Rhea
Family: Greek · Role: goddess · First appears: Book 5 · Chapter 7
When Zeus was born, Rhea entrusted him to the Idæan Dactyli for protection. While pregnant with him, she sought the protection of Hoplodamus and the other Giants in case Cronos attacked her; at Mt Lycæeus she bore Zeus and, after childbirth, the Nymphs purified her.
At Arne, Rhea hid Poseidon among the flocks, fed with lambs, and deceived Cronos with a foal in his place. She later gave Cronos a stone wrapped in swaddling-clothes instead of Zeus, “pretending it was the child she had just given birth to.” Hopladamus also summoned Giants to aid her.
Relationship record
Life events
- Rhea entrusted the infant Zeus to the five Idæan Dactyli for protection.(Book 5 · Chapter 7)
- Rhea hides Poseidon and deceives Cronos with a foal, later substituting a stone for Zeus.(Book 8 · Chapter 8 · 📍 Arne)
- Hopladamus summoned giants to aid Rhea.(Book 8 · Chapter 32)
- With: Hopladamus
- “they are said to have belonged to one of the giants, whom Hopladamus called in to aid Rhea”
- Rhea sought Hoplodamus’s protection while pregnant with Zeus.(Book 8 · Chapter 36 · 📍 Thaumasium)
- With: Zeus Hoplodamus
- “Rhea when she was pregnant with Zeus came to this mountain, and got the protection of Hoplodamus and the other Giants with him”
- Rhea bore Zeus, while Cronos was deceived with a stone instead of the child.(Book 8 · Chapter 36 · 📍 Rhea’s Cave)
- Rhea gave birth to Zeus and underwent purification after childbirth.(Book 8 · Chapter 41)
- With: Zeus
- “For when after giving birth to Zeus the Nymphs purified her after travail”
- Rhea presented Cronos with a swaddled stone, pretending it was her newborn child.(Book 9 · Chapter 2 · 📍 Platæa)
- With: Cronos
- “As you enter it Rhea is before you carrying to Cronos the stone wrapt up in swaddling-clothes, pretending it was the child she had just given birth to.”
- Rhea deceived Cronos with a stone instead of Zeus.(Book 9 · Chapter 41 · 📍 Petrachos)
- With: Cronos
- “They say that it was here that Cronos was deceived by Rhea with a stone instead of Zeus”
Book 5 · Chapter 7
- with Zeus (Rhea entrusted Zeus's care to the Idæan Dactyli.) “when Zeus was born, Rhea entrusted the charge of the boy to the Idæan Dactyli, who were otherwise called the Curetes”
Book 8 · Chapter 8
- child: Poseidon “When Rhea gave birth to Poseidon, the little boy was deposited with the flocks and fed with the lambs”
- child: Zeus “just as afterwards instead of Zeus she gave him a stone wrapt up in swaddling-clothes”
- with Cronos (Rhea deceived Cronos about Poseidon's birth.) “And Rhea told Cronos that she had given birth to a foal, and gave him a foal to eat up instead of the little boy”
Book 8 · Chapter 32
- with Hopladamus (Hopladamus called in a giant or giants to aid Rhea.) “one of the giants, whom Hopladamus called in to aid Rhea”
Book 8 · Chapter 36
- child: Zeus (Rhea is the mother of Zeus.) “Rhea bore Zeus on part of Mt Lycæeus”
- guardian: Hoplodamus (Hoplodamus protected Rhea.) “Rhea when she was pregnant with Zeus came to this mountain, and got the protection of Hoplodamus and the other Giants with him”
- enemies with Cronos (Cronos is described as threatening to attack Rhea.) “Rhea when she was pregnant with Zeus came to this mountain, and got the protection of Hoplodamus and the other Giants with him, in case Cronos should attack her”
- with Hoplodamus (interaction) “Rhea when she was pregnant with Zeus came to this mountain, and got the protection of Hoplodamus and the other Giants with him”
Book 8 · Chapter 41
- child: Zeus (Rhea is Zeus's mother.) “For when after giving birth to Zeus the Nymphs purified her after travail, they threw into this river the afterbirth, which the ancients called Lymata.”
Book 9 · Chapter 2
- with Cronos (Rhea presented Cronos with a stone disguised as a child.) “As you enter it Rhea is before you carrying to Cronos the stone wrapt up in swaddling-clothes, pretending it was the child she had just given birth to.”
- with Praxiteles (Praxiteles sculpted the statue of Rhea described immediately before this sentence.) “Both these statues are in Pentelican marble by Praxiteles.”
Book 9 · Chapter 41
- with Cronos (Rhea deceives Cronos.) “They say that it was here that Cronos was deceived by Rhea with a stone instead of Zeus”
⭐ Constellation map → · 📖 Read the original → · 🗂 Character index → · 🕰 Chronicle → · 📍 Places →
Extracted from the original text of Pausanias' Description of Greece. Made with Rho MD.