The Golden Age: Zeus and Titan Cron. Mythology of Ancient Greece

The mythology of ancient Greece survived to this day for thousands of years. Legends about the exploits of immortal gods and heroes are known to millions of readers around the world. On the basis of myths, many movies have been created and it seems that this topic has long been studied, but historians say that most people read and heard tales only about the times when the gods ruled the world from Olympus. In Greek mythology there was a time preceding the reign of the great Zeus, the terrible Aida and other famous Olympic gods. This period is known as the golden age, the time when the titans led by Kron ruled the world.

Ancient Greek Mythology: Chronos and Kronos

Kron is one of the twelve titans, the great, immortal children of Gaia and Uranus. He is also known as Kronos. The translation of his name from Ancient Greek made some confusion in mythology. In some translations, the name Kronos was written as Chronos, thus combining two different characters, and although Cron was considered a god among the Titans, to Chronos, born of primary chaos and personifying time, he has nothing to do.

Cron and Uranus

In the beginning, there was only chaos. From this non-existence appeared Mother Earth (Gaia) and Father Heaven (Uranus). Thanks to the fertility of Uranus, Gaia produced a large number of offspring, among which were both beautiful nymphs and titans, and awful cyclops and hecatonhairs. Although Gaia loved all her children, Uranus believed that the terrible giants had no place in the sun, and imprisoned them in the dark underground abyss of Tartarus. Nymphs and titans avoided this fate. Cron was among them.

Mythology tells how, distraught with grief over the loss of children, Gaia turned to her sons-titans and daughters-Titanides for help. Kronos agreed to rebel against his father and release his elder brothers and sisters from the confinement. With the help of his mother, he created a sickle, which cut off the genital organs of his father, when he lay down on the matrimonial bed with Gaia. Having thus defeated Uranus, Cronus threw the cut off bodies into the sea. According to some versions of the myth, the goddess Aphrodite was created from drops of blood caught in the sea.

Pleased with her son's victory, Gaea hoped that he would free the brothers and sisters who were languishing in Tartarus, but Cron did not keep his promise. Mythology tells how an angry and disappointed mother foretold to her son a fate similar to that of Uranus' father. The prophesy said that the time will come when Cron will be betrayed and will fall by the hand of one of his children.

"The Golden Age" of the reign of Kronos

After the victory over the father, Kronos took his sister Ray to wife and, having captured the throne of his relative Ophion, became king of the Titans and supreme god. The time of the reign of Crohn as a god many myths are called only as the golden age. At that time justice triumphed, labor was not exhausting, and abundance prevailed in the world. As the ancient Greek mythology tells us, Cron created the rules, living by which people did not know pain, death, disease, hunger and evil until the terrible cyclops and hekatonheir were imprisoned.

Myths of a later period identify the period of Kronos' rule with cruel and merciless times.

Kronos and Zeus

Kronos and Rhea had six children: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus. Remembering the prophecy, Kronos alternately, right after birth, swallowed five of his offspring. Not wanting this fate, the last son of Zeus, Ray deceived her husband and instead of the child handed him a stone wrapped in diapers. Not noticing the substitution, Kronos swallowed it, and Ray at the first opportunity hid the baby on the island of Crete, in the cave of Mount Ida, where Zeus was nourished by the milk of the sacred goat Amalthea.

While Zeus did not become old enough to start fighting with his father, guards guarded the entrance to the cave, and when the baby was crying, they loudly jabbed the shields so that Kron would not hear.

Mythology of Ancient Greece, dedicated to the Olympic gods, tells us that when he grew up, Zeus understood that he alone could not cope with his father. So he resorted to a cunning plan: God welded a magic potion and deceived Kronos into drinking it. Magic acted, and Kronos plunged the brothers and sisters of Zeus. Now the latter had allies, and the prophecy of the fall of Kronos was beginning to come true.

For a long time, the struggle continued between the forces led by Zeus and the Titans. Although Crown's army was stronger, Zeus was smart enough to enlist the support of new powerful allies. Having liberated from the Tartarus cyclops, giants and hecatonhairs, he eventually secured a victory and dethroned the Titans. Having come to power, Zeus shared it with his brothers, Poseidon and Hades.

After the fall of Kronos

After the advent of Zeus to power and his accession to Olympus, there are several versions of where Cronus disappeared. Mythology tells us that he was imprisoned in Tartar, along with most other titans, and guarded by their hekatonhair brothers. In more kind versions of stories, Zeus eventually forgave his father and even made him king of paradise.