Rhea

This article contains lore based on real-life sources of the Greek mythology as introduced from the God of War Greek era.

Rhea (Ῥέα) was the wife of Cronos and the mother of the original six Olympian gods. She betrayed her husband who swallowed their first five children, by hiding their sixth child from him. This would result in the Titanomachy, leading to the Titans defeat and banishment to Tartarus.

Quick Answers

Who did Rhea betray to protect her sixth child?

To safeguard her sixth child, Rhea deceived Cronos. She had an eagle carry the baby, later known as Zeus, away from Cronos. She presented Cronos with a stone wrapped in cloth, which he swallowed, believing it to be the baby. Zeus was subsequently raised under Gaia's care.

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What was the result of Rhea's actions against her husband?

Rhea, Zeus's mother, protected Zeus from her husband Cronos by sending him to safety and tricking Cronos into swallowing a stone instead of Zeus. This act led to the Titanomachy, where Zeus and his siblings overthrew the Titans. Rhea was later imprisoned for not supporting Zeus's vengeance against the Titans.

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Who are the parents of Rhea in Greek mythology?

Rhea, a figure in Greek mythology, is the offspring of Ouranos and Gaia. She is renowned as the mother of the initial six Olympians, Zeus being one of them. Her spouse is her brother, Cronos.

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What role did Rhea play in the Titanomachy?

Rhea, known as the mother of Zeus, was a pivotal figure in the Titanomachy. She was one of the Titans incarcerated in Tartarus but did not participate in the Second Titanomachy. Rhea famously deceived her husband Cronos by making him swallow a stone, believing it to be Zeus, thereby protecting Zeus from his father's paranoia of being usurped.

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Who are the original six Olympian gods that Rhea is the mother of?

Rhea, the Queen of the Titans and wife of Cronos, is known as the mother of the original six Olympians, namely Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Hestia, and Hades.

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Greek Mythology

In Greek mythology, Rhea was a daughter of Ouranos and Gaia, and one of the twelve Titans. She wed her brother Cronos and gave birth to the first six Olympians: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter, and Hestia. Her husband, in fear of being overthrown by his children, ate them, an act which Rhea detested. She hid away her last child, Zeus, from Cronos and used a stone as a substitute.

Appearance

Rhea is a beautiful, middle-aged woman. Unlike other titans, her size is not giant, but resembles that of a normal mortal or goddess. She wears a toga outfit which leaves her arms uncovered. She also wears some bracelets and a necklace, and some flowers adorn her head and shoulders. The cloth of her outfit is almost transparent, leaving her breasts and nipples clearly visible beneath it. Her dark hair is long and left completely loose. The traits on her face resembles that of the older Zeus, leaving no doubt about their relationship.

In the God of War Series

Birth and Early Days

In the beginning, the mighty Titans were sired by the union of Ouranos and Gaia. They were all born on the Island of Creation, home to the Sisters of Fate. Above any other beings, including the Titans, the Sisters of Fate were gifted with the very power of natural order and manipulated the threads of life and death of all living things, and thus could shape the fate of every god, monster, animal, or human at their whim. The Titans feared the Sisters of Fate for this and left the Island of Creation to rule the mortal world. This marked the beginning of the Golden Age of Mankind.

At some point in time, Cronos overthrew and slayed his father, Ouranos. Then Rhea and Cronos got married. They both became rulers of the Titanas. Rehea became the Queen of Titans. She did not liked her husband's cruelty and paranoia.

Cronos, the mighty ruler of the world, was prophesized to be overthrown by his own children in the future. To prevent this from coming true, Cronos tried to bribe the Sisters of Fate into changing his destiny by granting them the Steeds of Time. However, this gift would not prevent the prophecy from coming true, for the Fates only listened to their own council, present or no present. In a second attempt to prevent this from happening, his wife, Rhea, bore his children and one by one he swallowed them whole, imprisoning them within his belly. Rhea could not bear another loss, for she already had five children taken from her. When the sixth child was born, Rhea called upon an eagle to take the baby far away from the watchful eyes of Cronos. In the baby's place, Rhea wrapped a stone in cloth and offered it to Cronos, who foolishly believed it to be the baby and swallowed it whole.

Great War

Rhea did not took part in the Titanomachy along with Themis and Mnemosyne. When the sixth child, now known as Zeus, came of age, he freed his brothers and sisters from Cronos. Now declared themselves as the Olympians, they would ultimately declare war against the Titans. Instead, Rhea and Helios allied with Zeus and his fellow Olympians to his newly established pantheon of Grecian gods.

Zeus' Punishment

Later she didn't agreed on Zeus caring only for control and power over mortals. She also disapproved of her son's cruel treatment on Titans and stripping them of their roles also denying all of their rights. Then Rhea was imprisoned in Tartarus due to not supporting Zeus's thirst for revenge on Titans.

God of War II

In God of War II, Gaia tells Kratos the story of Cronos and Rhea. As she tells the story, it shows Rhea sending the baby Zeus to safety with the help of an eagle, then tricking her husband Cronos into swallowing a stone disguised as Zeus. Rhea is the grandmother of many of the Olympian Gods and the demigods born to her children.

In the novelization of God of War II, Rhea is mentioned as being among the Titans imprisoned within Tartarus.

Second Titanomachy

Later Kratos saved the Titans from their banishment to Tartarus and allowed them to scale the mountain to exact vengeance after traveling back in time. She along with other Titans had aided them in the Second Titanomachy.

Powers and Abilities

It is unknown what powers Rhea may possess, or how powerful she is, as she hasn't displayed her powers in the series. However, given her status as queen, she was probably more powerful compared to other Titans.

• Immortality: As a goddess, she is immortal, meaning that she is immune to disease and couldn't age.
• Beauty Embodiment: Rhea is a beautiful woman unlike the other Titans.

Trivia

• Unlike most other Titans, who are depicted as giant, ancient gods, Rhea is shown as resembling a normal-sized human, and possesses a surprising beauty. No explanation for the difference in size is given. However, one interesting note is that Helios, who is a Titan who sides with the Olympians, is also human-sized, and does not appear to be able to change size like some other gods (Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Ares etc.). In addition, Hephaestus, an Olympian, is depicted as physically huge, though still much smaller than the Titans.
• Her Norse equivalent (in terms of being the mother of the Allfather, Odin) is Bestla.

Gallery

Rhea looking at her husband Cronos

Rhea hands over baby Zeus to an Eagle