complemented that of Prometheos, who was chained onto the mountains in the east. Atlas was originally thought to have been stationed in the country of the Hesperides, though an alternative belief was in the land of the Hyperboreans
Atlas' main role in myth is his involvement in one of Heracles' labors, when the son of Zeus is charged with stealing the golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides. Atlas offered to get them for Herakles if he would hold up the sky while Atlas retrieved them. When he returned he told Herakles he would deliver them as Heracles was doing such a great job holding up the sky. Herakles agreed, but then asked Atlas to hold up the sky a second so he, Heracles, could adjust the position on his shoulders and make it more comfortable. When Atlas did so, Herakles left with the apples, thus tricking Atlas into resuming his punishment.
Later in Greek tradition, Perseos, while enroute to Seriphos with the head of the Gorgon Medusa, turned the giant to stone, when Atlas refused the hero the proper hospitality. This was used to explain the Atlas Mountains after they had been discovered

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The Titans: Prometheus

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sat Jul 12, 2003 12:09 pm

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Prometheos:

Prometheos was a Titan, memory and recollection and Fire, son of Klymene or Asia, both Oceanids, or of the Titans Iapetos and Themis. His brothers were Epimetheos, Atlas, and Menoetios. The name of his wife varied amongst the ancient writers, but most commonly were Klymene or Keleano. While his brothers were not known for their mental prowess, Prometheos was a gifted Titan, popular and popular in Greek culture. He supported his cousin Zeus' overthrow of Kronos, then fought with Zeus against his Titan brethren.
In one account, Prometheos made the first people out of clay, animating them with fire he had taken from heaven. Athena aided him by giving souls to the figures. In Hesiodos's Theogeny, however, Prometheos is recognized as mankind's benefactor - not his creator. Prometheos was also one of the gods credited with cracking Zeus over the head with an axe ('lightning bolt') to release/ 'give birth to' Athena. So was the smith-god Hephaistos, who is also associated with fire. In another myth Hephaistos was also thrown out of heaven for offending Zeus, and he and Prometheos may have the same origin.
Prometheos' name means 'forethought' for his intelligence and oracular powers. Zeus did not think much of man. He did not like them having his sacred fire to do such banal chores as cooking and making pots. Prometheos tricked Zeus into accepting the unpalatable parts of two sacrificed bulls, giving all the good parts to mankind to eat. Zeus was angered at Prometheos for his deception, and in retaliation forbid mankind the use of fire. However, Prometheos stole fire from Hephaistos' forge (or sparks from the Sun's 'wheels') and with Athena's help brought them to earth to give to mankind. The Greeks recognized as the first invention leading to the rise of arts and sciences. Indeed, Prometheos would have needed fire to make mankind, as clay is becomes ornamental figurines and pottery only after fired in a kiln. Additionally, Prometheos knew which god would eventually overthrow Zeus, but would not say.
Zeus tried to outwit Prometheos in turn, but failed. He ordered Hephaistos to make a woman out of clay, making her an even more clever, scheming liar (traits inherited from Hermes) than Prometheos. She was named Pandora ('All Gifts' for having received traits from all the Olympians), and had a box containing all the ills of mankind. However, Prometheos did not want her and passed her off to his stupid brother, Epimetheos ('after thought'), even though Prometheos warned him not to marry her.
For all his cunning, however, Prometheos was no match for Zeus' power. For his offenses, Zeus punished him by having Hermes and Hephaistos chain him for all eternity or until he divulged the name of his usurper to Mount Caucasus, previously named Mt. Kronion ('Time', 'Eternity'). Indeed, Prometheos was an epithet to Kronos. There an eagle (or a vulture) would visit him daily and eat his liver, which would grow back at night to be eaten again the next day. Herakles eventually rescued him, shooting the eagle/ vulture and freeing Prometheos. Zeus approved, as it added to the fame of his son.
Prometheos revealed to Zeus that his son by Thetis would someday dethrone him.
Prometheos was also recognized as a skilled craftsman and benefactor of mankind in Greek culture. Prometheos was the father of Deukalion, who with his wife Pyrrha ('the Redhead' or 'Fire'), daughter of Epimetheus and Pandora, escaped the flood that Zeus sent to destroy mankind. Prometheos told his son to build an arc to escape the flood. Deukalion and Pyrrha later created mankind anew by throwing stones over their shoulders. Their son Hellen was the progenitor of the Hellenic peoples. For his beneficence, the Athenians had an altar for him in the groves of Academus where they annually celebrated games.

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The Titans: Klymene and Aura

Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Sat Jul 12, 2003 12:10 pm

Salvete

Klymene
Titaness of fame and infamy
Aura
The younger Titanis of the breeze. She was a virgin huntress who was raped by Dionysos.

The Titans are Gods of Nature and their function lies close to nature, more than the Olympians Do. The Titans can represent the forces of nature and all that can be found in nature, while the Olympians represent civilization. Although the Titans do represent several aspects of society, really worshipped like the Olympians, they were not with the exception of a few. Today more than ever they deserve to be honored and worshipped, because today we have lost our link to nature and we can get it back through the Titans. The Olympian Gods can also bring back that link, but the Titans stand closer to nature than most Olympians do so they are the more best of choice to do this.

Sources:
Enter the Mist: http://www.geocities.com/cas11jd/
The Theoi Project: http://www.theoi.com/
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Postby Anonymous on Mon Sep 19, 2005 3:13 pm

Salve mici Orce!

Very well done,I hope theres a thread on here of similiar or better work on the Roman gods and equivelents.
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Postby Quintus Aurelius Orcus on Mon Sep 19, 2005 10:17 pm

Salve

Thnx. I'm not sure, but I don't think there is one yet. Perhaps you can write one yourself.
vale

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Postby Anonymous on Tue Sep 20, 2005 5:19 pm

Quintus Aurelius Orcus wrote:Salve

Thnx. I'm not sure, but I don't think there is one yet. Perhaps you can write one yourself.
vale

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Salve!
YW!.
LOL yeah I can see me doing something like that,Im not that educated in the Roman religion do even give it justice.
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