Mother Earth, Great-Grandmother of the Gods
The Earth itself, born from Chaos. She bore the sky Uranus alone, then lay with him to bring forth the Titans — nearly the whole family tree of the gods descends from her. Behind every one of the three changes of divine dynasty stands her hand. The word "Gaia" is still her name today.
Uranus stuffed her children back deep inside her body; wracked with pain, Gaia forged a flint sickle and asked, "Who dares?" Only her youngest, Cronus, took it up. She was the mastermind of the first coup of a son against his father.
When Cronus, once in power, imprisoned her children in turn, Gaia prophesied he would be overthrown by his own son and helped Rhea hide the infant Zeus. After Zeus won and imprisoned the Titans, she birthed the Giants and the monster Typhon to challenge Olympus. Mother Earth is loyal to one thing only: that no one shall cage her children.
Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.
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