PERSES IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY
In Greek mythology, Perses was the name of one of the Titans; the gods who ruled the cosmos before the rise of the Olympians.
The Titan Perses
Perses was the con of the first generation Titan, Crius, and his wife, the ancient sea-goddess Eurybia. Perses was thus brother to Astraeus and Pallas.
Perses and the Titanomachy
|
It would of course be assumed that Perses fought in the Titanomachy alongside his kin, for it was perhaps only Epimetheus and Prometheus, amongst the male Titans who did not fight. The name of Perses is normally said to mean destroyer, and derives from the word to sack, ravage or destroy.
If Perses did fight against the Zeus and the Olympians, then he would have presumably been imprisoned in Tartarus afterwards. |
|
There are relatively few surviving sources that even mention the Titanomachy, let alone retell complete events.
Perses Father of Hecate
In surviving sources, Perses is primarily seen as a figure that explained the emergence of the next generation, For, Perses was the father of the goddess of witchcraft, Hecate. Perses had married Asteria, his Titan cousin. Hecate is also named Perseis, indicating that she was the daughter of Perses.
Hecate was a figure that was even revered by the supreme god Zeus, after the rise of the Olympians. Perses is also occasionally named as father of Chariclo, wife of Chiron.
The genealogy of the Greek gods is of course recorded in Hesiod’s Theogony, and it is in this work that Hesiod makes a claim that seems not to be backed up by any other surviving source. For, Hesiod claims -
"And Eurybia, bright goddess, was joined in love to Crius and bare great Astraeus, and Pallas, and Perses who was preeminent among all men in wisdom."
There is no other source that makes reference to Perses as being wise, and Perses’ only universally recognised trait was as a destroyer.
Hecate was a figure that was even revered by the supreme god Zeus, after the rise of the Olympians. Perses is also occasionally named as father of Chariclo, wife of Chiron.
The genealogy of the Greek gods is of course recorded in Hesiod’s Theogony, and it is in this work that Hesiod makes a claim that seems not to be backed up by any other surviving source. For, Hesiod claims -
"And Eurybia, bright goddess, was joined in love to Crius and bare great Astraeus, and Pallas, and Perses who was preeminent among all men in wisdom."
There is no other source that makes reference to Perses as being wise, and Perses’ only universally recognised trait was as a destroyer.
|
|
Colin Quartermain - Perses - 24th January 2026