Titans were the first gods in Greek mythology. Most of them represented, in human form, such natural phenomena as the earth, sky, and sun. Previously, the universe had existed in a state of emptiness called Chaos.
Gaea, the earth, emerged from Chaos and gave birth to Uranus, the sky. She then married him. Gaea and Uranus had many offspring, including the Titans. The youngest and most important was Cronus, who married Rhea, his sister. Cronus castrated Uranus and deposed him, becoming king of the gods.
Rhea bore Cronus many children, but he swallowed them as soon as they were born to prevent one of them from overthrowing him. Rhea was determined to save Zeus, her youngest son. She tricked Cronus into swallowing a stone wrapped in baby clothes instead. Then she hid Zeus on the island of Crete.
After Zeus grew up, he tricked his father into vomiting up all the offspring. Zeus then led his brothers and sisters in a war against Cronus and overthrew him. Zeus banished Cronus and the Titans who had supported him to Tartarus, an underground region. The defeat of Cronus established Zeus as the supreme ruler of the universe and thus played an important role in the religion of the ancient Greeks.
