World at War  /  Conflicts  /  Greek Mythology
Wars of the Olympians

Gigantomachy

3080–3079 BC Phlegra Status: ended Casualties: All giants slain

Gaia bore the Giants — Alcyoneus, Porphyrion, Ephialtes — to overthrow the Olympians. A prophecy: only with the aid of a mortal could the gods prevail. Heracles loosed his arrows; the giants fell. The frieze of the Pergamon Altar is the great image. Apollodorus, Library 1.6.

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Belligerents

  • Olympians & Heracles
  • Giants — sons of Gaia

Casualties

All giants slain

Key events

  • Earth bears the Giants to avenge the Titans
  • Oracle: no god alone can slay them
  • Heracles called from earth
  • Athena casts Sicily on Enceladus
  • Porphyrion lusts for Hera; Zeus thunders, Heracles shoots

Aftermath

Established the principle of god-mortal cooperation — read forward into Heracles's apotheosis.

Weapons & matériel

  • Heracles's bow
  • Athena's aegis
  • Apollo's arrows
  • Trees and burning torches

Sources

  • Apollodorus 1.6
  • Pindar Nemean 1
  • Pergamon Altar frieze
From World at War, an interactive atlas by Jairus Pereira. Figures are approximate, drawn from Wikipedia, UCDP, ACLED and academic sources — a design artefact, not an authoritative register. Contact.