Perses
Perses was the Titan of destruction and ravaging — father of Hecate, the great goddess of crossroads and magic.
The Myth of Perses
Perses, a Titan of destruction and plunder, was born to Crius and Eurybia alongside Pallas and Astraeus. With Asteria, daughter of Coeus and Phoebe, he fathered Hecate — the goddess of crossroads, magic, and the liminal. Zeus honoured Hecate above all other Titans' children, granting her dominion over earth, sea, and sky. Perses thus contributed to the Olympian order through his daughter even as he fought against it alongside Kronos. After the Titanomachy he was cast into Tartarus. His name, meaning "the destroyer," echoed in Perseus, the hero who slew Medusa and rescued Andromeda — though direct genealogical links vary between sources.
Parents
Crius and Eurybia
Symbols
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
Perses
🏔 titanTitan of destruction and ravaging
A Titan associated with destruction who fathered Hecate, the goddess of crossroads and magic.
Iapetus
🏔 titanTitan father of Prometheus and Atlas
Iapetus was the Titan whose sons shaped humanity's relationship with the gods more than any other divine family.
Dione
🏔 titanTitaness and mother of Aphrodite
An ancient Titaness worshipped at Dodona as the consort of Zeus and, in Homer's tradition, the mother of Aphrodite.
Rhea
🏔 titanTitaness of fertility, motherhood, the mountain wilds
Mother of the Olympian gods and wife of Kronos. Rhea saved the infant Zeus from being devoured by his father, enabling the rise of the Olympians.
Eurynome
🏔 titanPastures, Wide Rule
A Titaness who in some traditions ruled Olympus alongside her husband Ophion before being overthrown by Cronus and Rhea in a divine coup.
Pallas
🏔 titanTitan of warcraft
Pallas was the Titan god of warcraft and battle — father of Nike (Victory) and the patron of warriors.
Clymene
🏔 titanFame, Renown
An Oceanid-Titaness best known as the mother of Prometheus, Atlas, and the other sons of Iapetus who shaped humanity's early story.
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.
Rhea
🏔 titanTitaness mother of the Olympians
The great Titaness who saved Zeus from being swallowed by Kronos, enabling the entire Olympian order to exist.
Anytus
🏔 titanTitan who raised Despoina
One of the Titans who nursed the secret daughter of Demeter and Poseidon in Arcadia.
Menoetius
🏔 titanHubris, Recklessness
A second-generation Titan struck down by Zeus for his violent pride during the war between gods and Titans.
Dione
🏔 titanOracle, Femininity
A shadowy Titaness worshipped at Dodona alongside Zeus, sometimes named as the original mother of Aphrodite before the sea-foam version became dominant.