Murders in Mount Olympus are normal. Isn’t it ironic? The gods and goddesses, who are supposed to be immortal, succumb to death, too. The infamous death of the greatest Greek patriarch Cronus was prophesied. It was inevitable.
According to the prophecy, Cronus will be overthrown by his own child. Just as he castrated and overthrew his own father Uranus.
The Prophecy of Cronus
After Cronus committed parricide, killing his parent with a monster-killing scythe called harpe, he took for a wife his sister, Rhea. He then swallowed his children Demeter, Hades, Hera, Hestia, and Poseidon right after they were born. The last child Rhea bore was Zeus.
Why did Cronus do those devious deeds? Because of his fear of the prophecy happening once again, he sees to it that all the children Rhea bore will not have the chance to see the world and eventually make what was forecasted. All is well until the heart of a mother, attempting to protect her son, comes up with a wise plan.
Why Did Zeus Kill His Father Cronus?
When Zeus was born, Cronus asked his dear wife to prepare the boy so he could swallow him, just like the others. Rhea tricked her husband. She gave her a stone wrapped in a cloth, instead of giving him her son. She then hid the newborn away from the sight of his father.
Zeus grew up and learned of how Cronus was too heartless to gorge on his siblings. He waged a war with his father. And right after a bloody fight with the king’s people, Zeus cut him up into tiny millions of pieces. His tidbits, together with the remains of all the Titans left of the battle against Zeus’s team, were scattered in Tartarus.
One Titan’s life was spared of the new king’s wrath. Atlas was punished for carrying and holding up the sky forever. This is a task once assigned to Iapetus, Hyperion, Koios, and Krios positioned in each of the four corners.
The Last of the Titans
Cronus and his generation were the last of the Titans. Every single one of them but Atlas was thrown out of thin air somewhere in Tartarus. Then came the generation of gods falling in love with mortals. Demigods were born. And the Mountain of gods and goddesses has grown full of fame and stories.
These stories live up to the test of time. A variety of versions evolved. Confusions grew when Romans came up with an almost similar thread of mythology. Nonetheless, that of the Greeks is still the greatest of stories ever told.
How Did Zeus Plan To Kill Cronus?
How did Cronus die before he was scattered in Tartarus? Zeus happened to be the cupbearer for his father. Of course, both are unaware of their relationship, as Zeus was sent to the Mountain of Ida. He was left to the care of the nymphs and satyrs. It was there where he learned the arts of war, medicinal plants, and concocting mixtures of wine.
Zeus wisely started a drinking game where he made a concoction of wine and mustard. The taste was so bile Cronus barfed out everything that was inside his tummy. Retched out of his esophagus were Zeus’s siblings, all coming out as full-grown adults. Zeus magically turned them into eagles immediately. They then fly away from the Titan’s capital, Mount Othrys.
How Did Zeus Kill Cronus?
After that eventful night, Zeus plotted revenge on his father. He did the planning with the help of his five siblings, who are now safe and far away from Cronus. They started freeing the Cyclopes and the hundred-handed creatures, who were imprisoned by order of their father. The Cyclopes helped the siblings forged weapons, which they will need when they attack the Titans.
During the attack, the hundred-handed creatures paid back the favor of freeing them by throwing mountains towards the Titans who were on the side of Cronus. The children finally succeeded with the plan of overthrowing the last of the Titans, crowning their youngest brother, Zeus, as the new leader.
Cronus – What’s in the name?
Cronos personifies the time. He maintains the sequence of the periods of time. He was saturated with all the years after he swallowed his children. The name implies that time when used up, something or someone ages. As he had his children inside of him, they continued growing up, so they were all full-grown when he retched them out. Tradition has it that the period of Cronus’ existence marked the golden age of the mortals.
The Fulfillment of the Prophecy
Cronus was the Titan who fathered the Greek gods and goddesses and all the generations after that. Three generations of parricide, sons overthrowing their fathers off the throne. The death of Cronus made way for further myths – stories of envy, sibling rivalry, father and son conflict, and a lot more others.
This is how Cronus, King of Titan, got killed by his very own son, Zeus.