Clash Of The Titanides

I believe that everyone with the slightest knowledge on Greek mythology will at least have an idea or two about the race of beings called TITANS.

Yes. Of course. The Titans. They are ugly giants who fought with Kratos against the Olympians in God of War. In Percy Jackson and the Olympians, they are the meanies who took camp on Mount Tam and attempted to storm Olympus which was located on top of the Empire State Building. And lastly, they are the villains released by Hyperion on the Immortals.

In all of those stories (and more), the Titans were generally represented as the eternal enemies of the gods. (I've omitted some parts here as this incites some 'unfavorable' reaction from readers^^). But this notion is not entirely true. The Titans are actually just another race of gods. Some of them were allies of the Olympians; others were even benefactors of mankind. And so to the remaining Titan population, this treatment seems rather unfair and utterly racist (I repeat. They're just another race of gods. No modern implications. Promise.).

And so as the self-proclaimed divine archivist myself, I let them use this blog as a means to clear up their names, particularly the female Titans, upon the request of a concerned Titaness (whose profile is confidential, sorry).

Femme Fatales, the Titanides

The Six Principal Titanides made by me. Yes. Me.

As what I've said, not all the Titans are hideous gigantic monsters (let's admit that some of them actually are) led by their paranoid and cannibalistic king, Cronus (or Kronos, whatever). Also belonging to this race are the Titanides, or the female Titanesses (OMG. This is an extreme case of redundancy).

According to Theoi.com:

The TITANIDES were the six earth-goddess daughters of Heaven (Ouranos) and Earth (Gaia). They were the female counterparts of the Titanes, the primal gods of time, divinities of both Heaven and the Tartarean pit, the cosmic inverse of heaven.

The Titanides represented different aspects of their mother Gaia the Earth: Tethys was the nourishing waters of subterranean springs, nurse of all life; Rheia was nature's fertile mother, and lady of the wilds; Themis was earth's natural order, and prophetic voice; Phoibe was earth's oracular midpoint (Delphoi); Theia was sight, the all-seeing all-knowing earth; Mnemosyne was memory, the preservation of earthly history.

The six original Titanesses were:

1. Tethys, Queen of Ocean;
2. Theia, goddess of light;
3. Phoebe, moon goddess;
4. Themis, goddess of justice;
5. Mnemosyne, goddess of memory; and
6. Rhea, Queen of Heaven

As emanations of their mother, the Great Goddess Gaea, we can just assume that these divinities were no small deal. Before the Olympians took over, the Titanides were the A-list goddesses of the known world. These... ehem... ladies, might also have once had superhuman capabilities (discussed here). On the other hand, they served as the gentler, if not better, counterparts of their Titan husbands/brothers. To keep the scales balanced, so to say.

Titans' Next Top Model. I got the base here. Thankies!

However, Mother Earth's daughters are not the only ones who were given the title. Different sources speak of different goddesses who were also honored as Titanides. Even the names of the principal six differ from author to author. From this point of view, it seems to me that what happened was just a really ancient cycle of America's Next Top Model where everyone has his top picks.

Among the more famous contenders are:

1. Dione, oak goddess (an Oceanid, daughter of Oceanus);
2. Metis, a goddess of wisdom (another Oceanid);
3. Clymene, goddess of fame (Oceanid. Affirmative);
4. Eurynome, meadow goddess (Oceanid, and a mermaid on that note);
5. Styx, goddess of oaths (Oc-... oh no! Not an Oceanid; but she was their sister though);
6. Leto, goddess of daylight;
7. Asteria, goddess of stars (Leto's sister);
8. Selene, moon goddess;
9. Eos, dawn goddess (Selene's sister);
10. Aura, goddess of breezes; and
11. Anchiale, little known goddess of the warmth of fire.

Alas for them, the Uranid (daughters of Uranus, that is) sisters still got the top spots.

The Seven Planetary Powers

I read this random tidbit from a site I accidentally found. It's called Paleothea. If you think of yourself as a feminist and a myth geek at the same time, then this site is perfect for you. Just sayin'.

Okay, the story goes like this:

In the Pelasgian myth, there was this Creatrix goddess known as Eurynome (not to be confused with the Oceanid of the same name). She created the Seven Planetary Powers, putting a Titaness and a Titan over each. Theia and Hyperion were given the Sun and the power of illumination; Phoebe and Atlas were given the Moon and the power of enchantment; Dione and Crius were given the planet Mars and the power of growth; Metis and Coeus were given the planet Mercury and the power of wisdom; Themis and Eurymedon were given the planet Jupiter and the power of law; Tethys and Oceanus were given the planet Venus and the power of love; and Rhea and Cronus took the planet Saturn with the power of peace. (Source)

Source: click here

(Seriously. This myth makes me think of Sailor Moon and other magical girl group types of anime. Yay! Otaku Represent! XD)

From reading and rereading this myth, I've noticed TWO things: 

• It should be noted that seven, instead of six Titanesses were mentioned in this particular story; and
• Mnemosyne was replaced by either Dione or Metis in the lineup. I bet she did not let this issue just pass.

The Essence of Being Women: The Titanides' Case

Sushmita Sen once said, "Just being a woman is God's gift. The origin of a child is a mother, a woman. She shows a man what sharing, caring, and loving is all about. That is the essence of a woman."

And that answer won her the crown for a certain beauty pageant years ago. Well, it's just because it's true... as in the case of the Titan goddesses of Greek mythology.

One main reason why the Titanides became really important in myths is because of their children:

• Tethys was the mother of 3000 Oceanides and All the river gods (she's one busy wife!);
• Theia was the mother of Helios, Selene and Eos (mother of the Winds);
• Phoebe was the mother of Leto and Asteria, who were the mothers of the twins Apollo and Artemis and Hecate respectively;
• Themis was the mother of the Seasons and the Fates;
• Mnemosyne was the mother of the Muses;
• Rhea was the mother of the original Olympians Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter and Hera;
• Dione was the rumored mother of Aphrodite (no one has confirmed this yet, although we're open to hear Dione's side);
• Metis was the supposed 'mother' of Athena (I'll have to explain this in the future);
• Clymene was the mother of Atlas and Prometheus and the ancestress of mankind;
• Eurynome (the Oceanid, not the Creatrix) was the mother of the Graces;
• Styx was the mother of Victory, Force, Violence and Zeal;
• Anchiale was the mother of the Dactyls.

Their children became the main characters of most of the mythical stories that we know today, and were figures of mass interest. And so, the Titanides were ever renowned in myths as the Mothers of the Gods. You may want to visit a rather persuasive discussion about these 'Mothers' here.

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For the next few days, I will be putting individual entries of the abovementioned Titanides. I just thought that you might be interested in each of these goddesses' personal issues. Stay tuned.