Titans of ancient Greece. The gods of ancient Greece - a list and description Who were the titans really

, Mnemosyne , Theia , Themis , Rhea), who married among themselves and gave birth to a new generation of gods: Prometheus , Helios, Muses , Summer, etc."

"... And then, dividing

A bed with Uranus, the ocean gave birth to a deep one,

After all of them was born, among children the most terrible,

For for a long time they fought against each other

In fierce, mighty battles, with tension that hurts the soul,

All givers of blessings - from the peaks of the snowy Olympus.

Anger that hurts the soul, burning to each other,

For ten years they have been fighting among themselves continuously,

And the resolution of a heavy enmity or its ending

It did not come, and there was no end in sight between the internecine.

"Listen, glorious children born of Gaia with Uranus!

I will say the word, which soul ordered me in my chest.

For a very long time, fighting against each other,

We fight all these days continuously for power and victory, -

So he said. And approved the word, having heard it,

Gods, givers of blessings. And their souls desired war

Even hotter than before. Killing fight initiated

All of them on the same day - men, as well as wives, -

Fifty heads rose from strong bodies.

Three hundred stones from their mighty hands flew into titans

Quickly one after another, and in their flight they shaded

They are the bright sun. AND titans brothers sent

Into the bowels of the wide-road land and imposed upon them

Heavy bonds, with the mighty hands of defeating the arrogant.

They dropped them underground as deep as far to the sky,

For so far from us is the many-gloomy Tartarus:

If, taking a copper anvil, throw it from the sky,

In nine days and nights she would fly to the earth;

If, taking a copper anvil, throw it from the ground,

In nine days and nights, weight would fly to Tartarus.

Tartarus is surrounded by a copper fence. in three rows

- the son of Kronos, or Saturn and Rhea, the brother of Zeus, the ruler of the underworld, where he reigns over the shadows with his wife Persephone, or Proserpine. In Roman mythology, Pluto.

Atlas is a Titanide in Greek mythology, the son of the Titan Iapetus and the Oceanide Clymene. He supported the vault of heaven near the Garden of the Hesperides as punishment for taking part in the battle with Zeus on the side of the Titans.

Apollo is the son of Zeus and Lethe (Lato), the patron of poetry, music and singing, and also the patron of herds. As the messenger of the will of Zeus, Apollo was the god of predictions and oracles.

Coy - a titan of Greek mythology, the son of Uranus and Gaia, the brother and husband of the titan Phoebe, who gave birth to Leto and Asteria. Participated in the titanomachy and was thrown with his brothers by Zeus into Tartarus.

Ares is the god of war, the son of Zeus and Hera. In the early myths, the birth of Ares occurred without the participation of the father from the touch of Hera on the magic flower. In later myths, Ares appeared as the son of Zeus.

Kronos is the son of the sky god Uranus and the earth goddess Gaia. He succumbed to the persuasion of his mother and castrated his father Uranus in order to stop the endless birth of his children.

Hermes is the Arcadian god of pastures, the executor of the will of Zeus. Hermes, great inventor, patron of industry, god of roads, guide and guide of the dead. In Roman mythology, it corresponds to Mercury.

The ocean is the oldest god of the water element, the forefather of the gods of the sea, rivers, streams and sources. Titan, son of Uranus and Gaia. From him came a large generation of water deities who made up a special water Olympus.

Dionysus is the eternally young god of the fruitful forces of the earth, vegetation, viticulture and winemaking, known as the "god with bull horns", the son of Zeus and the Theban princess Semele.

Pallas is the son of Gaia and Uranus. During the Gigantomachy, Athena crushed the lustful Pallas with a piece of rock, and then tore off his skin, still alive, to make herself an aegis.

Zeus is the son of Kronos (Saturn) and Rhea, the husband of Hera, the most powerful and highest of the gods of the Greek people, the sovereign ruler of the world, the father of gods and people. Jupiter in Roman mythology.

Prometheus is the son of the titan Iapetus and the oceanic Clymene, according to another version - Asia or the goddess of justice Themis. Gave people divine fire, hidden by the Thunderer Zeus.

Mars - in Roman mythology, the god of war, the oldest deity of Rome, which was part of the triad of gods that originally headed the Roman pantheon - Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus.

Uranus is the most ancient of the Greek gods. The personification of the sky in Greek myths. Progenitor of giants, goddesses of vengeance Erinyes, nymphs, hekatonkheires, cyclops giants, Aphrodite and the titan Kronos.

Mercury - in Roman mythology, the god of trade, profit and enrichment, the patron of travelers, the son of Maya.

Neptune is one of the most ancient gods of the Roman pantheon. He was identified with the god of Greek mythology, Poseidon.

Pan is a field and forest god, the patron of herds grazing in the forest and in the field, possessed the gift of prophecy, was considered the son of the prophetic Peak and the grandson of Kronos (Saturn). The Romans - Faun

Poseidon is the son of Kronos, or Saturn, and Rhea, the brother of Zeus; after the victory over the titans, at the division of dominance over the world, he became the ruler of the sea. In Roman mythology, Neptune.

Jupiter - in Roman mythology, the almighty god of the sky, the king of the gods. Jupiter was revered as the supreme deity, the lord of thunder and lightning.

Janus - Roman god of doors; as such had two faces. He was also the god of treaties and alliances. Janus commanded the beginnings. Before the advent of the cult of Jupiter, Janus was the deity of the sky and light.

From ancient Greek mythology. According to the poet Hesiod ("Theogony"), the titans are the children of Uranus (the god of heaven) and Gaia (the goddess of the earth), who rebelled against the gods of the Olympians, for which they were thrown into Tartarus (hell, underworld). Allegorically: people who are different ... ... Dictionary of winged words and expressions

titans->). Marble. 180 160 BC State museums. Berlin. /> Titans. Fragment of the eastern frieze of the Pergamon Altar: the battle of Zeus with the Titans (). Marble. 180 160 BC State museums. Berlin. Titans. Fragment of the eastern frieze of Pergamon ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary "World History"

- (inosk.) fighters (great people, a hint at the struggle of the Titans against Uranus). The Titanides are the descendants of the Titans. Wed It was rather difficult to understand what exactly she was afraid of on the part of the modern titans of Russian thought. Leskov. Spirit of Madame Janlis. 5. Wed… … Michelson's Big Explanatory Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

- (Titanes, Τιτα̃νες). The children of Uranus and Gaia are six sons and six daughters. They entered into a struggle with Zeus for possession of the sky, but were struck by him with the help of the Cyclopes and hundred-armed giants and thrown into Tartarus. (Source: A Concise Dictionary of Mythology and... ... Encyclopedia of mythology

Descendants of Titan of monstrous growth, possessing extraordinary strength, arguing with Jupiter about the possession of the sky and overthrown by his lightning into tartar. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. TITANS in Greek. mythology... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Titans- Titans. A fragment of the eastern frieze of the Pergamon altar: the battle of Zeus with the Titans (on the right is their leader Porfirion). Marble. 180 160 BC State museums. Berlin. TITANS, in Greek mythology, the sons of Uranus and Gaia, the gods defeated by Zeus and ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

In the myths of the ancient Greeks, children (6 sons and 6 daughters) and grandchildren of the sky god Uranus and the earth goddess Gaia. Under the leadership of Kronos, Uranus was deposed; after the overthrow of Kronos by Zeus, part of the titans rebelled against the Olympic gods, part joined ... ... Historical dictionary

TITANS, in Greek mythology, the sons of Uranus and Gaia, the gods defeated by Zeus and cast down by him into tartar ... Modern Encyclopedia

In Greek mythology, the sons of Uranus and Gaia, the gods defeated by Zeus and cast down by him into Tartarus. In later myths, titans are confused with giants... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (titanhV, Titanus) in Greek mythology, the children of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaia (Earth). Homer mentions two T. Iapetus and Cronus, who rebelled against Zeus and suffered severe punishment for that: hence the idea of ​​the titans arose as the perpetrators of the existing in ... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

Books

• Titans
• Titans, Ginar Theo. Before you - an amazing universe of Titans! Each of them consists of many details, parts and elements. Each of them has its own history and unique origin. Try to find seven...

Hyperion
husband of his sister Teia, father of Helios, Selena, Eos. Hyperion - "shining" god, lit. "going above", that is, across the sky and therefore is identified with Helios - often in Homer, in Hellenistic-Roman mythology - constantly; the sons of Helios are called hyperionides.

Iapetus
Husband of the Oceanid Clymene, who bore him Atlantis, Menetius, Prometheus and Epimetheus. According to other sources, they are the sons of Iapetus and the Oceanids of Asia. Iapetus is a member of the Titanomachy; was cast down by Zeus into tartar, sharing the fate of the brothers-titans.

Coy
brother and husband of the Titanides Phoebe, who gave birth to Leto and Asteria; grandfather of Apollo, Artemis and Hekate. Participated in the titanomachy and was thrown into tartar with his brothers.

Crius
· father of the titanides Pallas, Astrea and Persian, grandfather Nike, Strength, Power and Envy.

Kronos, Kronos
(K r o n o z) one of the titans, the son of Uranus and Gaia. At the instigation of his mother, he castrated Uranus with a sickle made of durable metal or even diamond in order to stop his endless fertility. After that, the titans became the supreme beings in space. The time when Cronus was "lord of the sky" was the golden age of mythological history. People in those days lived like gods, "with a calm and clear soul, not knowing grief, not knowing labors," according to Hesiod.

Having reigned instead of his father, Kron took his sister Rhea as his wife. However, according to the prediction of mother Gaia, his own son was to deprive him of power, therefore, as soon as Rhea had children, Kron immediately swallowed them, wanting to avoid the fulfillment of the prediction. One day, Rhea deceived Kron by placing a stone wrapped in diapers instead of the youngest son of Zeus, which was swallowed by Kron.

Zeus was secretly nursed in a cave in Crete. Protected by the Kurets, he grew up, became powerful and cunning. Having matured, on the advice of his wife Metis, he made Cronus drunk with a magical drink, thanks to which Cronus spewed into the world the brothers and sisters of Zeus - Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter and Hestia. Under the leadership of Zeus, the children of Kron declared war on the titans, which lasted ten years. Terrible and stubborn was this struggle between the Kronids and Uranids. The Titans were powerful and formidable opponents. Zeus brought the Cyclopes out of Tartarus, who fettered him with thunderbolts and thunders, but they did not bring a quick victory either, no one's advantage was visible. Then Zeus brought the hundred-handed out of the bowels of the earth. They tore whole rocks from the mountains and threw them at the titans when they approached Olympus, where the Kronids settled.

This long-term battle, when everything in nature groaned, shuddered and burned with fire, was called titanomachy. This myth, apparently, reflected ideas about natural disasters that changed the landscape of the planet.

When the terrible hundred-armed ones intervened in the battle, the titans faltered, the domination of the insane and impersonal cosmic elements came to an end, the time came for intelligent humanoid deities - the Olympians. The formidable power of the titans was broken. Zevs chained them all, including Kron, and threw them into the tartar, and appointed the hundred-handed watchmen. According to the Orphic tradition, Cron subsequently reconciles with Zeus and rules on the islands of the blessed, on the edge of the earth, beyond the Ocean, where only the dead live - hence the concept of the reign of Cron as a happy and fertile time arose.

Among the children of Kronus, his son from the nymph Filira, the wise centaur Chiron, also stands out.

Folk etymology brought the name Krona closer to the name of the time - Chronos. In Roman mythology, Kron is known by the name of Saturn, which was perceived as a symbol of inexorable time.

Cronus was dedicated to the festivities of kronii, in Rome - saturnalia, during which masters and servants changed their duties, and unbridled fun of the carnival type reigned.

Mnemosyne, Mnemosyne
the goddess of memory. She gave birth to the Muses from Zeus - nine daughters. According to the message of Pausanias, in Leybadei (Boeotia), near the cave of Trophonius, there were two sources: Leta - oblivion and Mnenosyne - memory. According to tradition, those who come to question the famous oracle first drink water from both sources in order to forget about worries and worries and remember what they heard and saw in the cave.

Ocean (Wk e a n o z)
You, begetter of immortal gods and mortal people,
You wash the circle of the earth, limiting it with yourself,
All seas and deep rivers come from you,
Moisture holy underground springs and streams - from you.
Orphic hymn
· the deity of the boundless and deep, the greatest and oldest in the world of the river of the same name, washing the whole earth (Homer "Iliad", XIV 245-246). In the far west, it marks the boundary between the world of life and the world of death. From this boundless river spring all other rivers and sea currents; from it the sun, moon and stars rise and fall into it.

The ocean is a titan of the first generation, the son of the sky of Uranus and the earth of Gaia, the brother and husband of the titanides Tethys, with whom he gave birth to three thousand daughters - oceanids and the same number of sons - river streams. He is the father of Metis, the wise wife of Zeus. The ocean is also known for its peacefulness and kindness (tried unsuccessfully to reconcile Prometheus with Zeus).

According to myths, the Ocean did not participate in the battle of the titans against Zeus, because he was unable to raise his fluid body from the surface of the earth, but took the side of the gods of the new generation in this struggle, and therefore retained his power, as well as the trust of the Olympians.

The ocean and Tefis constantly live in their underwater palace, not participating in the affairs of the other gods.

Rhea (R e i a)
Mother of all immortal gods and mortal men, praise me,
Daughter of the great Zeus, O sonorous Muse!
She loves the sounds of rattles and tambourines and overflowing flutes,
The fiery-eyed roar of lions, the howls of wolves,
Ringing mountains and forested logs are deaf
Rejoice in the song and you, and with you all the other goddesses!
Homer
· Ancient goddess, Titanide, daughter of Uranus and Gaia, sister and wife of Kronos, who bore him Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus. Kronos, fearing to be deprived of power, devoured his children, but Rhea, on the advice of her parents, saved Zeus. Instead of her son, she planted a swaddled stone for Kronos, which he swallowed, and secretly from her father sent her son to Crete, to Mount Dikta. According to one version of the myth, Rhea deceived Kronos at the birth of Poseidon. She hid her son among the grazing sheep, and gave Kronos a foal to swallow, citing the fact that she gave birth to him.

In the period of late antiquity, Rhea was identified with the Phrygian Great Mother of the gods and received the name Rhea-Cybele, whose cult was distinguished by an orgiastic character. Rhea's retinue in Crete consisted of the Curetes and Corybantes.

Theia, Feya
wife of Hyperion, mother of Helios, Selene and Eos.

Tethys,
Tethys, Tithea (T h q u z) · one of the most ancient deities, titanide, daughter of Uranus and Gaia, sister and wife of the Ocean, from marriage with whom she gave birth to three thousand oceanids and all the rivers of the world. The fertility of Tethys and her concern for countless offspring is indicated by the name of the goddess, associated with the Indo-European teta, "mother."

Tethys and the Ocean live at the end of the world, and Hera went there more than once to reconcile the quarreling spouses, whom they, at the request of her mother Rhea, sheltered during the struggle between Zeus and Kron.

Phoebe
· sister and wife of Koya, sometimes associated with the moon along with Selena and Bendida. She is the mother of Leto and Asteria, the grandmother of Apollo and Artemis. Phoebe was considered the founder of the temple and oracle at Delphi, which she then presented to her grandson.

Themis,
Temida, Themis (Q e m i z)
goddess of justice, daughter of Uranus and Gaia, titanide, second legal wife of Zeus, mother of or, goddesses of order in nature, and moira, goddesses of human destiny. According to one version, Themis is the mother of Prometheus, while she clearly approaches the earth Gaia and is thought of by one deity under different names. Possessing the gift of divination, the goddess reveals to Prometheus the secret that the marriage of Zeus to Thetis will lead to the birth of a son who will overthrow Zeus. From her mother Gaia, she received the Delphic oracle, which she passed on to her sister Phoebe, who gave this oracle to Apollo, her grandson.

In Olympia, near the altar of Gaia with her oracle and the altar of Zeus was the altar of Themis. As the goddess of Olympic mythology, Themis is no longer identified with the earth, but is her offspring, as well as the wife of Zeus as the basis of law and order. After she ceased to be the wife of Zeus, Themis became his adviser and mediator between Zeus and people. She conveyed to them the commands of the supreme god.

Themis is depicted with a blindfold, for she is a symbol of impartiality, with a cornucopia and scales in her hands. She represents justice and law. Judges and lawyers are called priests of Themis.

Justice
Alexander Terebenev, ser. 19th century

Justice and Pax in front of the throne of Venice
Paolo Veronese, 1575-77
Venice, Palazzo Ducale

Justice
Raphael Santi, 1509-11
Rome, Vatican Museums

Titans- in Greek mythology, the gods of the first generation.

Family and environment

Earth-Gaia and Sky-Uranus gave birth not only to monsters, but also to titans - gods. There were twelve of them, six brothers - Oceanus, Coy, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, Kronos and six sisters - Tefis, Phoebe, Mnemosyne, Teia, Themis and Rhea.

They intermarried and gave birth to a new generation of gods.

Ocean - had power over the world flow, which, according to the Greeks, surrounded the earth's firmament. He and Tethys gave birth to many children, oceanids and river streams. According to Apollodorus, he was the father of Metis, the wife of Zeus.

Kay (Koy) is the husband of the Titanides Phoebe, the father of Latona (Leto) and the grandfather of the twins Apollo and Artemis. Hyperion is the lord of the heavenly elements, the father of Helios. Iapetus (Iapetus) is the father of the titan Prometheus and his brother Epimetheus.

Kronos (Kronos) - the ruler of the first generation of gods, under Kronos, there was a golden age on earth. He is the father of Zeus and his brothers and sisters: Hades, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera and Hestia. Themis, the goddess of justice, was the mother of the moira (Atropos, Clotho and Lachesis), as well as Dike, Eunomia and Eirene. Mnemosyne is the goddess of memory, her children were Clio, Calliope, Melpomene, Urania, Euterpe, Terpsichore, Erato, Polyhymnia, Thalia, Aonides, Melet, Mnem and Felksinoya.

According to Pseudo-Apollodorus and the Orphics, there were seven Titanides, including Dione, the goddess of rain.

Name and origin

The name "Titan" is possibly associated with solar heat or dominion and it is of pre-Greek origin, there is a version that this word came into the Greek language from some Asia Minor source.

Hesiod gives a version according to which this word comes from the verb "stretch, stretch", but this is just a folk etymology. According to Pausanias, their name was first introduced by Homer, and Onomacritus borrowed this name from him.

Titans are archaic gods who personified the elements of nature with all its catastrophes. They do not know rationality, orderliness and measure, their tool is brute force. Therefore, they do not listen to the advice of Prometheus and Themis in order to get along with Zeus by cunning. The primitive savagery of the titans gives way to the heroism and wise harmony of the cosmos of the Olympian period of Greek mythology; this process reflected the struggle of the pre-Greek gods of the Balkan substratum with the new gods of the Greek tribes invading from the north.

Myth

The Titans, like their brothers the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires (or hundred-armed), were cast into the bowels of the earth by their father Uranus, languishing from the weight of her children, Gaia-Earth decided to resist the despotism of her husband with the help of the Titans.

The youngest of the titans, Kronos, at the instigation of his mother Gaia, castrated his father Uranus with a sickle to stop his endless fertility, and took the place of the supreme god among the Titans.

Born from Kronos and Rhea, the young god Zeus, in turn, was destined to deprive his father of power and become the head of a new generation of gods - the Olympians.

The Titans (except Oceanus) set out from Mount Ophry to overthrow Zeus and his associates (Zeus and his brothers and sisters set out from Olympus, hence the name "Olympians"). The battle between the Titans and the Olympians is called "Titanomachy", it lasted 9 years, until the hundred-armed giants of Hekatoncheira came to the aid of Zeus. The defeated titans were overthrown to Tartarus, where the hundred-armed became their guardians.

Onomacritus presented the Titans as "the culprits of the passions of Dionysus." According to these legends, a week after birth, the titans tore Zagreus to pieces, for which they were thrown into Tartarus (or, according to various versions, Zeus incinerated them with lightning, people appeared from the soot, or he subjected them to various torments).

According to Nikandor, spiders and snakes originated from the blood of the Titans. In later myths, titans are identified with giants.

Myths tell about the participation of one or another titan in legendary events. For example, the titans Prometheus and Epimetheus gave people and animals the ability to survive on earth, but Epimetheus gave all the abilities to animals, and people didn’t get anything, so Prometheus stole his fire from Hephaestus and gave it to people. The titan Atlas was punished for participating in the battle against the gods for the eternal maintenance of the firmament, later he helped Hercules find the gardens of the Hesperides.

In culture and art

The XXXVII Orphic Hymn is dedicated to the Titans. They made up the choir in the tragedy of Aeschylus "Prometheus Unchained", there were also comedies by Eubulus and Cratinus the Younger "Titans".

The history of the struggle of three generations of ancient gods is described in the epic of an unknown author "Titanomachia", this work itself has not reached our days, but according to some sources its content has been partially restored. In the classical period of the development of Greece, many famous writers and poets reproduced certain legends in their books.

In modern times

In literature and philosophy, there is the concept of "titanism" - this is a movement inspired by the revolutionary struggle against the established order, usually with an anti-religious bias. According to titanism, man is omnipotent and has unlimited possibilities.

Titanium is the 22nd element of the periodic table, a light and durable metal of silver-white color.

Titan is also the largest satellite of Saturn, the second largest satellite in the solar system after Ganymede (moon of Jupiter). It was discovered by the Dutch astronomer Christian Huygens.

The name Titan is very commonly used in titles nowadays, likely due to the fact that it symbolizes primal strength and power, such as football clubs and hockey teams, organizations, rockets, and the name of a supercomputer at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. used for scientific purposes.