The Story of Cronus
Cronus was the youngest of the twelve Titans, the children of Uranus, the sky, and Gaia, the earth. His father hated some of his children and pushed them back deep inside the earth, causing Gaia terrible pain. When she asked her sons to help her punish Uranus, only Cronus was bold enough to agree.
Gaia gave him a great sickle of adamant, and Cronus hid in wait. When Uranus came down at night to lie with Gaia, Cronus attacked him and cut him down, separating the sky from the earth for good. From the drops of his father's blood sprang the Furies and the Giants, and from the foam of the sea rose Aphrodite.
With Uranus overthrown, Cronus became king of the cosmos and took his sister Rhea as his queen. Yet he did not free all of his imprisoned brothers. The Cyclopes and the Hundred Handed Ones stayed locked away, a decision that would come back to haunt him.
Gaia and Uranus warned Cronus that he would one day be overthrown by his own child, just as he had overthrown his father. Determined to escape this fate, Cronus swallowed each of his children the moment they were born. Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon all disappeared inside him.
Rhea, heartbroken, saved her last child. When Zeus was born, she hid him in a cave on Crete and handed Cronus a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes, which he swallowed without a second look. Years later the grown Zeus returned, and with a potion prepared by the clever Metis he forced Cronus to bring up the stone and all the swallowed children.
Zeus and his brothers and sisters then went to war with Cronus and the Titans. The struggle lasted ten years, until Zeus freed the Cyclopes and the Hundred Handed Ones, who gave the Olympians the weapons and strength to win. Cronus and his allies were defeated and locked away in the dark pit of Tartarus.
Strangely, the Greeks also remembered Cronus as the king of a lost Golden Age, when people lived without toil, sickness or old age. In some later tellings he was released and sent to rule the Isles of the Blessed, a paradise for heroes. The Athenians held a harvest festival in his honor called the Kronia, and the Romans linked him with their god Saturn.
Famous Myths About Cronus
The Sickle
Gaia was furious with her husband Uranus for imprisoning their children inside the earth. She made a great sickle and asked her sons for help, and only Cronus agreed, ambushing his father and overthrowing him.
Swallowing His Children
Warned that his own child would overthrow him, Cronus swallowed each of his children as soon as they were born. His wife Rhea finally saved the youngest, Zeus, by giving Cronus a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes instead.
The War of the Titans
Once grown, Zeus made Cronus cough up his siblings, and together they fought the Titans for ten years. The Olympians won, and Cronus and the defeated Titans were imprisoned in Tartarus.
The Golden Age
Despite his cruelty, Cronus was also remembered as the ruler of a Golden Age. During his reign, humans lived without toil or sorrow, and the earth gave its harvest freely.
Cronus's Family Tree
Wife of Cronus
Frequently Asked Questions About Cronus
Who is Cronus in Greek mythology?
Cronus is the leader of the Titans and the ruler of the cosmos before Zeus. He was linked with the harvest and agriculture.
How did Cronus become king of the gods?
Cronus overthrew his father Uranus by attacking him with a sickle made by his mother Gaia.
Why did Cronus swallow his children?
Cronus was warned that one of his children would overthrow him, so he swallowed each one at birth. His wife Rhea saved Zeus by giving Cronus a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes instead.
What happened to Cronus?
Zeus forced Cronus to bring up the swallowed children, then led them in a ten year war against the Titans. Cronus was defeated and imprisoned in Tartarus, though some later stories say he came to rule the Isles of the Blessed.
Is Cronus the same as Chronos?
No. Cronus is the Titan king, while Chronos is the primordial personification of time. Their names sound alike, so later writers merged them, which is how Cronus came to be pictured as Father Time.
What is Cronus's Roman name?
The Romans called Cronus Saturn, and the festival of Saturnalia was held in his honor.
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