Symbol or Attributes of Rhea: May be shown holding a wrapped stone which she pretended was the baby Zeus. Sometimes she is seated in a throne on in a chariot. Lions may be in attendance with her.
Rhea's Strengths: A fertile mother goddess; crafty; daring.
Rhea's Weaknesses: Put up with Cronus eating her children for far too long.
Rhea's Parents: Gaia and Ouranos. Rhea is considered to be one of the Titans, the generation of gods preceding the Olympians of which her son Zeus became the leader.
Rhea's Spouse: Cronus (Kronos)
Children of Rhea: Many of the 12 Olympians are her offspring - Demeter, Hades, Hera, Hestia, Poseidon, and Zeus. She is most renowned as the mother of Zeus.
Some Major Temple Sites of Rhea: She had a temple at Phaistos on the island of Crete and was believed to have come from Crete. The Archaeological Museum in Piraeus has a partial statue and some stones from a temple to the Mother of the Gods, a common title used with Rhea.
Rhea's Basic Story:Rhea was married to Kronos, who feared that his own child would fight with and replace him as King of the Gods, just as he had done with his own father Ouranos. So when Rhea gave birth, he gobbled up the children. They did not die, but remained trapped in his body. Rhea finally grew tired of losing her children in this way and managed to get Kronos to take a wrapped rock instead of her most recent baby, Zeus. Zeus was raised in a cave on Crete and then fought his father, freeing his brothers and sisters.
Frequent Misspellings and Alternate Spellings: Rea, Raya, Rhaea, Rheia.
Interesting Facts about Rhea: Rhea is sometimes confused with Gaia; both are strong mother goddesses believed to rule over heaven and earth.
More Fast Facts on Greek Gods and Goddesses:
The 12 Olympians - Gods and Goddesses - Greek Gods and Goddesses - Temple Sites - Aphrodite - Apollo - Ares - Artemis - Athena - Demeter- Gaia - Hades - Helios - Hephaestus- Hera - Hercules - Hermes - Kronos - Medusa - Nike - Pan- Pandora - Pegasus - Persephone - Zeus.
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