In Greek mythology, Cronus was a Titan and king of time and the ages before the rise of the Gods of Olympus. Cronus murdered his father (Uranus) with a sickle given to him by his mother (Gaea) and ruled as king of the Titans.

Cronus is sibling to Rhea, who later became his wife, Mnemosyne, Oceanus, and Hyperion. With Rhea, Cronus was father to Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Cronus suspected that his children would perform an overthrow just as he did to his father Uranus. To ensure his own safety and maintain power, Cronus consumed all of his children as they were born, with the exception of Zeus. Eventually saved by their mother, the children would eventually become the rulers of Mount Olympus and Cronus would be imprisoned in Tartarus. http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/greek.gods.html

Cronus was a Titan and the first offspring of Uranus (Father Sky) and Gaea (Mother Earth).

How Cronus Became King

Uranus and Gaea bore many children. Some of their offspring were considered hideous by Uranus, such as the Cyclops and the three Hekatonkheires, who had 100 arms and 50 heads. Because of his disgust, Uranus forced these children into hiding, throwing them into Tartarus and never allowing them to be seen in daylight. This displeased Gaea, and she created a great sickle in a plan to punish Uranus for his actions.

Gaea pleaded to her children for help and received no response. In Hesiod's Theogeny, Gaea says, "My children, gotten of a sinful father, if you will obey me, we should punish the vile outrage of your father; for he first thought of doing shameful things".http://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanKronos.html Gaea told Cronus to hide and wait for his fathers approach. Shortly after, Uranus approached Gaea, longing for love. He laid upon her and they began to procreate. From hiding, Cronus approached and grabbed Uranus' genitalia, severing it with the sickle and throwing it behind him. The drops of blood that gushed from Uranus entered Gaea and from them she bore The Erinyes and Gigantes. With his father dead, Cronus and his wife Rhea took the throne as king and queen of the Titans.http://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanKronos.html

Cronus Devours His Children

Cronus was married to Rhea, goddess of female fertility, motherhood and generation. With Rhea, Cronus became the father of Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Warned that his children were planning to overthrow him, Cronus swallowed his children as they were born. Expecting the arrival of Zeus, the sixth and final child, Rhea was advised by her parents to give birth in secret. She traveled far away to a cave in Lyctos, Crete where she gave birth to Zeus. Gaea returned alone to her husband and presented him with a stone wrapped in Zeus' clothes. Cronus unknowingly devoured the stone, believing it was his son. Zeus remained in Crete and was raised by Gaea and the Nymphs until he was mature and strong enough to face his father. Finally he returned to Olympus and dethroned his father, freeing his siblings in the meantime and becoming the new ruler of Mount Olympus.http://www.greek-gods.info/titans/cronus/

Cronus and Philyra

Discovering Rhea's deception, Cronus searched the earth for Zeus. While searching, Cronus encountered the oceanid Philyra and consorted with her. From the two was born the wise centaur Chiron. Ashamed of her child's figure, Philyra later asked Zeus to transform her and she was changed into the tree named Linden.http://www.maicar.com/GML/Cronos.html