Cronus
titanKronos (Cronus) overthrew his father Uranus and ruled the Golden Age, but devoured his own children to prevent a prophecy that one would overthrow him.
The Myth
Kronos castrated Uranus with an adamantine sickle and ruled during the Golden Age — a time of peace and plenty. But Gaia prophesied his children would overthrow him. He swallowed each child at birth: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon. When Zeus was born, Rhea hid him in Crete and gave Kronos a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes. Zeus grew, freed his siblings, and led the Olympians in the Titanomachy. Kronos and the Titans were imprisoned in Tartarus.
Symbols
Fun Fact
The confusion between Kronos (Titan) and Chronos (Time) created the enduring image of Father Time with a sickle, harvesting the years.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Crete
placeCrete was the largest Greek island and the seat of the Minoan civilisation, home to King Minos, the...
Demeter
godGoddess of grain, harvest, and the fertility of the earth. When her daughter Persephone was...
Gaia
primordialGaia was the primordial Earth goddess, the first being to emerge after Chaos — mother of the...
Hades
godRuler of the underworld and lord of the dead. Despite his fearsome reputation, Hades was not evil —...
Hera
godQueen of the Olympian gods and goddess of marriage. Known for her jealous rages against Zeus's...
Hestia
godThe eldest child of Kronos and goddess of the hearth fire. Hestia was the gentlest of the...