GAEA (Gaia) is the goddess of the earth. She was one of the primordial elemental deities (protogenoi) born at the dawn of creation -- the heavenly gods were descended from her through her union with Ouranos (Uranus - god of the sky), the sea-gods from her union with Pontos (god of the sea), the Gigantes (giants) from her mating with Tartaros (god of the Pit), and mortal creatures born directly from her earthy flesh.
Gaea was the chief antagonist of the heavenly gods. First she rebelled against her husband Ouranos who had imprisoned several of her giant-sons within her womb. Later, when her son Kronos (Cronus) defied her by imprisoning these same sons, she sided with Zeus in his rebellion. Finally she came into conflict with Zeus in his rebellion. Finally, she came into conflict with Zeus for she was angered by his binding of her Titan-sons in Tartaros. She birthed a tribe of Gigantes and later the monster Typhoeus to overthrow him, but both failed in their attempts.
In the ancient Greek cosmology, earth was conceived of as a flat disk encircled by the river Okeanos (Oceanus), and encompassed above by the solid dome of heaven and below by the great pit (or inverse dome) of Tartaros. Earth supported the seas and mountains upon her breast.
In Greek vase painting, Gaea was depicted as a buxom, matronly woman rising from the earth, inseparable from her native element. In mosaic art, she appears as a full-figured woman, reclining on the earth, often clothed in green, and sometimes accompanied by troops of Karpoi (Carpi, Fruits) and Horai (Horae, Seasons).
GAEA & THE BIRTH OF THE COSMOS
Hesiod, Theogony 116 ff (trans. Evelyn-White)
(Greek epic 8th or 7th century B.C.E.)
"Verily at first Khaos (Chaos, the Chasm) [Air] came to be, but next wide-bosomed Gaea (Gaia, the Earth), the ever-sure foundation of all the deathless ones who hold the peaks of snowy Olympos, and dim Tartaros (Tartarus, the Pit) in the depth of the wide-pathed Earth, and Eros (Love), fairest among the deathless gods, who unnerves the limbs and overcomes the mind and wise counsels of all gods and all men within them.
"From Khaos came forth Erebos (Erebus, Darkness) and black Nyx (Night), but of Nyx were born Aither (Aether, Light) and Hemera (Day), whom she conceived and bore from union in love with Erebos.
"And Gaea first born starry Ouranos (Uranus, the Heavens), equal to herself, to cover her on every side. And she brought forth long Ourea (Mountains), graceful haunts of the goddess Nymphai (Nymphs) who dwell amongst the glens of the mountains. She bare also the fruitless deep with his raging swell, Pontos (Pontus, the Sea), without sweet union of love.
"But afterwards she lay with Ouranos and bare [the Titanes (Titans)] deep-swirling Okeanos (Oceanus) [the earth-encircling river], Koios (Coeus) and Krios (Crius) and Hyperion and Iapetos (Iapetus), Theia and Rheia (Rhea), Themis and Mnemosyne and gold-crowned Phoibe (Phoebe) and lovely Tethys. After them was born Kronos (Cronus), the wily, youngest and most terrible of her children, and he hated his lusty sire."
GAEA, THE TITANS & THE CASTRATION OF URANUS
Hesiod, Theogony, 126 ff (trans. Evelyn-White)
(Greek epic 8th or 7th century B.C.E.)
"And Gaea (Gaia, Earth) first bare starry Ouranos (Uranus, Heaven), equal to herself, to cover her on every side, and to be an every-sure abiding-place for the blesses gods . . . But afterwards she [Gaea] lay with Ouranos and bare [the Titanes (Titans)] deep-swirling Okeanos (Oceanus), Koios (Coeus) and Krios (Crius) and Hyperion and Iapetos (Iapetus), Theia and Rheia (Rhea), Themis and Mnemosyne and gold-crowned Phoibe (Phoebe) and lovely Tethys. After them was born Kronos (Cronus) the wily, youngest and most terrible of her children, and he hated his lusty sire. And again, she bare the Kyklopes (Cyclopes), overbearing in spirit, Brontes, and Steropes and stubborn-hearted Arges.
"And again, three other sones [the Hekatonkheires (Hecatoncheires)] were born of Gaea and Ouranos, great and doughty beyond telling, Kottos (Cottus) and Briareos (Briareus) and Gyes. From their shoulders sprang a hundred arms, not to be approached, and each had fifty heads upon his shoulders on their strong limbs, and irresistable was the stubborn strength that was in their great forms. For of all the children that were born of Gaea and Ouranos, these were the most terrible, and they were hated by their own father from the first. And he used to hide them all away in a secret place of Gaea so soon as each was born, and would not suffer them to come up into the light; and Ouranos rejoiced in his evil doing.
"But vast Gaea groaned within, being straightened, and she made the element of grey flint and shaped a great sickle, and told her plan to her dear sons. And she spoke, cheering them, while she was vexed in her dear heart: 'My children, gotten of a sinful father, if you will disobey me, we should punish the vile outrage of your father; for he first though of doing shameful things.'
"So he said : and vast Gaea rejoiced greatly in spirit, and set and hid him in an ambush, and put in his hands a jagged sickle, and revealed to him the whole plot. And Ouranos came, bringing on night and longing for love, and he lay about Gaea spreading himself full upon her. Then the son from his ambush stretched forth his left hand and in his right took the great long sickle with jagged teeth, and swiftly lopped off his own father's members and cast them away to fall behind him.
"And not vainly did they fall from his hand; for all the bloody drops that gushed forth Gaea received, and as the seasons moved round she bare the strong Erinyes (Furies) and the great Gigantes (Giants) with gleaming armour, holding long spears in their hands and the Nymphai (Nymphs) whom they call Meliai (Meliae) [honey- or ash-tree nymphs] all over the boundless earth."
Hesiod, Theogony, 43 ff (trans. Evelyn-White)
(Greek epic 8th or 7th century B.C.E.)
"And they [Mousai (Muses)] uttering their immortal voice, celebrate in song first of all the revered race of the gods from the beginning, those whom Gaea and wide Ouranos begot [the Titanes], and the gods sprung of these, givers of good things."
Hesiod, Theogony, 617 ff (trans. Evelyn-White)
(Greek epic 8th or 7th century B.C.E.)
"But when first their father [Ouranos] was vexed in his heart with [the Haktonkheires] Pnroareis amd Kottos and Gyes, he bound them in cruel bonds . . . and he made them live beneath the wide-pathed earth, where they were afflicted, being set to dwell under the ground, at the end of the earth, at its great borders, in bitter anguish for a long time and with great grief at heart."
GAEA & THE WAR OF THE TITANS
Hesiod, Theogony, 462 ff (trans. Evelyn-White)
(Greek epic 8th or 7th century B.C.E.)
"[Kronos (Cronus)] learned from Gaea (Gaia, Earth) and starry Ouranos (Uranus, Heaven) that he was destined to be overcome by his own son, strong though he was, through the contriving of great Zeus. Therefore he kept no blind outlook, but watched and swallowed down his children : and unceasing grief seized Rhea. But when she was about to bear Zeus, the father of gods and men, then she besought her own dear parents, Gaea and starry Ouranos, to devise some plan with her that the birth of her dear child might be concealed, and that retribution might overtake great, crafty Kronos for his own father and also for the children whom he had swallowed down. And they readily heard and obeyed their dear daughter, and told her all that was destined to happen touching Kronos the king and his stout-hearted son. So they sent her to Lyetos (Lyettus), to the rich land of Krete (Crete), when she was ready to bear great Zeus, the youngest of her children. Him did vast Gaea (Earth) receive from Rhea in wide Krete to nourish and to bring up. Thither came Gaea carrying him swiftly through the black night to Lyktos first, and took him in her arms and hid him in a remote cave beneath the secret places of the holy earth on thick-wooded Mount Aigaion (Aegaeum); but to the mightily ruling son of Ouranos, the earlier king of the gods, she gave a great stone wrapped in swaddling clothes. Then he took it in his hands and thrust it down into his belly. . . . After that, the strength and glorious limbs of the prince increased quickly, and as the years rolled on, great Kronos the wily was beguiled by the deep suggestions of Gaea, and brought up again his offspring . . . And he set free from their deadly bonds the brothers of his father [Kyklopes (Cyclopes)], sons of Ouranos whom his father in his foolishness had bound. And they remembered to be grateful to him for his kindness, and gave him thunder and the glowing thunderbolt and lightening : for before that, huge Gaea had hidden these."
Hesiod, Theogony, 617 ff (trans. Evelyn-White)
(Greek epic 8th or 7th century B.C.E.)
"But when first their father [Ouranos] was vexed in his heart with [the Hekatonkheires] Obriareus and Kottos and Gyes, he bound them in cruel bonds . . . and he made them live beneath the wide pathed earth, where they were afflicted, being set to dwell under the ground, at the end of the earth, at its great borders, in bitter anguish for a long time and with great grief at heart. But [Zeus and his brothers] brought them up again to the light at Gaea's advising. For she herself recounted all things to the gods fully, how that with these they would gain victory."
Hesiod, Theogony, 687 ff (trans. Evelyn-White)
(Greek epic 8th or 7th century B.C.E.)
"[The War of the Titanes: Zeus] came forthwith, hurling his lightning: the bold flew thick and fast from his strong hand together with thunder and lightning, whirling an awesome flame. The life-giving earth crashed around in burning, and the vast wood crackled loud with fire all about. All the land (khthon) seethed . . . Astounding heat seized Khaos (the Chasm) [Air]: and to see with eyes and to hear the sound with ears it seemed even as if Gaea and wide Ouranos above came together; for such a mighty crash would have arisen if Gaea were being hurled to ruin, and Ouranos from on high were hurling her down; so great a crash was there while the gods were meeting together in strife."
Hesiod, Theogony, 881 ff (trans. Evelyn-White)
(Greek epic 8th or 7th century B.C.E.)
"But when the bleesed gods had finished their toil, and settled by force their struggle for honours with the Titanes, they pressed far-seeing Olympian Zeus to reign and to rule over them, by Gaea's prompting. So he divided their dignities amongst them."
GAEA, THE WAR OF THE GIGANTES & TYPHOEUS
The ancients barely distinguished between the War of the Titanes (Titans) and the War of Gigantes (Giants). The immortal Titanes sometimes appear as leaders of the Gigante-troops.
Hesiod, Theogony, 819ff (trans. Evelyn-White)
(Greek epic 8th or 7th century B.C.E.)
"But when Zeus had driven the Titanes from heaven, huge Gaea bare her youngest child Typhoeus of the love of Tartaros (the Pit), by the aid of golden Aphrodite (sexual desire)."
GAEA MOTHER OF SEA-GODS
Hesiod, Theogony, 462 ff (trans. Evelyn-White)
(Greek epic 8th or 7th century B.C.E.)
"And Pontos (Pontus, Sea) begat Nereus . . . And yet again he got great Thaumas and proud Phorkys (Phorcys), being mated with Gaea, and fair-cheeked Keto (Ceto) and Eurybia.:"
GAEA MOTHER OF RUSTIC-GODS
Hesiod, Theogony, 176 ff (trans. Evelyn-White)
(Greek epic 8th or 7th century B.C.E.)
"Then the son [Kronos (Cronus)] from his ambush stretched forth his left hand and in his right rook the great long sickle with jagged teeth, and swiftly lopped off his own father's [Ouranos'] members and cast them away to fall behind him. And not vainly did they fall from his hand; for all the bloody drops that gushed forth Gaea received, and as the seasons moved round she bare the strong Erinyes and the great Gigantes with gleaming armour [probably the Kouretes (Curetes)] and the Nymphai whome they call Meliai [probably the honey-nymph nurses of Zeus] all over the boundless earth."