In the beginning was Chaos. From Chaos sprung Mother Earth, Gaea. In her sleep she bore her son Uranus. With Gaea he fathered the Titans, the second generation of mighty gods, the youngest of whom was Cronus.

Cronus married his sister Rhea, but it had been prophesised by the dying Uranus that one of Cronus’ sons would dethrone him as King of the Sky. And so Cronus ate his children after they were born, first Hestia, then, Demeter and Hera, then Hades, then Poseidon.

Rhea was so angry that when her final son, Zeus was born she gave Cronus a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes to eat instead. She then hid the real Zeus.

When Zeus was grown he returned to his mother. She helped Zeus prepare a poison which he gave to Cronus. This made him vomit up his elder children, who then waged war against Cronus and the other Titans.

After a ten year war Zeus and his brothers and sisters were victorious, punishing the leader of the Titans, Atlas, by forcing him to carry the sky upon his shoulders. It was Atlas who Perseus was later to turn to stone.

After their victory, the brothers drew lots. Zeus was made King of the Sky, Poseidon King of the Sea, and Hades King of the Underworld, where human souls went after they died. The Earth was watched over by all of the gods from on top of Mount Olympus.

Zeus took his sister Hera as his consort. Their other sisters Demeter and Hestia became goddess’ of the harvest and the hearth respectively.

With Hera, Zeus fathered Ares, the god of war, Hephaestus, the god of fire and metalwork, and Hebe who later became wife of the hero Hercules.