Discover the fascinating story of the goddess Rhea , responsible for bringing into the world the gods who, over the years, would become the heart of Greek religion. She was the daughter of Uranus and Gaia and the mother of important gods such as Poseidon and Zeus. Learn more about her cult and attributes.
goddess rhea
In our article today you can learn more about the history, cult and attributes of the Goddess Rhea, considered one of the most important deities in Greek mythology. She is the daughter of Uranus and Gea, she had five brothers and six sisters. In Greek mythology she is identified with the moon, as well as the swan.
The Goddess Rhea is the Titan sister and wife of Cronus, as well as being the mother of Demeter, Hades, Hera Hestia, Poseidon and Zeus. While it is true that most classical Greeks regarded her as the mother of the Olympian gods, they did not recognize her as an Olympian goddess.
History of the Goddess Rhea
In this part of our article we will be briefly learning about the history of the Goddess Rhea. The first thing we can highlight about her life has to do with her family environment. This goddess had a total of six titan brothers, among them Oceanus, Crio, Ceo, Hyperion, Iapetus and Crono.
Rea was also part of a family made up of five Titan sisters, among whom were Tea, Themis, Tetis, Phoebe and Mnemosyne. After her brother Crono proceeded to dethrone her father, the Goddess Rea decides to join with him to take absolute control, until they become the kings of the gods.
It was a time known as the Golden Age. It was called that because at that time all people were characterized by being honest and loyal, that is, they acted in the most correct way before society, without the need to resort to special laws or regulations. It was a really golden age.
From the relationship with his brother Crono a total of six children were born, who were named Hestia, Hera, Poseidon, Hades and Zeus. Crono was devouring each one of them as they were born, since there was a prophecy by their parents Uranus and Gea in which it was ensured that Crono would be dethroned by one of his children, just as Crono himself had done with his father.
To try to prevent the materialization of that prophecy, Crono got used to devouring each of his children as they were born. Knowing all this scenario, the Goddess Rhea was forced to organize a plan: she decides to flee to the island of Crete and take refuge in that place to give birth to her son Zeus.
The goal of the Goddess Rhea was to hide in a distant place and only to prevent her brother and husband Crono from proceeding to devour her son Zeus, who would be in charge of teaching his father a lesson and overthrowing him as outlined in the prophecy. The plan organized by the Goddess Rhea also consisted of tricking Cronus.
As soon as she gave birth, he gave her a stone wrapped in blankets to make him believe that the body of the new son Zeus was inside those blankets. Crono ate what was inside him without thinking that it was a trick on his wife's part. He believed that he, too, had devoured Zeus, just as he had done with his other children.
Several years passed and Zeus reached his maturity, becoming a strong man with a lot of gallantry. He armed himself with all his strength to fight against his father Crono, whose abdomen he opened to rescue each of his previously devoured siblings.
Zeus' brothers came out in the reverse order to the one in which he was born, the youngest was no longer the youngest, now he was the oldest. In this way the titanomachy was unleashed, a rebellion that provokes the war between the titans and the gods of Olympus. The Goddess Rea did not hesitate at any time to support her children and not her husband.
The attitude of the Goddess Rhea served her so that her children will forgive her for having allowed Cronus to devour them without compassion. The sons of Rhea were finally able to emerge victorious from the battle and overthrow Cromo just as Gea and Uranus had prophesied.
Rea: Goddess of female fertility, motherhood and generation
The Goddess Rhea is considered the queen of female fertility, motherhood and generation. The name of this deity from Greek mythology means "flow" and "ease". She being the wife of Cronos she represented the eternal flow of time and generations; And like the great Mother, the "flow" was reflected in the menstrual blood, the waters of birth and the milk.
Within Greek mythology, the Goddess Rhea was also considered a goddess of ease and well-being. Because she was a goddess who represented nature and fertility, she had been given the oak, the lion and the pine. Among her main assistants were the Curetes, coribantes and the nymphs daughters of Melissa.
These assistants of the Goddess Rhea were in charge of providing protection to the God Zeus so that he would not be discovered by his father while he was forming himself as a strong and warrior man.
Cults
Beyond her popularity and influence within Greek mythology, the truth is that the Goddess Rhea did not have an extended cult compared to other important deities of the time. According to history, this goddess did not have a specific powerful cult, even no activity was under absolute control.
In one of the few areas where the Goddess Rhea was worshiped was on the island of Crete, where she gave birth to her son Zeus and where she hid him for many years to prevent his father Cronus from devouring him. On the island she handed it over to the corybantes and trusting that they would give it the required care, it became a divine temple of worship.
Each of these corybantes went out of their way to ensure the safety and well-being of Zeus, practically becoming his personal guardians. They also became the faithful priest-followers of the goddess Rhea. Little by little, new acts of cult surrender to the goddess Rhea were created.
One way of worshiping the Goddess Rhea was through strident singing and rhythmic dancing, accompanied by tambourines, clashing shields, and cymbals. In a short time the goddess became a cult center in that territory.
Attributes, assistants and curiosities
The goddess Rhea was considered the goddess of nature and fertility and for that reason she was given the lion, the oak and the pine. If we talk about her assistants, we cannot fail to mention the Curetes and the nymphs, daughters of Meliseo, who became the main assistants of the goddess Rhea, especially in the care and protection of the child Zeus.
The main cult center of the goddess Rhea was Crete and in art she was represented as a mature woman enthroned with a drum and a crown adorned with towers, in a chariot pulled by two lions. It is also important to mention some curiosities that revolve around the history of this deity of Greek mythology.
- Did you know that one of the icy medium satellites of the fifth planet of the Solar System, Saturn, is called Rhea, just like one of the mounts of Venus?
"The craters on the surface of the moon Rhea are named after creator or celestial gods from various mythologies."
- Asteroid 65 is called Cibeles and 2736 Ops, a name that also bears one of the crowns of Venus.
Representation in ancient literature
The Goddess Rhea appears represented in many of the works belonging to ancient literature. A clear example of this is Homer, where Rhea is the mother of the gods, although not the universal mother like Cibeles, the Great Phrygian Mother with whom she later identified.
In Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes, the mix between Rhea and Cybele Phrygia is complete. The seer Mopsus expresses to Jason in Argonautics:
“For thanks to her the winds and the sea are well tested, and all the earth in its foundations, and the snowy abode of Olympus; Even when she ascends from the mountains to the wide sky, Zeus Cronida himself gives way to her, and the other happy Immortals also venerate this terrible goddess... »
Although the Goddess Rhea is certainly not considered a Goddess, but rather a Titaness, her popularity and influence is unquestionable. Let us remember that a Titaness is the title that is given to the first generation of the gods after the dethrone of Uranus. The Goddess Rhea is represented almost always in the same way:
Sitting, in her carriage or on a throne for being the first Queen of the Goddesses. One of the symbols that she almost always accompanied her is the lion, which usually goes to her right. By that symbol is that she is identified as the goddess of beasts. Among another of her main symbols is the moon and the swan.
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