KRATOS: Who is he?, Biblical meaning, in Greek mythology and more

A symbol of masculinity, strength and power, Kratos is a character from Greek mythology, who was part of the elite warriors of the god Zeus, which also includes his brothers.

Participating in decisive fights and conflicts for Olympus, this character earned the fame of a great warrior, capturing the interest of other deities of the Hellenic pantheon.

Learn everything about this character from Greek mythology and the stories that surround him by reading this article.

Who is Kratos?

Known in Roman mythology as Potestas, the brave Kratos or Cratos is considered to be strength and authority made man.

Son of a Titan and an Oceanid, he fought alongside his brothers Bia, Nike and Zelo, in the Gigantomachy and the Titanomachy.

However, this character is not present in a wide variety of Greek myths, perhaps the most relevant being the capture and chaining of Prometheus, the well-known titan benefactor of humans.

It is said that both he and his brothers were honored and lived with the Father of the Gods, after supporting them in their battles against titans and giants. (See article: The Goddess Artemis)

In Greek mythology

In the stories of ancient Greece, Kratos or Cratos, personified strength and power, being a skilled and fearsome warrior.

He is the son of Pallas, the titan of wisdom, and Styx, an oceanid. Brother of Zelo, personification of rivalry and discord, Bía related to violence and strength and Nike, considered the goddess of victory.

In ancient Greek its name is Κράτος Krátos, which translated as power, strength or dominion. Together with his brothers they fought for Zeus against the Titans, whom Zeus then imprisoned in Tartarus.

Later he also faced the giants, fathered by Gaia, who created a counterpart of each Olympian god, in order to defeat them.

Ancient stories say that Kratos and his brothers lived with Zeus and were honored by him, in gratitude for supporting them in the legendary and fierce battles against titans and giants.

Some Greek stories indicate that Kratos has another origin, being one of the many sons of Zeus.

However, even though he was an outstanding warrior, it can be noted that his participation in Zeus’ entourage was brief and his power is highlighted in the mythological stories of Greece in:

The Titanomachy or War of the Titans, which was fought for ten years before the existence of humans. Facing the two races of deities that existed, the Titans and the Olympians. The Gigantomachy or war of the giants, occurs after the war with the Titans and they were confined to Tartarus, Gaia, to her displeasure, creates the giants to destroy the gods of the Olympic pantheon.

The punishment of Prometheus

The most outstanding episode that Greek mythology relates, referring to Kratos, is the chaining of the Titan Prometheus, a task he carried out with Hephaestus and his sister Bia.

Prometheus was known as the Titan, friend of mortals, cunning and intelligent, he is honored for taking the fire of the gods on Olympus and stealing it from the stem of a cane, to give it back to humans, who had been deprived of their used by the god Zeus.

By disobeying Zeus and returning fire to men, he unleashed the wrath of the god who devised a way to capture him to punish him.

The titan ally of men was captured and chained. This work was carried out by Cratos (Strength), Bia (Violence) and Hephaestus.

However, in this process Hephaestus hesitates, since he and the titan were related, but Kratos urges him on and reminds him that he must not disobey Zeus.

Chaining Prometheus to the Caucasus by Kratos and Bia, with chains forged by the blacksmith deity Hephaestus, the titan had to fulfill the cruel punishment imposed by the proud Zeus.

In this appearance of Kratos, perhaps the most important of this character, he represents an executor of Zeus’s revenge.

Origin of the warrior

Kratos turns out to be an interesting character in the mythology of ancient Greece, since his performance as a warrior is unquestionable, being the embodiment of strength and power.

However, his life is wrapped in stories full of contradictions, without knowing with certainty what this character’s life was really like.

Such is the case of its origins, which is not very clear. There are two versions that compete in popularity and that place him in different positions, especially with respect to the Olympic gods.

Son of Titans

One of the most popular stories about his origin tells that Kratos is the son of the Titan of wisdom Pallas, son of Crio and Eurybia.

His mother is Styx or Estix, an Oceanid daughter of Oceanus and Thetis, although it is also suggested that she is a goddess daughter of darkness and night (Erebus and Nyx).

In this case, Kratos is considered a fairly distant relative of the gods of Olympus, far from being a simple mortal, nor was he a direct descendant of the gods. However, he considered himself a battle companion of Zeus, being the sentinel of his throne and executor of his will.

The son of the Father of the Gods

Stories were also told in Ancient Greece, where Kratos considered himself one of the long list of sons of Zeus, with an unknown mortal.

This would make Kratos a demigod, in any case changing his position with respect to the Olympians.

The story, even though it does not have greater relevance for many, became popular enough to be considered something important by the collective of the time.

Appearance

Kratos is a character who does not appear throughout his story in the same way as other deities.

He generally makes an appearance when he is summoned by a character who requires his help, especially when his strength and skill is a necessity.

Kratos’ presence is almost always accompanied by Bia and Nike, especially in battles. He also invoked with Dike, god of justice.

Kratos is not only associated with strength and power on the battlefield, but he is also associated with violence.

In other cases he appears as some Greek gods, who exist more as an idea, a phenomenon or an element than as an actual character, so in some stories it is common to hear or see his name, without the character being introduced.

Biblical meaning

According to the sacred scriptures, for Christians: the Kingdom of God does not consist of words, but of power. (1 Corinthians 4:19-20).

There are five words in the holy scriptures in Greek that, when translated, mean strength or power. One of these is Kratos, which means, manifested dominion or power, force that is realized or performed.

It is related to the regent or governing authority, the power that is evidenced or exhibited by the authorities.

Some of the Bible verses where Kratos is mentioned, but not as a character but as strength or power are:

Daniel 7:13-14

I looked in the night vision, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, there came one like a son of man, who came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him.

And dominion, glory, and kingdom were given to him, that all peoples, nations, and languages ​​should serve him; His dominion is an eternal dominion, which will never pass away, and his kingdom one that will not be destroyed.

Daniel 4:26

And as for the order to leave the stump of the roots of the same tree in the earth, it means that your kingdom will remain firm for you, once you recognize that heaven rules.

Philippians 2:9-10

Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him a name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. land.

History as a real character

Cratos or Kratos, as it was actually written in its ancient language, was a character who is said to have been born in Sparta, a Greek city that was home to a large number of popular heroes and warriors.

Kratos was a young man with unusual strength, cunning and resistant, being recruited by the famous Spartan army when he was of the appropriate age.

He grew up separated from his mother and his younger brother, dedicating himself fully to his military career and achieving enough merit to advance, standing out in his troops, he reached the rank of general.

He demonstrated the ability to lead large armies, having a large number of soldiers at his command and service.

Great feats are attributed to the general and the troops under his command, barbarian armies and peoples were defeated.

But everything changes, Kratos’s life as he knew it, full of triumphs, victories and vanity, would not be the same.

Even though his combat strategies were cunning and surprising, in the battle north of the Germanic area, he found a well-prepared army that in many ways surpassed his troops.

His soldiers fell one by one in the battle, annihilated with great ease, no matter how much strength, fierceness and determination he put into his fight, Kratos was cornered by his powerful opponent.

Trying to save his life and keep his honor intact, this native general of Sparta in a desperate gesture invoked the god Ares, the deity of wars.

He asked for protection and help for him and his troops, in exchange for his fidelity and loyalty forever. The cunning Olympian god, upon hearing this promise, heeded his call.

He wiped out the troops opposing Kratos in a flash; Blood, explosions and death covered the battlefield, all caused by Ares.

Once his bloody work was completed, the Olympian god gave the swords of chaos to Kratos, as a way to seal and close the pact between the two.

Needless to say, the god of war entrusted the most varied and diverse tasks to his soldier, who from then on was known as the loyal soldier of Ares, god of war.

He brought violence and death, destroying everything with every step he took, of course following all the orders of his master and master.

It was common for their orders to involve destroying and murdering entire towns and villages, gathering more men into their ranks, who no longer had a home to return to.

Kratos only left misery, tragedies and deaths in his wake, without further questions or questioning. One night, the target was another village, however, the local oracle predicted pain and sadness if they attacked, something terrible could happen and he begged them not to enter the temple.

The troops and their general ignored the prophecy, entered the village and murdered mercilessly, blind with fury and thirsty for blood, nothing was left alive that day.

Once his work was completed, the general who faithfully served his lord Ares, discovered among the sea of ​​blood and bodies, the corpse of his wife and daughter.

The only explanation he received from the malicious Olympian god, who had set such a trap for him, was that both deaths were necessary and essential to transform himself into the best warrior.

And the cunning god Ares knew, the only people with the power to make Kratos change were his family.

Enraged and mad with rage, the faithful soldier swore revenge on the god of war, however, the damage was done and was irreversible. The oracle cursed him for not listening to and obeying his advice and gave him a punishment that did not…