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Greek mythology the terrible and powerful Titans were those deities which
preceded the Olympian gods. Never worshipped as the other gods, they nevertheless
helped, through contrast, to clarify the position in the universe of the Olympian gods
who defeated the unruly and chaotic Titans in the Titanomachy. Indeed, the very
name Titan signifies 'Strainers', referencing their constant struggle against the order of
things. Following this clash between the two generations of gods, Zeus imprisoned the
Titans in Tartarus, the deepest part of the Underworld and established order in the
universe.
The Titanomachy
Following Ouranos' harsh imprisonment of the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires,
Cronus led the Titans in a rebellion against their father, an act wholly encouraged by
Gaia. Indeed, Gaia gave Cronus the sickle (harpe) with which he castrated Ouranos.
Throwing the genitalia into the sea (in some versions of the myth) led to the birth of the
goddess Aphrodite and from the splashed blood of Cronus sprang the Erinyes (Furies),
Giants and Fates.
Fearing a prophecy that his children would likewise usurp his dominance of the
universe, Cronus swallowed all of his offspring. Only Zeus, spirited away by his
mother Rhea to a cave on Crete, escaped this fate. To deceive Cronus, Rhea gave her
husband a substitute stone wrapped in swaddling-clothes which the Titan duly
swallowed. Zeus would have his revenge though, and would later make his father
cough all of his siblings back into the world.
The Farnese Atlas
The ensuing battle between the Titans and the Olympians to gain control of the heavens
was said to have lasted ten years with the Titans based on Mt. Othrys and the
Olympians on Mt. Olympus in Thessaly. The Olympian gods benefitted from the aid of
the Cyclopes who also gave Zeus his thunder and lightning bolts. However, what
finally tipped the balance of power in favour of the Olympians was the intervention of
the three Hecatoncheires, who relentlessly threw enormous boulders at the Titans. The
Titans were then imprisoned in a great chasm in the deepest, darkest part of the
Underworld - Tartarus - which was even deeper than Hades and henceforth became
known as a place of punishment. With massive bronze gates made by Poseidon and
with Gyges, Cottus and Briareos set as guards, the Titans could now no longer threaten
the peaceful order established by the Olympian gods.