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In popular Greek mythology the Titans are relegated to the roles of villains, yet even so they still play an important role in many of the traditional tales. They were in fact the rulers of the earth and heavens before the time of the Olympian gods, yet most of them ended up incarcerated in Tarterus.

The story begins with the Earth goddess, Gaea. Without a mate Gaea had a son, Uranus. Uranus took dominion over the sky and made himself the first ruler of the universe. Uranus and Gaea then became lovers, producing a series of children. The first offspring were the Hecatonchires, the hundred-handed ones', a trio of massive giants. The second set was the Cyclopes, another trio of giants, though not as large as the Hecatonchires, they were easily distinguishable by their single eye.

Uranus claimed to be aghast at the ugliness of the Hecatonchires and Cyclopes, and hid them away in the deepest reaches of the Underworld, imprisoning them in Tarterus. In reality though he was scared of their great strength and feared for his own position of supreme ruler. That though did not stop him having further children. The third set of children were the Titans.

Gaea bore Uranus six males Titanes and six female Titanides. Uranus, still fearful of his position, kept all of the Titans trapped inside Gaea's womb. Gaea found it too painful, and so hatched a plan to release the Titans, and also stop Uranus producing any more children. Only Cronus, her youngest son, was willing to attempt Gaea's plan.

Cronus waited with a flint sickle in hand until Uranus next tried to mate with Gaea, at which point Cronus castrated Uranus. There are variations as to whether Uranus died at this point or just withdrew from earth. From the blood spilt though were born the Furies, the Gigantes and the Meliae. The goddess Aphrodite was also born from the sea, as Uranus' genitals were disposed of.

Each Titanes then married one of his sisters. The pairings were Cronus and Rhea, Iapetus and Themis, Oceanus and Tethys, Hyperion and Theia, Crius and Mnemosyne, and Coeus and Phoebe. Though the youngest, but because of his patricide, Cronus and Rhea became the supreme rulers of the other Elder Gods'.

Each of the Elder Gods' had their own area of rule; Oceanus and Tethys produced the rivers and oceans, and also all of the ocean nymphs. Hyperion was in charge of light, with Theia, their offspring were Helios, the sun, Selene, the moon, and Eos, the dawn. Coeus was the Titan of Intelligence; Mnemosyne was memory

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