Facts about Gaea
There exists a Homeric hymn to Gaea (written by a poet in the tradition of Homer, likely in the seventh century B.C.E.
Only Cronos, the youngest, had the daring to take the flint sickle she made, and castrate his father as he approached Gaea.
By Pontus, Gaea birthed the sea-deities Nereus, Thaumas, Phorcys, Ceto and Eurybia.
After Uranus' castration, Gaea gave birth to Echidna and Typhon by Tartarus.
The understanding of Gaea in both neopaganism and the New Age movement is almost wholly divorced from its Greek mythological roots and thus is usually unconnected to other Greek gods.
Hesiod's Theogony in particular tells how after Chaos came into being, Gaea arose independently, becoming the everlasting foundation of the gods of Olympus.
Greek mythology contains prominent stories about the origins of Gaea.
Today, Gaea represents a celebration of the feminine side of creation embodied in the fertility of Mother Nature.
The divinization of the earth by the ancient Greeks as the goddess Gaea was their way of recognizing the intrinsic value of the earth's bounty, fertility and beauty.
Hesiod's separation of Rhea from Gaea was not rigorously followed, even by the Greek mythographers themselves.
From the drops of blood, Gaea brought forth still more progeny, the strong Erinyes and the armored Gigantes and the ash-tree Nymphs called the Meliae.
Members of the New Age movement also have deep reverence for the earth, and may worship Gaea, though often with a more ecologically-minded bent.
Early cultures of the Middle East (such as the Sumerian) likely made an impact on Greek views of Gaea, and veneration of the pre-Indo-European "Great Mother" had existed since Neolithic times.
Apollo is the best-known as the oracle power behind Delphi, long established by the time of Homer, having killed Gaea's child Python and usurped the chthonic power.
Gaea is believed by some sources (Fontenrose 1959) to be the original deity behind the Oracle at Delphi.
Gaea (variant spelling Gaia) is a Greek goddess personifying the Earth.
Some who worship Gaea attempt to get closer to Mother Earth by becoming unconcerned with material possessions to become more in tune with nature.
Others who worship Gaea recognize her as a great goddess and practice eclectic rituals to reach a greater connection to the earth.
