2. Greek and Roman Mythology - The Golden Age of Cannibalism.

• Cronos, Cronus, or Kronos began his ascent to the extremes of evil.
• Chronos releases the Elder Cyclops and the Hundred Hands from Tartarus, making Gaia very happy.
• The Elder Cyclops and the Hundred Hands spend most of their time in Tartarus, learning the art of metal smelting and stone tool making, and
• they repaid Cronus by building him a massive palace of pitch-black marble on Mount Othrys (at that time, Othrys was the highest mountain in Greece).

1.

• Kronos is the Titan of Time. He can slow down or speed up time. Some say he is the Titan of the Harvest.
• Crius (or Krios) is the Titan of the South. A ram symbolizes him, as the constellation Ram appears in the southern sky. Crius wears navy blue armor dotted with stars and a helmet with protruding ram horns. He has a dark, quiet personality.
• It's very strange because the Greeks believed the world was a flat, round shield, so there shouldn't be any angles. But whatever.

1.

• Coeus (or Koios) is the Titan of the North, living at the opposite end of the world (of course!). Coeus is sometimes called Polus (after the Roman Titan) because he controls the North Pole. (This happened before Santa Claus, you know.) Coeus means question. He can ask questions of the sky (Query, questioning), and sometimes the sky whispers the answer.
• Knowing Coeus's future was so valuable that the other Titans started asking him important questions.

• Hyperion is the Titan of the East and is the most brilliant of the four Titans, as the light of the morning comes out of the East every morning. He calls himself the Lord of Light, and behind his back, everyone calls him Cronos Lite (Lite means light, lower) because he likes to follow Cronos' orders in everything.
• His armor was a dazzling gold color, with flames occasionally erupting.

1.
Note:
⁰¹. from. riordan.wikia.com/wiki/Mount_Othrys, access date: Nov.11, 2016.
1.
2.

• Iapetus, on the other hand, is the opposite of Hyperion. He appears more sluggish and lethargic. As the Titan of the West, he tends to be more relaxed. Iapetus is an excellent fighter and an expert wielder of the spear. Translated, Iapetus means "The Piercer". His name derives from iapto, meaning wounded, pierce, and sometimes a spear.
• Some call him the God of Craftsmanship or the God of Mortality.

• The last brother, Oceanus, is responsible for the outer waters surrounding the Earth, which is why we call the waters around the edges of the Earth Oceans.

1.

• Perhaps because of few marriage options, it has become more common for brothers to marry sisters.
• Because these immortal Titans are different from humans, they live forever. They have immense power and have "Ichor"01 instead of blood and DNA, so they do not have to worry about incompatible bloodlines.
• The eldest female Titan was Theia. She loved shiny things and bright scenery. Every morning, she would dance for joy when the sun returned. She would climb the mountain to look around.
• She would dive to the Earth to retrieve precious gems and use magic to make them sparkle. Theia was the one who made gold glow and made diamonds sparkle.
• She is the Titan of Sight and Shining.
• She eventually married Hyperion, Lord of Light. The couple got along well and had three children together: 1) Helios, the Titan of the Sun; 2) Eos, the Titan of the Dawn (Titaness and the goddess of the Dawn or the Roman Goddess Aurora, in Sanskrit Uṣā - उषा); and 3) Selene, the Titan of the Moon (the Goddess of the Moon or the Roman Goddess Luna).

1.

• Her younger sister, Themis, is quite different. She likes to think to herself quietly and never seems to be the center of attention.
• Themis always wore a plain white headscarf and was aware that she had a natural sense of right and wrong.
• She understands what is fair and what is not, and when in doubt, she claims she can call upon the wisdom of the Earth.
• In conclusion, Themis had a good reputation among her siblings because she could mediate even the most serious disputes. She was a titan of natural law and justice. She did not marry any of her six male brothers, showing that she was pretty intelligent.
• Some say that she was the second wife of the great god Zeus.

Notes and Narratives:
⁰¹. Modified from. www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Elements/ichor/ichor.html, "In Greek mythology, ichor was a golden liquid that flowed in the veins of gods and immortal beings. It was believed to be poisonous and capable of killing humans.", "Ichor was the golden fluid that flowed in the veins of gods and immortals in Greek mythology. It was also believed that it was toxic to mortals, killing them instantly. Ichor also ran through the single vein that Talos had, a giant bronze man with wings that was seen in Ancient Crete. He was responsible for guarding Europa and hurling rocks against anyone nearby. He died when the Argonauts went to Crete after they had retrieved the Golden Fleece; Medea removed the nail that controlled the flow of ichor, which drained from Talos and killed him.," access date: Dec.1, 2016.
1.
2.

• The third Titan sister was Tethys, who loved rivers, springs, and clean water. She was very kind and often brought refreshments to her sisters. However, Tethys saw herself as the caretaker of the whole world because all living things need water to drink.
• Ultimately, she ended up with Oceanus, which is evident since they both like and relate to water.

• Phoebe, the fourth of the Titan sisters, lived at the geographical center of the world, which the Greeks called "The Oracle of Delphi." It was home to a sacred spring where whispers of the future could sometimes be heard. The Greeks called this place "Omphalos," literally "the navel of the world."

1.

• Phoebe was one of the first Titan goddesses to learn to hear the Call of Delphi successfully. Her name means “bright.”
• Phoebe ends up with the boy from the north, Coeus (or Koios), the Titan of the North, who also has the gift of prophecy. It seems that the two of them are unlucky enough to meet each other only rarely, because they live so far apart.
• Bonus: Phoebe's grandson, Apollo, later became an oracle. With his powers inherited from Phoebe, he is sometimes called Phoebus Apollo.
• The fifth Titan goddess is Mnemosyne. The name requires some careful spelling. It is not easy to read and spell.
• She was born with a photographic memory. She remembers everything... siblings' birthdays, homework, taking out the trash... On the bright side, she can remember all her family history and she never forgets a single thing.

• She invented letters and writing. She is the Titan of memory (or more specifically, the Titan of memorization).
• No Titan wanted to marry her.
• Rhea, the sixth sister of the Titan goddess - Poor Rhea, she is the most lovely and beautiful Titan.
• She seems to be unlucky, has a difficult life, her name can be translated as flow or ease because she tends to flow with the situation and often makes people relax.

1.

• She often brings peace to people, traveling the valleys of the world, visiting her siblings, and talking with the Nymphs and Satyrs born from the blood of Ouranos.
• She loves animals, especially lions. If we see pictures of Rhea, she always has a pair of lions with her.
• Rhea is the Titan of Motherhood because she loves babies and always helps deliver them. She eventually becomes the Great Mother, but there are some misfortunes before she gets there (the Great Mother).

1.
2.

• In Gaia's opinion, the Earth Mother was so pleased to see her children controlling the world that she sank back into the Earth. She had been through a lot, having 18 children⁰¹. She should take a break.
• She thought that Kronos would be in charge of things, a virtuous and noble king (really? Of course..!!). She lay down to take a nap. Geologically speaking, that would be about a few millennia.
• Oceanus or Okeanides and Tethys, "Mr. and Mrs. Water" had a daughter (the eldest) named Klymene (sometimes called Clymene), who would later become the Titan Goddess of Fame and Renown. She was very fond of gossip.

• Klymene headed west and eventually fell in love with Iapetus (or Japetus), the Titan of the West. (Iapetus was her uncle, of course, but never mind the Titans.)
• Iapetus and Klymene had four children. (Altas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoitus. In this blog, I will focus on the first two first..!!).
• His first son is Atlas. He is an excellent fighter, but not very smart. In the future, Atlas will become Kronos' right-hand man and main force.

1.

• The second son was Prometheus⁰² This Titan was as intelligent as Kronos.
• Some legends say that Prometheus created a lower life form, namely humans.

1.

• One day, Prometheus just sat by the river and picked up some clay to play with, making funny shapes that looked like Titans, only much smaller and easier to flatten.
• Perhaps the clay contained the blood of Ouranos or Uranus, or perhaps Prometheus breathed life into the pair of puppets, either intentionally or deliberately... but the clay came to life, becoming the first two humans.
• The Titans see humans as fragile, like small mice, easy to kill, dirty, and useless to the world. They hide in caves and try to run away to avoid being trampled.

Notes and Narratives:
⁰¹. The 18 children of Uranus and Gaia consisted of three sets: the first) the first set of 12 children, six boys and six girls: Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, Theia, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Tethys, and Chronos; the second) the three elder Cyclopes, Brontes, Steropes, and Arges; and the third) the three Hundred-Handed, Cottus, Briareus, and Gyges (for details, see 1. Introduction to Ancient Greek and Roman Mythology).
⁰². There is a Hollywood sci-fi and horror movie called Prometheus (2012) directed by Ridley Scott. It has many interpretations... one interpretation is that... aliens came to Earth and gave birth to humans (by accident - alien DNA fell into the water) and then left. It seems that the aliens were not happy with the birth of humans. They may have thought it was a mistake and imperfect and needed to be eliminated. 1.
2.

• The Titans continue to give birth to baby Titans. In this blog, we will only discuss the important Titans, not all of them.
• Koios and Phoebe, the oracle couple, had a daughter named Leto, who decided that she would be the Titan protector of the young. Leto was considered the world's first babysitter, and was very fond of by Titan parents.

1.

• Hyperion and Theia, who were said to be the "Mr. and Mrs. Shining Light", had twins, Helios and Selene, who controlled the sun and the moon. (Some say Hyperion and Theia had another child, Eos.)

1.

• Helios would ride the sun across the sky every day. He looked so attractive that he attracted the ladies. It could be said that Helios was a chick magnet.
• As for Selene, she is not as good. She drives her Silver Moon Chariot across the cliffs of the night sky. She is primarily a recluse. Selene once fell deeply in love with someone, but it was a sad story, which we will discuss later. 
• As for Kronos, the Lord of the Universe, he sits on his throne in his palace on Mount Othris and is extremely upset.
• He remembered his father Ouranos's curse well and could not get it out of his mind: "One day, the sons of Kronos themselves will overthrow his throne."

1.

• "Come on, it's a small matter. We don't have to get married or have children!" He was alone. No Titan relatives came to visit him because they all had families. Maybe the Titan relatives feared him because he was hot-tempered and cruel like his father (Ouranos or Uranus), and he had a scary scythe. If unsatisfied, Kronos would often shout, "We will kill you all".
• One morning, Kronos was awakened by an Elder Cyclope striking a bronze tablet next to his bedroom. It was a holiday.. He was immediately furious..!!! Although he had promised Mother Gaia that he would release the Elder Cyclopes and the Hundred-Handed Ones from Tartarus, he was now increasingly disgusted with the Elder Cyclopes because they smelled like chamberpots. Cyclopes had zero level of personal hygiene.
• Always making loud noises... building things, beating metal, cutting stones. When building a palace, it was useful. Now it's just annoying.
• Kronos called Atlas, Hyperion, and a group of minions to surround the old Cyclopes and the Hundred Hands, chain them up, and throw them back into Tartarus. If Gaia were to wake up again, she would be sad, but what could she do? She had to accept it, because Kronos was now the king.
• Kronos still feels lonely. He already has a girl in mind. He has a crush on Rhea. Whenever there is a family gathering, Kronos will secretly look at her and try to prevent other young Titans from flirting with her.
• Kronos was confused and didn't want to have a wife because he still remembered the curse of Ouranos well. But he couldn't resist the sweet womanhood, Rhea's radiant smile. He liked Rhea's shoulder-length dark wavy hair. Her eyes were as green as grasslands and her lips...
• Kronos invited Rhea to a romantic dinner and confessed his love to her. It is not known what Rhea thought, whether it was out of love or fear of Kronos' cruelty and schemes, but she eventually agreed to marry Kronos.
• Soon, Rhea became pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful daughter. The girl was perfect, or perhaps too perfect. Rhea named her daughter Hestia.

• Rhea wrapped the baby in a cloth and handed it to a proud Kronos. Kronos smiled. He realized that the baby was not a monster…cool. But he also noticed that Hestia was not a Titan. She was smaller, heavier, and had perfect proportions. Her eyes shone brightly, indicating a higher intelligence than most babies.
• She is a goddess, a new generation titan...a version 2.0 titan, and the first member of a new branch of immortal evolution.
• Kronos could not let her grow, or Ouranos' curse would be fulfilled. He had to act quickly and permanently. Kronos opened his mouth wide and swallowed Hestia whole. Rhea screamed hysterically, begging Kronos to vomit, but Kronos had a strong stomach, and once he ate something, he never vomited it again.
• Technically, Hestia is immortal and can never die, still in the womb of Kronos. As for Rhea, she can't escape the ruler of this entire world. She can only endure and buy time until she can bring Hestia out.
• Rhea gave birth again, this time to an even cuter little girl named Demeter.

1.
2.

• Kronos took the child into his arms. He immediately knew that Demeter was another goddess. She radiated a stronger aura than Hestia. She was a big problem.
• Kronos didn't hesitate. He opened his jaw and swallowed again. Rhea screamed and yelled, followed by her father apologizing.
• There were two babies in Kronos's womb. Kronos insisted on having more children. "The next one will be better," he promised. "I won't swallow any more babies."
• The third child was also a girl, whom Rhea named Hera, and Hera was not a Titan at all. Rhea bore more and more beautiful and powerful children.

1.

• Rhea mustered up her courage. "My lord, I offer you my daughter, Hera."
• (GULP) ...!!!
• This time, Rhea left the throne room without making a fuss. She was numb from the pain, bitter, and disbelief. She was married to a born liar who was a murderer and a child molester. Could there be anything worse than that..!
• At the same time, Kronos is also the king of the universe who has many capable subordinates. Therefore, she cannot fight back or escape.
• And worse things are yet to come.
• Rhea also gave birth to two more adorable, perfect god babies. The fourth was a boy named Hades, which Kronos should have held back a bit since he was a son. But no, he devoured them..!

1.

• The fifth son of the gods is also a boy, named Poseidon as usual. SNARF..!

1.

• At this point, Rhea fled the palace. She was crying and not knowing what to do. She asked for help from the other Titans (her siblings and grandchildren), all of whom told Rhea to just stop crying.
• She eventually went to Phoebe, her Titan sister, at the Oracle of Delphi, but unfortunately the oracle had no advice for her.
• Rhea ran out and collapsed, sobbing against the earth. Suddenly, she heard a whisper from the earth. It was the voice of Gaia, who was still sleeping. Even when Mother Earth Gaia was sleeping, she could not bear to listen to the cries of her daughter, the Titan goddess.

References:
01. From. Percy Jackson's GREEK GODS, written by Rick Riordan, ISBN 978-1-4847-8980-3, 2016, print in China, www.DisneyBookd.com, www. ReadRiordan.com.
02. Ref. "The Iliad," Written by Homer, translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition, USA., 51^st printing, 1998.
03. Ref. "The Odyssey," Written by Homer, translated by Robert Fagles, Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition, USA., 54^th printing, 1996.
1.
2.
3.