Rhea
Family: Titanides · Role: goddess · First appears: Apollodorus, Library 1.1
🌐 Also appears in: The Iliad (as Rhea)
Rhea was one of the Titanides born to Sky and Earth, and was also named among the children of Heaven. At Tartarus, Cronus—her brother—wedded her: “But he again bound and shut them up in Tartarus, and wedded his sister Rhea;” From this union, Rhea bore children to Cronus.
When she was about to bear Zeus, Rhea went to Crete and gave birth to him in a cave of Dicte, entrusting him to nurses while he was fed and guarded there. She concealed him from Cronus by giving him a swaddled stone instead: “But Rhea wrapped a stone in swaddling clothes and gave it to Cronus to swallow, as if it were the newborn child.” In later accounts, Rhea purified Dionysus and taught him the rites of initiation, while Oenone learned prophecy from her.
Relationship record
Life events
- Cronus rebound the rescued brethren in Tartarus and wedded his sister Rhea.(Apollodorus, Library 1.1 · 📍 Tartarus)
- Rhea gave birth to Zeus in a cave of Dicte and entrusted him to nurses.(Apollodorus, Library 1.1 · 📍 a cave of Dicte)
- With: Zeus
- “Enraged at this, Rhea repaired to Crete , when she was big with Zeus, and brought him forth in a cave of Dicte. She gave him to the Curetes and to the nymphs Adrastia and Ida, daughters of Melisseus, to nurse.”
- Rhea deceived Cronus with a swaddled stone while Zeus was fed and guarded in the cave.(Apollodorus, Library 1.1 · 📍 the cave)
- With: Cronus Zeus Amalthea Adrastia Ida
- “So these nymphs fed the child on the milk of Amalthea; and the Curetes in arms guarded the babe in the cave, clashing their spears on their shields in order that Cronus might not hear the child's voice. But Rhea wrapped a stone in swaddling clothes and gave it to Cronus to swallow, as if it were the newborn child.”
- Earth and Heaven produce the first generation of Titans.(Hesiod, Theogony 1-116)
- Rhea concealed Zeus, while Earth carried him to Crete and Cronos received a stone instead.(Hesiod, Theogony 453-561 · 📍 Mount Aegeum)
- With: Earth Zeus Cronus
- “Thither came Earth carrying him swiftly through the black night to Lyctus first, and took him in her arms and hid him in a remote cave beneath the secret places of the holy earth on thick-wooded Mount Aegeum; but to the mightily ruling son of Heaven, the earlier king of the gods, she gave a great stone wrapped in swaddling clothes.”
Apollodorus, Library 1.1
- married with Cronus “But he again bound and shut them up in Tartarus, and wedded his sister Rhea;”
- siblings with Cronus “But he again bound and shut them up in Tartarus, and wedded his sister Rhea;”
- child: Zeus “Enraged at this, Rhea repaired to Crete , when she was big with Zeus, and brought him forth in a cave of Dicte.”
- with Cronus (Rhea deceived Cronus to protect Zeus.) “But Rhea wrapped a stone in swaddling clothes and gave it to Cronus to swallow, as if it were the newborn child.”
- parent: Sky “And again he begat children by Earth, to wit, the Titans as they are named: Ocean, Coeus, Hyperion, Crius, Iapetus, and, youngest of all, Cronus; also daughters, the Titanides as they are called: Tethys, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Dione, Thia.”
- parent: Earth “And again he begat children by Earth, to wit, the Titans as they are named: Ocean, Coeus, Hyperion, Crius, Iapetus, and, youngest of all, Cronus; also daughters, the Titanides as they are called: Tethys, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Dione, Thia.”
Apollodorus, Library 3.5
- pupil: Dionysus (Rhea taught Dionysus the rites of initiation.) “And there, after he had been purified by Rhea and learned the rites of initiation, he received from her the costume and hastened through Thrace against the Indians.”
Apollodorus, Library 3.12
- pupil: Oenone “She had learned from Rhea the art of prophecy”
Hesiod, Theogony 1-116
- parent: Heaven “But afterwards she lay with Heaven and bare deep-swirling Oceanus, Coeus and Crius and Hyperion and Iapetus, Theia and Rhea”
Hesiod, Theogony 585-687
- child: Zeus (Rhea is identified as the mother of the gods, including Zeus.) “But the son of Cronos and the other deathless gods whom rich-haired Rhea bare from union with Cronos, brought them up again to the light at Earth’s advising.”
- with Cronus (interaction) “the other deathless gods whom rich-haired Rhea bare from union with Cronos”
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Extracted from the original text of Greek Mythology. Made with Rho MD.