Early History

• The story of the Olympians begins with the earth and the sky.trees on the bank reflecting in water image by Pavel Zaytsev from Fotolia.com
  
  The history of the Olympians begins with their mother, Earth, and their father, Uranus, the god of the sky. Greek mythology holds that the couple first gave birth to six Titans and six Titanesses, followed by six monster and Cyclopes sons. Mother Earth created mountains for her Titan children to use as thrones, while Uranus banished his youngest six children to Tartarus, a cave in the underworld.
  
  

The Overthrow of Uranus

• Mother Earth created a weapon and presented it to her Titan sons, encouraging them to overthrow their father and free their brothers from Tartarus. The youngest of the Titans, Cronus, accepted the challenge and defeated Uranus. However, he did not follow through on his mother's wishes, failing to save his siblings.
  
  

Zeus

• Cronus, afraid of succumbing to the same fate as his father, attempted to contain his children by swallowing them. His plan worked until his wife managed to hide her sixth child, Zeus, allowing him to grow up far away and in secret. Zeus and his wife rescued his siblings from his father's stomach, and together they defeated Cronus. Zeus, his siblings, and his children were then able to rule from Mount Olympus in peace.