Cronos, the former ruler of the world and king of the Titans.
“Our destiny has brought us together, warrior. Before my fall in the Great War with the gods, I hid away the last remnants of my magic. For the good of the Titans, I, Cronos, now bestow what is left upon you.” – Cronos
Greek Mythology
In Greek mythology, Cronos (Κρόνος) was the leader and also the youngest of the first generation of Titans. During the reign of Ouranos, the sky, the hundred-armed Hecatonchires and one-eyed Cyclops were imprisoned within Tartarus, causing Gaia great pain. She created a stone sickle for one of her Titan sons to kill Ouranos and take his place as ruler. Only Cronos was willing to do the deed, and so Gaia gave him the sickle and placed him in ambush. When Ouranos met with Gaia, Cronos attacked his father and cut off his genitals, castrating him and casting the severed member into the sea. From the blood sprouted the Gigantes, Erinyes, and Meliae. From the member that was cast into the sea, Aphrodite emerged.
After defeating Ouranos, Cronos re-imprisoned the Hecatonchires and the Cyclops along with the Gigantes and set the dragon Campe to guard them. He and his sister-wife Rhea took the throne of the world as king and queen. This period of Cronos' rule was called the Golden Age, as the people of the time had no need for laws or rules; everyone did the right thing, and immorality was absent.
Cronos learned from Gaia and Ouranos that he was destined to be overcome by his own son, just as he had overthrown his father. As a result, although he sired the gods Demeter, Hera, Hades, Hestia, and Poseidon by Rhea, he swallowed them all as soon as they were born to preempt the prophecy. The sixth and final child, Zeus, would become the son destined to overthrow Cronos and defeat the Titans.
Cronos was usually depicted with a sickle, which he used to harvest crops and also the weapon used to defeat Ouranos. Other children he is reputed to have fathered is Chiron, by Philyra. he is the grandfather of Kratos
In the God of War Series
Birth and Early Days
In the beginning, the mighty Titans were created by the union of Gaia and Ouranos. They were all born on the Island of Creation, home to the Sisters of Fate. Above any other beings, including the Titans, the Sisters of Fate could see the future and predict what would happen to any living being. The Titans feared the Sisters of Fate for this, and left the Island of Creation to rule the mortal world. This marked the beginning of the Golden Age of Mankind.
Cronos, the mighty ruler of the Titans, was prophesized to be overthrown by his own children in the future. To prevent this from coming true, Cronos tried to bribe the Sisters of Fate into changing his destiny by granting them the Steeds of Time. However, this gift would not prevent the prophecy from coming true. In a second attempt to prevent this from happening, his wife, Rhea, bore his children and one by one he swallowed them whole, imprisoning them within his belly. Rhea could not bear another loss, for she already had five children taken from her. When the sixth child, Zeus, was born, Rhea called upon an eagle to take the baby far away from the watchful eyes of Cronos. In the baby’s place Rhea wrapped a stone in cloth, giving it to Cronos who foolishly swallowed it believing it to be the baby.
Great War
Further beyond the Island of Creation the baby Zeus was raised by Gaia, ever present mother of the earth. She cared for Zeus and nurtured his desire to free his brothers and sisters from Cronos. When he came of age, Zeus freed his siblings and started a war against the Titans. He desired to rule over the mortals more than anything. The continuous battles between the new gods and the Titans forged the landscape of the mortal world. This war would have to be won by the Titans, or peace and prosperity for mankind would be no more.
The mighty Atlas was the leader of the Titans in their epic battle against the gods. Mountains were hurled like pebbles and tremendous earthquakes shook the world. Cronos had almost been defeated at the hands of Hades, but was saved by Atlas. Atlas was defeated by both Hades and Poseidon, having his soul taken in the process. After Zeus created the Blade of Olympus, the Titans were banished to the darkest pits of Tartarus to endure great suffering for all time. Cronos, however, would be granted another great fate in time. Before his rule fell in the Great War, he hid the last remnants of his magic in the Steeds of Time to be discovered someday by a worthy warrior.
God of War
Zeus punished Cronos by forcing him to wander the Desert of Lost Souls with Pandora's Temple chained to his back. The whirling sands may have one day ripped the very flesh from Cronos’ bones, but he was given no sympathy. When the Titan Horn would be blown, Cronos would be called upon to allow countless warriors to endure the many dangers which lurked within the temple. Above all warriors, Kratos, the Ghost of Sparta, was responsible for completing the many feats within the temple and even retrieving Pandora's Box. Cronos’ curse was not lifted, and so he wandered the Desert of Lost Souls for another thousand years until he died.
God of War II
Kratos also discovered the magic Cronos had hidden within the Steeds of Time. This magic, called Cronos' Rage, allowed Kratos to electrify his enemies much like Poseidon's Rage. Nothing else is known about the Titan other than the fact that he was responsible for destroying his own father, starting a vicious cycle. This cycle was between fathers being destroyed by their sons, much like Kratos tried to do when he fought Zeus upon the Summit of Sacrifice.
Trivia
- Cronos' name is spelt Kronos in God of War.
- It is possibale Cronos will appear in God of War III as the Titan leader along side Kratos in the Second Great War.
- In God of War Kratos was surprised that Kronos still existed even though he seen and fought Atlas ten years prior in God of War: Chains of Olympus
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