Who was Rhea?
Rhea was the Titan goddess of fertility and the mother of gods and one of the extraordinary number of gods and goddesses worshipped by the Ancient Greeks. The female Titans were called the Titanides. The Titans were the descendents of the first gods or divinities, called the primordial or primeval gods, who were born out of Chaos. The first 12 Titans, that included Rhea were a race of powerful, giant gods from the union of the primordial deities Gaia and Uranus. Rhea married her brother Cronus. Their children were Demeter, Hestia, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus. The legend and myth about Rhea, the Titan goddess of fertility and the mother of gods has been passed down through the ages and plays an important role in the history of the Ancient World of Greece and the study of the Greek classics. Facts about Rhea
Rhea features in the Creation myth of the ancient Greeks which are based on the idea that these supernatural beings resembled mortals but were of gigantic proportions and possessed great magical and mystic powers. Name: Rhea Role & Function: The function of Rhea is described as being the goddess of fertility and the mother of gods Status: A principle goddess in the first dynasty of Titans Gender: Female Name of Husband / Consort: Cronus Name of Father: Uranus Name of Mother: Gaia Names of Brothers (Titans): Oceanus, Hyperion, Coeus, Cronus, Crius and Iapetus Names of Sisters (Titanides): Mnemosyne, Tethys, Theia, Phoebe, Rhea and Themis Names of Children: Demeter, Hestia, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus
The Children of Rhea and Cronus
The famous children of Rhea and Cronus were Hera, Demeter, Hestia, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus. Zeus became the king of the Olympian gods and was the god of the heavens. He married his sister Hera and together they had three children, Ares, Hebe and Hephaestus Hera became the Queen of the Olympian gods and was the Greek goddess of the family Hades became the god of the Underworld and the dead Poseidon became the god god of the sea, tempests and earthquakes Hestia became the goddess of the hearth and the home
Rhea was also the grandmother of Ares, Hebe, Hephaestus and Persephone. Facts about Rhea in Greek Mythology
Discover interesting information and facts about Rhea, the Titan goddess of fertility and the mother of gods. Rhea took the side of the Titans in the War of the Titans She instigated the rebellion of her children against her husband, Cronus which sparked the 10 year War of the Titans against the Olympians She released Enceladus, a great giant to avenge the death of the monster Typhon who was killed by the Olympians Rhea is known as the mother of the gods The Titans were associated with the various planets, Rhea was was associated with the planet Saturn. The second largest moon of the planet Saturn is named after her She was associated with fertility rites, which were particularly prominent in Crete The Romans identified Rhea with the Goddess Ops and Cybele Rhea's symbol is a pair of lions, that pulled her celestial chariot
The Imprisonment of Rhea and the Titans
According to the ancient Greek Creation myth Uranus, the father of Rhea and the other Titans, was terrified of the massive size and strength of his gigantic children and to prevent them rebelling against him, Uranus seized them immediately after their birth and hurled them down into a dark abyss called Tartarus, where he kept his Titan children in chains. Their mother, Gaia, helped them to escape and, led by Cronus, they overthrew their father and took power as the Titan gods. Cronus was no better than his father which led to the War of the Titans. The Titanomachy in Greek Mythology
The Battle of the Titans, called the Titanomachy, was a 10 year war and power struggle that was fought between the Titans and the gods and goddesses who would become known as the Olympians. In ancient Greek mythology Mount Othrys was the base of the Titans during the Battle of the Titans and Mount Olympus was the base of the Olympian gods and goddesses led by Zeus. Mnemosyne, Themis, Oceanus, and Hyperion choose to join the Olympians. |
