Aegaeon
A Hecatoncheir associated with sea storms, sometimes identified with Briareos under his mortal name.
The Myth of Aegaeon
Aegaeon is the name mortals gave to the giant Briareos, one of the three Hecatoncheires — creatures of one hundred hands and fifty heads born from Gaia and Ouranos. When Zeus imprisoned the Titans in Tartarus, the Hecatoncheires served as their jailers. Homer mentions that the gods called this being Briareos, while mortals used the name Aegaeon. Thetis once summoned him to Olympus to protect Zeus when the other Olympians plotted against him, and his mere presence was enough to dissuade any revolt.
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Fun Fact
The Aegean Sea may derive its name from Aegaeon, connecting the stormy hundred-handed giant directly to the turbulent waters Greeks sailed daily.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Gyges
🏔 titanhundred-handed earth-born power
One of the three Hecatoncheires, the hundred-handed giants born of Gaia and Uranus.
Phorcys
🏔 titanSea Dangers, Hidden Depths
An ancient sea god of the deep's hidden perils, father of many of Greek mythology's most famous monsters including the Gorgons and the Graeae.
Briareos
🐉 creaturegiants,sea
One of the Hecatoncheires (Hundred-Handed Giants), beings of immense power with fifty heads and one hundred arms, allies of Zeus in the Titanomachy.
Eurybia
🏔 titanMastery of the Seas, Sea Power
An ancient sea goddess whose name meant "wide force," bridging the generation between the primordial ocean and the Titan dynasty.
Hecatoncheires
🏔 titanHundred-handed giant
Briareus was the mightiest of the three Hundred-Handed Ones who helped Zeus defeat the Titans.
Thaumas
🏔 titanSea Wonders, Marvels
An ancient sea god whose name meant "wonder," father of the rainbow goddess Iris and the storm-bringing Harpies.
Cottus
🏔 titanfurious assault, hundred-handed combat
One of the three Hecatoncheires, the hundred-handed giants, embodying the fury of battle.
Tethys
🏔 titanTitaness of the primal ocean
The great Titaness of the sea who nursed Hera and whose union with Oceanus produced all the world's rivers and springs.
Pontos
🏔 titanthe deep sea
A primordial sea deity, the personification of the deep sea itself, born from Gaia without a mate.
Atlas
🏔 titanTitan condemned to hold the sky
The Titan condemned to bear the weight of the heavens on his shoulders at the western edge of the world for eternity.
Atlas
🏔 titanTitan condemned to hold up the sky
The Titan who was condemned to hold the celestial sphere on his shoulders for eternity. His name became synonymous with endurance and with books of maps.
Oceanus
🏔 titanTitan of the great world-encircling river
The great Titan who personified the vast river believed to encircle the entire world. Father of all the rivers, springs, and ocean nymphs.