Titan

The Titans, are a primordial race of divine beings that preceded the gods. They were the children of Gaea, and Ouranus, and ruled over the universe after Kronos overthrew their father, Ouranus. Though the story of their rise to power is similar to that of the Olympians, the Titans were for the most part chaotic and corrupt, a fact most evident in their leader, Kronos. Humanity was created during their reign, but though it was called mankind's "Golden Age" it was not a time of peace for them. The Fates thus gave a prophecy that Kronos' tyrannical rule would be overthrown in the same way that he took power, with his children rising against him.

Yet in another version of the myth, people lived in peace in the golden age. They had no locks on their doors, as thievery had not been invented. No one worked; every thing they needed was already there. In this version, Zeus overthrew his father to have power. It was a time of peace in this version (most likely made up by Kronos himself).

Trying to evade the prophecy of his downfall, Kronos devoured each of his sons and daughters as they were born, but his wife Rhea saved their final child, Zeus, by presenting Kronos with a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes instead. Hiding him away from the other Titans, Rhea ensured that Zeus would be raised in secret, and when he was grown he freed his brothers and sisters from their father's belly and stirred up a rebellion against the Titans

The war between the Titans and the gods was called the Titanomachy. The Gods were victorious and threw Kronos and the other evil Titans into the depths of Tartarus, but spared those that took their side in the war, such as Helios and Prometheus, and gave them places in the new order. Those Titans that took a neutral stance in the conflict, like Oceanus and several of the Titanesses, were left alone, though many of their roles were taken over by Olympian gods.

The Twelve Original Titans
The first twelve titans were the children of Gaea and Uranus.
 * Hyperion: Titan of Light and Lord of the East.
 * Theia: Titaness of Enlightenment and Consort of Hyperion.
 * Koios: Titan of Knowledge and Lord of the North.
 * Phoebe: Titaness of Mysteries and Consort of Koios.
 * Kronos: Titan of Time and Father of the Gods.
 * Rhea: Titaness of the Earthly Elements and Consort of Kronos.
 * Oceanus: Titan of the Oceans and Father of the Rivers.
 * Tethys: Titaness of the Seas and Consort of Oceanus.
 * Iapetus: Titan of Mortality and Lord of the West.
 * Krios: Titan of the Stars and Lord of the South.
 * Mnemosyne: Titaness of Memory and Mother of the Muses.
 * Themis: Titaness of Law and First Consort of Zeus.

Minor Titans
The Titans, like the Gods, had many children. Though not among the original twelve, most of these children were counted among their number and were also given the title of Titan.

Children of Hyperion and Theia

 * Eos: Titaness of the Dawn and Consort of Astraeus.
 * Helios: Titan of the Sun and Predecessor of Apollo.
 * Selene: Titaness of the Moon and Predecessor of Artemis.

Children of Koios and Phoebe

 * Asteria: Titaness of the Stars, Constellations and Prohetic Dreams, she was the Consort of Perses and by him the mother of Hecate.
 * Leto: Titaness of Demurity and Protector of the Young.

Children of Iapetus and Clymene

 * Atlas: Titan of Endurance and Bearer of Heaven.
 * Epimetheus: Titan of Afterthought and Consort of Pandora.
 * Prometheus: Titan of Forethought and Benefactor of Mankind.

Children of Krios and Eurybia

 * Astraeus: Titan of the Stars, Planets and Astrology. By Eos he became the father of the seasonal winds and the stars.
 * Pallas: Titan of Warfare and Father of Nike.
 * Perses: Titan of Destruction and Consort of Asteria.

Children of Oceanus and Tethys

 * Oceanides: Nymphs of the Ocean.
 * Potamoi: Gods of the Rivers.

Powers and Abilities

 * The power of the Titans is arguably far superior to that of the gods as Kronos stated that the Olympians would fade soon after the destruction of their thrones. The Titans however had their entire mountain fortress on Mount Othrys destroyed millenia ago, yet they have retained enough power to lead a war against the Olympian gods (which they almost won), showing that the gods are weaker then their predecessors. However, this is disputable as the Titans lost their first war to the gods (which was fought on even terms). Also, the defeat of Kronos and destruction of Mount Othrys left them extremely weak for thousands of years and only with the pledging of loyalty by dozens of demigods were the Titans able to rise again. It is also worth noting that by the onset of the Second Olympian War, Mount Othrys was fully restored and it was a major target by the Olympians during the war.
 * According to Dionysus, a Titan's true divine form is so powerful that mortals are incinerated by being in their very presence (or that may have been Kronos' alone).
 * The Titans had complete dominion over the very elements light, time, space, earth, air, water and fire and most likely 'gave birth' to the things they preside over (e.g. Selene & Helios being the Moon & Sun instead of a deity of the moon and sun like Artemis and Apollo).
 * Some Titans possessed the ability to release an incredible wave of force (or energy), usually accompanied by a yell or flick of the hand.

Trivia

 * Titan is a moon of Saturn, named after this species. It is the second-largest moon in the Solar System.
 * The element Titanium is named after the Titans.