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Rhea?was one of the?Titans, daughter of?Uranus?and?Gaea. She was the sister and wife of?Cronus, also a Titan. She was responsible for the way things flow in the kingdom of?Cronus?(her name means 'that which flows').

Rhea?and?Cronus?had six children;?Hestia,?Hades,?Demeter,?Poseidon,?Hera?and?Zeus.?Cronus, afraid that he would be overthrown by his children just like he had done with his father, decided to swallow all of them. However, he was tricked by?Rhea, who managed to save?Zeus?from his father. When?Zeus?grew up, he forced his father to disgorge his siblings and eventually overthrew him.

Although?Rhea?was considered the "mother of gods", similarly to?Gaea?and Cybele, she did not have a strong cult and many followers. She had a temple in?Crete, the place in which she hid?Zeus?to save from his father. In art, she started appearing in the fourth century BC; however, she was often depicted with characteristics similar to those used for Cybele, thus making the two goddesses indistinguishable.?Rhea?was often symbolised as a pair of lions that pulled a celestial chariot. This symbol was often placed on city gates, the best known example being that at the city of Mycenae, where two stone lions guarded the gates.

See Also:?Titans,?Uranus,?Gaea,?Cronus,?Zeus,?Hestia,?Hades,?Demeter,?Hera

Rhea Is also called Ops, Rea.