Zeus is considered a truly Greek supreme deity. He is the father of men and the head of the Olympian family of gods. His name means "bright sky". But his path to Olympus, to the highest level of the supreme deity, was not easy. He, a native of the third generation of gods, took part in a fierce struggle against the second generation of gods - the titan gods. Titans were cruel and largely mindless creatures. For example, Zeus's father Kronus feared that his own children might overthrow him, and devoured their newly born ones. Zeus was saved by Rhea's mother. She gave Kron a stone wrapped in white cloth to swallow, and sent the child to the island of Crete.

Zeus grew up and matured in Crete. The nymphs fed little Zeus with the milk of the divine goat Amalthea. The bees brought him honey from the slopes of the high mountain Dikta. At the entrance to the cave, young demigods struck their shields with their swords when little Zeus cried, so that his father would not hear him cry and the fate of his brothers and sisters would not befall him.

Zeus quickly realized his strength and realized that in order to gain god's power over the world, he would have to fight with his parent. But in this fight he will need allies. Who could be better than siblings? This means that the first thing he had to do was free the swallowed sisters and brothers.

In the stomach of his father Kron there were already five children, future gods. Hestia is the goddess of sacrificial fire and hearth fire, called Vesta by the Romans; Demeter - the great goddess of the fertility of the earth (among the Romans Ceres); Hera - the supreme Olympian goddess (among the Romans Juno); Hades is the god of the underground (among the Romans Pluto) and Poseidon is the ruler of the seas and oceans (among the Romans Neptune).

Zeus decided to go against his father. He agreed with the goddess Metis, daughter of Ocean and Tethys, that she would make special drink, which will cause Kron to regurgitate the children he swallowed. The potion was prepared and delivered to Kron. The Titan God drank it with pleasure. And he was turned inside out. He burped up a stone wrapped in white cloth first, followed by all the children in turn. They were born again safe and sound. And united with Zeus, they began a war against their father Cronus and other titans for the right to rule the world.

First of all, they established themselves on high Olympus. Some of the titans went over to their side: Ocean with her daughter Styx and her daughters Zeal, Power and Victory. They wanted to overthrow the hated and evil titans. The struggle was long and brutal. The one-eyed giants, the Cyclopes, sons of Uranus and Gaia, representatives of the elemental forces of nature, decided to help young Zeus.

The Cyclopes forged thunder and lightning for Zeus. There were huge amount. And Zeus began to throw them at the titans. But he was unable to immediately defeat the harsh and powerful gods. This stubborn struggle continued for ten years, with the advantage now in one direction or the other. It was necessary to look for new assistants. And Zeus freed the hundred-armed giants Hecatoncheires from the bowels of the earth. They were terrible to look at: huge as mountains, powerful and black as the very bowels of the earth. They grabbed huge rocks and threw them at the titans. From such a massacre the earth groaned, the air shook, the water boiled in the seas, and fires broke out all around. But the titans did not retreat; they held on to the base of Olympus with a death grip.

And then Zeus began to throw fiery lightning and roaring thunder at them with redoubled force. All nature around was on fire, and a heavy stench covered the entire space with a thick veil. It became impossible to breathe. The Titans could not withstand such pressure, they were tired, their strength was exhausted. And they retreated from Olympus and stopped fighting.

This was a victory for Zeus and his allies. The Olympian gods grabbed the exhausted titans, bound them in chains and threw them into the very depths of gloomy Tartarus - into eternal darkness. There they were locked behind copper gates, which were guarded by the hundred-armed giants Hecatoncheires. The Titans were completely eliminated, and a new galaxy of gods appeared on Olympus, led by supreme god Zeus.

Zeus overthrows Cronus. The fight of the Olympian gods with the titans

He grew up and matured beautiful and powerful god Zeus. He rebelled against his father and forced him to bring back into the world the children he had absorbed. One after another, Kron spewed out his children-gods, beautiful and bright, from the mouth. They began to fight with Kron and the Titans for power over the world.

This struggle was terrible and stubborn. The children of Kron established themselves on high Olympus. Some of the titans also took their side, and the first were the titan Ocean and his daughter Styx with their children Zeal, Power and Victory. This struggle was dangerous for the Olympian gods. Their opponents, the titans, were powerful and formidable. But the Cyclopes came to the aid of Zeus. They forged thunder and lightning for him, Zeus threw them at the titans. The struggle had already lasted ten years, but victory did not lean on either side. Finally, Zeus decided to free the hundred-armed giants Hecatoncheires from the bowels of the earth; he called them to help. Terrible, huge as mountains, they emerged from the bowels of the earth and rushed into battle. They tore entire rocks from the mountains and threw them at the titans. Hundreds of rocks flew towards the titans when they approached Olympus. The earth groaned, a roar filled the air, everything around was shaking. Even Tartarus shuddered from this struggle. Zeus threw fiery lightning and deafeningly roaring thunder one after another. Fire engulfed the entire earth, the seas boiled, smoke and stench covered everything with a thick veil.

Finally, the mighty titans wavered. Their strength was broken, they were defeated. The Olympians chained them and cast them into gloomy Tartarus, into eternal darkness. At the copper indestructible gates of Tartarus, the hundred-armed hecatoncheires stood guard, and they guard so that the mighty titans do not break free from Tartarus again. The power of the titans in the world has passed.

Myths about the gods and their struggle with giants and titans are set out mainly based on Hesiod’s poem “Theogony” (“The Origin of the Gods”).

Some legends are also borrowed from Homer’s poems “Iliad” and “Odyssey” and the poem “Metamorphoses” (“Metamorphoses”) by the Roman poet Ovid.

In the beginning there was only eternal, boundless, dark Chaos. It contained the source of life of the world. Everything arose from boundless Chaos - the whole world and the immortal gods. The goddess Earth, Gaia, also came from Chaos. It spreads wide, powerful, giving life to everything that lives and grows on it. Far under the Earth, as far as the vast, bright sky is far from us, in immeasurable depths, the gloomy Tartarus was born - a terrible abyss full of eternal darkness. From Chaos, the source of life, was born a powerful force that animates everything, Love - Eros. The world began to be created. Boundless Chaos gave birth to the eternal Darkness - Erebus and the dark Night - Nyukta. And from Night and Darkness came the eternal Light - Ether and the joyful bright Day - Hemera. The light spread throughout the world, and night and day began to replace each other.

The mighty, fertile Earth gave birth to the boundless blue Sky - Uranus, and the Sky spread over the Earth. The high Mountains born of the Earth rose proudly towards him, and the ever-noisy Sea spread widely. Mother Earth gave birth to the Sky, Mountains and Sea, and they have no father.

Uranus - Heaven reigned in peace. He took as his wife fertile land. Uranus and Gaia had six sons and six daughters - powerful, formidable titans. Their son, the Titan Ocean, flowing around the entire earth like a boundless river, and the goddess Thetis gave birth to all the rivers that roll their waves to the sea, and the sea goddesses - the Oceanids. Titan Hipperion and Theia gave the world children: the Sun - Helios, the Moon - Selene and the ruddy Dawn - pink-fingered Eos (Aurora). From Astraeus and Eos came all the stars that burn in the dark night sky, and all the winds: the stormy northern wind Boreas, the eastern Eurus, the humid southern Notus and the gentle western wind Zephyr, carrying clouds heavy with rain.

In addition to the titans, the mighty Earth gave birth to three giants - cyclops with one eye in the forehead - and three huge, like mountains, fifty-headed giants - hundred-armed (hecatoncheires), so named because each of them had a hundred arms. Nothing can resist their terrible power; their elemental power knows no bounds.

Uranus hated his giant children; he imprisoned them in deep darkness in the bowels of the Earth goddess and did not allow them to come into the light. Their mother Earth suffered. She was oppressed by this terrible burden contained in her depths. She summoned her children, the Titans, and convinced them to rebel against their father Uranus, but they were afraid to raise their hand against their father. Only the youngest of them, the treacherous Kron, overthrew his father by cunning and took away his power.

As punishment for Kron, the Goddess Night gave birth to a whole host of terrible deities: Tanata - death, Eris - discord, Apata - deception, Ker - destruction, Hypnos - a dream with a swarm of dark, heavy visions, Nemesis who knows no mercy - revenge for crimes, and many others. Horror, strife, deception, struggle and misfortune brought these gods into the world where Cronus reigned on the throne of his father.

Kron was not sure that power would remain in his hands forever. He was afraid that his children would rebel against him and doom him to the same fate to which he doomed his father Uranus. He was afraid of his children. And Kron ordered his wife Rhea to bring him the children that were born and mercilessly swallowed them. Rhea was horrified when she saw the fate of her children. Cronus has already swallowed five: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades (Hades) and Poseidon.

Rhea did not want to lose her last child. On the advice of her parents, Uranus-Heaven and Gaia-Earth, she retired to the island of Crete, and there, in a deep cave, her youngest son, Zeus, was born. In this cave, Rhea hid her son from her cruel father, and instead of her son she gave him a long stone wrapped in swaddling clothes to swallow. Krohn had no idea that he had been deceived by his wife.

Meanwhile, Zeus grew up in Crete. The nymphs Adrastea and Idea cherished little Zeus; they fed him with the milk of the divine goat Amalthea. The bees brought honey to little Zeus from the slopes of the high mountain Dikta. At the entrance to the cave, the young Kuretes struck their shields with their swords every time little Zeus cried, so that Kronus would not hear his crying and Zeus would not suffer the fate of his brothers and sisters.

The beautiful and powerful god Zeus grew up and matured. He rebelled against his father and forced him to bring back into the world the children he had absorbed. One after another, Kron spewed out his children-gods, beautiful and bright, from the mouth. They began to fight with Kron and the Titans for power over the world.

This struggle was terrible and stubborn. The children of Kron established themselves on high Olympus. Some of the titans also took their side, and the first were the titan Ocean and his daughter Styx with their children Zeal, Power and Victory. This struggle was dangerous for the Olympian gods. Their opponents, the titans, were powerful and formidable. But the Cyclopes came to the aid of Zeus. They forged thunder and lightning for him, Zeus threw them at the titans. The struggle had already lasted ten years, but victory did not lean on either side. Finally, Zeus decided to free the hundred-armed giants Hecatoncheires from the bowels of the earth; he called them to help. Terrible, huge as mountains, they emerged from the bowels of the earth and rushed into battle. They tore entire rocks from the mountains and threw them at the titans. Hundreds of rocks flew towards the titans when they approached Olympus. The earth groaned, a roar filled the air, everything around was shaking. Even Tartarus shuddered from this struggle. Zeus threw fiery lightning and deafeningly roaring thunder one after another. Fire engulfed the entire earth, the seas boiled, smoke and stench covered everything with a thick veil.

Finally, the mighty titans wavered. Their strength was broken, they were defeated. The Olympians chained them and cast them into gloomy Tartarus, into eternal darkness. At the copper indestructible gates of Tartarus, the hundred-armed hecatoncheires stood guard, and they guard so that the mighty titans do not break free from Tartarus again. The power of the titans in the world has passed.

But the struggle did not end there. Gaia-Earth was angry with the Olympian Zeus for treating her defeated titan children so harshly. She married the gloomy Tartarus and gave birth to the terrible hundred-headed monster Typhon. Huge, with a hundred dragon heads, Typhon rose from the bowels of the earth. He shook the air with a wild howl. The barking of dogs, human voices, the roar of an angry bull, the roar of a lion were heard in this howl. Turbulent flames swirled around Typhon, and the earth shook under his heavy steps. The gods shuddered in horror. But Zeus the Thunderer boldly rushed at him, and the battle broke out. Lightning flashed again in the hands of Zeus, and thunder rumbled. The earth and the firmament were shaken to the core. The earth flared up again with a bright flame, just as during the fight with the titans. The seas were boiling at the mere approach of Typhon. Hundreds of fiery lightning arrows rained down from the thunderer Zeus; it seemed as if their fire was making the very air burn and the dark thunderclouds were burning. Zeus incinerated all of Typhon's hundred heads. Typhon collapsed to the ground; such heat emanated from his body that everything around him melted. Zeus raised Typhon's body and threw it into the gloomy Tartarus, which gave birth to him. But even in Tartarus, Typhon also threatens the gods and all living things. It causes storms and eruptions; he gave birth to Echidna, a half-woman, half-snake, to the terrible two-headed dog Ortho, hellhound Kerbera, Lernaean Hydra and Chimera; Typhon often shakes the earth.

The beautiful and powerful god Zeus grew up and matured. He rebelled against his father and forced him to bring back into the world the children he had absorbed. One after another, Kron spewed out his children-gods, beautiful and bright, from the mouth. They began to fight with Kron and the Titans for power over the world.

This struggle was terrible and stubborn. The children of Kron established themselves on high Olympus. Some of the titans also took their side, and the first were the titan Ocean and his daughter Styx and their children Zeal, Power and Victory. This struggle was dangerous for the Olympian gods. Their opponents, the Titans, were powerful and formidable. But the Cyclopes came to the aid of Zeus. They forged thunder and lightning for him, Zeus threw them at the titans. The struggle had already lasted ten years, but victory did not lean on either side. Finally, Zeus decided to free the hundred-armed giants - the Hecatoncheires - from the bowels of the earth; he called them to help. Terrible, huge as mountains, they emerged from the bowels of the earth and rushed into battle. They tore entire rocks from the mountains and threw them at the titans. Hundreds of rocks flew towards the titans when they approached Olympus. The earth groaned, a roar filled the air, everything around was shaking. Even Tartarus shuddered from this struggle.

Zeus threw fiery lightning and deafeningly roaring thunder one after another. Fire engulfed the entire earth, the seas boiled, smoke and stench covered everything with a thick veil.

Finally, the mighty titans wavered. Their strength was broken, they were defeated. The Olympians chained them and cast them into gloomy Tartarus, into eternal darkness. At the copper indestructible gates of Tartarus, the hundred-armed hecatoncheires stood guard, and they guard so that the mighty titans do not break free from Tartarus again. The power of the titans in the world has passed.

ZEUS. THE CROWN IS OVERTHROWED. THE FIGHT OF THE OLYMPIAN GODS WITH THE TITANS

The beautiful and powerful god Zeus grew up and matured. He rebelled against his father and forced him to bring back into the world the children he had absorbed. One after another, Kron spewed out his children-gods, beautiful and bright, from the mouth. They began to fight with Kron and the Titans for power over the world.

This struggle was terrible and stubborn. The children of Kron established themselves on high Olympus. Some of the titans also took their side, and the first were the titan Ocean and his daughter Styx and their children Zeal, Power and Victory. This struggle was dangerous for the Olympian gods. Their opponents, the Titans, were powerful and formidable. But the Cyclopes came to the aid of Zeus. They forged thunder and lightning for him, Zeus threw them at the titans. The struggle had already lasted ten years, but victory did not lean on either side. Finally, Zeus decided to free the hundred-armed giants Hecatoncheires from the bowels of the earth; he called them to help. Terrible, huge as mountains, they emerged from the bowels of the earth and rushed into battle. They tore entire rocks from the mountains and threw them at the titans. Hundreds of rocks flew towards the titans when they approached Olympus. The earth groaned, a roar filled the air, everything around was shaking. Even Tartarus shuddered from this struggle.

Zeus threw fiery lightning and deafeningly roaring thunder one after another. Fire engulfed the entire earth, the seas boiled, smoke and stench covered everything with a thick veil.

Finally, the mighty titans wavered. Their strength was broken, they were defeated. The Olympians chained them and cast them into gloomy Tartarus, into eternal darkness. At the copper indestructible gates of Tartarus, the hundred-armed hecatoncheires stood guard, and they guard so that the mighty titans do not break free from Tartarus again. The power of the titans in the world has passed.

(Source: Legends and Myths Ancient Greece" N.A. Kun.)

See what "ZEUS. OVERTHROWS THE CROWN. THE STRUGGLE OF THE OLYMPIAN GODS WITH THE TITANS" is in other dictionaries:

- (Ζεύς, Jupiter). Lord of the sky, greatest of the Olympian gods, son of Kronos and Rhea, brother of Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter and Hera and husband of Hera. He cast down Kronos and the Titans from heaven and acquired supreme power over gods and people. He dominates... Encyclopedia of Mythology

Books

• Legends and myths of ancient Greece: gods, Nikolai Kun. The publication contains a story about the gods of Ancient Greece, written on the basis of the great works “Iliad”, “Odyssey”, “Aeneid”. The works of this publication are included in the programs of grades 5-11...