GODDESS RHEA

Greek GODDESS of the earth, mountains and forest. From pre-classic Greece to early Christian times she represented GAIA, the deified earth, and inherited many attributes of the ancient Sumerian GODDESS INANNA.

RHEA'S myths

After CRONUS and castrated URANUS, he and RHEA, his wife, took the throne, a time where there was peace and no violence. But CRONUS heard that one of his sons would end over ruling him, she he decided to swallow all of his children. RHEA was worried, she didn’t want her children swallowed, so for the 6th child, she gave her husband a rock to swallow, in place of the baby, ZEUS. She sent ZEUS to Crete, and, in a cave on mount Dicte, the divine goat AMALTHIA, who raised the baby. ZEUS was able to defeat CRONUS, and RHEA had all her other, five children out of CRONUS, DEMETER, HADES, HERA, HESTIA, and POSEIDON. RHEA'S mother, GAIA gave CRONUS a powerful medicine that made him throw up all the kids he swallowed. Also CRONUS was RHEA'S brother, so RHEA'S husband was her brother.

RHEA was and still is associated with Saturday, one of the holiest days for her. RHEA was identified with CYBELE, the mother of the gods.

RHEA was far more powerful in the days before classical (i.e., patriarchal) mythology came around. In orphic, she was the "inescapable mother RHEA" who sat outside of the house, beating a bronze drum and making sure all humans were paying attention to the oracle of the goddess. In pelasgian myth, she was one of the 14 original titans, paired, of course, with CRONUS. They held dominion over the last days of the week, and the planet Saturn. RHEA was also raped by her son, ZEUS, when she tells him that he may not marry ever! Despite her change to a snake, she also had a big role on her grandson DIONYSUS'S life. She was called CYBELE.

This truly makes a remarkable story and how she conquered CRONUS into trying to swallow her children, I find this very interesting.

Written by Lisa Tarrance

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