Hecatonchires

The Hecatonchires, or hundred-handed ones, are figures from Greek mythology described as three gigantic brothers: Cottus, Gyges (also spelled Gyes), and Briareus (also known as Aegaeon). They are among the earliest beings in Hesiodic cosmogony, born of Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (Sky). Each of them is said to possess fifty heads and one hundred hands, though the exact counts vary in different traditions.

In the mythic account, the Hecatonchires initially were imprisoned by their grandfather Cronus in Tartarus, for fear they might aid the Olympian cause. When Zeus waged war against the Titans, the Hecatonchires were released by the Olympians. They fought on Zeus’s side, using their immense strength to hurl rocks and to restrain and crush the Titans, contributing to the downfall of the old order.

After the Titanomachy, Zeus is said to have assigned the Hecatonchires to guard Tartarus, keeping watch over the imprisoned Titans. In some later variations, they appear as powerful yet largely peripheral figures, sometimes cited as guardians or as symbols of the formidable forces that aided Zeus.

Their name, meaning "hundred-handed," reflects their defining characteristic, and their trio of names—Cottus, Gyges, and Briareus/Aegaeon—appears in various ancient sources. In Roman-era retellings, the figures are sometimes conflated or given alternative spellings, but the core idea remains: the Hecatonchires are primordial giants of great strength and extraordinary physical form who played a key role in the overthrow of the Titans and in the governance of the underworld order.