Before there was land or sea, people or gods, nothingexisted, except Chaos. Chaos was a space of neither ordernor disorder. During Chaos’s reign, there was noorganization of any kind in the universe. There was no sunor moon. There were no mountains or rivers, nor any suchfeatures on earth. In fact, there was no earth at all. It was aperiod of vast emptiness. Even time did not exist.Eventually, Chaos divided itself into the earth, the sky, andthe sea. When the division was complete, everything waspeaceful and perfect.After Chaos divided into the earth, sky, and sea, onegoddess came into being without being born to anymother. Her name was Gaia, which means earth, and shetook control over the earth as it took shape. Mountainsbecame separate from the plains, and rivers and oceanswere formed. Like an artist at a canvas, Gaia was busycreating a beautiful masterpiece. Soon, however, thegoddess began to long for children to help populate andrule this magnificent new world.Gaia’s desire for children was so great that eventuallyshe became pregnant by herself. The child she bore wasnamed Uranus, and he became the ruler of the sky. Inevery way, Uranus was the equal of his mother, and soonGaia and Uranus had children together. Gaia’s first three children were monsters, called theHundred-handed Ones. They were giants, and each hadfifty heads and a hundred hands. Although Gaia loved herchildren and was proud of them, Uranus was afraid thatsomeday one of these children would overthrow him.Because of this fear, Uranus hated the children and forcedthem back into Gaia’s womb.After the hundred-handed monsters had been bornand were pushed back into their mother’s womb, Gaiagave birth to three more monstrous children. These weregiants called the Cyclopes. Each had but a single eye,which was positioned directly in the middle of hisforehead. Although they were frightening to look at, theseyoung gods were exceedingly strong, and they wereexcellent craftsmen who made thunder and lightning for their mother to use as tools and weapons. Unfortunately,Uranus was afraid of these children, too. So, in order to getrid of them, Uranus tied the Cyclopes up and threw theminto a deep cavern called Tartarus. Tartarus was far, faraway, and Uranus felt safe in believing that he would neversee these monster-children again.Saddened by the loss of the Hundred-handed Onesand the Cyclopes, and angry at the cruel Uranus, Gaia gavebirth to a third group of children. These were called theTitans, and there were twelve of them—six goddesses andsix gods. They were very different from their older siblings.The Titans were beings with human characteristics, andthey were not monsters at all. The goddesses’ names wereTethys, Theia, Mnemosyne, Rhea, Themis, and Phoebe. The gods’ names were Oceanus, Hyperion, Iapetus,Cronus, Crius, and Coeus.Uranus was still afraid that one day one of his childrenwould overthrow him. Because of this fear, he pushed theTitans back into Gaia’s womb alongside their siblings, theHundred-handed Ones. Gaia was enraged by Uranus’srefusal to allow her children to live freely. She desperatelywanted her children to live without restraints and to enjoythe world. Finally, she came up with a plan that would allowher children to be born into the world and remain there.Gaia could speak to the children in her cavernouswomb, and she had no trouble convincing them to helpwith her plan. Cronus, the youngest of the twelve Titans,was the most eager to help his mother. So, the two set outto trick Uranus and free the Titans and the HundredhandedOnes from their mother’s prison-like womb.Cronus and Gaia waited for the perfect opportunity toenact their plan. Finally, one night, when Uranus came toGaia’s bed, Cronus crept out of Gaia’s womb and stabbedhis cruel father with a sickle, a curved knife used toharvest crops. As Uranus lay dying, his fears of beingoverthrown by one of his children having come true,Uranus leaned forward and cursed his son: “Cronus,” hepronounced, gasping for breath, “it will come to pass thatone of your children will do to you what you have just doneto me.” Then, with a final shudder, Uranus died, a look ofanger and betrayal in his eyes.After Uranus died, Gaia and her children felt free forthe first time. The Titans and the Hundred-handed Oneswere reborn from their mother’s womb, and the Cyclopeswere freed from Tartarus. All of Gaia’s children decided tomake Cronus their king. Cronus married his sister, theTitan named Rhea, and ruled over the universe for a long,peaceful time.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: What existed before the earth was formed?
A: Chaos is the name for the empty space that existedbefore the earth, the sky, and the sea were formed.Chaos was a space of neither order nor disorder.
Q: Who was Gaia?
A: Gaia was the first goddess to exist after the division of Chaos. Her name means “earth,” and she gave theearth all its attributes.
Q: How was Uranus related to Gaia?
A: Uranus was Gaia’s son, who became the ruler of thesky. Uranus was also the father of Gaia’s other children.He did not have a father himself.
Q: Why did Uranus hate all of the children Gaia bore him?
A: He was afraid that one day, one of his children wouldoverthrow him.
Q: What was unique about Gaia’s first children, and whathappened to them?
A: Gaia’s first children were monsters. Each HundredhandedOne had fifty heads and a hundred hands.Uranus pushed these three children back into their mother’s womb.
Q: Who were Gaia’s second children, and what happenedto them?
A: Three Cyclopes were born after their hundred-handedsiblings. Each Cyclopes had a single eye set in themiddle of his forehead. The Cyclopes were strong, andthey were excellent craftsmen. Uranus locked them ina deep cavern called Tartarus.
Q: Who were Gaia’s third set of children, and whathappened to them?
A: Gaia’s youngest children were the Titans who hadcharacteristics similar to humans. Uranus pushedthese twelve children back into Gaia’s womb with theHundred-handed Ones.
Q: Who was Cronus, and how did he save the Titans?
A: Cronus was the youngest of all Gaia’s children, one ofthe Titans. He killed his father, Uranus, with a sickle.By committing the act, Cronus was able to set the godsfree from their mother’s womb.
Q: What was Uranus’s final curse?
A: As he was dying, Uranus cursed Cronus, predicting thatone day, one of Cronus’s children would rise up andoverthrow him, just as Cronus had overthrown Uranus.
