Erebus: Walking Through the Valley of the ‘Shadow’ of Death

Darkness is Erebus.

(I got the title from my favorite psalm in the Bible, Psalm 23. Congratulations to those who recognized it. Peace to those who didn’t.)

I have not found many references for this particular god. From my point of view, Erebus so wanted to live a very private life; he left many details about him... well... in the dark.

The Murky Past. Almost all ancient sources agree that our boy Erebus was one of the early birds of Greek mythology. Hence, he belonged to the class of the Protogenoi. Erebus, together with his sister-wife Nyx, was born in the beginning of time from Chaos, the shapeless nothingness who, ironically, was also the mixture of everything (I know I got you confused with that one. I myself am confused, too. It’s a tie.)

Anyway, Chaos must have gotten his/her (I’m not really sure) son’s name from that book quite popular among first time parents (called A Thousand Baby Names or something). According to Greek Gods Info:

The name Erebus is believed to come from Proto-Indo-European language, *h1regwos, cognate to Old Norse rœkkr, Gothic riqis "darkness", Sanskrit rajani "night", Tocharian orkäm "darkness". Some also believe that Erebus could be from Semitic, c.f. Hebrew erebh and Akkadian erebu "sunset, evening" ("darkness").

Pretty name for a baby god, actually.

More than Fifty Shades of Gray

Blackout. Like all the first-born gods, Erebus also represented a fundamental element of the universe. He was the god of shadows and was DARKNESS himself. It would be interesting for us to mention that her consort Nyx was also a deity of darkness, and the goddess of night on that note.

His dark mists enveloped the edges of the world, and filled the deep hollows of the earth. His wife Nyx drew these mists across the heavens to bring night to the world, while his daughter Hemera scattered them bringing day: one blocking out the light of Aether (shining, blue heaven) and the other revealing it (Source).

Obscurity Agency. You might think that being always in the dark is all depressingly boring; but not for Erebus. In fact, there are a couple of things (spell P-O-W-E-R-S) that makes Erebus enjoy his job.

Rumor has it that the guy had complete mastery over the manipulation of Shadows and Darkness (well, duh). That means Erebus can manipulate and control things by their shadows; can make shadows become three-dimensional, tangible, even living beings; can use darkness and shadows as portals from one another (Source).

(The Disney kid in me imagines Peter Pan chasing his shadow. The Otaku in me sees Shikamaru and his ninja techniques. Whichever is cooler. Thanks to Google images for the two BTW. XD)

Furthermore, he can bless one with some of his powers. According to a website interestingly called Superpower List:

“His blessing gives you powers over the dark. For one, you can control shadows as living things. They are your faithful servants. You can make them do whatever you want. They can reshape themselves and store things within themselves. However, you cannot become a shadow or shadow travel.”

The good: Control shadows The shadows can reshape and store things within themselves. Shadows can spy on things for you and can "communicate" with you

The bad: Can only summon so many shadows to help you at once No shadow mimicry or travel

(It’s a really fun website especially I you’re into superhero thingies like me. You can even choose the powers you’d want to have there. Visit the site here. Super awesome.)

Seriously Black Family. (Bad pun, I know. My apologies to all the Potterheads out there.)

Like many of the Protogenoi (and the gods in general), Erebus also possessed the virility some men could only wish for. Unlike most of the gods, though, he remained faithful to his wife, Nyx. As Godchecker puts it:

“Even with the lights turned out he managed to father CHARON, THANATOS, HYPNOS, EROS and the FATES.”

(Wait up; I have more interesting references for Eros and the Fates’ parentage which I’ll be posting in this blog. Soon.)

Just so you know, Erebus and Nyx were more hard-working than that. Actually, here’s the full list of their children I got from our favorite Wikipedia:

• Aether (Brightness)
• Charon (of keen gaze)
• Epiphron (Prudence, shrewdness, thoughtfulness and carefulness)
• Hemera (Day)
• Hypnos (Sleep): father, with Pasithea, of Phantasos (dreams)
• Moros (Doom)
• Nemesis (Indignation, Retribution)
• Sophrosyne (temperance, balance, moderation)
• Thanatos (Death)
• Morpheus (Dreams)

There are quite a few individuals here whom I think have different parents. I’ll just be discussing them at some other times, though.

Nyx also bore several children without the help of any man. I have no idea how she did that, but Erebus still treated them as his own, though. What a loving husband!

The god is a governor

*****ALERT: This is in relation to Erebus also being one of the Infernal Regions. I just wanted to make up a story of how he came to be one. Not much references here. Enjoy but consider yourself warned.*****

Unlike the other Protogenoi, Erebus did not fade nor become transformed into a thing with the coming of the younger generation of gods. To add to that, he continued to play an important role in the cycles of night and day. However, while the other gods kept coming and going and bickering against each other, Erebus had always kept his mouth shut and in the dark.

This had earned him the favor of the newly crowned King Cronus. Along with being the god of darkness and shadows, the Titan lord also appointed him the governor of the infernal region where the dead had to pass immediately after dying. It was:

A world below where no ray of sunshine, no gleam of daylight or vestige of health-giving terrestrial life ever appeared.

In this guise, Erebus became associated with his fellow Protogenoi and governor of hell, Tartarus. They were both put under the dominion of the Titan Iapetus who ruled the Underworld, much to Erebus’ displeasure. It is said that the god Hades was brought up in either his or Tartarus’ realm.

When the Titanomachy came, Erebus still did not take sides. As a result, he did not become affected by it. He still retained his power as governor when Hades ascended the throne of the Underworld.

Not much was heard about him after that. (As if people heard so much from him before that. Tsss.)

Mount Erebus: Here comes Hell

Fortunately for us modern humans, we don't have to die to get to Erebus. On my research, I found a real actual place on earth named Erebus! Yes, Mount Erebus is an active volcano located on the icy territory of Antarctica. And please let me quote this from National Geographic:

We’ve come to one of the coldest spots on Earth to search for beings that thrive in blistering heat. In a place with full daylight for four months, we’re seeking life that dwells in utter darkness. Welcome to the topsy-turvy world of Antarctica’s Mt. Erebus.

However, I wouldn't recommend visiting this one (Unless you're a real expert on volcanology, and you can pay the money to go to Antarctica).

As it shows, Erebus, like its namesake, is also no fit for living beings. Like its mythical counterpart, visiting Mount Erebus unarmed would only lead you to one destination – the land of the DEAD.

Hemera: Little Miss Sunshine

This is Hemera from my imagination.

Hemera belonged to a class known as Protogenoi--the first generation of gods who played important roles in the creation of the cosmos. Like many of her 'relatives', she grew too old beyond retirement age and had been gradually forgotten in the godly happenings. Nevertheless, I still like this goddess very much.

It's a beautiful Day!

I just thought Michael Buble could set up the mood for you:

Or maybe you're a Lee DeWyze person (wherever he is right now):

Whatever. Now, back to the story.

Our girl Hemera here was the daughter of the primeval gods Erebus (Shadow) and Nyx (Night), and the sister-wife of Aether (Air). In contrast to her 'dark' parentage, this goddess was all about brightness (which made me think of  the phrase, "darkest before the dawn.). Hemera was then the goddess of light, warmth and day. She was called Dies by the Romans.

She was a totally sunny goddess who always had a positive outlook in life. As what I have read from Greekgods.info:

She brightened the dark with her morning greeting over the earth.

Quite a happy camper, I must say.

Hemera's job was to pull away the dark curtains of Erebus every morning to let her brother Aether's light shine forth. As a deity who brings morning, she also came to be considered as the goddess of new beginnings. (Source)

I personally think that that was the reason why the two of them eventually fell for each other. You know, having to see each other every day for eternity and stuff. As events showed, the two finally got married and had a daughter named Thalassa, the female personification of the sea.

A special case of parent issues

Back in the days when the universe was still young, Hemera used to reside with her mother in Tartarus, in the depths of the Underworld. However, due to their conflicting work schedules, the two deities never met each other at home.

Hemera left Tartarus just as Nyx entered it; when Hemera returned, Nyx left. According to Hesiod's  Theogony, Nyx and Hemera draw near and greet one another as they pass the great threshold of bronze: and while the one is about to go down into the house, the other comes out at the door.

But that was an allegory. Literally, it must have looked like this:

(and I just got dizzy @_@)

That could have brought a somewhat frictional relationship between the mother and daughter. (Not that they wanted it, of course!)

Breaking Dawn

NOTE: This part has nothing to do with Stephenie Meyer's novel about freakin' vampires. I have nothing against Ms. Meyer, though.

As what I have pointed out in my previous posts, the gods are vulnerable to losing their powers either as a result of seizure or of voluntary surrender. What happened to Hemera and her husband Aether was an example of the latter.

A really beautiful photo entitled

Orange Thought by ~chloh

Aether was the first of the couple to rest; having finally gotten the tad of being the literal Light. The god gave away his powers to his favorite niece, the Titaness Theia, as a birthday present. As a Protogenos himself, he could not just have faded away. Instead, he became the brass walls that fortified both Olympus and Tartarus.

As for Hemera, she still went on with her life, but felt that it was never the same without Aether. So, when Theia went to ask her to bless her newborn daughter Eos, Hemera willingly gave all her powers to the young goddess.

After that, she transformed into a celestial veil. We would later find Eos drawing back this veil every morning to make way for his brother Helios, the Sun.

And so, a wall and a curtain. That's what became the two of them. Nice ending.

Back to Basics

A collection of my drawings of the Protogenoi or the Primeval Gods.

No one was really ever sure of how the world began. Scientists attribute its formation to the Big Bang Theory (which also happens to be the name of a famous TV show O.o); and many other scientific models. Different religions have different cosmological beliefs (say for example, as Christians we believe in the Six Days of Creation... and one rest day). There are even more or less indigenous stories talking about the beginning of time. And of course, there are those who don't believe in anything (no offense meant).

The ever complicated Greek mythology also had, in itself, a LOT of versions recounting the tales of the origin of life. In fact, to the Greeks, the very elements that make up the universe are actually living and sentient beings. Knowing them brings better understanding to the nature of the gods we already know and love (or not?).

And thus, I am now going to introduce to you the race of 'gods' known as the PROTOGENOI.

Proto...what?

Yes, mythology is full of weird names. But this one's a very important weird name.

According to Theoi Project, the Protogenoi ("first-born") were the primeval gods who formed the basic components of the universe which emerged at creation. They form the very fabric of the universe and as such are immortal. These deities are a group of gods from which all the other gods descend.

What's interesting about these gods is that they were both persons and places or realms. Just as they were the literal Earth, Sky, Sea, etc., they were also individuals who have different personalities and different life issues. Although they were, for the most part, purely elemental beings, they were also described or portrayed in anthropomorphic form. (I mean like how can places be considered male or female and have literal children had they stayed just as... places? It's the magic of mythology.)

Anyway, the Protogenoi were considered the first generation of gods to rule the cosmos. After them came the Titans, and then the Olympians. Their prime days already passed, we can only except them to be seen on the sides (perhaps a cameo here or a guesting there, you know... those stuffs).

Creation through the grapevine

(Oh no, I don't mean to say that the world was created through of gossips!)

Much like in the modern times, the ancients have their own views about the Greek story of creation. The result was a countless number of myths, often conflicting and divergent, telling different versions of the same story.

The most popular and widely accepted among all of those came from Hesiod's Theogony. From what I have retrieved from greece.org:

According to him Chaos was out there first, then Earth, Tartarus - in the depth of Earth -, and last of all Eros (Love). Eros is the natural power which caused the union of the identical parts of matter resulting in the formation of several bodies, and by keeping them united it kept the whole Universe in order. These four elements are mentioned as self made elements and not as coming from each other. By "chaos" Hesiod means the dark which dominated everywhere (or water). From Chaos came forth Erebus and Night and then night bare Aether and Day. And Earth first gave birth to Uranos (Heaven), then Mountains and Pontus. 

(And Gaea begot the Titans by Uranus and so on and so forth.)

Also, there are other creation myths that are worth mentioning. According to Wikipedia:

Just felt right putting it here. (Source)

• The Iliad, an epic poem attributed to Homer about the Trojan War (an oral tradition of 700 or 600 BC) states that Oceanus (and possibly Tethys, too) is the parent of all the deities.
• Alcman (c. 600 BC) made the water-nymph Thetis the first goddess, producing poros "path", tekmor "marker" and skotos "darkness" on the pathless, featureless void.
• Orphic poetry (c. 530 BC) made Nyx the first principle, Night, and her offspring were many. Also, in the Orphic tradition, Phanes (a mystic Orphic deity of light and procreation, sometimes identified with the Elder Eros) is the original ruler of the universe, who hatched from the cosmic egg.
• Aristophanes (c. 456–386 BC) wrote in his Birds, that Nyx is the first deity also, and that she produced Eros from an egg.

The 'Creative' Team

Recurring figures may be noticed in all the stories mentioned above. So now, I present to you the cast of characters who played a part in the Greek Creation myth.

GREEK	ROMAN	GENDER	REALM
Aether	Ether	M	Light/Air
Ananke	Necessitas	F	Destiny
Chaos	Aer	?	Void
Erebus	Avernus	M	Darkness
Gaea	Terra/Tellus	F	Earth
Hemera	Dies	F	Day
Hydros	Hydros	M	Fresh Water
Khronos	Aeon	M	Time
Nyx	Nox	F	Night
Phanes/Eros	Amor	?	New Life
Physis	Natura	F	Nature
Pontus	Pontus	M	Sea
Tartarus	Tartarus	M	Underworld
Thalassa	Mare	F	Sea
Thesis	Thesis	F	Creation
Uranus	Coelus	M	Sky

The Mountains (Ourea/Montes) and Islands (Nesoi/Insulae) were also considered primordial gods. However, they figured very little to the story that I decided not to include them there. Also, Oceanus and Tethys were listed, but I would rather have them as Titans. I also have my own views. Oh well.

The lasting firsts...

Unlike the other races of gods who fade or perish after their powers are usurped or given, the Protogenoi are special because they don't just become goners.

As the primary components of the cosmos, they just cannot be digested out of the system. Instead, they become pure energies and stay in their elemental state. They won't be able to assume anthropomorphic forms and actively interact with the other immortals. (An example of this is Uranus' only becoming the dome of heaven after his castration).

During the reign of the Olympians, only a few of the Protogenoi still had their powers remain intact; most of them becoming the realms or items that the younger gods possess. It turns out; they enjoyed it more belonging to the gender called neuter.

***********************************************************************

Now that I am finished with the principal Titanides, I'll discuss the individual Protogenoi next in my future articles. Stay tuned. =)

Dione: A Beautiful Affair

This is how I imagined Dione.

Dione has been said to be one of the most important goddesses; but of what? No one knows for sure. Her name literally only meant the Goddess. Yeah, talk about obscure divinities. Even made me think of the song aptly titled Mizu no Akashi or ‘Evidence of Water’ by Rie Tanaka:

Back to the story, I quote from God Checker:

DIONE was one of the early birds in the goddess stakes. In fact she was on the scene so early that no-one else seems to have been around to make notes for posterity.

Because of her disputable nature, I decided to write a special article about her right after the original Titanides. My aims here are to try to paint a clear and unified picture or idea of her; and share what I know about her as obtained from different sources. This article is in no way academic and definitive. So consider yourself warned.

Drenched in Dione

Meet the parents. So, people say that this intriguing lady Dione was a daughter of Uranus and Gaea (making her a principal Titaness) or of Aether and Gaea, sometimes even of the younger Titan Epimetheus and the first woman Pandora. But the most common (and most grounded) belief, which I personally prefer, is that she was one of the eldest daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys.

(I might be worth noting that handful of those two's daughters were also considered second generation Titanides, say Metis, Clymene, Pleione, etc. Thus, the term Titan Oceanides. I might write about them, or the whole class of Oceanides soon.)

Her offices. As an Oceanid, Dione served as a goddess of water and moisture. In particular, she represented the moist soil that marks fertile ground. By extension, she also was a goddess of fertility (there are a bunch of them, actually). However, her powers seem to still remain vague. The Official Guide to the Mythological Universe says:

Dione also has some abilities to tap into and manipulate inherent mystical energies in the universe. While her exact level of power is unknown, it is known that she can move through dimensions, such as through the dimensional barriers between Earth and Olympus. She can send her voice and image over time and space, appear in a gigantic state, control the weather and cast spells upon objects and living things. She has extraordinary precognitive abilities, allowing her to see future events and possible alternate futures, discerning which events are most likely to occur. The full range of her power is unknown, but she may at least be equal to such female gods as Hera and Aphrodite. 

The last part where Dione was said to be almost equally powerful as Hera and Aphrodite suggests that she was a goddess of utmost importance.

In the Pelasgian myth, she was one of the seven principal Titanides whom the goddess Eurynome paired with the a Titan each. According to the myth, she was paired with the god Crius. I personally don't see any connection between them. Eurynome must have just selected them randomly, say a raffle draw. Nevertheless, the two were given the dominion over the planet Mars, and the power of Growth.

I've already said that I don’t believe her to be an original Titaness but her pure awesomeness is just too interesting to ignore. And so, to make ends meet, I will just presume that she made it to the Titan Council, occupying the post that should have been  Mnemosyne's, who did not readily accept the position. Finally, that diva of a goddess decided to make up with her brother Cronus and assume her place, with Dione stepping out for her.

(I probably lost you there so I recommend for you to read my own version of Mnemosyne’s history here.)

Between Zeus and Dione
Several other goddesses were paired with Zeus in different stories. However, it was only Dione was the only one who was considered to be his equal (Even Hera did not quite reach the standards). In fact, her name which means, "The Goddess" was etymologically just a female form of Zeus.

Appropriately so, the two had something going on between them. Paparazzi claimed that she even was Zeus' second girlfriend after the dude ate Metis, his first.

The two had met each other when Zeus needed a 'temple associate' for his new oracle at Dodona. Dione tried out and got the job. With that, she became:

• a goddess of the oak, Zeus's sacred tree; and
• a goddess of divination (like the other major Titanides).

The temple was visited by both Greeks and non-Greeks because of the precision of the prophecies told there. The three old prophetesses of the shrine, known collectively as the Peleiades, were probably her Dione's priestesses. A little trivia, Peleiades meant "Doves," which were Dione and Aphrodite's sacred birds.

In this guise, Dione was also called Dodona, the eponymous goddess of the shrine.

The Love Goddess by the 'Goddess'

Dione was said to be the mother of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty; although the Olympian was more generally received as a goddess born with no mother or father. People said that she just sprung out from the sea foam when Uranus' genitals were thrown to the water.

I personally prefer to believe the more charming and logical version (meaning, not the parent-less)  regarding her birth. (Lik having sex with a sea foam bath is any decent way to produce a daughter. Thanks God Checker! I'm beginning to like you and your punch lines!) 

Botticelli's very famous 'Birth of Venus'

(ALERT: This one is just MY elaboration of the Iliad's version of Aphrodite's parentage. It is also another attempt to reconcile the story of Aphrodite arriving Cyprus aboard a sea shell.)

Zeus and Dione were really into each other since they worked together in Dodona. She even lived with him on Olympus together with Zeus' other girls. Every day may have been ‘awkward day’ back there.

It was all good until Zeus finally decided to marry Hera.

Hera, in her role as Queen of Olympus, however, did not want to be reminded of her husband's extra-marital affairs and banished several of his other wives from Olympus. The then pregnant Dione departed Olympus riding a scallop shell and took refuge on the island of Cythera where her daughter Aphrodite by Zeus was born. Aphrodite was spirited off to the island of Cyprus to hide her from Hera where she was discovered and accepted into the Olympian gods.

Both Cythera and Cyprus became subsequently centers of worship for Aphrodite. As for Dione, she returned to her parents' home in the Ocean to once again serve in their court as an Oceanid.

The mother and the daughter still had kept in touch with each other in spite of the long distance. In fact, in the Iliad:

Dione played an important role as the healer of Aphrodite after the goddess was wounded in the fighting during the siege of the city of Troy. The Achaean hero Diomedes was infused with vigor and boldness by the goddess Athena and told to avoid all Immortals on the battlefield except Aphrodite ... Athena told Diomedes that he should attack Aphrodite if he saw her. 

Aphrodite's son Aeneas was in danger of being killed, so Aphrodite swooped into the fighting and shielded Aeneas from harm. At that moment, Diomedes lunged at the goddess and wounded her on the wrist. Ares (god of War) was nearby so Aphrodite mounted his chariot and fled. Once she was safe, Aphrodite went to Dione. 

Dione wiped away the oozing ichor (divine blood) from Aphrodite's wounded wrist and tried to comfort the sobbing goddess. Dione sought to make Aphrodite realize that, even though she was immortal, she was still subject to pain and injury.

Aww, a motherly advice. Thanks to Mythagora for that bit!

As Aphrodite grew more popular in the Near East under the names Astarte and Ishtar, Dione also came to be identified as Asherah and the Lady of Byblos. (Source)

Souce: click here

Scientific Dione: Goddess of the Satellite

Dione was a very vague figure in Greek mythology. In spite of this, she still lived on to this day as one of the many moons of the planet Saturn.

The image on the left is her astronomical symbol. It consists of the Greek letter delta and a representation of Saturn's hook.

Rhea: Queen Supreme

My depiction of Rhea.

Rhea is undoubtedly one of the most important goddesses of the Titan generation. Aside from being known now as the 'Mother of the Gods', she was also Goddess of the Earth and at one time, a Queen of Heaven.

A 'Natural Woman'

One of the best songs by Aretha Franklin. One of the best phrases to describe Rhea, too.

As an original Titaness (the youngest of them), Rhea represented an aspect of her mother, Gaea, like her sisters. However, in contrast to their powers, she was affiliated with the earth and the natural world more than any one of them was.

Rhea was the goddess of fertility and fruitfulness: the unceasing producer of plant life, as well as the sustainer of the vegetable world. She became primarily responsible for the fertility of the soil-- a role which, I think, being the youngest daughter; she got as a favor from her mother.

Furthermore, she was also the goddess of fertility in womanhood. Her name means "flow" and "ease," Theoi Project says. In this guise, she represented the 'flow' of menstrual blood, birth waters (scientifically called Amniotic fluid, geek alert!), and of course, milk. A natural woman all the way!

In the Pelasgian myth, the goddess Eurynome even partnered Rhea with her brother Cronus (I think that became the start of their 'romantic?' relationship) to preside over the seventh day of the week, and the planet Saturn and its Essence, Peace. We will just have to find out later whatever happened to the two.

Aside from being a nature divinity and a keeper of peace, the goddess also did some part-time job during her single and carefree days. According to Paleothea, she:

... sat outside the house of Nyx beating a bronze drum and making sure all humans were paying attention the oracle of the goddess.

Lady Night must've allocated a lot of funds for the marketing of her oracle; having a Titan royalty for an endorser and all. Or, Rhea had just volunteered to help in her aunt's business. One of the perks of the job, though, is Nyx teaching her serious and secret magic.

Source: click here

How Rhea won Mrs. Universe

Rhea had traveled a long and rather 'wrong' road to the crown. Not that she wanted it; but it's what the situations called for. Let's recount the steps on how she became Queen of Heaven.

Her brother's marriage (with her) 

Rhea must have been in love with her youngest Titan brother Cronus for a long time already; but her marriage to him happened only after the infamous castration of Uranus. Back then, Cronus was everyone's hero, who battled for equality, and freed the world from prejudice. 

(That was in reference to Uranus' supposed hatred against his ugly sons--the Hecatonchires and the Cyclopes. If the Titans only knew, Cronus has his personal intentions as well.)

Naturally, all the girls wanted him; but Cronus (who I think was in love with Rhea as well) chose her to be his wife. Rhea thought it was destiny's will, and that dreams do come true. (In the end, it proved to be a nightmare rather than a dream.)

The two begot some beautiful and pretty powerful children:

1. Hestia, fire goddess;
2. Demeter, vegetation goddess;
3. Hades, god of riches;
4. Poseidon, god of earthquakes; and
5. Hera, air goddess.

(NOTE: Those, I believe, were their functions before they became known as the Great Olympians. I've found no reliable reference for this one, though. Just my idea.)

Because of them, Rhea came to be known as Meter Megale and Meter Theon; the Great Mother and the Mother of the Gods.

The family feud

(ANOTHER NOTE: This is my attempt--a rather desperate one--to reconcile conflicting myths about the lordship of the cosmos. Again, no reliable sources found. Be aware.)

The pair did not immediately become king and queen after they deposed Uranus. They still had to get rid of Eurynome, the A-list goddess who assumed the king's role after his 'accident' (it's MY idea. I really have to explain this soon), and her consort, Ophion. Cunning as he had always been, Cronus devised a plan to get the throne--a one on one battle against the couple:

CRONUS vs. OPHION

RHEA vs. EURYNOME

I don't know how Cronus persuaded Rhea to fight beside him against the two. But surely, Rhea had the guts to wrestle with a supreme goddess. Finally, the younger ones defeated the oldies and got hold of their positions as King and Queen of Heaven. As for the losers, they got thrown either to the Ocean or Tartarus.

Rhea must have learned to like the title for herself.

The Golden Age (or not?)

A manga depiction of Cronus and Rhea by Zelda Wang.  Read it here.

The reign of Cronus and Rhea was thereafter known as the GOLDEN AGE, a period of peace and plenty. I have read in Ancient Greek Beliefs by Perry Westmoreland that:

Men of the Golden Age live like gods in tranquility on earth, and they have good relations with the gods and each other...

And more good things were said after that. Blah... blah... blah... However, in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, it is said that:

The Golden Age was described as just propaganda by Kronos (Cronus) as in truth he used humans as either cheap entertainment or as a light snack. It's said it was only after Zeus overthrew Kronos (Cronus) and Prometheus gave man fire that they began to rise into Western Civilization. (Source)

Everyone's got an opinion. How about you? What do you think of the Golden Age?

Why Rhea never loved Cronus anymore

Cronus Devouring One Of His Sons
Goya, oil on canvas, 1820-23
Prado Museum, Madrid

Titan marriages have been proven work really well (say Oceanus and Tethys, Hyperion and Theia, Coeus and Phoebe) but Rhea's was an isolated case. And it involved the fate of the world and her children.

The case. Cronus heard through the grapevine about Themis' prophecy concerning the fall of the Titans. Of course, as the top Titan, he didn't at all like the sound of the word fall. He had nightmares about it; he overthought about it; and it drove him nuts. To have his peace of mind, he finally ordered Rhea to bring all of their children to him to devour their Essences (their life force).

(I opted for a milder version because I am still disgusted with the father-eats his-children thing. Just look at the picture. Yuck.)

After that, all five children became nothing but limp vegetables whose bodies were caged in different parts of the cosmos. Here's what I think:

• Hestia in Othrys (the Titans' palace);
• Demeter on Earth;
• Hades in the Underworld;
• Poseidon in the Sea*; and
• Hera in the Ocean*.

*I pointed out in my Tethys article my invented difference between the realms of the Sea and Ocean; the former being marine and the latter estuarine.

Rhea's resolve. Rhea got really mad with what her husband did to their children. When she became pregnant with Zeus, her sixth child, she must have thought,

"I've had enough! Screw him and his glycerin rich diet"

So, she went to ask her mother Gaea to ask for help. And the two goddesses were on their way to raising the supreme god of Greek mythology.

There are so many variations to this myth and so many characters, too. But here's the gist I got from greekgods.org:

Rhea was very much like her mother and loved her children unconditionally, but unfortunately Cronus was like his father, jealous of his children`s powers and in fear of being overthrown. She became mad when Cronus forced her to give him their children to swallow upon their birth. She started plotting against him and by the time he had swallowed Hestia, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, and Demeter, Rhea decided that enough is enough. She gave birth to her last child Zeus in secrecy and gave Cronus a rock, wrapped in a blanket, to swallow instead. Cronus was pleased, not knowing that Zeus was still out there, and thought he was safe from the prophecy. Zeus however, when grown up, came to Mount Othrys as a cupbearer and mixed a potion into Cronus` drink which made him to vomit all of his children. Later in a ten-year war, Zeus and Olympians defeated Cronus and the Titans. They became the next rulers, just like Cronus and his brothers had overthrown Uranus. Rhea in the end was the main reason that history repeated itself.

It is not mentioned there that Rhea enlisted the Curetes, shield clashing daemons, and the nymphs (whose names greatly differ) to help in the baby sitting. I am also guessing that the youthful Zeus went under the alias Welchanos during his service to Cronus as a cupbearer. (Source)

When Cronus learned of Rhea's trick; he exiled her from the heavenly realms FOREVER and got himself a concubine, the Oceanid Philyra, with whom he begot the wise centaur Chiron.

As events showed, Zeus defeated Cronus in a ten year battle and the top Titan was... (poof!)... gone.

Good goddess gone 'wild'?

As a result of Cronus' curse on her, she can't be with her now bigwig children up on Mount Olympus. With nothing else to do, she wandered the mountains and glens losing her care for the world.  She stayed on caverns, which thereafter became sacred to her, and exercised unbounded sway over all animal creation, especially the lions. It is in this guise that the Phrygians came to know her as the goddess Cybele.

She finally retired to her own fabulous palace at the peak of Mount Dindymene in Phrygia, apart from the gods. The Curetes, who were her son's babysitters, served as her attendants. Clashing their cymbals, they partied every night with the Corybantes, Rhea-Cybele's orgiastic dancers.

Once when she had her house warming party where all the gods were invited, her daughter Hestia ALMOST got raped by the pervy Priapus! But that will be on another article.

A second chance in love? A looooong time after the Titanomachy, Rhea (as Cybele or Agdistis) met the beautiful long-haired godling Attis. The two were quite into each other but the foster parents of Attis sent him to Pessinos, where he was to wed the king's daughter. Just as the marriage-song was being sung, Cybele appeared in her transcendent power, and Attis went mad and cut off his genitals. Attis' father-in-law-to-be, the king who was giving his daughter in marriage, followed suit, prefiguring the self-castrating Corybantes who devoted themselves to Cybele. But Cybele repented and saw to it that the body of Attis should neither rot at all nor decay.

And thus ends her short-lived second love story.

Oops, her name is Ops. Sorry for the bad pun. Hehe. Rhea still remained one of the top gods in spite of her not joining the others' company. In Rome, she was known as Ops, the goddess of plenty and fertility. In this guise, she was attended to by the very Roman god Consus (because he has no definite Greek counterpart, that is).

Finally, Rhea in Saturn

Source: click here

Of all the possible means and mediums, it was modern science that finally got to reunite the original couple.

Rhea became the name of Saturn's (Cronus) second largest moon, discovered by Cassini. Read more about it here.

(And should I also mention that rhea also became the name of a bird, a frog and a plant? Makes so much sense for an earth goddess.)