Comments (Meaning / History Only)

It is more likely that (rather than meaning "horned'), this name is Indo-European in origin, meaning "the cutter" as an allusion to his creation of the sky using a scythe or other sharp tool. It is also an allusion to his castration of Uranus, the primordial male deity that ruled heaven prior to Kronus' ascent. This myth is also recorded in the Mesopotamian myth of the sky (anu) being castrated by Kumarbi (a chthonic, or earth, deity), who ascends to his throne. As someone who has studied the languages, myth, and history of the Levant and Mesopotamia, I find this origin far more likely than that Kronus comes from the Hebrew for horned (which would associate Kronus with the Canaanite deity El). Additionally, the name of Kronus consort Rhea can be traced to Indo-European origins and it is likely they were associated together before they entered into the Greek cosmology.
According to Wikipedia,
"The etymology of the name is obscure. It may be related to "horned", suggesting a possible connection with the ancient Indian demon Kroni or the Levantine deity El. In the Alexandrian and Renaissance periods there was some confusion with the word χρόνος, Chronos, meaning time."
I was always taught that it is from "Chronos," time.

Comments are left by users of this website. They are not checked for accuracy.

Add a Comment