Rhea, << REE uh >>, in Greek mythology, was the wife and sister of Cronus, ruler of the race of gods and goddesses called Titans. Her mother was Gaea, the earth, and her father was Uranus, the sky. She became queen of the gods when Cronus overthrew Uranus. In many parts of Asia, Rhea was known as Cybele.
According to myth, Rhea and Cronus had six children—the goddesses Demeter, Hera, and Hestia; and the gods Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. Cronus swallowed five of the children when they were born to prevent them from deposing him. However, Rhea deceived Cronus by tricking him into swallowing a stone wrapped in baby clothes in place of their youngest child, Zeus. Rhea then hid Zeus in a cave on the island of Crete. After Zeus was grown, he returned and tricked Cronus into vomiting up his other children. They helped Zeus defeat Cronus and the other Titans in a 10-year battle called the Titanomachy.
See also Cronus; Mythology (Greek mythology); Titans.
