Iapetus (Ancient Greek: Ἰαπετός) was the Titan Lord of the West and god of mortality. He is the son of Uranus and Gaia. With his wife Clymene or Asia, he bore Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius. He is also the father of Buphagus with Thornax, 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 (according to Hesiod) or Asia (according to Apollodorus). She bore him four sons: Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus and Menoetius.
According to Pausanias he is the father of Buphagus by Thornax and according to Stephanius of Byzantium he is the father of Anchiale,
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.
Progenitor of Mankind[]
As his son Prometheus created humanity out of clay and his son Deucalion was the progenitor of humans, Iapetus is regarded as the ultimate progenitor of mankind as such Hesiod and other Greek scholars regarded the sons of Iapetus as mankind's ancestors and as such, some of humanity's worst qualities were said to have been inherited from these four gods, each of whom were described with a particular moral fault that often led to their own downfall. For instance, sly and clever Prometheus could perhaps represent crafty scheming; the inept and guileless Epimetheus, foolish stupidity; the enduring, strongest and powerful Atlas, excessive daring; and the arrogant Menoetius, rash violence.
In Popular Culture[]
In Literature[]
- Iapetus appears in the manga Saint Seiya by Masami Kurumada.
- 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 (this happened in The Demigod Files), and refers to himself as 'Bob'.
- Iapetus appears in Rick Riordan's novel The Sun and the Star where Nico di Angelo and Will Solace venture to Tartarus to rescue Iapetus,
In Television[]
- Iapetus appears in the ninth episode of the adult animated comedy television series Krapopolis, He is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson
Gallery[]
| Titans | |
|---|---|
| Parents | Ouranós • Gaîa |
| Elder Titans | Coeus • Crius • Cronus • Hyperion • Iapetus • Oceanus |
| Elder Titanesses | Dione • Mnemosyne • Phoebe • Theia • Rhea • Themis • Tethys |
| Coeonides | Asteria • Leto |
| Crionides | Astraeus • Pallas • Perses |
| Hyperionides | Eos • Hḗlios • Selene |
| Iapetonides | Atlas • Epimetheus • Menoetius • Prometheus |
| Oceanides | Potamoi • Rhode • Styx |
| Others | Anemoi • Astra Planeta • Kratos • Eurynome • Hecate • Lelantos • Melisseus • Metis • Nike • Ophion |
| Topics | Overthrowing of Ouranós • Titanomachy |