Cronus Father Of Zeus Essay Research

Cronus Father Of Zeus Essay, Research Paper

Cronus became the lord of the universe after overthrowing his father. Seated upon the highest mountain, he ruled over heaven and earth with a firm hand. The other gods obeyed him and he was worshiped by early man. This was the Golden Age of man. At peace with the gods and each other, they did not kill and they had no locks on their doors, for theft had not been invented yet.

But Cronus did not set his brothers free from Tartarus, and Mother Earth was angry with him and plotted his downfall. No god yet born was strong enough to oppose him, but she knew that one of his sons would be stronger than he, just as he had been stronger than his father. Cronus knew this too, so every time his wife, the Titaness Rhea, gave birth, he took the newborn god and swollowed it. This way, he figured he had nothing to fear.

But Rhea mourned: Her five sisters were all surrounded by their Titan children while she was all alone. When Rhea expected her sixth child, she went to Mother Earth and asked her to help save the child from its father. This was exactly what Mother Earth had been waiting for. So, she gave her daughter whispered advice and Rhea went away smiling.

When Rhea had borne her child, the god Zeus, she hid him. Then she wrapped a stone in baby clothes and gave it to her husband to swallow instead of the child. Cronus was fooled and swallowed the stone and the little god Zeus was spirited away to a secret cave on the island of Crete. Old Cronus never heard the cries of his young son, for Mother Earth set noisy sprites outside the cave. They made such a clatter beating their shields with their swords, that all other sounds were drowned out.