Myths of the Planets Page 4

Jupiter

Jupiter (Zeus to the Greeks) was the sixth child of the Titans, Kronos and Rheia. Kronos was as worried as had been his father before him that one of his children would usurp his position of King of the Gods (see Venus). He could not kill them as they are immortal, so, as each was born, he swallowed it. Rheia became most upset by the loss of her children so, when the sixth was born, she hid him and handed Kronos a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes, which Kronos promptly swallowed. Zeus was reared in secret by the local nymphs including Amaltheia who fed him with milk from her she-goat. Meanwhile the Kouretes danced at the mouth of the cave banging their spears and shields to drown the sound of his cries. Zeus rapidly reached maturity and confronted his father, forcing him to disgorge his brothers and sisters. Under his leadership they began to seize power for themselves and started the great war with Kronos and those Titans who sided with him (by no means all). The outcome was indecisive for many years as the immortals threw weapons at each other until, at Ghia’s suggestion, Zeus released the Hundred-handers and the Cyclops from the depths of the Earth where Ouranos had imprisoned them. The Hundred-handers threw great rocks, three hundred at a time, and Cyclopes fashioned great thunderbolts. Eventually Zeus’s patience was exhausted and in rage he threw down thunderbolts from his headquarters on Mount Olympus setting the whole world ablaze. Having nowhere else to go, Kronos and his allies were forced to descend to the underworld where Zeus confined them for all time. Zeus’s sovereignty was soon challenged by Typhon, the huge and hideous offspring of Gaia and Tartaros. He threw huge bolders and trees at heaven and he might have succeeded in overthrowing Zeus had not Zeus sprung into action throwing thunderbolts. The whole Earth and its waters seethed in the onslaught. Zeus left Olympos and struck Typhon on all sides. Typhon was crippled and Zeus confined him to Tartaros where he begot all the great storms that endanger men and cause shipwrecks. Hence he gives his name to the Typhoon. Gaia was so upset by Zeus confining her children, the Titans, to Tartaros that she encouraged their brothers, the giants, to rise up against the gods. The gods responded mightily but learned from an oracle that they could only kill the giants with the help of a mortal. So they recruited the greatest mortal hunter, Heracles (Hercules to the Romans). As the gods subdued each giant, Heracles finished them off with an arrow. Thus did Zeus establish his dominance for all of time. Zeus was extremely promiscuous mating with almost any female, mortal or immortal that he could lay his hands on. He had six wives, the last of which, Hera (Juno to the Romans), became his permanent consort and she became extremely jealous of his liaison with other women. But to no avail. Thus Zeus became the father of numerous children many of his sons becoming kings of regions on Earth.

Saturn

Saturn (Kronos to the Greeks) was the youngest of the Titans, children of Gaia (Earth) and Ouranos (Uranus). His father had forced all his children back into their mother’s womb and eventually the pain was overwhelming. Gaia pleaded with her children to help but only Kronos was brave enough to do so. He waited until the night when Ouranos spread himself over Gaia and sheared off his genitals with a sword of adamant (a stone of impenetrable hardness) and threw them over the Earth (see Venus).

Ouranos was defeated and Kronos took over has Chief of the Gods. He was a monster and as paranoid as his father in fearing that one of his children (by his sister Rheia) would overthrow him. A huge monster, he swallowed each of his children as soon as they were born. Rheia was bereft by the loss of her children so she hid the sixth, Zeus, who grew up to hate his father, defeat him in battle and take his place (see Jupiter).

Greek and Roman traditions differ on the fate of Kronos. Kronos along with his brother, Iapetos, were condemned to live for ever in the gloom of Tartaros. His Roman equivalent, Saturn, had a happier fate. He became King of Latinum where he taught his people the art of agriculture and the blessing of civilization. His reign was an age of prosperity and peace. His annual festival, the Saturnalia, was celebrated at the winter solstice and was eventually taken over by the Christians as Christmas. His wife, Ops (identified with Rheia), was Goddess of Plenty.

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