Before There Were Gods

Regular readers may know

That I have shared many stories of the gods and those whose lives they have touched. In the tradition of the ancients, I have made vases to help tell and commemorate these stories. But what about before there were gods? Well brace yourself, dear reader, as we are going to take a trip back even further in time.

Our raku pottery vase, The Titans, commemorates the gods of old and tells the tale of a paranoid father, a wife’s revenge, a dozen larger than life gods that shared power under their younger brother Cronus and a fiery end in the lowest levels of hell.

Before the gods of Olympus, times were much simpler.

People were unaware of many things. Why the sun rose and set, how seasons changed, where we came from, or even a rudimentary understanding of how their own bodies worked.

As such, the Titans easily held on to their power and grew very comfortable from their godly perch on Mount Othrys. All except Cronus, the youngest of the Titan siblings. He had been told that in the future one of his children would topple his reign. This revelation would shape and change Cronus from a carefree king of the gods to a ruler that was rather wooden.

Rhea, who was also a Titan

Was not very excited about the prospect of marrying Cronus. He wasn’t a very good husband, let alone father. She was so unhappy that Cronus ate her first five children, that rather than hand over Zeus she gave her husband a rock. You might say she committed Nymphicide, as she gave the infant to the Nymphs to care for.

The Titans $250
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You can read more about the original ‘kids meal’ and how Cronus ate his own children here. Personally I could not do such a thing, but to eat their own. Cronus wasn’t the type to complain about an heir in his soup.

Cronus and many of the other Titans would end up in the lowest level of the underworld called Tartarus and be punished after their saucy behaviour in a ten year war where they were overthrown by Zeus.

If you like this glaze, you can see more pieces in this it here. As well, if you enjoyed this story and would like to read more like it, you can buy a whole book of them here!

Have a wonderful week
and thanks for reading!

9 Comments

  1. Todays story & vase–both great! looks like metallic shining vase:)
    It doesn’t have cracks-may be you can explain this magic too ! Thanks!

    1. The cracks depend on the glaze itself. The more reflective the glaze, the more likely there are to be cracks in it from the reduction stage of the firing 🙂 Thanks for asking!

    1. Thank you Sheri! Yes, the myths are a long time interest from my childhood and now I work a myth or story for each vase. You can see more of them in my first book as well if you are curious! https://rakupottery.ca/buy-the-book/ I hope you are keeping safe and well! 🙏

      1. That really is an incredibly unique way to combine your interests and to give each piece it’s own story? Very cool.
        Thank you so much! Stay safe, as well, and have a beautiful week!🌷

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