
Gaea, terra-cotta statuette from Tanagra, Greece; in the Musée Borély, Marseille.
Greek goddess of the earth. She was both mother and wife to
Uranus, or Heaven, from whom she was separated by her son
Cronus, a
Titan. According to
Hesiod, she was the mother of all 12 Titans, as well as of the
Furies and the Cyclopes (see
Cyclops). She may have originated as a mother goddess worshiped in pre-Hellenic Greece before the introduction of the cult of
Zeus.
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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.