Gaia

Mother Earth

Gaia was one of the first beings in Greek mythology and she was the Earth itself. She did not simply rule over the planet or live somewhere underground. Every mountain, field and piece of land was part of Gaia. She appeared near the beginning of creation and produced Uranus, the starry sky, the Mountains and Pontus, the sea. Gaia and Uranus then became parents to the twelve Titans, the three Cyclopes and the three Hundred-Handers. The Hundred-Handers had one hundred arms each, so Gaia’s family became extremely strange extremely quickly!

Uranus treated some of their children terribly and forced them into a hidden place inside Gaia. She was in pain and became furious. Gaia made a powerful sickle and asked the Titans to help her stop him. Cronus agreed and overthrew his father. Unfortunately, Cronus later became a cruel ruler too. When he started swallowing his own children because he feared they would replace him, Gaia helped Rhea protect baby Zeus. Zeus was hidden on Crete and eventually grew up to challenge Cronus.

Gaia remained important after Zeus became king. She gave advice and was connected with some of the most powerful creatures in Greek mythology. With Tartarus, she became the mother of Typhon, the terrifying monster who challenged Zeus. She was also connected with the Giants in ancient stories. This means Gaia was not simply a sweet and gentle Mother Earth character. She could be caring and protective, but she could also be incredibly fierce when her family was treated badly. The Greeks connected her with the Earth, fertility and even prophecy. I think she is one of the easiest primordial beings to understand because her name still feels familiar today. If a hero walks across a field, climbs a mountain or stands on the ground, they are standing on Gaia. She is not just another character inside the mythical world. She is the world underneath everybody’s feet.

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