Reference
From Chaos to the Olympians — Every Generation Explained
In the beginning was Chaos, a formless void. From Chaos emerged the first beings: Gaia (Earth), Tartarus (the Abyss beneath the earth), Eros (Love/Desire), Erebus (Darkness), and Nyx (Night). Erebus and Nyx produced Aether (Upper Air/Light) and Hemera (Day). Nyx, by herself, also produced a vast brood of dark spirits: Thanatos (Death), Hypnos (Sleep), the Moirai (Fates), Nemesis (Retribution), the Keres (Death Spirits), Eris (Strife), and many others. These primordial beings are the fundamental forces of the cosmos, older and in some ways more powerful than the gods who came after.
Gaia, without a partner, produced Uranus (Sky), Ourea (Mountains), and Pontus (Sea). She then took Uranus as her consort. Together they produced the twelve Titans: Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, Theia, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Tethys, and Cronus. They also produced the three Cyclopes (Brontes, Steropes, Arges) and three Hecatoncheires (Cottus, Briareos, Gyges). Gaia and Pontus produced the ancient sea gods: Nereus, Thaumas, Phorcys, Ceto, and Eurybia.
The Titans married among themselves and produced the next generation. Cronus and Rhea produced the six original Olympians: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Hyperion and Theia produced Helios (Sun), Selene (Moon), and Eos (Dawn). Coeus and Phoebe produced Leto and Asteria. Iapetus and the Oceanid Clymene produced Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, and Menoetius. Oceanus and Tethys produced the 3,000 Oceanids and the river gods.
Zeus was the most prolific father in mythology. With Hera, he fathered Ares, Hephaestus (in some accounts), Hebe, and Eileithyia. With Leto, he fathered the divine twins Apollo and Artemis. With Demeter, he fathered Persephone. With Maia, he fathered Hermes. With Semele, he fathered Dionysus. With Dione (or from sea foam), came Aphrodite. Athena was born from Zeus's head after he swallowed her mother Metis. Through mortal women, Zeus fathered Heracles, Perseus, Helen, Minos, and dozens of other heroes and demigods.
Poseidon fathered the Cyclops Polyphemus, the hero Theseus (disputed), the winged horse Pegasus (through Medusa), and Triton. Ares and Aphrodite produced Eros (in some versions), Phobos (Fear), Deimos (Terror), and Harmonia. Apollo fathered Asclepius, Orpheus (disputed), and many others. Hermes fathered Pan (in some accounts).
The children of gods and mortals produced the great heroes of mythology. Heracles (son of Zeus and Alcmene), Perseus (son of Zeus and Danaë), Achilles (son of the sea nymph Thetis and Peleus), Theseus (son of Poseidon or Aegeus), and Helen (daughter of Zeus and Leda) are among the most famous. These demigods were stronger and more capable than ordinary humans but still mortal, and their stories explore the tension between divine heritage and human limitation.
Cross-referenced with multiple classical sources for accuracy.