Coeus

In Greek mythology, Coeus (Ancient Greek: Κοῖος), Koios) was one of the Titans, the giant sons and daughters of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaia (Earth). His equivalent in Latin poetry—though he scarcely makes an appearance in Roman mythology—Ovid in Metamorphoses (VI.185) alludes to Coeus' obscure nature: "Latona, that Titaness whom Coeus sired, whoever he may be." (nescio quoque audete satam Titanida Coeo): M. L. West, in "Hesiod's Titans" (The Journal of Hellenic Studies 105 [1985:174–175]) remarks that Phoibe's "consort Koios is an even more obscure quantity. Perhaps he too had originally to with Delphic divination", and he suspects that Phoebe, Koios and Themis were Delphic additions to the list of Titanes, drawn from various archaic sources. was Polus,Specifically in the surviving epitome of Hyginus' Preface to the Fabulae; the name of Coeus is repeated in the list of Gigantes. the embodiment of the celestial axis around which the heavens revolve. 
Like most of the Titans he played no active part in Greek religion—he appears only in lists of Titans—Such as Hesiod, Theogony 133; Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheke 1.2–1.3; Diodorus Siculus, 5.66.1. but was primarily important for his descendants.Hesiod included among his descendents Hecate, daughter of Asteriē, as Apostolos N. Athanassakis, noted, correcting the Oxford Classical Dictionary, noted (Athanassakis, "Hekate Is Not the Daughter of Koios and Phoibe" The Classical World 71.2 [October 1977:127]); R. Renehan expanded the note in "Hekate, H. J. Rose, and C. M. Bowra", The Classical World, 73.5 (February 1980:302–304). With his sister, "shining" Phoebe, Coeus fathered LetoHomeric Hymn to Delian Apollo, 61; in the Orphic Hymn to Leto she is Leto Koiantes, "Leto, daughter of Koios". and Asteria.Hesiod, Theogony 404 ff; Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheke 1.8. Though it is not explicitly mentioned, Lelantos was implied to be a son of Coeus, or at least Leto's male counterpart. Leto copulated with Zeus (the son of fellow Titans Cronus and Rhea) and bore Artemis and Apollo.
Given that Phoebe symbolized prophetic wisdom just as Coeus represented rational intelligence, the couple may have possibly functioned together as the primal font of all knowledge in the cosmos. Along with the other Titans, Coeus was overthrown by Zeus and the other Olympians in the Titanomachy. Afterwards, he and all his brothers were imprisoned in Tartarus by Zeus. Coeus, later overcome with madness, broke free from his bonds and attempted to escape his imprisonment, but was repelled by Cerberus. Valerius Flaccus, "Argonautica" 3. 224 ff 
==Notes==
==References==
*Theoi Project: Koios
*Godchecker (Greek Mythology): Coeus
*The Pedigree of Coeus (Koios) the Titan
*Historiae Romanorum: Coeus
*Stewart, Michael. "People, Places & Things: Coeus", Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant.
Category:Greek Mythology
Category:Deities