In Greek mythology, Cronus was the father of Zeus and swallowed his children to prevent a prophecy.
Cronus was a Titan who overthrew his father, Uranus, and became ruler of the cosmos. A prophecy warned that one of his own children would overthrow him, just as he had overthrown Uranus. To avoid that fate, Cronus swallowed each child born to Rhea.
Rhea saved Zeus by hiding him in Crete and giving Cronus a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes instead. When Zeus grew up, he forced Cronus to disgorge the swallowed children: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon. Zeus and his siblings then fought the Titans in the Titanomachy.
Cronus is frequently confused with Chronos, a personification of time in later traditions. The English word “chronology” derives from Chronos, not from the Titan Cronus, although the two figures were sometimes merged in later interpretation.