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In my previous question, I learned of Typhon's revolt against Zeus. What puzzles me is how Zeus managed to overcome the monstrous giant without any help from the Olympians, or anyone else.

In the Titanomachy, Zeus had a number of very powerful allies by his side; his brothers and sisters, the Hecatonchires and the Cyclopes. Typhon's strength, however, is such that the Olympians abandon their king and flee to Egypt in panic. I think it's safe to assume Gaia's youngest is considered a far more formidable opponent than the combined forces of the Titans.

How is it then possible for Zeus to win the fight? Does his triumph over Typhon imply that his strength has grown considerably since he assumed the throne of Olympus?

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  • "I think it's safe to assume Gaia's youngest is considered a far more formidable opponent than the combined forces of the Titans." I'm not following your logic on this. That doesn't sound like a remotely safe assumption to me.
    – femtoRgon
    Aug 29 '17 at 14:35
  • Great question, regardless!
    – DukeZhou
    Aug 29 '17 at 23:18
  • @femtoRgon The gods conquered the Titans, but panicked and scattered when Typhon appeared. I'm assuming that happened because they didn't feel they stood a chance against the giant.
    – Ouroboros
    Aug 30 '17 at 16:46
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When Typhon appeared at Mount Olympus, the gods flew to Egypt in fear. Zeus didn't as he was frozen and had his shins stolen by the storm giant. Hermes got them back and in his anger Zeus defeated Typhon.

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    @Gibet This is a fair summary of the account of the story given in Pseudo-Apollodorus Bibliotheca (although Hermes wasn't alone in helping Zeus, Aegipan is also mentioned). This is by no means a stellar answer, but it does explain why Zeus didn't flee with the rest; he was immobilised by Typhon.
    – yannis ♦
    Oct 15 '17 at 19:37
  • @yannis, but it isn't canonical variant, is it?
    – rus9384
    Oct 16 '17 at 8:20
  • To be honest, I'm not sure why any of the versions of the story would be considered canonical @rus9384. You've mentioned Hesiod, but the more elaborate descriptions of Typhon, for example, come from Dionysiaca - a Hellenistic epic written a millennium after Hesiod.
    – yannis ♦
    Oct 16 '17 at 9:03
  • @yannis, usually older means closer to original, however, older is also usually less complete. Such a dichotomy.
    – rus9384
    Oct 16 '17 at 9:09
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    @rus9384 What original? These weren't static stories, they changed over time, sometimes dramatically.
    – yannis ♦
    Oct 16 '17 at 9:11

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