Titanomachy

In Greek mythology, the Titanomachy was a conflict fought over the space of ten years between the Titans and the future Olympian Gods.

Prelude to War
The cause of the Titanomachy lies in the time before the Olympian Gods. Cronus, the youngest of the Titans, had overthrown his tyrannical father Uranus in order to claim rulership of the universe. However, in the aftermath, his paranoia that his own children would do the same thing to him grew, and as his children were born, he swallowed each of them whole in order to prevent this from happening. During this time, he also imprisoned the Hecatoncheires (mighty primordial beings possessed of tremendous strength) and the Cyclopes (one-eyed giants with great power) in Tartarus for the same reason.

Fortunately for the Gods, their mother Rhea managed to trick Cronus into thinking that he had swallowed his youngest child Zeus by feeding him a stone wrapped in blankets. Zeus was then raised to adulthood in a cave away from the eyes of his mad father.

The Battle of the Titans
Upon reaching maturity, Zeus managed to gain his father's trust, and eventually became the bearer of his cup. Giving Cronus a concoction to make him sick, the mad Titan vomited up Zeus's siblings, and so began the Titanomachy.

Quickly releasing the Hecatonchires and the Cyclopes who were to play a major part in the war, Zeus and the other Gods proceeded to do battle with the Titans for the next decade. It was during this period that the Cyclopes forged the thunderbolt for Zeus, Helmet of Darkness for Hades, and Trident for Poseidon, powerful artefacts which would prove invaluable in the conflict. After a mighty struggle, the Olympians and their allies eventually emerged victorious.

The Aftermath
Once the Titanomachy had been brought to a conclusion, Zeus had the Titans imprisoned in Tartarus, giving the Hecatonchires the task of guarding their defeated enemies. However, a special punishment was reserved for Atlas, who had been one of Cronus' key generals in the war: he was cursed to forever hold up the sky.

Once Zeus had cemented his power, he divided rulership with his two most senior brothers. While Zeus would remain god of the sky, Poseidon would take control of the oceans, and Hades would assume command of the Underworld.