Titans

1. In Greek mythology, the twelve titans were the children of Uranus / Ouranos (heaven) and Gaia (Earth). One of them, the youngest, was Chronos (time), who became supreme ruler of Heaven and Earth, by castrating his father, and killing most of the other Titans.
Later on, Chronos would be defeated by his youngest son, Zeus.

2. As a symbol, titans represent the forces of manifestation.

Common meanings as a symbol: The Titans carry rich symbolic meaning, rooted in Greek mythology but extending into broader cultural significance:

Primordial Power and Ancient Forces The Titans represent the raw, elemental powers that existed before civilization and order. They symbolize primal chaos, the untamed forces of nature and cosmos that preceded human understanding. They're older than the gods themselves - original, foundational power.

Rebellion Against Authority The Titanomachy (war between Titans and Olympians) symbolizes generational conflict and the overthrow of old orders. The Titans represent established power resisting change, or alternatively, the spirit of defiance against new authority. Prometheus, the Titan who gave fire to humanity, embodies noble rebellion against tyranny.

Enormous Scale and Ambition "Titanic" means colossal, overwhelming, beyond normal human scale. The Titans symbolize endeavors of massive scope - achievements or disasters of epic proportions. The ship Titanic captured this: human ambition reaching for godlike scale, with tragic consequences.

The Burden of Existence Atlas holding up the sky represents the Titan as symbol of endurance under crushing weight - the burdens we must bear, responsibilities that cannot be shirked, suffering that must be endured. This captures existential weight and duty.

Pre-Rational Forces Versus the Olympians' reason and civilization, Titans often represent instinct, emotion, and nature unbound by law or logic. They symbolize what exists before or beneath consciousness - the unconscious, the id, the shadow.

Overthrown but Not Destroyed Imprisoned in Tartarus rather than killed, the Titans symbolize forces that can be suppressed but never eliminated. They represent aspects of existence - chaos, passion, wildness - that civilization contains but cannot erase.

Creative and Destructive Potential The Titans gave birth to the gods and shaped the world, yet also threatened to destroy it. They symbolize the dual nature of immense power - its capacity for both creation and annihilation.

In modern usage, calling something "titanic" evokes this mythology: forces or struggles of mythic proportion, beyond ordinary scale.