Basic Information
A titan from Greek Mythology, Cronus was the father of Demeter, Hera, Hades, Hestia, Poseidon, and Zeus (all by his sister Rhea). At the bidding of Gaia, he castrated his father Uranus with a sickle and took the throne of the world with his sister, but when he learned that he was destined to be overthrown by his son just as he had overthrown his father, he devoured his children as soon as they were born. However, the birth of Zeus was hidden from him, and he was eventually overcome by his sixth son who also fed him poison to disgorge his devoured children.
Cronus is also responsible for the creation of The Furies, who arose from his father's blood spilt during the castration.
Sources
Game and Story Use
- A spell that strives to delay the inevitable, such as old age, might call upon Chronus.
- And a component for such a spell might actually involve eating one's own children…
- Literally, or metaphorically, that shouldn't surprise anyone.
- Technically, Chronos and Cronus are different characters, but a GM could have a lot of fun conflating them for the sake of the plot (or metaphor). Chronos is the personification of Time, and so there's lots of allegorical potential in having the Gods battle against Time.
- A magical tradition, or mystery cult may consider them to be one and the same, regardless of what the historians and mythologists think.
- Someone attempts to summon or channel one of these entities, and gets the other. You were trying to unlock mystical secrets of time-travel, and instead become possessed by a baby-eating, father-castrating monster. Oops!
- Freud must have loved this one…