Hecatoncheires (Briareus)
titanBriareus was the mightiest of the three Hundred-Handed Ones who helped Zeus defeat the Titans.
The Myth
Briareus, also called Aegaeon, was the most formidable of the three Hecatoncheires — the Hundred-Handed Ones born to Gaia and Ouranos alongside the Cyclopes and Titans. Each Hecatoncheir possessed fifty heads and one hundred arms. Ouranos, horrified by their appearance, imprisoned them in Tartarus. When Zeus waged war against the Titans, Gaia advised him to free the Hecatoncheires. Briareus and his brothers Cottus and Gyges proved decisive — they hurled three hundred boulders at once in relentless volleys that overwhelmed the Titans. After the victory, Briareus served as Zeus's loyal ally. When Hera, Poseidon, and Athena once conspired to bind Zeus, Thetis summoned Briareus to Olympus. His mere presence — sitting beside Zeus with all hundred arms — terrified the conspirators into abandoning their plot. Homer records this episode in the Iliad.
Fun Fact
When three gods tried to overthrow Zeus, just the sight of Briareus sitting beside him ended the rebellion.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
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