Greek Mythology · deity

Rhea

Ῥέα
deitymotherhoodthe earth

Titaness, wife of Cronus, mother of the first Olympians; she hid Zeus from her husband.

Rhea/Cybele statue, Eleusis Archaeological Museum — Rhea/Cybele statue
Rhea/Cybele statue · Deiadameian · undated · Eleusis Archaeological Museum · CC BY-SA 4.0
The account

Who they are

Rhea is a Titaness, daughter of Gaia and Ouranos, and the wife of her brother Cronus [S1]S1 · Hesiod, Theogonyc. 700 BCEtextOpen source ↗. Mother of the first generation of Olympians, she was the one who saved Zeus: when Cronus was devouring their children, Rhea hid the newborn Zeus in a cave on Crete, and gave Cronus a stone wrapped in swaddling-clothes to swallow in his place [S1]S1 · Hesiod, Theogonyc. 700 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S5]S5 · Pseudo-Apollodorus, Library (Bibliotheca)c. 1st–2nd c. CE (transmits earlier)text. This act preserved the line that would overthrow Cronus in the Titanomachy [S1]S1 · Hesiod, Theogonyc. 700 BCEtextOpen source ↗.
Worth knowing
  • She gave Cronus a wrapped stone in place of the infant Zeus [S1]S1 · Hesiod, Theogonyc. 700 BCEtextOpen source ↗[S5]S5 · Pseudo-Apollodorus, Library (Bibliotheca)c. 1st–2nd c. CE (transmits earlier)text.
  • The Cretan cave where Zeus hid is one of the sacred sites Pausanias describes [S6]S6 · Pausanias, Description of Greecec. 150–180 CEtext.
Relationships (2)

Connections

Family & kinship

PARENT_OFZeus — Rhea is a parent of Zeus.[S1]

Partners

PARTNER_OFCronus — Cronus and Rhea are the Titan couple.[S1]
Local graph

Their corner of the divine world

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hierarchical — generations top → bottom, partners side by side
Overlays
FocusRheaGreek
GREEK · 41variantvariant♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥AegisHelmet of HadesCaduceus of Her…Trident of Pose…Thunderbolt of …Alcmenamortalthe mortal mother of Heracles1 relationsAndromedamortalthe rescued princess2 relationsAphroditedeitylove7 relationsAtlasdeitythe sky (bore)1 relationsChaosprimordialorigin2 relationsDanaemortalthe mortal mother of Perseus1 relationsDemeterdeityharvest6 relationsEchidnamonsterthe monster-mother2 relationsGaiadeityearth6 relationsHadesdeitythe dead7 relationsHeradeitymarriage8 relationsHestiadeityhearth1 relationsLetodeitymotherhood (as mother of Apollo/Artemis)2 relationsMedusamonsterthe Gorgon3 relationsMetisdeitycounsel2 relationsOceanusdeitythe great world-river1 relationsOdysseusherocunning2 relationsPenelopemortalthe faithful wife of Odysseus2 relationsPoseidondeitythe sea6 relationsRheadeitymotherhood2 relationsSemelemortalthe mortal mother of Dionysus1 relationsTethysdeitythe primordial sea1 relationsTyphonmonsterthe great monster7 relationsCerberusmonsterthe guardian of the underworld3 relationsErosdeitylove2 relationsHebedeityyouth2 relationsHephaestusdeityfire6 relationsMaiadeitythe nymph2 relationsUranusprimordialsky6 relationsPersephonedeitythe underworld2 relationsTelemachusmortalthe son of Odysseus2 relationsCronusdeitytime (later association)9 relationsZeusdeitysky29 relationsApollodeitysun (later)4 relationsAresdeitywar (violence, bloodshed)3 relationsArtemisdeitythe hunt3 relationsAthenadeitywisdom4 relationsDionysusdeitywine3 relationsHeraclesherostrength7 relationsHermesdeitymessengers5 relationsPerseusheroheroism8 relations
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Myths featuring Rhea

1 story

The Titanomachy (War of the Titans)

Zeus, grown, forced Cronus to disgorge his siblings, freed the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires, and led them to war against the Titans. After a great battle, the Titans were defeated and cast into Tartarus [S1]S1 · Hesiod, Theogonyc. 700 BCEtextOpen source ↗.

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Artworks

Depictions

Rhea/Cybele statue, Eleusis Archaeological Museum — Rhea/Cybele statue
Rhea/Cybele statue · Deiadameian · undated · Eleusis Archaeological Museum · CC BY-SA 4.0
Rhea/Cybele statue · undated
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