Origin
Cronus is the youngest of the Titans, son of Ouranos, the Sky, and Gaia, the Earth. Ouranos kept his children locked inside their mother. At Gaia’s request, Cronus takes up a sickle, mutilates his father and seizes power.
The story
But a prophecy announces that he too will be overthrown by one of his sons. To prevent it, he swallows his children one by one as soon as they are born. Only Zeus escapes, thanks to Rhea’s trick. Once grown, Zeus dethrones him, and the prophecy comes true.
In Rome, Cronus becomes Saturn, god of sowing, linked to a golden age when people lived without toil. He was celebrated in December during the Saturnalia, when masters served their slaves. His name, close to Chronos, time, gave rise to the image of the old man with an hourglass.
The symbol
Saturn is famous for its rings of ice and rock. It is the most distant planet visible to the naked eye: for the ancients, it marked the edge of the known world. It takes about 29 and a half years to go around the Sun.
In astrology, Saturn stands for structure, limits, responsibilities and maturity. It rules Capricorn and Aquarius. Its return to its birth position, around the age of 29, often marks an important stage in life.