All About Lelantos – Titan God of Greek Mythology

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Greek mythology played an important role in the Ancient Greek culture. It was used as a means to explain natural phenomena, life events, and human characteristics. In Greek mythology, Lelantos was a Titan god. He was one of the younger Titans. Here’s all you need to know about the Greek Titan god Lelantos.

About Lelantos and His Family

The name Lelantos suggests that he was Titan god of air and the hunter’s skill of stalking prey. Greek Titan god Lelantos was the son of Coeus and Phoebe. Coeus was a Titan, whose name means “questioning.” It is thought that Coeus, because of his name, may have been the Titan of inquisitive minds and intellect. He represented one of the four pillars that holds the heaven and earth apart.

He was the the north pillar and his brothers represented the other three pillars. Titan god Lelantos’ mother Phoebe was a Titan. It is thought that Coeus was not only her husband, but her brother as well. Lelantos was the brother of Leto and Asteria. Lelantos is the male counterpart of Leto. Leto was the Titaness of motherhood and Asteria was the Titaness of nocturnal oracles and falling stars.

Titan god Lelantos was married to Oceanid Periboia. An Oceanid is a nymph that is one of the three thousand daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. Periboia’s name means “surrounding cattle,” which comes from peri meaning “around” and bous meaning “cattle.” She may have been a nymph of a small stream or a pastureland.

Aura, Daughter of Lelantos

Titan god Lelantos and Periboia would have a daughter named Aura. Aura was the Titan-goddess of the breeze and fresh, cool air of the early morning. Aura appeared not only in Greek mythology, but in Roman mythology as well. Aura’s counterpart was Artemis. Aura was worshipped in an ancient Greek religion called Eleusian Mysteries.

Aura was known to be proud of her virginity in addition to her athletic body. According to myth, during a hunting trip, Aura claimed she had a better body than Artemis. In retaliation, Artemis asked Nemesis to punish Aura. Nemesis agreed and had Dionysus fall in love with Aura. He forced Aura to sleep with him, which resulted in her giving birth to twins. Aura killed one of her twins, but before she could kill the other, it was saved by Artemis. When Aura died, Zeus turned her into a stream.

Nonnus mentions the Titan god Lelantos in the Dionysiaca in the 5th century. Nonnus implied that Aura’s mother was Periboia, wife of the Titan god Lelantos, but would also call Aura the “daughter of Cybele.” Cybele was the ancient Phrygian Mother of the Gods. The Greeks identified her with the Titaness Rhea, their own mother of the gods. Aura is not listed in Cybele’s offspring.

Lelantos isn’t a well-known or detailed figure from Greek Mythology, but he does seem to have had at least a minor impact on some of the stories.

Categorized in: Greek Mythology

This post was written by Greek Boston