The Death of Cronus and Birth of the Olympians
Cronus, King of the Titans, was every bit as power hungry as his father, Uranus. As a result, he not a very good ruler and a terrible father. Cronus had heard a prophecy that one of his children would overthrow him, just as he did to his own father. So Cronus decided to prevent his own children from ever having the chance to rebel against him. Every year for five years, Rhea, Cronus' wife and sister, gave birth to a child. These children were the some of the first Olympian Gods; Hestia, Poseidon, Hades, Hera and Hestia. But as soon as the child left the womb, Cronus imediently ate it.
Rhea was overcome with grief and rage. She couldn't stand to have her children taken away from her so soon after their birth. Cronus had underestimated a mother's love for her child and her natural instinct to protect them. Rhea's maternal feelings became the driving force behind her revenge.
When Rhea was pregnant with her sixth child, she asked her mother for help. Gaia sent her to the island of Crete, where she gave birth to Zeus. When she returned to Cronus, she gave him a stone wrapped in cloth, claiming it was baby Zeus. Cronus swallowed it without a thought and the real Zeus escaped unharmed.
Zeus stayed far away from Cronus during his childhood. Minor gods and nature spirits helped care for him. A nymph called Amalthea was responsible for feeding Zeus. In some versions of the myth, Amalthea was a she-goat and when she died, Zeus turned her into the constellation known Capricorn (the goat).
As Zeus grew into a young man, he decided it was time to fulfill the prophecy and rescue his siblings. Zeus disguised himself as a servant of Cronus and placed a special potion in his wine.
When Cronus drank the wine, he suddenly vomited, causing all of Zeus' brothers and sisters to come out. Being Olympians, they had been growing and living inside their father for all those years.
With his rescued siblings, Zeus started gathering an army to fight Cronus. Cronus attempted to do likewise but, to his dismay, found few allies. None of the Titanesses wanted to participate, and some of the other Titans refused, even Cronus’ eldest brother Oceanus. Similarly, Helios, son of Hyperion refused to take part in the war. Prometheus and Epimetheus, sons of Iapetus, flat out refused to side with Cronus, instead joining the side of the Olympian Gods. The rest of Titans chose Atlas, another son of Iapetus, to lead them into battle.
The two sides each created fortifications at two different mountains. The Titans, led by Atlas, gathered at Mount Othrys. The side of Olympian Gods gathered at Mount Olympus.
The war was humongous conflict. Each side possessed extreme strength, and after 10 years, neither side had the upper hand. Gaia decided to help her grandchildren, the gods, and told Zeus that if he was to win this war, he had to release the Cyclopes and the Hundred Handed Ones, also known as the Hecatoncheires, from their prison in Tartarus.
With no other option, Zeus sped down to Tartarus and killed their jail guard, the vicious monster Kampe, and freed the Cyclopes and Hundred Handed Ones. They were so furious with Cronus for keeping them imprisoned, they immediately joined the Olympians side. The Cyclopes crafted amazing weapons, like Zeus’ thunderbolt and Poseidon’s trident, and the Hundred Handed Ones hurled massive boulders at the Titans.
Finally, Zeus pushed the Titans out of the Heavens, threw them into Tartarus and bound them with such strong bonds that they would never be able to escape and challenge the Olympians again.
Rhea giving her husband, Cronus, a baby for him to swallow.
The Gods celebrating on the top of Mount Olympus.