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Iapetus was the titan lord of the West and god of mortality. He is the son of Uranus and Gaia. With his wife Clymene, he bore Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius. He is also the father of Buphagus, with Thornaxe, and Anchiale. In some sources, instead of Clymene, he consorted with Asia.

Etymology[]

The name "Iapetus" derives from the Greek "iapto" ("wound, pierce"), and usually refers to a spear, implying that Iapetus may have been regarded as a god of craftsmanship, though scholars mostly describe him as the god of mortality.

Family[]

Iapetus was a son of Uranus, primordial god of the sky and Gaia, primordial goddess of Earth. He was a brother of Cronus, who ruled the world during the Golden Age. His wife was the Oceanid Clymene. Clymene bore him four sons: Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus and Menoetius.

Iapetus in mythology[]

Castration of Uranus[]

Iapetos and four of his brothers conspired against their father when he had control over the heavens, earth, and underworld. Iapetos, Crius, Coeus, and Hyperion each hid in each of the farthest corners of the earth when Uranus descended to earth to lie with Gaia. Iapetos and his brothers grabbed onto Uranus and Cronus snuck up under him and castrated him. Cronus then became the ruler of the heavens, earth, and underworld. Iapetus was located in the westernmost part of the earth which is why he rules over the west. This position was eventually taken over by his son, Atlas, as the bearer of the sky.

Imprisonment[]

After the Titanomachy, Iapetos was imprisoned with his brothers in Tartarus. Some myths say that Zeus eventually released him from his prison.

In Popular Culture[]

In Literature[]

  • Iapetus appears in Rick Riordan's novel The House of Hades as a janitor of Hades' palace who had lost his memory in the River Lethe, and refers to himself as 'Bob'.

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