Cronus was the son of Uranus and Gaea, and in a theme that would later be repeated in Greek literature, Cronus would take action to save his siblings. In doing so he would become the new king of the gods. It is from his own union with his wife, Rhea, that the Olympians would eventually be born. This was still a time only for gods, but the age of man was growing ever closer.
The reign of Cronus began with a sickle in his hand, which he used to castrate his father, Uranus, dooming the Titans to a tragic end. He then went on to free his brothers and sisters from his mother’s womb and ushered in a new age, with himself as their king and his sister Rhea as their queen.
The age of man had yet to come, and with little else to worry himself with Cronus ushered in a new pantheon of gods with his newly found wife. However, one fear plagued his existence, much as it would anyone who had absconded a throne of power by devious means. It was only a matter of time before one of his own children would do the same to him. Unwilling to sacrifice his love for power, Cronus devoured his children to permanently secure his seat of power. However, his wife Rhea wanted nothing of this.
Like Mother – Like Daughter
Just as Gaea had plotted against her husband Uranus, so did Rhea plot against her husband, Cronus. In fact, such treachery seemed to be a vital part of all Titan blood. Brooding over the loss of her children, Rhea found herself pregnant, yet again (with Zeus), and unwilling to give up the life she had just bore.
The plan was a simple one, to swaddle a stone and hand it to Cronus, allowing him to believe he had swallowed yet another child whole – and the ruse worked. This allowed Rhea to hide Zeus away for another time when he would stand up tall against his father, much as Cronus had against his.
The parallels are so great between the life of Cronus and Uranus that we have to wonder why the Greeks saw a need to reinvent the story with a different twist. However, the difference given here is that Cronus is a more fair ruler. While he is unkind to his own children, he does rule fairly over the other gods. This is a transitional phase between a world of gods and a world of gods and men.
The Purpose Of The Titans
While the Titans were originally created to explain the forces of nature acting around them, it seems interesting that the Greeks chose to usurp them later with the Olympians. By allowing the Olympians to be their progenitors, the Greeks created a disconnection between themselves and creation itself.
Perhaps it was too much for the Greeks to consider themselves as part of the original creation process, which would explain the need for a new set of gods to oversee the age of men; however, the same result could have been achieved by allowing Uranus to father the Olympians.
Not much is said of the Titans as their existence revolved around ushering in the eventual age of gods that would bring forth mankind. As the Greeks felt a need to grow closer to their gods they had to invent idols that were approachable, and the Titans were anything but. As these were gods of another time, perhaps the Greeks created the stories to usher in an era all of their own.
The Age Of Cronus
Unlike his father, Cronus did receive some worship from the Greeks. On the twelfth day of the Attic month a festival called Kronia was held in Athens, to celebrate the harvest. The Romans worshiped Cronus as well, though they knew him by the name of Saturn.
While the Greeks saw Cronus as a chaotic pause between the Titans and the Olympians, the Romans saw him as worthy of their worship and adoration. They created an annual celebration in his honor, called Saturnalia, which was a time when the slaves would be treated as if they were the masters, though there were boundaries tightly adhered to.
As a celebration that allowed the downtrodden to taste a life of liberty, Saturnalia was popular among impoverished Roman citizens, which undoubtedly fueled the Roman love for this god. Of all of the Titan gods only Cronus would kneel before Gaea in popularity, and the rest of them would soon be forgotten. The time of the Olympians was quickly approaching, a time when a new set of gods would take dominion over the world.
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