Rhea, also known as Rheia, is a significant Titan and mother goddess within Greek mythology. She is the offspring of Gaia (the Earth) and Uranus (the Sky) and is notably recognized as the mother of the esteemed deities of Mount Olympus. Rhea shares a close affiliation with the Phrygian mother goddess Cybele, and her Roman equivalent is Ops, a deity of fertility and harvest.
One of Rhea’s most notable roles is as the mother to the Olympian gods, particularly Zeus, whom she managed to save from his father, Cronus. As a goddess associated with earth and fertility, Rhea garnered widespread devotion across the ancient Greek landscape.
Birth and Lineage
Following Cronus’s conquest of their father, he wed Rhea, and she bore him several children. Hesiod, in his work Theogony, describes Rhea as a daughter of the primordial beings Gaia and Uranus, sharing her ancestry with figures such as Oceanus, Themis, Mnemosyne, Tethys, and Cronus himself.
Uranus, resentful of his progeny, imprisoned them beneath the earth. To remedy this, Gaia devised a strategy, which only Cronus had the courage to enact—he castrated Uranus using a sickle.
Once Cronus had overthrown Uranus, he married Rhea, with whom he had several divine offspring.
“And Rhea, being forced by Cronus, bore most brilliant offspring to him: Hestia, Demeter, golden-slippered Hera, strong Hades, the pitiless god of the underworld, and thoughtful Zeus, father of gods and men, whose thunder makes the wide earth tremble.”
— Hesiod, *Theogony
Rhea and Zeus
Forewarned by Gaia and Uranus of his fate to be overthrown by his children, Cronus swallowed each child Rhea bore to him. Seeking assistance when expecting Zeus, Rhea turned to her parents for help. Following their guidance, she escaped to Crete, where she delivered Zeus in a concealed cave on Mount Dicte. Rhea deceived Cronus by presenting him with a stone wrapped in blankets, which he unwittingly swallowed.
Meanwhile, on Crete, Zeus was nurtured by the nymphs Adrastia and Ida, who fed him the milk of the goat Amaltheia. Rhea believed that her son would ultimately overthrow Cronus. Zeus was eventually provided with a potion by the Oceanid Metis that forced Cronus to regurgitate his children, restoring them in reverse order: first the stone, followed by Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia. This marked the beginning of the reign of the Olympian gods.
Rhea and Dionysus
In classical tradition, Dionysus is recognized as having been born three times. His father, Zeus, took on a mortal guise to be with Semele, who later insisted on witnessing Zeus’s true form, leading to her demise. The unborn Dionysus was then sewn into Zeus’s thigh, resulting in his divine birth.
Upon Hera discovering Dionysus’s existence, her orders for the Titans to dismember him were eventually thwarted by Rhea, who is said to have pieced him back together and returned him to Zeus, disguising him as a ram for protection.
Rhea and Jason
In Argonautica, Apollonius Rhodius recounts an episode involving Jason and the Argonauts. After accidentally killing King Cyzicus, the Argonauts found themselves marooned due to fierce weather. A prophetic halcyon appeared, whose message conveyed that the tempest would cease only upon honoring Rhea. In response, Jason and his crew constructed an altar to her, adorned with oak wreaths, and implored her for calm. Their devotion was rewarded as nature flourished around them, allowing them to resume their journey.
Other Myths
Throughout various Greek myths, Rhea plays a lesser role. In another tale from Argonautica, while Zeus was still in Crete, Cronus encountered the Oceanid Philyra, startling her and quickly transforming into a stallion upon Rhea’s arrival. Additionally, in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, after rescuing Persephone from Hades, Rhea delivered Zeus’s message to Demeter, urging her to return to the gods.
“Come, my child, loid-thundering, far-seeing Zeus calls you to come back to the tribes of the gods…”
— The Homeric Hymns: *Homeric Hymn to Demeter
The Dactyls and Kouretes
Legend states that as Rhea gave birth to Zeus, she pressed her fingers into the earth, from which the Dactyls emerged—five males from her right hand and five females from her left. The male Dactyls would be known for discovering iron, while the females utilized their magical powers. Among them, Celmis was famously transformed into iron as retribution from Rhea for his disrespect.
The Kouretes were companions of Rhea, charged with guarding Zeus during his infancy. Their rhythmic dances and shield clashes muffled his cries from Cronus, ensuring the infant’s protection.
Rhea and Cybele
Rhea was often equated with Cybele, a notable Phrygian goddess revered throughout Greece, Rome, and Anatolia. Over time, they became intertwined in worship, with adherents recognizing both as mother goddesses symbolizing the divine maternal archetype.
The shift in identity solidified Cybele’s status as a goddess of fertility and motherhood, similar to Rhea. Additionally, the ecstatic rituals associated with both goddesses provided a cultural signature observed in their respective worshippers. The visual representations of Rhea solidified her association with Cybele, showcasing her dual aspects through various artistic mediums.
An Enduring Legacy
Rhea’s importance as a mother goddess is reflected in the numerous temples built in her honor. Significant temples dedicated to Rhea existed in Athens, Thebes, and Olympia, where bulls, rams, and goats were sacrificed, signifying renewal of life through rituals such as blood baptism.
Rhea’s influence continues today in the form of the second-largest moon of Saturn, named after her, discovered by Giovanni Domenico Cassini in 1672.
