Titans

TITANS, Greek mythological figures, offspring of Uranus and Gaia. They warred against Zeus and were afterward imprisoned in Tartarus. The Septuagint translated Emek Refaim (II Sam. 5:18, 22) as "valley of the Titans" (elsewhere it is translated "valley of the Giants," I Chron. 11:15; 14:9; see also Jos., Ant., 7:71). In the apocryphal book of *Judith the phrase "sons of Titans" is used to represent forces of great power (16:7). *Philo in interpreting Genesis 10:8–9, makes reference to the Titans (Quaestiones et Solutiones in Genesin 2:82) and *Josephus alludes to them in Contra Apionem 2:240, 247. The Jewish author of the Sibylline Oracles describes the war between the Titans and the sons of Cronos, which ends with God's punishing the warring parties (3:106ff.).

Sources: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2008 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.