Cronus (Ancient Greek Κρόνος, Krónos), also called Cronos or Kronos or Kronus, was the leader and the youngest of the first generation of Titans, divine descendants of Gaia, the earth, and Uranos, the sky. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance The ancient Greeks proposed many different ideas about primordial deities in their mythology, which would later be largely adapted by the The Twelve Olympians, also known as the Dodekatheon ( Greek: Δωδεκάθεον The ancient Greeks had a large number of sea deities. The philosopher Plato once remarked that the Greek people were like frogs sitting around a pond -- their Chthonic (from Greek χθόνιος khthonios "of the earth" from khthōn "earth" pertaining to the Earth; earthy subterranean In Greek mythology, the Muses ( Ancient Greek, hai moũsai: perhaps from the Proto-Indo-European root * men- "think" are Asclepius (pronounced /æsˈkliːpiːəs/, Greek, transliterated Asklēpiós; Latin Aesculapius) is the god of Medicine In Greek mythology, the Titans ( Greek: Tītā́n; plural Tītânes) were a race of powerful Deities that ruled during the legendary Ocean (Ὠκεανός was believed to be the world-ocean in Classical antiquity, which the ancient Romans and Greeks considered to be In Classical Greek mythology, Tethys (Greek Τηθύς) daughter of Uranus and Gaia ( Hesiod, Theogony lines Hyperion (Greek) is a Titan, the son of Gaia (Earth and Uranus (Sky Helios Hyperion, 'Sun High-one' In Greek mythology, Theia, goddess or divine, (sometimes written Thea or Thia) also called Euryphaessa, wide-shining In Greek mythology, Coeus ( Ancient Greek:, Koios) was one of the Titans, the giant sons and daughters of Uranus (Heaven and In Greek mythology "golden-wreathed" Phoebe (Ancient Greek Φοίβη, Phoibe pronounced /'fiː Rhea ( ancient Greek) was the Titaness daughter of Uranus, the sky and Gaia, the earth in classical Greek mythology Mnemosyne (Greek, nɪˈmɒzɪni or /nɪˈmɒsəni/ (sometimes confused with Mneme or compared with Memoria For other uses see Themis (disambiguation. In Greek mythology, Hesiod mentions Themis (Θέμις among the six sons and six daughters of Gaia In Greek mythology, Crius ( Kreios (Κρεῖος the "Ram" was one of the Titans in the list given in Hesiod 's Theogony In Greek mythology, Iapetus, also Iapetos or Japetus (Ἰαπετός was a Titan, the son of Uranus and Gaia, and father For other uses of the name Eos see Eos (disambiguation. For the Slavic goddesses called the Auroras see The Zorya. In Greek mythology the Sun was personified as Helios (ˈhiliˌɑs ( Ἥλιος Latinized as Helius) In Greek mythology, Selene (Σελήνη " Moon " English sɛˈliːniː was an archaic Lunar deity and the daughter of the Titans Lētṓ ( Greek:, Λ&alphaτώ, Lato in Dorian Greek etymology and meaning disputed in Greek mythology, is a daughter of In Greek mythology, Asteria was a name attributed to five individuals Amazon Asteria was the sixth Amazon killed by Heracles when In Greek mythology, Atlas (Eng /'æt ləs/ Gk Ἄτλας was the primordial Titan who supported the heavens In Greek mythology, Prometheus (Προμηθεύς "forethought" is a Titan known for his wily intelligence who stole Fire from Zeus In Greek mythology, Epimetheus ( Greek) ("hindsight" literally "hind-thought" but in the manner of a fool looking behind while running In Greek mythology, Menoetius (Greek Menoitios) referred to several different people The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c In Greek mythology, the Titans ( Greek: Tītā́n; plural Tītânes) were a race of powerful Deities that ruled during the legendary Gaia (ˈgeɪə or /ˈgaɪə/ (" land " or " Earth " from the Ancient Greek Γαîα also Gæa or Gea Uranus (ˈjʊərənəs jʊˈreɪnəs is the Latinized form of Ouranos () the Greek word for Sky. He overthrew his father and ruled during the mythological Golden Age, until he was overthrown by his own son and imprisoned in Tartarus ^[1] or sent to rule the paradise of the Elysian Fields. The term Golden age is best known from Greek mythology and legend but can also be found in other ancient cultures (see below In classic Greek mythology below Heaven, Earth, and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros ( Greek Τάρταρος deep place In Greek mythology, Elysium ( Greek:) was a section of the Underworld (the spelling Elysium is a Latinization of the ^[2]

As a result of his association with the bountiful and virtuous Golden Age, Cronus was worshipped as a harvest deity, overseeing crops such as grains, nature, agriculture, and the progression of time in relation to humans in general. In Agriculture, the harvest is the process of Gathering mature crops from the fields Reaping is the cutting of Grain See also List of deities A deity is a Postulated Preternatural or Supernatural Being, who is always He was usually depicted with a sickle, which he used to harvest crops and which was also the weapon he used to castrate and depose Ouranos. A sickle is a hand-held Agricultural Tool with a curved Blade typically used for harvesting grain crop or cutting grass for Hay. Castration (also referred to as Gelding, Neutering, Fixing, orchiectomy, and orchidectomy is any action surgical, chemical In Athens, on the twelfth day of every month (Hekatombaion), a festival called Kronia was held in honor of Cronus to celebrate the harvest. Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's The Attic calendar is the Calendar that was in use in ancient Attica, the ancestral territory of the Athenian Polis. In Athens, on the twelfth day of the month of Hekatombaion, a festival called Kronia was held in honor of Cronus, a god of agriculture and to celebrate Cronus was also identified in classical antiquity with the Roman deity Saturn. Classical antiquity (also the classical era or classical period) is a broad term for a long period of cultural History centered on the Mediterranean Roman mythology, or more appropriately Latin mythology, refers to the mythological beliefs of the Italic people inhabiting the region of Latium and its Saturn ( Latin: Saturnus) was a major Roman God of agriculture and harvest

The etymology of the name is obscure. It may be related to "horned", suggesting a possible connection with the ancient Indian demon Kroni or the Levantine deity El. Kroni ( Tamil:குறோணி is a figure in Ayyavazhi mythology. Eli (Hebrew אל is the Northwest Semitic word and name either translated into English as "god" or "God" or left untranslated as Eli, depending In the Alexandrian and Renaissance periods there was some confusion with the word χρόνος, Chronos, meaning time. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere For other uses see Time (disambiguation Time is a component of a measuring system used to sequence events to compare the durations of

In Greek mythology and early myths

In ancient Greek myths, Cronus envied the power of his father, the ruler of the universe, Ouranos. Uranus (ˈjʊərənəs jʊˈreɪnəs is the Latinized form of Ouranos () the Greek word for Sky. Ouranos drew the enmity of Cronus' mother, Gaia, when he hid the gigantic youngest children of Gaia, the hundred-armed Hecatonchires and one-eyed Cyclops, in Tartarus, so that they would not see the light. Gaia (ˈgeɪə or /ˈgaɪə/ (" land " or " Earth " from the Ancient Greek Γαîα also Gæa or Gea The Hecatonchires, or Hekatonkheires Ἑκατόγχειρες( were three gargantuan figures of an archaic stage of Greek mythology. In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, a cyclops (ˈsaɪklɒps or kyklops ( Greek) is a member of a primordial race of In classic Greek mythology below Heaven, Earth, and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros ( Greek Τάρταρος deep place Gaia created a great adamant sickle and gathered together Cronus and his brothers to persuade them to kill Ouranos. Adamant and similar words are used to refer to any especially hard substance whether composed of Diamond, some other Gemstone, or some type of A sickle is a hand-held Agricultural Tool with a curved Blade typically used for harvesting grain crop or cutting grass for Hay. Only Cronus was willing to do the deed, so Gaia gave him the sickle and placed him in ambush. When Ouranos met with Gaia, Cronus attacked him with the sickle by cutting off his genitals, castrating him and casting the severed member into the sea. Castration (also referred to as Gelding, Neutering, Fixing, orchiectomy, and orchidectomy is any action surgical, chemical From the blood (or, by a few accounts, semen) that spilled out from Ouranos and fell upon the earth, the Gigantes, Erinyes, and Meliae were produced. Blood is a specialized Bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's cells ��such as nutrients and oxygen—and transports Waste products Physiological aspects Internal and external fertilization Depending on the Species, spermatozoa can fertilize See Gigantes y cabezudos for the giant figures of Spanish culture In Greek mythology the Erinyes (Ἐρινύες pl of Ἐρινύς lit In Greek mythology, the Meliae or Meliai (Μελιάδες were Nymphs of the Ash tree, whose name they shared From the member that was cast into the sea, Aphrodite later emerged. ^[3] For this, Ouranos threatened vengeance and called his sons titenes (according to Hesiod meaning "straining ones," the source of the word "titan", but this etymology is disputed) for overstepping their boundaries and daring to commit such an act.

Saturn Devouring His Son: oil mural transferred to canvas by Francisco Goya, c. Saturn Devouring His Son is the name given to a painting by Spanish artist Francisco Goya. 1819-1823 (Museo del Prado, Madrid)

In an alternate version of this myth, a more benevolent Cronus overthrew the wicked serpentine Titan Ophion. The Museo del Prado is a Museum and Art gallery located in Madrid, the capital of Spain. Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. In some versions of Greek mythology, Ophion (Ὀφίων "serpent" also called Ophioneus (Ὀφιονεύς ruled the world with Eurynome In doing so, he released the world from bondage and for a time ruled it justly.

After dispatching Ouranos, Cronus re-imprisoned the Hecatonchires, the Gigantes, and the Cyclopes and set the dragon Campe to guard them. The Hecatonchires, or Hekatonkheires Ἑκατόγχειρες( were three gargantuan figures of an archaic stage of Greek mythology. See Gigantes y cabezudos for the giant figures of Spanish culture In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, a cyclops (ˈsaɪklɒps or kyklops ( Greek) is a member of a primordial race of This article is about a mythological monster To read about the lexicographer please see Joachim Heinrich Campe. He and Rhea took the throne of the world as king and queen. Rhea ( ancient Greek) was the Titaness daughter of Uranus, the sky and Gaia, the earth in classical Greek mythology This period of Cronus' rule was called the Golden Age, as the people of the time had no need for laws or rules; everyone did the right thing, and immorality was absent. The term Golden age is best known from Greek mythology and legend but can also be found in other ancient cultures (see below

Cronus learned from Gaia and Ouranos that he was destined to be overcome by his own son, just as he had overthrown his father. As a result, although he sired the gods Demeter, Hera, Hades, Hestia, and Poseidon by Rhea, he swallowed them all as soon as they were born to preempt the prophecy. Demeter (dɨˈmiːtɚ Greek:, possibly "distribution-mother" from the noun of the Indo-European mother-earth * dheghom * mater In the Olympian pantheon of classical Greek Mythology, Hera (ˈhɪərə or /ˈhɛrə/ Greek) or Here ( in Ionic and Homer Hades (from Greek, Hadēs, originally, Haidēs or, Aidēs, probably from Indo-European *n̥-wid- 'unseen' refers both to the ancient In Greek mythology, virginal Hestia, (Roman name Vesta daughter of Kronus and Rhea, ( ancient Greek) is the Goddess In Greek mythology, Poseidon ( Greek:; Latin: Neptūnus) was the god of the Sea and as "Earth-Shaker" When the sixth child was born, Zeus, Rhea sought Gaia to devise a plan to save them and to eventually get retribution on Cronus for his acts against his father and children. Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology Rhea secretly gave birth to Zeus in Crete, and handed Cronus a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes, also known as the Omphalos Stone, which he promptly swallowed, thinking that it was his son. Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the An omphalos is an ancient religious stone artifact, or Baetylus.

Rhea kept Zeus hidden in a cave on Mount Ida, Crete. Mount Ida, known variously as Idha, Ídhi, Idi, Ita and now Psiloritis, is the highest Mountain on Crete According to some versions of the story, he was then raised by a goat named Amalthea, while a company of Kouretes, armored male dancers, shouted and clapped their hands to make enough noise to mask the baby's cries from Cronus. In Greek mythology, Amalthea or Amaltheia ( Greek: Ἀμάλθεια is the most often mentioned among foster-mothers of Zeus. The Korybantes ( Ancient Greek:) were the crested dancers who worshiped the Phrygian goddess Cybele with drumming and dancing Other versions of the myth have Zeus raised by the nymph Adamanthea, who hid Zeus by dangling him by a rope from a tree so that he was suspended between the earth, the sea, and the sky, all of which were ruled by his father, Cronus. A Nymph in Greek mythology, Adamanthea ( helped raise the infant Zeus to hide him from his father Cronus. Still other versions of the tale say that Zeus was raised by his grandmother, Gaia.

Once he had grown up, Zeus used a poison given to him by Gaia to force Cronus (Kronos or Kronus) to disgorge the contents of his stomach in reverse order: first the stone, which was set down at Pytho under the glens of Mount Parnassus to be a sign to mortal men, then the goat, and then his two brothers and three sisters. Mythology Mount Parnassus is named after Parnassos the son of the Nymph Kleodora and the man Kleopompus. In other versions of the tale, Metis gave Cronus an emetic to force him to disgorge the children, or Zeus cut Cronus' stomach open. In Greek mythology, Metis (Μῆτις was of the Titan generation and like several primordial figures an Oceanid, in the sense that Metis was born of Vomiting (also called throwing up, emesis) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's Stomach through the Mouth and sometimes the After freeing his siblings, Zeus released the Gigantes, the Hecatonchires, and the Cyclopes, who forged for him his thunderbolts. In a vast war called the Titanomachy, Zeus and his brothers and sisters, with the help of the Gigantes, Hecatonchires, and Cyclopes, overthrew Cronus and the other Titans. Titanomachy (epic poem In Greek mythology, the Titanomachy, or War of the Titans (Τιτανομαχία was the ten-year series of battles fought between Afterwards, many of the Titans were confined in Tartarus. In classic Greek mythology below Heaven, Earth, and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros ( Greek Τάρταρος deep place Some Titans were not banished to Tartarus. In classic Greek mythology below Heaven, Earth, and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros ( Greek Τάρταρος deep place Cronus, Epimetheus, Menoetius, Oceanus and Prometheus are examples of Titans who were not imprisoned in Tartarus following the Titanomachy. Titanomachy (epic poem In Greek mythology, the Titanomachy, or War of the Titans (Τιτανομαχία was the ten-year series of battles fought between Gaia bore the monster Typhon to claim revenge for the imprisoned Titans, though Zeus was victorious. In Greek mythology, Typhon ( Ancient Greek:, Tuphōn) also Typheus / Typhoeus ( Tuphōeus) Typhaon ( Accounts of the fate of Cronus after the Titanomachy differ. In Homeric and other texts he is imprisoned with the other Titans in Tartarus. Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the In Orphic poems, he is imprisoned for eternity in the cave of Nyx. Pindar describes his release from Tartarus, where he is made King of Elysium by Zeus.

Other children Cronus is reputed to have fathered include Chiron, by Philyra, and Eris, by Nyx (according to one of the ancient Scholia). In Greek mythology, Chiron or Cheiron ("hand" was held as the superlative Centaur among his brethren In Greek mythology, Philyra was an Oceanid, a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. Eris ( Greek Ἔρις, "Strife" is the Greek Goddess of strife her name being translated into Latin as Discordia

Cronos is again mentioned in the Sibylline Oracles, particularly book three, which makes Cronos, 'Titan' and Iapetus, the three sons of Ouranos and Gaia, each to receive a third division of the Earth, and Cronos is made king over all. The Sibylline Oracles (sometimes called the "pseudo-Sibylline Oracles" are a collection of oracular utterances written in Greek hexameters ascribed to the Sibyls In Greek mythology, Iapetus, also Iapetos or Japetus (Ἰαπετός was a Titan, the son of Uranus and Gaia, and father After the death of Ouranos, Titan's sons attempt to destroy Cronos' and Rhea's male offspring as soon as they are born, but at Dodona, Rhea secretly bears her sons Zeus, Poseidon and Hades and sends them to Phrygia to be raised in the care of three Cretans. Dodona (from Doric Greek Δωδώνα Ionic Greek: Δωδώνη - Dodone) in Epirus in northwestern Greece, was a prehistoric In antiquity Phrygia (Φρυγία was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now modern-day Turkey. Upon learning this, sixty of Titan's men then imprison Cronos and Rhea, causing the sons of Cronos to declare and fight the first of all wars against them. This account mentions nothing about Cronos either killing his father or attempting to kill any of his children.

The Phoenician Cronus

The account ascribed by Eusebius to the semi-legendary pre-Trojan War Phoenician historian, Sanchuniathon, indicates that Cronus was originally a Canaanite ruler who founded Byblos and was subsequently deified. In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her Phoenicia ( Phoenician: Phoenician nunsvg|12px|נ]]Phoenician nun Sanchuniathon is the purported Phoenician author of three lost works originally in the Phoenician language, surviving only in partial paraphrase and summary of a Canaanites redirects here For the 1940s social and political movement in Israel, see Canaanites (movement. Byblos ( Βύβλος) is the Greek name of the Phoenician city Gebal (earlier Gubla) This version gives his alternate name as Elus or Ilus, and states that in the 32nd year of his reign, he emasculated, slew and deified his father Epigeius or Autochthon "whom they afterwards called Uranus". It further states that after ships were invented, Cronos, visiting the 'inhabitable world', bequeathed Attica to his own daughter Athena, and Egypt to Thoth the son of Misor and inventor of writing^[4]. Attica (Αττική Attikí;) is a periphery (subdivision in Greece, containing Athens, the capital of Greece ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. For other meanings of "Thoth" or of "Djehuti" and similar see Thoth (disambiguation. Misor was according to the traditions of the Phoenician legends as found in the account ascribed to Sanchuniathon, one of two children of the Phoenician gods Amynus

In Roman mythology and later culture

Main article: Saturn (mythology)

While the Greeks considered Cronus a force of chaos along with disorder, believing that the Olympian gods had brought an era of peace and order by seizing power from the crude and malicious Titans, the Romans had a more positive view of the deity. Saturn ( Latin: Saturnus) was a major Roman God of agriculture and harvest Although the Roman deity Saturn was conflated heavily with Cronus, the Romans favored Saturn much more than the Greeks did Cronus. Saturn ( Latin: Saturnus) was a major Roman God of agriculture and harvest While Cronus was considered a cruel and tempestuous deity to the Greeks, his nature under Roman influence became more innocuous, with his association with the Golden Age eventually causing him to become the god of "human time", i. e. , calendars, seasons, and harvests—not to be confused with Chronos, the unrelated embodiment of time in general. In Greek mythology, Chronos ( Ancient Greek:) in pre-Socratic philosophical works is said to be the personification of Time. While the Greeks largely neglected Cronus, considering him a mere intermediary stage between Ouranos and Zeus, he was a larger aspect of Roman mythology and religion; Saturnalia was a festival dedicated in his honor, and at least one temple to Saturn existed in the early Roman Kingdom. Ancient Roman religion encompasses the collection of Beliefs and Rituals practised in Ancient Rome in the form of Cult practices Saturnalia is the feast with which the Romans commemorated the dedication of the temple of the god Saturn The Temple of Saturn ( Latin: Templum Saturni or Aedes Saturnus) is a Monument to the agricultural deity Saturn The Roman Kingdom ( Latin: Regnum Romanum) was the monarchical Government of the city of Rome

Owing to the abundance of isolated cities in ancient and classic times, numerous myths were developed and adopted to the local regions. As technology allowed cultures of common descent to rejoin, people made accommodations to create a unified pantheon or understanding of the universe.

As a result of Cronus' importance to the Romans, his Roman variant, Saturn, has had a large influence on Western culture. Western culture (sometimes equated with Western Civilization) are terms which are used to refer to Cultures of European origin In accordance with the Near Eastern tradition, the seventh day of the Judaeo-Christian week was also called in Latin Dies Saturni ("Day of Saturn"), which in turn was adapted and became the source of the English word Saturday. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States In astronomy, the planet Saturn is named after the Roman deity. Astronomy (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον "star" and nomos (νόμος "law" is the scientific study It is the seventh and outermost of the seven heavenly objects that are visible with the naked eye. In Astronomy, the naked-eye planets are the five Planets of our Solar system that can be discerned with the Naked eye without much difficulty

See also

• Hesiod: the Theogony, Works and Days. Hesiod ( Greek: Hesiodos) was an early Greek Poet and Rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BCE Theogony ( Greek: Θεογονία theogonia = the birth of God(s is a Poem by Hesiod describing the origins and genealogies Hesiod ( Greek: Hesiodos) was an early Greek Poet and Rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BCE

External links

• Cronus in classical literature, a collection of source texts confirming most of the statements in this article.

References