Enceladus was one of the Gigantes, the Giants, in Greek mythology, son of Gaea and Uranus. All the Giants were born when Cronus, son of Uranus, castrated his father and the blood fell onto the earth (Gaea).
During the Gigantomachy, the great battle between the Giants and the Olympian gods, Enceladus was the primary adversary of goddess Athena, who threw the island of Sicily against the fleeing Giant and buried him under it. Another source, however, mentions that it was Zeus that hurled a thunderbolt against Enceladus and killed him. Many sources claim that Enceladus was buried under Mount Etna, although others thought it was the monster Typhon or Briareus, one of the Hekatonheires, that was buried there. In any case, Enceladus was considered to be the main cause of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and when Mount Etna erupted, it was considered to be Enceladus' breath.