Who was Rhea? Rhea was an earth goddess, responsible for soil fertility, women and motherhood. He took over most of these responsibilities from his mother Gaia/Gaea. Rhea was the “Mother of the Gods”, her name means “flow” and “ease”. Rhea was the goddess of motherhood and not only that: she saved her children from their brother and husband. Rhea is the daughter of Gaia, goddess of the earth and Uranus, god of the sky. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayRhea was portrayed as a beautiful and maternal woman. She had many brothers including Cronus, Hyperion, Lapetus, Theia, Themis Mnemosyne, Pheobe, and Thetis. She married her brother Cronus, god of time, had six children including Hesita, Demeter, Hera, Haides, Poseidon and Zeus. People confuse Rhea with her mother because Rhea carried many of her mother's traits with her. Rhea was married to Kronos, also spelled Cronos, who feared that his son would fight with him and replace him as king of the gods, just as he had done with his own son. own father Uranus. So when Rhea gave birth, she devoured the children. They did not die, but were trapped in his body. Rhea eventually grew tired of losing her children in this way and managed to convince Cronus to take a wrapped rock in place of her last son, Zeus. Zeus was raised in a cave in Crete by the goat nymph Almatheia and guarded by a group of militant men called kouretes, who hid his cries by banging their shields together, preventing Cronus from finding out where he was. Zeus then fought against his father, freeing his brothers and sisters. Rhea is usually depicted as a matronly woman with a turret crown, standing between two lions or in a chariot drawn by lions. The moon is another of her symbols that represents her role as a fertility goddess. His sacred animal is a lion, his sacred plant is a fruit tree, and his sacred day is Saturday. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay As the wife of Kronos, she represented the eternal passage of time and generations. She had strengths and weaknesses like any other person, her strengths were that she was a fertile mother goddess and in defending her children she was cunning and bold. His weakness was that he tolerated Kronos eating his children for too long. Rhea was the goddess of motherhood and not only that: she saved her children from her husband. Rhea was an important and strong goddess, but what else did she do that no one else knows? Rhea is the mother of Zeus, god of thunder and lightning and also father of the gods, Rhea in my opinion was one of the most important goddesses.