Cronus in the ancient sources

Ancient Sources / Figures / Cronus

98 passages from 14 ancient authors that tell of Cronus, in the original with English translation, author by author in the order the Greeks read them. Cronus castrated his father Uranus to seize power, then was overthrown by his son Zeus in the Titanomachy. Read his full story, family tree, and fate. For the story in one place, read our article on Cronus.

Hesiod (12)

Hesiod, Theogony 450–479Rhea and Cronus; the birth of Zeus (450-479)Hecate is made a nurse of the young. Rhea bears Cronus Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus, and Cronus swallows each child as it is born, because Gaia and Uranus have told him his own son will overcome him. When she is about to bear Zeus, Rhea asks her parents for a plan, and they send her to Lyctus in Crete, where Gaia receives the child.
Hesiod, Works and Days 105–199The five ages of men (105-199)Hesiod tells how gods and mortals came from one source and describes the races of men: a golden race that lived at ease in the time of Cronos, a foolish silver race that would not honour the gods, a violent bronze race that destroyed itself, and the god-like race of heroes, some of whom died at Thebes and Troy while others live on the islands of the blessed. He laments that he lives in the fifth, iron race, and foretells that it will be destroyed when children are born grey-haired, kin are at odds and might is right.
Hesiod, Theogony 615–649Zeus releases the Hundred-Handers (615-649)Zeus and the gods, at Gaia's advice, bring the Hundred-Handers, Obriareus, Cottus and Gyes, up from the gloom beneath the earth where their father Uranus had bound them. The ten-year war between the Titans on Othrys and the gods on Olympus is evenly balanced, and Zeus feeds the three nectar and ambrosia and asks them to stand with the younger gods against the Titans.
Hesiod, Theogony 130–174Gaia and Uranus: the Titans, Cyclopes and Hundred-Handers (130-174)Gaia bears Pontus, the sea, and then lies with Uranus and bears the twelve Titans, among them Oceanus and Cronus, followed by the three Cyclopes and the three Hundred-Handers. Uranus hates his children and hides them in Gaia's depths, so she groans, plots against him and makes a sickle of grey flint. Only Cronus has the courage to answer her, and she sets him in ambush with the sickle.
Hesiod, Works and Days 200–269The hawk and the nightingale; justice in the city (200-269)Aidos and Nemesis will leave mankind, and Hesiod tells the fable of the hawk and the nightingale as a warning to princes. He urges Perses to follow Justice and avoid violence, since a city of just men prospers in peace, while for one bad man Zeus may send famine, plague or ruin on a whole city. Zeus has thrice ten thousand spirits watching over judgements, and virgin Justice reports crooked rulers to her father.
Hesiod, Theogony 480–504Zeus hidden in Crete; Cronus vomits up his children (480-504)Gaia takes the infant Zeus to a hidden cave on Mount Aegeum and gives Cronus a great stone wrapped in swaddling clothes, which he swallows. When Zeus is grown, Gaia's counsel tricks Cronus into vomiting up his children, the stone first, which Zeus sets up at Pytho. Zeus also frees his father's brothers, the Cyclopes, who give him thunder and the lightning bolt.
Hesiod, Theogony 1–34The Muses of Helicon and Hesiod's calling (1-34)Hesiod opens by hailing the Muses who dance on Mount Helicon and bathe in its springs, and lists the gods they praise as they go abroad by night. While he is shepherding his lambs beneath Helicon, they address him harshly, saying they know how to speak many falsehoods as well as truths. They give him a laurel staff and a divine voice so that he can sing of things to come and things past, and the race of the blessed gods.
Hesiod, Theogony 60–99The Muses on Olympus and their gifts to kings and singers (60-99)The Muses have their dancing places and fair homes on Olympus beside the Graces and Himerus, and they sing the laws of the gods and Zeus's overthrow of Cronus. The nine are named, with Calliope the chief because she attends on princes. Kings favoured by the Muses speak with persuasive words and settle quarrels fairly, and singers who serve the Muses make a sorrowing man forget his troubles.
Hesiod, Theogony 405–449Leto, Asteria and Hecate (405-449)Phoebe and Coeus have Leto and Asteria, and Asteria's daughter is Hecate. The long praise of Hecate describes how Zeus honoured her beyond all other gods, leaving her a share of earth, sea and starry heaven, and how she helps those she favours in the assembly, in war, in the games, at sea and in the herds.
Hesiod, Theogony 650–699The Titanomachy: Zeus's thunderbolts (650-699)Cottus answers for the Hundred-Handers and the war begins, the sea, earth and heaven shaking at the clash. Then Zeus holds back his might no longer and comes from Olympus hurling lightning and thunderbolts, so that the earth burns, the sea and Ocean seethe, and the Titans are blinded by the glare.
Hesiod, Works and Days 40–104Prometheus, fire and Pandora (40-104)The gods keep the means of life hidden from men, and Zeus hides fire because Prometheus deceived him; Prometheus steals it back in a fennel-stalk. As the price for fire Zeus has Hephaestus mould a maiden, whom Athena, Aphrodite, Hermes and the Graces equip with skills, charm and a deceitful nature. She is named Pandora and sent to Epimetheus, who accepts her despite Prometheus's warning, and she lifts the lid of the jar and scatters evils among men, while Hope alone stays inside.
Hesiod, Theogony 175–209Cronus castrates Uranus; the birth of Aphrodite (175-209)Uranus comes to lie with Gaia, and Cronus, waiting in ambush, cuts off his father's genitals with the sickle. From the drops of blood come the Erinyes, the Giants and the ash-tree nymphs, and from the foam round the severed flesh Aphrodite rises and is carried to Cythera and Cyprus, with Eros and Desire as her companions. Uranus calls his sons Titans, because they strained and acted presumptuously.

Homer (38)

Homer, Iliad 1.493–611Thetis begs Zeus; the quarrel of Zeus and HeraAfter twelve days the gods return to Olympus, and Thetis goes up to clasp the knees of Zeus and ask him to honour her son by giving the Trojans the upper hand. Zeus is troubled because it will anger Hera, but he bows his head in assent. Hera upbraids him for plotting in secret and he threatens her, until Hephaestus calms the gods by pouring wine, and they feast and sleep.
Homer, Iliad 8.350–484Zeus turns back Hera and AthenaHera and Athena set out to help the Achaeans, but Zeus sends Iris to turn them back with the threat of lamed horses and a shattered car. Zeus returns to Olympus and tells the two goddesses that at dawn he will destroy more of the Argives and that Hector will not stop fighting until Achilles rises at the ships over the body of Patroclus. Hera refuses to be rebuked and says that she will not oppose him.
Homer, Iliad 14.224–360Hera and Sleep: the deception of Zeus on IdaHera goes to Lemnos and asks Sleep to lull Zeus once she has lain with him, promising him the young Grace Pasithea as his wife. They go to Ida, where Sleep perches in a fir-tree in the likeness of a bird, and Hera approaches Zeus, who is seized with desire for her. He persuades her to lie with him at once, hiding them in a golden cloud, and Sleep binds him, then goes to tell Poseidon to help the Danaans while Zeus sleeps.
Homer, Homerica 5.23–28Frogs and Mice: the battleLoud-croaker wounds Lickman and the warriors fall on both sides, until Slice-snatcher routs the Frogs. Zeus asks Athena and Ares to help, Hera says that they cannot save the Frogs, and he casts a thunderbolt. Crabs with curving claws then come to the Frogs' help and put the Mice to flight before sunset.
Homer, Iliad 21.136–232Achilles and Asteropaeus; the river risesThe river-god is angered at the bodies that choke his stream and tells Achilles to stop, but Achilles will not. He kills Asteropaeus, a grandson of the river, after a fight in which Asteropaeus casts both spears at once, and drives the Paeonians before him. The river rises against him, and Achilles is swept off his feet and cries out to Zeus.
Homer, Odyssey 24.412–548The kinsmen of the suitors; peace restoredRumour carries the news of the slaughter through the city, and the kinsmen of the suitors take up their bodies and gather in the market-place, where Eupeithes, the father of Antinous, calls for revenge. Odysseus and his men arm and go out to meet them. Laertes kills Eupeithes with a spear, and Athena, in the likeness of Mentor, calls off the fighting, and a covenant is made between the two sides.
Homer, The Homeric Hymns 2.1–86Hymn 2 to Demeter (1): the abduction of PersephonePersephone is gathering flowers in a meadow when the earth opens and Hades seizes her and carries her away in his chariot. Her mother Demeter hears her cry, searches the earth for nine days with torches, and learns the truth from Hecate and from Helios, who tells her that Zeus gave Persephone to Hades.
Homer, The Homeric Hymns 2.395–495Hymn 2 to Demeter (5): reunion and the MysteriesPersephone tells her mother how she was seized and made to taste the seed, and mother and daughter spend the day in joy. Rhea brings Zeus's message, and Demeter agrees that Persephone will spend a third of the year below and the rest with the gods. Demeter makes the fields fruitful again and teaches her rites to the leaders of Eleusis, and the hymn closes with a blessing on those who have seen them.
Homer, The Homeric Hymns 4.210–339Hymn 4 to Hermes (3): Apollo finds the thiefApollo reads a bird omen and follows the trail to the cave at Cyllene. He threatens the infant, who denies everything and answers with an omen of his own, and Apollo carries him up to Olympus to stand before Zeus.
Homer, Iliad 2.102–210Agamemnon tests the armyAt the assembly Agamemnon holds the sceptre of Zeus and tells the Achaeans that Zeus has deceived him and that they must flee home, though he means to try them. The army surges toward the ships like waves, and the ships are already being dragged down when Hera sends Athena to Odysseus. He takes Agamemnon's sceptre, checks the chiefs and sends the men back to the assembly.
Homer, Iliad 2.278–393The omen of the sparrows; Nestor's counselOdysseus reminds the army of the omen at Aulis, where a serpent devoured eight sparrow chicks and their mother and was then turned to stone, which Calchas read as a sign that Troy would fall in the tenth year. Nestor rebukes the men for forgetting their oaths and tells Agamemnon to marshal them by tribes and clans. Agamemnon agrees, wishes he had ten counsellors like Nestor, and tells the men to eat and sharpen their weapons for battle.
Homer, Iliad 4.1–72The gods in council on OlympusOn Olympus the gods sit in council while Zeus provokes Hera by remarking that Menelaus has two goddesses to help him, Hera and Athena, who merely look on, while Aphrodite keeps his rival safe. Hera answers angrily that her labour against Priam must not be in vain, and Zeus tells her to do as she pleases, asking only that she not hinder him when he destroys a city dear to her. Hera names Argos, Sparta and Mycenae, and Zeus sends Athena down to make the Trojans break the truce.

26 more passages of Homer that name Cronus

Apollodorus (2)

Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 1.1.1–7Uranus, the Titans and the birth of ZeusSky (Uranus) and Earth have the Hundred-handers, the Cyclopes and the Titans, and Sky casts the Cyclopes into Tartarus. At Earth's urging the Titans attack their father, and Cronus mutilates him with an adamantine sickle, so that the Furies are born from the blood. Cronus takes the sovereignty, binds his brothers again, marries Rhea and swallows his children at birth, until Rhea hides the infant Zeus in a cave in Crete among the Curetes and nymphs and gives Cronus a stone to swallow.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 1.2.1–7Zeus and the Titanomachy; the children of the TitansZeus takes Metis as his ally, and she gives Cronus a drug that makes him disgorge the stone and his swallowed children. In the ten-year war the gods win once Zeus frees the prisoners in Tartarus and the Cyclopes give him thunder and lightning, Pluto a helmet and Poseidon a trident; the Titans are shut in Tartarus and the three brothers draw lots for sky, sea and the underworld. The rest of the section lists the offspring of the Titans, of Styx, and of Sea and Earth, ending with the Nereids.

Pindar (12)

Pindar, Pythian Odes 3.1–115Pythian 3: for Hieron — Asclepius and CoronisPindar wishes that Cheiron were alive to heal Hieron as he once healed others through his pupil Asclepius. He tells how Coronis, carrying Apollo's child, took another lover and was killed, and how Apollo rescued the child from the pyre and gave him to Cheiron to learn healing. Asclepius, tempted by gold to raise a dead man, was struck down by Zeus; the ode ends with the sorrows of Peleus and Cadmus as proof that no man has unmixed happiness.
Pindar, Pythian Odes 4.1–142Pythian 4: for Arcesilas — Medea's prophecy and Jason at IolcusPindar honours Arcesilas, king of Cyrene and victor in the chariot race, and recalls the word that Medea spoke at Thera, that her companions' descendants would colonise Libya, so that Arcesilas is eighth in the line from Battus. He then turns to Jason, who arrives at Iolcus wearing one sandal and astonishes the crowd in the market-place, and who says that he has come to recover his father's honour. His kinsmen Pheres, Amythaon, Admetus and Melampus gather to him, and he leads them to the hall of Pelias and begins his appeal to the king.
Pindar, Olympian Odes 1.1–116Olympian 1: for Hieron — Pelops and TantalusPindar opens with the praise of water and gold and of the Olympic games as the greatest of contests, and hails Hieron of Syracuse, victor with the horse Pherenicus. He rejects the tale that the gods ate the flesh of Pelops, and tells instead how Poseidon, in love, carried the boy off to Olympus after the banquet of Tantalus, and how Tantalus is punished for stealing nectar and ambrosia with a rock hanging over his head. Pelops later prays to Poseidon, overcomes Oenomaüs in the chariot race and wins Hippodameia. The ode ends with a prayer that Hieron keep his greatness and that Pindar be the foremost poet among Hellenes.
Pindar, Olympian Odes 2.1–100Olympian 2: for Theron — the house of Cadmus and the Isles of the BlestPindar praises Theron of Acragas, victor in the chariot race, and prays that time may heal the sorrows of his house. He recalls the house of Cadmus, with Laïus, Oedipus, the Fury that made his sons kill one another, and Polyneices' son Thersander. He then describes the afterlife, in which the wicked are punished and the good go to the Isles of the Blest, where Rhadamanthys judges and Peleus, Cadmus and Achilles dwell, and he ends by answering envy with the praise of Theron's generosity.
Pindar, Olympian Odes 5.1–24Olympian 5: for Psaumis — CamarinaPindar greets Camarina, daughter of Ocean, and the mule-car victory of Psaumis, who has raised her new city and honoured the gods with sacrifices and contests at Olympia. He praises Pallas, the river Oanis, the lake and the streams of the Hipparis, and calls on Zeus, lord of the hill of Cronus, as a suppliant. He ends by saying that a man who spends his wealth well should not seek to become a god.
Pindar, Olympian Odes 6.1–105Olympian 6: for Hagesias — Iamus, son of ApolloPindar likens the opening of his ode to the building of a hall on golden pillars and praises Hagesias of Syracuse, an Iamid and victor with the mule-car, recalling Adrastus' lament for Amphiaraüs. He tells how Euadne, loved by Apollo, hid her child Iamus among the violets, where bees' honey fed him, and how Apollo later gave him the gift of prophecy and an oracle at Olympia. He closes by sending Aeneas to praise Hera and Stymphalus, and with a prayer to Poseidon.
Pindar, Olympian Odes 8.1–88Olympian 8: for Alcimedon — Aeacus and the walls of TroyPindar hails Olympia and praises Alcimedon of Aegina, boys' wrestling victor, and the justice of Aegina. He tells how Aeacus helped Poseidon and Apollo to build the wall of Troy: three serpents leapt at it and the one that entered it foretold the fall of Troy at the hands of Aeacus' descendants. The ode ends with Alcimedon's family, his father Iphion and his dead kinsmen.
Pindar, Olympian Odes 9.1–112Olympian 9: for Epharmostus — Deucalion and OpusPindar praises Epharmostus of Opus, wrestling victor, and Opus, mother-city of the Locrians, and begs his lips to speak no ill of the gods, recalling Heracles' battles with Poseidon, Phoebus and Hades at Pylos. He tells how Deucalion and Pyrrha made a people from stones, and how Zeus took the daughter of Opus of Elis to Locrus, who named her son Opus after her father. The ode ends with Epharmostus' other victories and a tribute to his skill.
Pindar, Olympian Odes 10.1–105Olympian 10: for Hagesidamus — Heracles and the first Olympic gamesPindar owes Hagesidamus of Locri a song for his boxing victory and praises the Western Locrians and the trainer Ilas, whom he likens to Achilles beside Patroclus. He tells how Heracles killed the Molionidae and punished Augeas, then founded the Olympic games beside the tomb of Pelops, with altars to the gods and the naming of the hill of Cronus. He lists the first winners and compares the victor to Ganymede.
Pindar, Pythian Odes 2.1–96Pythian 2: for Hieron — IxionPindar praises Syracuse and Hieron, victor in the chariot race, and recalls that Cinyras of Cyprus is honoured in song. He tells how Ixion, whom the gods had welcomed, tried to seduce Hera and was bound to a wheel; Zeus made a cloud in her likeness, and from it the Centaurs were born. The poet then warns against slanderers and flatterers, says that one must not fight against god, and prays to please the noble.
Pindar, Nemean Odes 1.1–72Nemean 1: for Chromius — Ortygia and the infant HeraclesPindar greets Ortygia, the cradle of Syracuse, and praises Chromius of Aetna, victor with the chariot, for his wealth and hospitality, recalling Zeus' gift of Sicily to Persephone. He tells how the infant Heracles strangled the two serpents sent by Hera, while Amphitryon and the Cadmeans hastened in, and how Teiresias foretold his labours against monsters and giants and his marriage to Hebe.
Pindar, Nemean Odes 9.1–55Nemean 9: for Chromius — Adrastus and the SevenPindar leads the Muses from Sicyon to the new city of Aetna to praise Chromius, victor in the chariot race. He tells how Adrastus, who had fled Argos, founded contests for Apollo at Sicyon, and how Zeus swallowed Amphiaraüs and his chariot in the earth at Thebes. He ends by praising Chromius' courage in battle at the river Helorus and his wealth.

Aeschylus (1)

Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 196–278First episode: why Zeus punishes PrometheusAt the Chorus's request Prometheus tells his story. He says that when Zeus rebelled against Cronus he advised the Titans, and when they refused he went over to Zeus, whose new rule then threw the Titans into Tartarus. Zeus wished to destroy mankind and Prometheus saved them by giving them blind hopes and fire. The Chorus warn him that he has done wrong, and he answers that those who are not in trouble find it easy to give advice.

Apollonius Rhodius (2)

Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 2.1030–1225The birds of Ares and the sons of PhrixusNear the island of Ares the heroes scare off the birds that shoot their feathers like arrows, by wearing helmets and clashing shields. On the island they find the four shipwrecked sons of Phrixus, who are Jason's kinsmen, and who tell them of Aeetes and the sleepless serpent. Argus agrees to guide the Argonauts to Colchis.
Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 2.1226–1285Argo reaches the river PhasisArgo passes the island of Philyra and the coast of the Macrones and Becheiri. At evening the heroes see Prometheus on the Caucasus and the eagle that feeds on him, and they reach the broad river Phasis, where they lower the sails, row into the stream and moor the ship in a shady backwater.

Callimachus (2)

Callimachus, Hymns 1.1–96Hymn to ZeusThe poet asks where Zeus was born, on Ida in Crete or in Arcadia, and calls the Cretans liars for building his tomb. He tells how Rhea bore Zeus in Parrhasia and washed in a spring she struck from the mountain, how the nymph Neda carried him to Crete and how the Dictaean Meliae and Adrasteia reared him on the milk of the goat Amaltheia. The hymn praises Zeus as the god who took kings for his portion, and ends with a prayer for goodness and prosperity.
Callimachus, Hymns 5.1–142Hymn to Athena: the Bath of Pallas and TeiresiasThe women of Argos are summoned to the Bath of Pallas and told to bring no perfume or mirror, only plain olive oil, as Athena herself used. The poet tells how Teiresias, son of Everes, unwittingly saw Athena bathing with his mother Chariclo at the Fountain of the Horse on Helicon and was blinded. Athena tells Chariclo that this is the law of Cronus, foretells the fate of Actaeon, and promises to make Teiresias a seer who knows the birds, has a staff to guide him and keeps his understanding among the dead. The hymn closes with greetings as the goddess arrives and a prayer for Argos.

Theocritus (1)

Theocritus, Idylls 17.1–137Idyll 17: In praise of PtolemyThe poem begins with Zeus and passes to Ptolemy son of Lagus, whom it praises as foremost among men, and to his mother Berenice. It tells of his birth on the isle of Cos, of the lands he rules and the wealth of Egypt, and of the temples he has built for his parents. It ends with his marriage to his sister, likened to the bridal of Zeus and Hera.

Diodorus Siculus (4)

Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 5.64.1–5.67.5Early Crete: the Dactyls, the Curetes and the TitansThe Cretans claim that the Eteocretans were native to the island, and that the Idaean Dactyls discovered fire and the working of metals. They tell of the Curetes and of the Titans near Cnosus under Cronus' rule, whose age is described with lines of Hesiod, and of Hyperion's observation of the heavens.
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 5.68.1–5.72.5Zeus and the children of Cronus in CreteAccording to the Cretans the children of Cronus and Rhea discovered or introduced many arts, and the sea, the hearth and the corn belong to Poseidon, Hestia and Demeter. The historian gives the conflicting accounts of how Zeus became king, the places in Crete tied to his infancy, his benefactions to mankind and the punishment of the Giants.
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 6.1.1–11Euhemerus on the godsIn a fragment on the gods the historian is quoted as dividing them into eternal ones, such as the sun and moon and stars, and terrestrial ones, such as Heracles and Dionysus, who were honoured as gods for their benefactions. He then summarises the account of Euhemerus, who sailed from Arabia to the island of Panchaea, where a golden stele recorded the deeds of Uranus, Cronus and Zeus as kings.
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 4.76.1–4.80.6Daedalus, Minos in Sicily and the Mothers at EngyumDaedalus, an Athenian craftsman who invents the saw and the potter's wheel, flees to a deme of Attica after the death of his nephew, then to Crete, where he makes the contrivance for Pasiphae, and then escapes to Sicily; Icarus falls into the sea. Minos pursues him to Sicily and dies at the court of Cocalus. The section ends with the cult of the Mothers at Engyum and the great temple the townspeople built for them.

Pausanias (6)

Pausanias, Description of Greece 5.7.1–10Olympia: the Alpheus and Arethusa, and the Idaean Hercules’ first gamesAt Olympia Pausanias describes the Alpheus and its seven tributaries, the story of the river’s love for Arethusa and its flow beneath the sea, supported by a Delphic oracle, with parallels from the Nile, the Jordan and Mycale. He then gives the Elean account of the first Olympic games, held by the Idaean Dactyls, among whom Hercules crowned the winner with wild olive and fixed a four-year cycle.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 8.36.1–10Methydrium, Mount Maenalus and the road to the MistressPausanias describes Methydrium, named for its position between two rivers, with a temple of Horse Poseidon and Mount Thaumasius, where the Methydrians place Rhea's deceit of Cronus. Leaving Megalopolis by the Gate to the Marsh he lists the temple of the Good God, the grave of Aristodemus, the sanctuary of Athena the Contriver, the precinct of the North Wind and the grove of Demeter in the Marsh. He then covers Mount Maenalus, sacred to Pan, and the Meetings of Three Ways, and the road to Macareae, Daseae and the Acacesian Hill.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 10.24.1–7Delphi: the maxims of the Sages, Homer's oracle, the temple interior and Neoptolemus' gravePausanias describes the maxims inscribed by the Seven Sages in the fore-temple at Delphi, the bronze likeness of Homer and the oracle said to have been given to him, with the rival claims of Ios and Cyprus to his birth. He notes the altar of Poseidon, the images of the Fates, the hearth where Neoptolemus was killed and the iron chair of Pindar. Outside he describes the grave of Neoptolemus, the small stone given to Cronus and the spring Cassotis.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 8.8.1–12Mantinea: Rhea's lamb spring and the history of the cityPausanias describes the sanctuary of Demeter near Nestane and the spring Arne, where Rhea is said to have hidden the infant Poseidon among lambs, and states that he treats such Greek stories as riddles of old wisdom. He tells how Antinoe moved the people of Mantinea to the new site behind a snake, and how Agesipolis took the city by diverting the river Ophis against its brick walls. The section follows the city's later alliances, its renaming Antigonea after Antigonus, its support for Augustus at Actium and Hadrian's restoration of the name Mantinea.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 9.39.1–14Lebadea: the grove of Trophonius and the procedure of the oraclePausanias describes Lebadea, called Midea in antiquity, the river Hercyna and the grove of Trophonius with its temple, the image by Praxiteles and the sanctuaries of Demeter Europa and Zeus. He gives the full procedure of consulting the oracle: the days of purification, the sacrifices, the drinking of the waters of Forgetfulness and Memory, and the descent into the chasm, from which the consultant is carried out and questioned on the chair of Memory. He says he consulted Trophonius himself.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 9.41.1–7Chaeronea: the sceptre as the only work of Hephaestus, Amathus' necklace and unguentsPausanias argues that the sceptre of Agamemnon is the only genuine work of Hephaestus, setting aside the Lycian bowl and the chest of Eurypylus. He considers the necklace of Harmonia at Amathus, concluding from Homer's description that it is not the golden necklace of Eriphyle. He ends with Mount Petrachus above Chaeronea, where Cronus was said to be deceived with a stone, and with the unguents the city distils from lilies, roses, narcissus and iris.

Quintus Smyrnaeus (1)

Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (Posthomerica) 2.94–182Memnon comes to TroyMemnon arrives with a host of Aethiopians and is welcomed by Priam, who pledges him in the golden cup that Hephaestus made and that passed down through the kings of Troy. Memnon goes to his rest. On Olympus Zeus tells the gods that tomorrow's battle will cost many lives and that none of them may intervene.

Nonnus of Panopolis (13)

Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 12.0–92Book 12: The Seasons read the tablets of FateThe Seasons reach the house of Helios, and Autumn asks him when the vine will grow. He sends her to the tablets of Harmonia, on which Phanes had written the oracles of the world. She reads the stories of Cronos and the flood, and then of men and women who are to be changed into birds, stones and springs.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 18.196–267Book 18: Dionysos arms; Staphylos' gifts and the tale of CampeDionysos puts on his armour and Staphylos gives him guest-gifts of a golden jar, silver cups and embroidered robes. The king urges him to fight like his father Zeus and tells how Zeus destroyed the monster Campe, with her many animal heads, serpent limbs and scorpion tail, in the war against Cronos and the Titans.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 41.338–427Book 41: The tablets of Ophion; Aphrodite urges Eros to strike the godsHarmonia shows Aphrodite seven planetary tablets of fate, and that of Cronos declares Beroe the first city, later to be called Berytos by the Romans. Another tablet foretells the inventions of music, calendars, letters and law, and a third says that under Augustus Berytos will give the world its law. Aphrodite then coaxes Eros to shoot Poseidon and Dionysos for his sister's sake, promising him Harmonia's golden harp.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 28.257–330Book 28: Halimedes and the Corybants join the fightMore allies enter the battle: the Cyclops Halimedes, whose roar kills twelve men, and the Corybants, who fight in a war dance round Deriades' car like the dance that once hid the infant Zeus from Cronos. Morrheus' stone misses the Corybant Melisseus, and the din of the fight reaches Olympos.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 2.241–390Book 2: Typhon's boast and the first assault on ZeusTyphoeus wakes shouting threats: he will overturn the heavens, bring up Cronos and the Titans, and take Hera for his bride. Zeus laughs, and the battle opens with the Giant hurling trees and rocks against the thunderbolt.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 2.475–630Book 2: Zeus overwhelms Typhon; the mock epitaphZeus and Typhoeus fight on equal terms, with thunder and lightning against the Giant's many hands, and the four winds join in. His heads are scorched and frozen in turn, and his mother Earth begs Helios and the winter winds to ease him. Typhoeus falls, and Zeus mocks him with a speech about the throne he wanted and offers him an empty tomb and an epitaph.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 18.268–368Book 18: Staphylos' exhortation; Dionysos returns to a house in mourningStaphylos goes on to compare Dionysos with Zeus, Ares and Perseus as slayers of monsters and urges him to destroy Deriades. Dionysos sends the herald Pherespondos to offer Deriades peace or war. On his return he finds that Staphylos has died, reads the news in the faces of Methe, Botrys and Pithos, and speaks to the mourning household.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 21.240–345Book 21: Deriades' answer; Dionysos returns; the ambush at the HydaspesDeriades rejects the offer, saying that he honours only Earth and Water, and sends the envoy back with a written challenge. Dionysos, restored to his followers, learns from Proteus what has happened in Arabia, reads the tablet and orders ships built for an attack by sea. Deriades divides his army across the river Hydaspes and hides an ambush in a thick wood.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 24.179–241Book 24: Lament in the Indian city; the feast and the request for a songThe Indian city is filled with lamentation, and a wife near her time laments her drowned husband. In the forest Dionysos and his army feast, and the singer Leucos sings of Zeus' victory over Cronos. Lapethos then asks him to sing of the weaving-match of Athena and Aphrodite.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 31.199–282Book 31: Hera borrows the cestus of AphroditeHera visits Aphrodite on Lebanon and, in answer to her questions, pretends to fear that Semele, Dionysos and the vine will drive her out of Olympos. She then asks to borrow Aphrodite's cestus for a day, to charm Zeus and help the Indians, who she says have always honoured Aphrodite.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 40.366–492Book 40: Dionysos hymns Heracles, god of the Tyrian templeDionysos prays to the Starclad Heracles in his temple, praising him as the sun and the lord of the universe under many names. The god appears, entertains him at table, and Dionysos asks who built the city. Heracles begins the story of the earthborn first men, who were told by his oracle to build the first ship and sail to the wandering Ambrosial Rocks.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 8.122–177Book 8: Hera borrows the girdle of DeceitHera flatters Deceit and asks for the girdle with which Rheia once deceived Cronos. She complains that a mortal woman has taken her husband and threatens to leave heaven. Deceit gives her the girdle, saying it will charm Zeus and bring Ares home.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 25.481–572Book 25: Damasen kills the dragon; the flower of Zeus restores TylosThe nymph Moria asks the giant Damasen to avenge her brother Tylos, and he kills the serpent with an uprooted tree. The serpent's mate revives it with the flower of Zeus, and Moria uses the same flower to bring Tylos back to life. The last scene on the shield shows Rheia giving Cronos a stone to swallow, and night falls on the camp.

Bacchylides (1)

Bacchylides, Dithyrambs 17.1–132Dithyramb 17: Theseus and MinosA ship bears Theseus and fourteen Athenian youths and maidens to Crete, where Minos lays a hand on a maiden and Theseus rebukes him. Minos asks Zeus for a sign and challenges Theseus to bring back his gold ring from the sea. Theseus dives, is carried by dolphins to the hall of his father Poseidon and robed by Amphitrite, and comes back unwetted to the ship while the Athenians sing a paean.

Orpheus (attributed) (3)

Orpheus (attributed), Orphic Hymns 12–16Hymns 12-16: Hercules, Saturn, Rhea, Jupiter, JunoHercules is praised as the untamed, strong-handed god of the twelve labours. Saturn (Kronos) is invoked as the mighty Titan and husband of Rhea, and Rhea as the daughter of Protogonus and mother of gods and men. The group ends with Jupiter (Zeus), the supreme king of the gods, and Juno (Hera), his queen of the air.
Orpheus (attributed), Orphic Hymns 47–51Hymns 47-51: Bacchus Pericionius, Sabasius, Ippa, Lysius Lenaeus, the NymphsFour Dionysiac hymns come first: to Bacchus Pericionius, who once took the house of Cadmus into his care, to Sabasius, here called the offspring of Saturn, to Ippa, the nurse of Bacchus, whose rites are those of Sabus, and to Lysius Lenaeus, the god of wine born of two mothers. The last hymn of the group calls on the Nymphs, who dwell in watery caves and derive their birth from Ocean.
Orpheus (attributed), Orphic Hymns 83–87Hymns 83-87: Ocean, Vesta, Sleep, Dreams, DeathOcean is invoked as the ever-flowing source from which gods and men first arose, and Vesta as the daughter of Saturn whose seat holds an unwearied flame. The collection ends with three hymns to the powers that close the day and life: Sleep, sovereign of gods and men, the divinity of Dreams, the angel of future fates, and Death, whose empire extends to all mortal tribes.