Mnemosyne — Classical Greek Myth Library

When first their father Uranus was vexed in his heart with Obriareus (Briareos), Cottus, and Gyes, he bound them in cruel bonds out of jealousy of their manhood, comeliness, and great size, and made them live beneath the wide-pathed earth at the ends of the earth, in bitter anguish. The son of Cronos and the other deathless gods whom rich-haired Rhea bore brought them up again to the light at Earth’s advising. She recounted fully how with these they would gain victory and a glorious cause to vaunt themselves. For the Titan gods and as many as sprang from Cronus had long been fighting together in stubborn war with heart-grieving toil: the lordly Titans from high Othrys, but the gods, givers of good, whom Rhea bore, from Olympus. So they fought continually with one another for ten full years, and the hard strife had no close or end for either side; the issue hung evenly balanced. When Zeus had provided those three with all things fitting—nectar and ambrosia which the gods themselves eat—and their proud spirit revived after that food, the father of men and gods spoke among them. He recalled the long daily fight for victory between those sprung from Cronus and the Titan gods, and called on the Hundred-Handers to show their great might and unconquerable strength, to face the Titans in bitter strife, remembering the kindness by which they had come back to the light from cruel bondage under misty gloom. Blameless Cottus answered that they knew Zeus’s wisdom well, that through his devising they had returned from murky gloom and merciless bonds, and that now with fixed purpose they would aid his power in dreadful strife and fight the Titans in hard battle. The gods applauded, and their spirit longed for war even more than before. That day male and female alike stirred up hated battle—the Titan gods, and all born of Cronus, together with those dread mighty ones whom Zeus brought up from Erebus beneath the earth. The Hundred-Handers stood against the Titans holding huge rocks in their strong hands. On the other part the Titans eagerly strengthened their ranks. Both sides showed the work of their hands and their might. The boundless sea rang terribly; the earth crashed loudly; wide Heaven was shaken and groaned; high Olympus reeled from its foundation under the charge of the undying gods; a heavy quaking reached dim Tartarus. They launched grievous shafts upon one another, and the cry of both armies reached starry heaven. Then Zeus no longer held back his might. His heart filled with fury; he showed forth all his strength. From Heaven and from Olympus he came forthwith, hurling his lightning: bolts flew thick and fast from his strong hand together with thunder and lightning, whirling an awesome flame. The life-giving earth crashed around in burning; the vast wood crackled loud with fire. All the land seethed, and Ocean’s streams and the unfruitful sea. Hot vapour lapped round the earthborn Titans; flame unspeakable rose to the bright upper air; the flashing glare of the thunderstone and lightning blinded their eyes for all that they were strong. Astounding heat seized Chaos. To see and hear it seemed as if Earth and wide Heaven above came together—so great a crash while the gods met in strife. The winds brought rumbling earthquake and duststorm, thunder and lightning and the lurid thunderbolt, shafts of great Zeus, carrying clangour and war-cry into the midst of the two hosts. Horrible uproar of terrible strife arose; mighty deeds were shown and the battle inclined. Amongst the foremost Cottus and Briareos and Gyes, insatiate for war, raised fierce fighting: three hundred rocks, one upon another, they launched from their strong hands and overshadowed the Titans with their missiles, and buried them beneath the wide-pathed earth, and bound them in bitter chains when they had conquered them by their strength for all their great spirit, as far beneath the earth as Tartarus. So the ten years’ deadlock breaks: Zeus’s full thunder and the Hundred-Handers’ barrage decide the war. The imprisonment and cosmography of Tartarus follow in the next entry.