Cronus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cronus is not to be confused with Chronos, the personification of time. Also see Cronus (disambiguation) for other uses.

Greek deities series
Primordial deities
Olympians
Aquatic deities
Chthonic deities
Personified concepts
Other deities
Titans
The Twelve Titans:
Oceanus and Tethys,
Hyperion and Theia,
Coeus and Phoebe,
Cronus and Rhea,
Mnemosyne, Themis,
Crius, Iapetus
Sons of Iapetus:
Atlas, Prometheus,
Epimetheus, Menoetius

Cronus (Ancient Greek Κρόνος, Krónos —of obscure etymology, perhaps related to "horned", suggesting a possible connection with the ancient Indian demon Kroni or the Levantine deity El; or to the word χρόνος, Chronos, meaning time), also called Cronos or Kronos, was the leader and the youngest of the first generation of Titans, divine descendants of Gaia, the earth, and Uranus, the sky. He overthrew his father, Uranus, and ruled during the mythological Golden Age, until he was overthrown by his own son, Zeus. He was not imprisoned in the depths of the underworld, Tartarus, like most other Titans, but instead fled.

As a result of his association with the bountiful and virtuous Golden Age, Cronus was worshipped as a harvest deity, overseeing crops such as grains, and nature, agriculture, and the progression of time in relation to humans in general. He was usually depicted with a sickle, which he used to harvest crops and which was also the weapon he used to castrate and depose Uranus. In Athens, on the twelfth day of every month (Hekatombaion), a festival called Kronia was held in honor of Cronus to celebrate the harvest. Cronus was also identified in classical antiquity with the Roman deity Saturn.

1 In Greek mythology and early myths
2 In Roman mythology and later culture
3 In popular culture
4 See also
5 References

[edit] In Greek mythology and early myths

In ancient Greek myths, Cronus envied the power of his father and the ruler of the universe, Uranus. Uranus drew the enmity of Cronus' mother, Gaia, when he hid the gigantic youngest children of Gaia, the hundred-armed Hecatonchires and one-eyed Cyclopes, in Tartarus, so that they would not see the light. Gaia created a great sickle and gathered together Cronus and his brothers to persuade them to kill Uranus. Only Cronus was willing to do the deed, so Gaia gave him the sickle and placed him in ambush. When Uranus met with Gaia, Cronus attacked Uranus with the sickle by cutting off his genitals, castrating him and casting the severed member into the sea. From the blood (or, by a few accounts, semen) that spilled out from Uranus and fell upon the earth, the Gigantes, Erinyes, and Meliae were produced. From the member that was cast into the sea, Aphrodite later emerged. For this, Uranus threatened vengeance and called his sons titenes ("straining ones") for overstepping their boundaries and daring to commit such an act, and this is the source of the name Titan.

In an alternate version of this myth, a more benevolent Cronus overthrew the wicked serpentine Titan Ophion. In doing so, he released the world from bondage and for a time ruled it justly.

After dispatching Uranus, Cronus re-imprisoned the Hecatonchires, the Gigantes, and the Cyclopes and set the dragon Campe to guard them. He and Rhea took the throne of the world as King and Queen. This period of Cronus' rule was called the Golden Age, as the people of the time had no need for laws or rules; everyone did the right thing, and immorality was absent.

Image:Goya - Saturno devorando a su hijo.jpg

Cronus learned from Gaia and Uranus that he was destined to be overcome by his own son, just as he had overthrown his father. As a result, although he sired the gods Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Hestia, by Rhea, he swallowed them all as soon as they were born to preempt the prophecy. When the fifth and six children were born, Poseidon and Zeus, Rhea sought Gaia to devise a plan to save them and to eventually get retribution on Cronus for his acts against his father and children. Rhea secretly gave birth to Zeus in Crete, and handed Cronus a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes, also known as the Omphalos Stone, which he promptly swallowed, thinking that it is his son. The same happened with Poseidon, though Cronus swallowed a goat as opposed to a rock, thinking it to be his son.

Rhea kept Zeus hidden in a cave on Mount Ida, Crete. According to some versions of the story, he was then raised by a goat named Amalthea, while a company of Kouretes, armored male dancers, shouted and clapped their hands to make enough noise to mask the baby's cries from Cronus. Other versions of the myth have Zeus raised by the nymph Adamanthea, who hid Zeus by dangling him by a rope from a tree so that he was suspended between the earth, the sea, and the sky, all of which were ruled by his father, Cronus. Still other versions of the tale say that Zeus was raised by his grandmother, Gaia.

Once he had grown up, Zeus used a poison given to him by Gaia to force Cronus to vomit up the contents of his stomach in reverse order: first the stone, which was set down at Pytho under the glens of Mount Parnassus to be a sign to mortal men, then the goat, and then his two brothers and three sisters. In other versions of the tale, Metis gave Cronus an emetic to force him to disgorge the children, or Zeus cut Cronus' stomach open. After freeing his siblings, Zeus released the Gigantes, the Hecatonchires, and the Cyclopes, who forged for him his thunderbolts. In a vast war called the Titanomachy, Zeus and his brothers and sisters, with the help of the Gigantes, Hecatonchires, and Cyclopes, overthrew Cronus and the other Titans. Afterwards, many of the Titans were confined in Tartarus. Some Titans were not banished to Tartarus. Atlas, Cronus, Epimetheus, Metis, Menoetius, Oceanus and Prometheus are examples of Titans who were not imprisoned in Tartarus following the Titanomachy. Gaia sired the monster Typhon to claim revenge for the imprisioned Titans, though Zeus was victorious.

Other children Cronus is reputed to have had include Chiron, by Philyra, and Eris, by Nyx.^{[verification needed]}

An earlier version of Cronus, from before worship of Zeus became popular, is considered to be connected to the Semitic deity Ba`al Hammon. The baby-eating myth of Cronos is considered to derive from such early religions, as Ba`al Hammon was sometimes worshiped by Moloch, child sacrifice by burning within a statue of Ba`al Hammon.

The account ascribed by Eusebius to the semi-legendary pre-Trojan War Phoenician historian, Sanchuniathon, indicates that he was originally a Canaanite ruler who founded Byblos and was subsequently deified. This version gives his alternate name as Elus or Ilus, and states that in the 32nd year of his reign, he castrated, slew and deified his father Epigeius or Autochthon "whom they afterwards called Uranus". It further states that after ships were invented, Cronus, visiting the 'inhabitable world', bequeathed Attica to his own daughter Athena, and Egypt to Thoth the son of Misor and inventor of writing.

Cronos is again mentioned in the Sibylline Oracles, particularly book three, which makes Cronos, 'Titan' and Iapetus, the three sons of Uranus and Gaia, each to receive a third division of the Earth, and Cronos is made king over all. After the death of Uranus, Titan's sons attempt to destroy Cronos' and Rhea's male offspring as soon as they are born, but at Dodona, Rhea secretly bears her sons Zeus, Poseidon and Hades and sends them to Phrygia to be raised in the care of three Cretans. Upon learning this, sixty of Titan's men then imprison Cronos and Rhea, causing the sons of Cronos to declare and fight the first of all wars against them.

[edit] In Roman mythology and later culture

Main article: Saturn (mythology)

While the Greeks considered Cronus a force of chaos along with disorder, believing that the Olympian gods had brought an era of peace and order by seizing power from the crude and malicious Titans, the Romans had a more positive view of the deity. Although the Roman deity Saturn was conflated heavily with Cronus, the Romans favored Saturn much more than the Greeks did Cronus. While Cronus was considered a cruel and tempestuous deity to the Greeks, his nature under Roman influence became more innocuous, with his association with the Golden Age eventually causing him to become the god of "human time", i.e., calendars, seasons, and harvests—not to be confused with Chronos, the unrelated embodiment of time in general. While the Greeks largely neglected Cronus, considering him a mere intermediary stage between Uranus and Zeus, he was a larger aspect of Roman mythology and religion; Saturnalia was a festival dedicated in his honor, and at least one temple to Saturn existed in the early Roman Kingdom.

It is important to note that due to the numerous cities in ancient and classic times which would exist in isolation, numerous myths were developed and adopted to the local region. As technology allowed cultures of common descent to rejoin the people made accommodations to create a unified understanding of the universe. It should also be noted that this is not restrained to Greco-Roman culture. Historical documents reveal this to be a common event affecting most religions.

As a result of Cronus' importance to the Romans, his Roman variant, Saturn, has had a large influence on Western culture. In accordance with the Near Eastern tradition, the seventh day of the Judaeo-Christian week was also called in Latin Dies Saturni ("Day of Saturn"), which in turn was adapted and became the source of the English word Saturday. In astronomy, the planet Saturn is called so because of Roman influence. It was considered the seventh and outermost of the seven heavenly objects that are visible with the naked eye.

In some sects of Hinduism, Kroni is a satan-like demon.

[edit] In popular culture

In the real-time strategy computer game Age of Mythology and its expasion pack, The Titans, Cronus—who is called Kronos within the game—is merged with Chronos, the personification of time in Greek mythology. While Cronus was often seen as a deity of agriculture to the Greeks, Kronos in the game is the Titan of Time. He is also seen as more of a demonic figure than in traditional Greek mythology; in the game's story, Kronos remains sealed and tortured behind adamantine gates in Tartarus, and desperately seeks freedom.

In the long running series Stargate SG1, Cronus is a Goa'uld to whom Teal'c's father served as first prime. After failing to succeed in a no-win scenario, Cronus killed him, resulting in a young Teal'c joining the ranks of Apophis, now resolved to take revenge upon him.

The avant-garde string quartet Kronos Quartet takes it's name directly from the deity Cronus.

The death metal band Kronos refers to Cronus in their name.

In the action adventure video game for PS2, God of War, Cronus—who like above is also called Kronos—is the last living titan who was made to carry the mountain which held The Temple of Pandora on his back. It is said that Kronos died after one thousand years of wandering the desert sands of Greece with the mountain chained to him.

In the television show Class of the Titans, Cronus has escaped from his prison and is threatening to take over the world again.

In the television show Charmed, Cronus was one of the two Titans who tried to decimate the Elders and takeover the world until vanquished by the Charmed Ones.

The only constant member of British black metal band Venom, singer/bassist Conrad Lant, uses the pseudonym "Cronos".

Cronus is a minor character within the DC Comics Wonder Woman series. He is one of the Titans responsible for raising Donna Troy, and also created the villainous character Devastation.

In the television and movie series Star Trek, Kronos is the name of the Klingon homeworld.

In the album "Mill Valley," bay area band Abi Yoyos mention Kronos in their song "Quagmire." The line "Kronos devours Zeus" is used to convey the chaos and hopelessness of war.

Mazda made a car called the 626 Cronos between 1993-1997

The fantasy/horror movie Pan's Labyrinth features a flesh eating monster based on the myth of Cronus eating his children. The creature is shown being surrounded by paintings of it consuming infants and toddlers.

In the anime "Guyver" Agito Makishima - uses the name "Zeus" when infiltrating the Zoanoid group Cronos Japan.

In the movie "The Incredibles," the password to Syndrome's computer is 'Kronos.'