Cronus

Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, Oceanus, Steropes, Brontes, Arges, Gyges, Kottos, Briareos (brothers)
Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Theia, Tethys, Themis (sisters)
Rhea (sister-wife)
Hestia, Demeter, Hera (daughters)
Hades, Poseidon, Zeus, Chiron (sons)

## Physical description

### Base color

Brown

In Greek mythology, **Cronus** (Ancient Greek Κρόνος, *Krónos*), also known as **Kronos**, **Kronus**, or **Cronos**, is a first generation Titan, born to Gaia and Ouranos, brother to the Titan gods Tethys, Theia, Phoebe, Mnemosyne, Themis, Rhea, Oceanus, Hyperion, Crius, Coeus, Iapetus, the Cyclopes Arges, Steropes, Brontes, and the Hecatoncheires Briareos, Cottus and Gyges.

## Overview

A god associated with harvest, he is the father of the six main Olympians (Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, Zeus), and the previous king of the world who was overthrown by them in a massive war.

When young, his father Ouranos imprisoned Cronus' more monstrous-looking brothers deep in Earth. Gaia forged a sickle and asked her Titan children to enact revenge on their father; Cronus was the only one who dared. He castrated his father and became king in his place. He took his sister Rhea to wife, but out of fear that he would be overthrown by one of his children, he swallowed them whole.

Eventually he was overthrown indeed by one of his children, Zeus, who became king in his place and ruled the world alongside his siblings.

His Roman counterpart is the god Saturn.

## Miscellaneous Myths

### The Theogony

Cronus makes his debut in the *Theogony* when he is born as the youngest of twelve first-generation titans to Gaia and Ouranos - the primordial Earth and Sky gods respectively - and becomes the one to castrate the sky deity using an adamantine sickle after Gaia becomes fed up with Ouranos' imprisoning their non-Titan children. Ouranos' castrated balls then fall into the ocean and start foaming, creating Aphrodite from said foam.

By castrating the sky god, Cronus takes Ouranos' title as lord of the cosmos, with him and his siblings being deemed Titans, meaning "Stretchers," thus kicking off the Titan age. Red then notes that many death and destruction deities start appearing around this time as well:

> "Coincidentally, this is also around the time a whole bunch of death and destruction gods and classic monsters start popping out of the woodwork." -Red
>
>

As the other titans take each other as husbands and wives and crank out Second and Third generation titans, Cronus takes his sister Rhea as a wife and starts cranking out children of their own. However, Gaia and Ouranos warn Cronus that he is fated to be overthrown by one of his children, so as a precautionary measure, Cronus takes to swallowing these children whole in order to keep them from being a threat to him. Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon are swallowed, however by swapping her sixth child with blanket-covered rock, Rhea saves the life of the sixth child - Zeus. He is then given to Gaia, who raises him in secret.

Zeus eventually decides that he wants to overthrow Cronus and take his place as ruler of the cosmos. Zeus gets assistance from Metis, a particularly clever Oceanid nymph in his plans, so Cronus gets given a cocktail that was actually a poison that causes him to vomit the children he ate. Zeus rallies support from his siblings, some minor gods not allied with Cronus' "evil" titans, and frees the Cyclopes that Ouranos imprisoned, gaining his lightning bolts in their gratitude.

Zeus and his "Olympian" allies then go to war with Cronus and the Titans, causing a ten-year war known as the Titanomachy. Toward the end of the war, Gaia suggests that Zeus free the Hecatoncheires that Ouranos also imprisoned. This was the final nail in the coffin for Cronus' side, as the Hecatoncheires were "exactly what he needed to turn the tables and finally overthrow Cronus." Cronus and his allies are then thrown into Tartarus.

### Typhon

In the grand scheme of the world, Typhon is, supposedly, meant to succeed Zeus they way he succeeded Cronus and Cronus in turn Ouranos. However, Zeus defeats Typhon, and remains king of the cosmos.

## Physical appearance

Cronus is brownish orangish-coloured, similar to his sister, and two of his grandsons. His brooch has a wheat symbol on it (like his daughter's), symbolizing his status as god of the harvest.

## Appearances

The Theogony

Typhon

## Trivia

* Cronus was, at some point, synchronized with another deity, Chronos, who reportedly embodied the destructive ravages of time.