A lot of the world in the modern world is built on samples given by philosophers, scientists and poets of ancient Greece. The culture of the Hellenes stirred the minds of artists and writers for many years after the gods turned to people roamed the roads of Greece. Despite all the popularity of Greek mythology, not all of its characters are equally well known. Titans, for example, have not received such renown as the Olympian gods.
Who are the Titans?
In ancient Greek mythology, it is customary to single out three generations of gods.
- The gods of the first generation are the ancestors who do not have personification, the embodiment of such comprehensive concepts as earth, night, love.
- The gods of the second generation are called titans. To understand who is a Titan in the representation of the ancient Greeks, one must understand that they are an intermediate link between fully personalized Olympians and the embodiment of truly global concepts. The closest assessment will be "the personification of elemental forces."
- The third generation gods are Olympians. The closest and most understandable to people interacting with them directly.
Who are the titans in Greek mythology?
The second generation of the gods of ancient Hellas is an intermediate generation, taking away power from the parents, but giving it up to its children. In both cases, the initiator of the revolution was the companion of the supreme god of the generation. Gaia, the wife of Uranus, was angry with her husband for imprisoning her children, the Herculeanite giants. Only Cron (Kronos), the youngest and the most cruel of the Titans, responded to the mother's persuasion to overthrow his father, in order to obtain supreme domination he had to be scraped with a sickle of Uranus. Interestingly, after the seizure of power, Kron again imprisoned the hecatonhaires.
Fearing the repetition of the situation, the titan tried to hedge - swallowed the children born by his wife, Rhea. At some point the Titanide was sick of the cruelty of her husband, and she saved her youngest son, Zeus. Hidden from a cruel father, the young god survived, managed to save his brothers and sisters, win the war and become the ruler of Olympus. Although the reign of Kronos is called in the myths by the golden age, titanium in mythology is the personification of chaotic, ruthless forces, and the transition to wise and human gods to the Olympians is a completely logical consequence of the development and humanization of the culture of the ancient Greeks.
Titans - mythology
Not all the titans of ancient Greece were overthrown during the war, some of them took the side of the Olympians, so in some cases, the titan is the god of Olympus. Here are some of them:
- Metida raised young Zeus in Crete;
- Themis, who became on Olympus the goddess of correct behavior (later justice);
- Prometheus and Epimetheus, brothers who played an important role in the war of the gods and titans.
The struggle of the gods of the Olympians with the Titans
After Zeus grew up and with the help of poisoned nectar freed his brothers and sisters from the womb of Kronos, he considered it possible to challenge a cruel parent. Ten years this battle lasted, where there was no preponderance of either side. Finally, in the duel of the Titans against the gods, the hecatonhaires, liberated by Zeus, intervened; their help was decisive, the Olympians defeated and threw all Tartars in Tartarus who did not agree with the power of the new gods.
These events aroused the interest of many ancient Greek poets, but the only work completely preserved to our days is Hesiod's Theogony. Modern scientists suggest that the war of the gods and titans reflected the struggle of the religions of the indigenous population of the Balkan Peninsula and the Hellenes invading their territory.
Titans and Titanides
Researchers identify twelve senior titans, six male and six female. Titans:
- Cron, who later personified time;
- Ocean;
- Cryos;
- Kay, symbolizing the celestial axis;
- Iapetus, according to some assumptions the ancestor of the Aryans;
- Hyperion is the sun god.
Titanides:
- Themis;
- Rhea;
- Tethys, the female embodiment of the sea;
- Theia, the goddess of the moon;
- Mnemosyne, memory;
- Phoebe.
It is now difficult to say exactly what the titanium or titanide looks like, according to the ideas of the ancient Greeks. On the images that have come down to us they are either anthropomorphic, like the Olympians, or in the form of monsters, only remotely similar to people. In any case, their characters also became human, like the characters of the third generation of gods. According to the views of the ancient Greeks, the Titans and Titanides have repeatedly marriages with each other and with other representatives of Greek mythology. Children from such marriages, born to titanomahia, are considered younger titans.
Titans and Atlanteans
In the ancient Greek myths, all losers are punished, by whomever they are - titans, first generation gods or mere mortals. One of the titans, Atlanta, Zeus punished, forcing to support the firmament. Later, he helped Hercules get the Hesperides apples, thus making the 12th feat, Atlant was considered the inventor of astronomy and natural philosophy. Perhaps that is why the mysterious, enlightened, and not found Atlantis was named in his honor.