The 12 Titans are a group of powerful deities in Greek mythology, born of Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (Sky). They represent the first generation of Titans and are central figures in the Titanomachy, the war between the Titans and the Olympians.
Here is a list of the 12 original Titans, according to Hesiod's Theogony:
- Oceanus: The Titan of the great, earth-encircling river Oceanus, the source of all rivers and springs.
- Coeus: The Titan of intellect and questioning.
- Crius: One of the least individualized Titans, associated with constellations.
- Hyperion: The Titan of light, often associated with the sun.
- Iapetus: The Titan associated with mortality, and father of Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius.
- Cronus: The youngest of the Titans, who overthrew his father Uranus and ruled during the Golden Age. He was eventually overthrown by his son Zeus.
- Thea: The Titan of sight and shining light. She is the consort of Hyperion and mother of Helios, Selene, and Eos.
- Rhea: A Titaness and the wife of Cronus. She is the mother of the Olympian gods Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia.
- Themis: The Titaness of divine law, order, fairness, and custom.
- Mnemosyne: The Titaness of memory and the mother of the nine Muses by Zeus.
- Phoebe: A Titaness associated with the moon, prophecy, and intellect.
- Tethys: A Titaness who was the wife of Oceanus and the mother of the rivers and springs.
These twelve Titans represent a primordial generation of powerful beings who preceded the Olympian gods and whose conflict shaped the mythology and cosmology of ancient Greece.
