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Rhea
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Greek
mythological figure Rhea is the mother of the gods.
She is shown here handing her husband, Cronus, a
stone wrapped in swaddling clothes in place of their
son, Zeus. This work, created between the 1st and
3rd centuries, is on the base of a stone statue
at the Museo Capitolino in Rome, Italy.
Microsoft®
Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com
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In Greek
mythology, Rhea is the mother of the gods, daughter of Uranus
and Gaia. She is married to her
brother Cronus and is the mother
of Demeter, Hades, Hera,
Hestia, Poseidon and Zeus.
Cronus, jealous of the future power of his children and
to secure his dominion, ate his own children but Rhea managed
to rescue one son, Zeus. She hid him in the Dictean Cave
in Crete and gave Cronus a stone wrapped in the clothes
of the infant, which he swallowed.
Thus
Rhea succeeded in making him believe that he had killed
all of his children. When Zeus reached maturity he overpowered
and dethroned his father and made Cronus disgorge his siblings.
Rhea
is identified with mother goddess Cybele from Asia
Minor and is also known as Rhea Cybele and Magna
Mater ("great mother"). She was worshipped with orgiastic
rites.
Rhea
is depicted between two lions or on a chariot pulled by
lions.
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