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THE TITANS AND CREATION

Unit Overview

In the previous unit we talked about how Greek Mythology isn’t supposed to be thought of as a religion. We’re going to talk about that more in detail in this unit. Throughout this unit, we’ll discuss the Titans, creation, and the Olympians.


Introduction

First, it’s important to realize that the Greeks did not believe that the gods created the universe. Actually, they believed that the universe created the gods. They believed that before there were gods, the heaven and earth existed. So, think about heaven and earth as being the first parents. The Titans were the first children of heaven and earth, and the gods were the children of Titans.

Sometimes, the Titans are referred to as “The Elder Gods.” This name is pretty self-explanatory; they were the older gods. The Titans ruled the universe for many years before they were overthrown by the Greek gods. They were very large in size and had amazing strength. There were many Titans, but only a few are mentioned in Greek mythology. We will now discuss several of the important Titans.

The Titans

Now, let’s learn a little more background information about the gods and goddesses of the Titans.

Uranus was the Sky god. He was the first ruler. His mother was Gaea. She created him without help, so Uranus did not have a father. Later, he became the husband of Gaea and they parented many children, including 12 of the Titans. His rule over the sky was ended when his son, Cronus, took his strength and power away from him. His fate is unknown; he either left Earth or died as a result of this wound.

Gaea was the Earth goddess. As we stated, she was the mother of Uranus. She and Uranus had 12 Titans, in addition to many other children.

Cronus became the ruler after he overthrew his father, Uranus. His wife was Rhea. Their offspring were the first of the Olympians, or the gods who lived on Mt. Olympus. When Rhea was first having children, Cronus insisted on eating them. He thought that if he ate his children, no harm could come to him, knowing what he did to his own father. Rhea was sad, however, at the obvious murder of her children by their own father. She decided to trick Cronus by having him swallow a rock that she had wrapped in a blanket, instead of their son Zeus. When Zeus was older, he revolted against his father and the other Titans. Cronus escaped to Italy, where he ruled under the name Saturn.

Rhea was the wife of Cronus. As stated, she saved the life of her son, Zeus, by tricking her husband into swallowing a rock, rather than Zeus.

Oceanus was the water that surrounded the Earth. Oceanus and Tethys produced the rivers and streams of the world. They were also the parents of the water nymphs, who are minor goddesses regarded as a beautiful young women.

Tethys, as stated, was the wife of Oceanus. She was the mother of the rivers and streams of the world, in addition to the water nymphs.

Hyperion was the Titan of Light. He can be considered an early sun god. He is the son of Gaea and Uranus. He married his sister, Theia. Their children were Helius, the sun; Selene, the moon; and Eos, the dawn.

Mnemosyne was the Titan of Memory. She was also the mother of the Muses, the goddess of art.

Themis was the Titan of Justice. She was the mother of the Fates, and the goddess of destiny, the Seasons.

Iapetus was the father of Prometheus, the savior of mankind; Atlas, who held the world on his shoulders; and Epimethus, who opened Pandora’s Box.

Prometheus was the smartest of the Titans. His name means “forethought” and he had the ability to tell the future. When Zeus fought the Titans, Prometheus fought on Zeus’ side. He and his brother, Epimethus, were given the responsibility from Zeus to create man. Prometheus is known as the protector of mankind. He is also responsible for giving mankind many important gifts, such as the gift of fire.

After reading the information about these gods and goddesses, you will probably want to do additional research to learn more about them. Feel free to search books or the Internet.

Mt. Olympus and the Olympians

Mt. Olympus

As mentioned above, Zeus overthrew his father, Cronus, and became the most powerful god. When Cronus was dethroned, many of the older gods assumed lower places of importance in mythology. The 12 great Olympians were considered the most powerful of the gods. They were called the Olympians because Mt. Olympus was their home. Determining what Mt. Olympus was can often be tricky. Many believe that it was a mountain top – the highest mountain top in all of Greece. Some believe, however, that Mt. Olympus was a mysterious place far above the mountains and the earth. Do not consider Mt. Olympus to be heaven though. It is just the place where the gods dwell.

The entrance to Mt. Olympus was a gate made of clouds. It was kept by the Seasons. Mt. Olympus was always peaceful and pleasant – it never stormed there, the sun was always shining, and it was always peaceful.

Before you read about The Olympians, watch the video segment below. It will introduce you to The Olympians and their home, Mount Olympus.

Mount Olympus and the Gods of Greek Mythology (2:20)

The 12 Olympians

The Twelve Olympians can be described as a large, sometimes dysfunctional family. The remainder of this unit will concentrate on one Olympian god, Zeus, and his wife Hera.

Zeus

The Olympian family starts with Zeus. He is the chief god. The table below explains some details about Zeus.

The Aegis was a breastplate or shield that was associated Zeus. It was believed to hold supernatural power. The Aegis of Zeus was fringed with serpents.

One symbol of Zeus is the eagle.

Another symbol of Zeus is the oak tree.

Dodona Island, the land of oak trees, is the location of the oracle devoted to Zeus.

Zeus has two brothers, Poseidon and Hades.

Poseidon

Poseidon was Zeus’ brother. He was the ruler of the sea. His wife was Amphitrite, who was the granddaughter of the Titans, Oceanus and Tethys. Poseidon had a home under the sea, but he was also found frequently at Mt. Olympus. Poseidon was also responsible for giving horses to man. Storms and calm seas were under his control. It was said when he drove his golden chariot over the waters, the waves would calm and peace would follow behind him. He was always seen carrying a trident, which is a three-pronged spear.

The sacred animals of Poseidon were horses and bulls.

Hades

Hades was the third brother among the Olympians. His share was the underworld, and he ruled over the dead. He was considered the god of wealth, and it was believed that he had control of the precious metals hidden in the earth. He had a helmet that would make him invisible. He very rarely left the underworld to visit Earth or Olympus. He did not show pity, but he was fair. His wife’s name was Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. He carried her away from earth and made her the queen of the underworld. He was considered the king of the dead, but he himself was not dead.

Hera

Hera is Zeus’ wife.

Hera was Zeus’ wife and sister. The Titans Ocean and Tethys raised her. She was the protector of marriage and married women. Married women were specifically important to her. Hera spent a lot of her time punishing the women with whom Zeus had affairs. She was able to hold grudges, and her anger toward women who had affairs with Zeus also transferred to the children who were the result of the affairs. Hera was respected in every home. She was the goddess that married women turned to for help.

The chart below gives some important facts about Hera.

Hera’s favorite city was Argos, the main sanctuary where she was worshipped.

The sacred animals of Hera are the cow, the symbol of cow-eyed, and the peacock, the symbol of pride.

Zeus is the supreme god and ruler of all the Olympians. He was the sixth child born to the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Earlier in this unit, it was discussed that Cronus would swallow his children. Rhea successfully tricked Cronus when Zeus was born. Instead of giving him the baby, she gave him a rock that was swaddled in a blanket. Cronus swallowed the rock.

Rhea then sent Zeus to Gaea, or Mother Earth. Gaea took Zeus to be raised on the island of Crete in a cave at a place called Dicte. Cronus did not suspect a thing. On Crete, Adrastea and her sister Ide were in charge of Zeus. Adrastea and Ide were ash nymphs. They guarded the cave and did everything they could to prevent Cronus from learning that he had a son. One time, they hung Zeus in a cradle from a tree. This was so Zeus could not be found on earth, in heaven, or in the sea. They even employed young boys with shields and spears to circle the tree and make noise if the baby cried.

As Zeus was growing up, others helped raise him. The early attendants were called Curetes. Amalthea, a divine goat, also took good care of Zeus. Amalthea means “tender,” and that was exactly how she treated young Zeus. When Amalthea died, Zeus turned her skin into his Aegis, or protective shield. This was to honor her for all of her care and hard work.

When Zeus grew older, he tricked his way into becoming the cup-bearer for his father, Cronus. When he was working one day, he, with the help of his mother Rhea and the Titaness Metis, slipped his father a drink which made him release the other children. They emerged unharmed because they were gods.

Zeus knew that if he was going to overthrow his father, he would need help. He freed the Cyclopes from Tartarus, a terrible place in the Underworld where Cronus had imprisioned them. In return for their freedom, the Cyclopes gave Zeus his thunderbolts. The Cyclopes also gave Poseidon, one of Zeus’ brothers, the trident. He used this to shake the earth and sea. They gave another of Zeus’ brothers, Hades, a helmet. When someone wore the helmet, it made that person invisible.

Once they became organized, Zeus and the others attacked Cronus. It was a furious battle. In the end, Hades snuck up behind Cronus wearing his helmet of invisibility. Poseidon rendered him immobile with his trident. Zeus struck him senseless with his thunderbolts. Thus, ended the reign of Cronus and the Titans. Cronus was sent to live on a distant island in the Atlantic Ocean.

Zeus and his two brothers decided that they would draw lots to determine who was in charge of what aspects of the Universe. When Zeus became the supreme ruler, he was also the Lord of the Sky, the Rain-god, and the Cloud-gatherer. Poseidon became the ruler of the seas. Hades became the ruler of the Underworld.

Zeus’ power was greater than that of all the other gods together. Zeus was not omnipotent or omniscient. He could be opposed and defied. Zeus is often described as falling in love with one woman after another. He is guilty of using all kinds of tricks to hide his affairs from his wife.

Although Hera is considered the protector/goddess of marriage, she is not thought of as a great mother. Her children with Zeus include Ares, Hebe, Eris, and Eileithyia. She became jealous when Athena was born of Zeus alone. In return, Hera bore Hephaestus alone. Zeus’ children also included Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes, and Artemis.

There are many stories of Hera and her jealously toward other women. One of the famous stories involves Hera and a nymph named Echo. Hera suspected that Zeus and Echo were having an affair. When Hera first approached Echo, she noticed her beauty and her habit of talking a lot. Echo’s discussions with Hera often served the purpose of distracting Hera from paying close attention to Zeus and his actions. Once Hera discovered this deception, she decided to punish Echo. Hera condemned Echo to never speak an original sentence again. Echo was doomed to only repeat what others had said around her or said to her.

Another woman who experienced Hera’s jealousy was Leto. Hera learned that Leto was pregnant and that Zeus was the father. Because of this, Hera banned Leto from giving birth on “terra firma,” or land. Leto was not allowed to give birth to her baby on the mainland or on any island at sea. In addition, Hera kidnapped her daughter, Eileithyia, who was the goddess of childbirth. This was to prevent Eileithyia from helping Leto give birth. Leto found Delos, the floating island, and was able to give birth there because it was technically not land.

After reading the information in this unit, it is very obvious that Greek Mythology is very interesting, but intertwined. Also, as we learned that even though the Titans were known as the Elder Gods, the Olympians ruled after the Titans were removed from power.

Writing About Literature

This unit focused on the identifying the major Titans and Olympians. Now you will be using the writing process that you learned about in the last unit. Choose three characteristics of Zeus and Hera that you admire. In a five paragraph essay, identify those characteristics and explain why you admire those characteristics.

Start by completing one of the information gathering tasks from the chart below.

Gathering Information Tasks
Brainstorming	A technique in which you come up with as many ideas as possible on a subject
Clustering	A technique in which you break down a subject into smaller parts – Place the subject in the middle and circle it. Write related ideas around the subject, circling them and drawing lines to the subject.
Asking Questions	A technique in which these questions are used to gather information: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
Direct Observation	A technique in which the writer relies on the five senses – sight, touch, smell, hearing, tasting.
Indirect Observation	A technique in which the writer examines the experiences of others by asking questions, watching, interviewing, etc.
Imaging	A technique in which the writer uses his imagination to generate ideas

Then create a thesis statement and write your rough draft. Once your rough draft is complete, think about the requirements for the writing. Use the rubric below to self-evaluate your work. Strive for work that would earn a score of four.

4	3	2	1	0
· Writing explains the topic logically and completely · Ideas, details, and examples support the topic · Appropriate vocabulary is used · Variety of sentence structures present · Correct punctuation, capitalization, spelling used	· Writing discusses the topic · Consistent logic and completeness missing · Adequate and appropriate vocabulary · Errors in sentence structure/ agreement may be present · Punctuation, capitalization, spelling errors may be present	· Writing discusses topic · Unrelated, unnecessary information included · Paper lacks completeness · Word choice is acceptable but often monotonous · Grammar errors evident · Punctuation and spelling errors may be present	· Writing hints at the topic · Scarce supporting details, ideas, and examples · Inappropriate vocabulary · Grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling errors are present.	· Writing indicates total disregard of the topic

Next, revise your writing. Use the checklist below to revise your work. Your teacher will be looking for these items when grading your final writing.

Research Paper Revision Questions
YES	NO
		Is the introduction interesting?
		Does the introduction explain what the paper is about?
		Did you avoid using words like I and me in your introduction?
		Did you stick to your topic?
		Is the body of your paper organized in a logical order?
		Did you correct run on and fragment sentences?
		Are all the ideas clearly explained?
		Have you limited each paragraph to just one main idea?
		Did you write many different kinds of sentences?
		Did you use descriptive words throughout your paper?
		Have you combined short, choppy sentences into longer, more mature-sounding sentences?
		Does the conclusion summarize the important information from my paper?
		Have you taken out information that you don’t need?

Finally, proofread your writing. Check for spelling and grammar errors as well as run-on sentences and fragments. Make any final changes, and then submit your paper to your teacher.

Now answer questions 1 through 32.