The Greeks have a myth of what existed long before their gods. They thought there was only unbroken darkness and silence. Chaos, which was nothingness and confusion, ruled over Night.
Night covered everything above the ground and also ruled over Erebus, the underworld. There was nothing else in the whole universe. All was black, empty, silent, and endless.
Then, from somewhere unknown, Love flooded the universe. It brought Light and Day with it. The sky turned blue in the Light. It filled with stars in the Night. Love brought wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. Then two strange, gigantic beings formed. They were known as Gaea, Mother Earth, and Ouranos, Father Sky. These two created stranger and even more gigantic monsters.
The first type of monster had no name. Each one had fifty heads and one hundred hands. They had the strength of an earthquake, the temper of a hurricane, and the breath of a volcano. These beasts roamed the world. They lifted mountains and scooped out seas. After a while, Ouranos sent them away to the underworld. He could not stand the sight of them.
The second kind of monsters was the Cyclopes. They each had one enormous eye in the middle of their foreheads. Ouranos did not like the Cyclopes. But he allowed them to roam free as long as they kept out of his way.
Then a third type of monster was created. They were called Titans. These creatures were very strong and smart. A creature named Cronus was the smartest and strongest Titan.
Cronus had many sons and daughters with his wife, Rhea. Cronus was all-powerful, but there was one thing he was very afraid of. It had been said that one day, one of his sons would overpower him. So every time a son was born to him, Cronus put the boy in prison. Rhea begged him not to do this. He didn’t listen to her.
When their sixth son was born, Rhea tricked Cronus. She did not tell her husband that she had given birth. Then she sent her son, named Zeus, to live secretly on a nearby island.
Zeus grew up and became a mighty god himself. One day he visited Gaea, his grandmother. She told him about his five brothers who were imprisoned by his father, Cronus.
Zeus became very angry at his father. Gaea told Zeus where to find Cronus. Zeus went to him at once and demanded that Cronus free his brothers. At first, Cronus refused. But Gaea joined forces with Zeus. Then Cronus had no choice but to free Zeus’s brothers.
Not long after, Zeus gathered together his brothers and sisters.
“We must rise up against Cronus and the other Titans,” Zeus told them. “They are cruel. They don’t understand how the world should be,” he added. “But I do.”
“How do we do it?” asked one of his brothers.
“Cronus is all-powerful,” added one of his sisters.
Zeus needed some advice. So he went to Prometheus and Atlas, two of Cronus’s Titan brothers. They also did not like the way that Cronus ruled.
“How can I defeat Cronus?” Zeus asked the two Titans.
“Release the no-name, hundred-handed, fifty-headed monsters from the underworld,” Prometheus said. “They have the power of thunder, lightning, earthquake, and volcano. Atlas, my brother, am I right?”
But Atlas said, “I want no part of a war against Cronus.” He walked away.
“You will regret your choice one day,” Zeus called after him.
“Do what I say and you will defeat Cronus,” Prometheus told Zeus.
So Zeus did just that. He released the unnamed, hundred-handed, fifty-headed beast from the underworld.
Zeus—along with his brothers, his sisters, and the monsters—fought a long, dreadful war against the Titans.
The sea crashed against the shores. The earth trembled. The mountains shook. Thunder rumbled. Lightning struck fiercely. The air was filled with fire. The world was whipped into a terrible frenzy.
Zeus took the power of thunder and lightning for himself. He used it, without mercy, against Cronus and the Titans. Zeus was victorious.
Cronus and the other Titans were cast into the underworld. There they would live forever in chains. Zeus came up with a special punishment for Atlas. For refusing to help, Atlas was sent by the king of the gods to the place in the world where Night met Day. He was forced to hold up the world on his shoulders forever.
As a reward for Prometheus’s help, Zeus gave him and his brother Epimetheus a special honor. They were to create humans and all the animals on Earth. The brothers also were to decide what each creatures’ special gifts would be.
Zeus, his brothers, and his sisters became the only ruler-gods of the world. They chose the most perfect place on Earth to live—Mount Olympus. It was the highest point on Earth, and the closest to Heaven. It never rained, and no cold winds blew there. The sun always shone down on the gods when they were on Mount Olympus.
Zeus and the gods led delightful lives. Apollo, god of the sun, played beautiful songs on his harp. The Muses sang for them. The Graces danced for them. The gods ate ambrosia and drank nectar, the godliest of food and drink. They never knew pain or grief. The gods were known as the immortal Olympians, and they ruled over the entire world.