Greek mythology and legends are of great interest to the people all over the world. It is of special interest to a student of literature. The English, among various other sources, have depended heavily on Greek mythology for enriching their literature, culture and art. Words like Prometheus, Minerva, Hercules and Titan have become house-hold word among the educated the world over.

In Indian mythology the beginning of life is associated with the story of Manu and Shraddha. In Christian mythology, we get the story of Adam and Eve. The Greek mythology has a different tale to offer. It goes as follows:

There was complete chaos at the beginning. In this darkness, nothingness and confusion, the seeds of things were mixed. Slowly the chaos parted into day and night. This light and darkness created the vast goddess, Mother earth named Gaia. The heaven over head was called Uranus. Gaia and Uranus produced Titans – six daughters and six sons. The Titans were huge, immortal beings having supernatural power and strength. Similar to Titans were Cyclopes. They were no less powerful than Titans but had a single eye in the middle of their forehead. Uranus, the heaven overhead feared that his mighty children may not overthrow him. Thus he did not allow any of them to see the light of day and kept them hidden in the bowels of earth. Gaia, the mother earth was very angry to see that her children were treated so cruelly by their own father. 
 
To the youngest of her children, Cronus, she gave a sickle and asked children to revolt against their father. Cronus succeeded in overthrowing his father and wounded him with the sickle. But wherever on ground the blood of injured Uranus fell, there sprang giants. This particular story of Uranus is very close to the Indian mythological tale of Raktbeej whose blood also gave birth to other ‘asurs’. To come back to the story, the scaring goddess of revenge Erinyes was born. Erinyes had snakes circled around her hairs. She pursued and punished any one who sinned against a blood relative. She did not spare such a person even after death. The message is clear, ‘blood is thicker than water’. 

But the blood drops of Uranus which fell on sea mysteriously created the most delicate and lovely goddess Aphrodite.

Cronus now ruled but he ruled in great fear. He had sinned against his own father. He knew that one of his children would be mightier than him and would overthrow him. He killed all his children at the hour of their birth without listening to the pleas of his wife Rhea. Here again, an Indian is invariably reminded of Kansa, the maternal uncle of Lord Krishna. Finally Rhea succeeded in hiding Zeus at the time of his birth. She hid Zeus in a cave in an island Mound Ida. She left him with the earth born demons of the place. They circled the child and danced about him so that Cronus might not hear its cries.

As Zeus grew up, he became mightier than his father. He brought his dead brother and sisters to life and waged a war against Cronus and Titans. 

Some of the mightiest Titans came to Zeus’ side as they felt that his rule would be better than that of cruel Cronus. When Zeus won the fierce battle, he rewarded those Titans who had come to his side. The remaining Titans led by Iapetus fought desperately with Zeus and his brethren. Zeus occupied Mount Olympus and his clan was called the Olympians. Zeus consulted Gaia, the mother earth and freed all his kindred whom Cronus had caged under the earth. These were the giants born from the blood of wounded Uranus and the hundred handed relative of Titans called Hecatoncheires. With their help with warring Titans led by rebellious Iapetus were at last defeated. Zeus threw them into Tartarus, a place of torture in the perdition of earth. Atlas, one of the stout sons of rebellious Iapetus was condemned to stand for ever at the western end of earth, near to the border of perpetual darkness and bear upon his shoulders the burden of pillars which held heaven and earth apart. 

Zeus forgave his father Cronous. The gods were now the supreme rulers of the creation with Zeus their leader and lord. 

All mythological tales, Eastern or Western have such endearing simplicity and innocence about them. All impossible things keep happening. Life itself is larger than life. The messages are eternal. The best part is that to every tale, there is a strikingly similar counter tale in some other part of the world.    
 
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