TITANS (Tailver, fern. TraviSer) is the llama by which, in the mythology of ancient Greece, a certain class of sons and daughters of Uranus and Gaea are designated. The original name of Gaea was said to have been Titala, from which Titans was derived. (Diodorus Sic., iii. 56.) The beings generally comprised under the name of Titans were Oceanus, Carus, Cries, Ilyperion, Iapetus, Kronos, Thetys, Rhea, Them's, Mnemosyne, Phcebe, Dione, and Thole (Apollodor., Biblioth.; 1.1, 3 ; Diodorus Sic., v. 66); but writers, as Stephanus of Byzantium (s. v. 'ASava),Patuianias (viii. 37, 3), and others, differ both in the names and numbers of the Titans. Uranus had by Gaea two other sets of children, namely, the Ifecatoncheires (ccntimani, or being. with a hun dred arms), and the Cyclops ; and these two he cast into Tartarus, at which Gaea, their mother, was so Indignant that she induced Kronos and the Titans to revolt against their father, Uranus, with the result already told under KnoNos. When Zeus, in his turn, made war
against his father, Kronor, the Litter again called the Titans to his aid. A struggle ensued, which lasted for ten years, and is celebrated in mythology as the Titanomachia, or war of the Titans. It was termi nated by Zeus relieving the Cyclops from Tartarus, and by his gaining with their weapons the victory over the Titans, who were now cast into Tartarus, and were guarded there by the lIecatoneheires, while Zeua and his brothers divided the sovereignty of the world among themselves. (Apollodor., Biblioth.; i. 1 and 2.) The name Titan has also been given to those superhuman beings who were descended from the Titans, such as Prometheus, Hecate, Latona, Pyrrha, Helios, &o. It moreover occurs as a designation of a very early race of men in Crete and Egypt.
(Lubeck, Aglaophamu ; Bottiger, !deep cur Kunstmythologie ; Mythologic des Jopetischen licschlechtes.)