| TITANS OF MYTH | BIOGRAPHY |
| Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez |
Titans of Myth; Art by Matthew Clark and Tom Simmons
 |
TEAM DATA
Status: Active
Current Members: Cronus, Oceanus, Tethys, Iapetus, Themis, Crius, Mnemosyne, Hyperion, Thia, Coeus,
Base of Operation: Formerly Olympus; formerly Tartarus; now New Cronus
First Appearance: (historical version): New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #11 (September 1981); (canonical version): New Titans #50 (December 1988) [Phoebe only]; New Titans #51 (Winter 1988) [all Titans]
Creators: Marv Wolfman and George Pérez
| "From Chaos came the first born – Gaea, mother of all life. From Gaea was born Uranus who would be her mate. And from them came twelve behemoths who could stride worlds. Twelve gods – the first gods – the Titans." |
OVERVIEW
The Titans were the elder gods of Greek myths and the parents of the Olympian Gods. The most well-known of these are the 12 humanoid children of Gaea and Uranus, but among the Titans are also found numerous monsters and their offspring.
MEMBERSHIP
| Member | First Appearance | Joined | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cronus | (canonical:) New Titans #51 (winter 1988); (revamp:) Wonder Woman Vol. 2 #145 (June 1999) | Active | God of the earth; king of the gods | |
| Rhea | Deceased | Goddess of the earth; queen of the gods | ||
| Oceanus | Active | God of the sea | ||
| Tethys | Active | Goddess of the sea | ||
| Iapetus | Active | God of justice | ||
| Themis | Active | Goddess of justice | ||
| Crius | New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #11 | Active | God of memory | |
| Mnemosyne | Active | Goddess of memory | ||
| Hyperion | Active | God of the sun | ||
| Thia | Active | Goddess of the sun | ||
| Coeus | Active | God of the moon | ||
| Phoebe | Deceased | Goddess of the moon |
HISTORY
The Titans were the first generation of Greek gods. Although the Titans themselves would prefer a more dignified and mystical past, their origins can be traced back 40,00 years in time, when the power of the Godwave hit Earth. 5,000 years later, the first terrestrial gods started to appear, and among them the gods of ancient Greece. The Titans are probably mutated humans, or energy adopting the characteristics of humans.
The Greek myth of creation tells a different story. Out of Chaos was born Gaea (the Earth), and from her Uranus (the Sky). Their mating spawned terrible monsters such as the Cyclopes and the Hecatonchires. Appalled, Uranus killed or banished these monsters to the deepest pits of the underworld Tartarus. When Gaea gave birth to the humanoid Titans, Uranus banished them as well. Embittered, Gaea gave her son Cronus a sickle and persuaded him to kill and succeed his father. So it came to be, that Chronus slew his father and freed his siblings. The twelve siblings – six brothers and six sisters – married each other and ruled men in what became known as the Golden Age. Well, at least it was a Golden Age for the Titans...
Dreading the fate that had befallen his own father, Cronus swallowed his own children as soon as his wife Rhea gave birth to them. However, Rhea managed to save her youngest son Zeus, who would later return as an avenger to free his siblings and kill his father. The Olympians, as the new generation of gods were called, made war on all the Titans – not only the twelve Titans of Myth, but also on their older siblings, the monster offspring of Gaea and Uranus, and banished most of them from the Earthly realm.
The remaining 11 Titans of Myth were banished into space and finally settled on a dead moon which they later named New Cronus, in memory of their fallen leader and brother. New Cronus orbited the planet Synriannaq, and the Titans now sought to restore their former glory and power through worship. But by revealing themselves and meddling in the affairs of mortals, the Titans planted the seed of destruction for the civilization of Synriannaq. Wars nearly destroyed the planet, and there was not enough worshipers to sustain the gods, as their powers waned over the next 3,000 years.
No longer able to bear children, the gods sought to preserve their legacy by adopting a new generation of Titans from other worlds. Rhea, the wife of dead Cronus, expended her last energies in order to find twelve children who were either unwanted, alone or about to die, and bring them to New Cronus, where they were raised as gods and named after the great cities of Antiquity. Their training complete, the "Titan Seeds" were returned to their homeworlds and their memories were erased in order for the seeds to learn the ways of their respective cultures. Upon reaching adulthood, the memories of New Cronus would return and the seeds would take their places among the Titans (and somehow reenergize the pantheon by forming "trinities").
Unfortunately, this plan failed miserably as Sparta of Synriannaq regained her memories and killed off most of her fellow Titan Seeds. Had it not been for the seed known as Troy, now a superheroine on Earth under the name Wonder Girl, and her team mates in the New Titans, Sparta would have destroyed the gods as well. The Titans of Myth were restored to their former glory and endowed Wonder Girl with new powers, which later prompted her to change her superhero alias to Troia. Later on, the Titans of Myth would take in Lord Chaos, Troia’s evil son from an alternate timeline.
Quite recently, Cronus was resurrected and tried to usurp the powers of all the earthly pantheons along with his forgotten children and siblings. He failed.
CHRONOLOGY
For a definitive list of appearances of Titans of Myth in chronological order click here
PROFILE REFERENCES
Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #24 (February 1987)
New Titans Annual #5 ([August] 1989)