Earth+(Gaea+or+Gaia)

media type="custom" key="4966799"Jamie Garcia Gaea (Earth) All links will open in a new window or tab.



[[image:http://thm-a01.yimg.com/image/d4ddce0aa7c7e088 width="179" height="179" align="left" caption="Planet Earth"]]
Earth is the 3rd planet from the Sun. Distinguishing Earth features from space are the blue waters, brown and green land masses (depending on which you look at) and white clouds. Earth is moving at a speed of 108,000 kilometers (67,000 miles) per hour hour. It has a diameter of 12,756 kilometers (7,973 miles.) It is about 150 million kilometers (93.2 million miles) away from the sun. It takes 365.25 days for the Earth to travel around the Sun (that's why we have a leap year every four years, the leftover ¼ is added up to make 1 day every four years.) 

Symbols and Duties of Mythological Figure
G aea in her true form, Gaea is the earth itself. The symbols that represent her are 3 fingers up or a peace sign (2 fingers) or a basket of fruit. Her duties are to be the mother and sustain-er of all life. She married @Uranus and thus gave birth to the Titans (12) Oceanus, Tethys, Hyperion, Theia, Coeus, Phoebe, Cronus, @Rhea, Mnemosyne, Themis, Crius,& Iapetus, and Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires. She presides over marriages, nursing the sick, and is foremost among the oracles. == ==  Although she is widely worshiped, Gaea is one of the most aloof of the Greek gods. Which is to say she does not spend all of her time meddling in the affairs of mortals. Gaea has been known to lend her aid to those in dire need, that is if the proper sacrifices of fruits and animals are made to her. 

Birth Story of Mythological Figure
 She was born from the Chaos, a shapeless, colorless, chasm of complete darkness.

Popular Story of Mythological Figure
 She mated with her son and husband to produce the Titans, who joined their brothers in prison. First came the hundred-handed, fifty headed Hecatoncheires, the giants Cottus, Gyges, and Briareus. The three one-eyed Cyclopes (the "Wheel-eyed") were next. Their names were Brontes, Steropes and Arges. Hemera (day) brings daylight and in the twilight, greeting her mother Nyx.

Related Stories
@Uranus was afraid that one of his children would end up overthrowing him and taking over rule of the his Universe. The Titans were thus imprisoned by Uranus in Tartarus (a region of the Underworld.)

CAUTION: IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH, YOU MAY FIND THIS DISTURBING
Cronus married his sister @Rhea, becoming supreme ruler of the Universe. Cronus was just as paranoid as his father. Heeding the warning of an oracle, he swallowed all the children he fathered with his wife @Rhea, afraid that they would do to him as he did to @Uranus. On the advice of Gaea, @Rhea gave Cronus a stone wrapped in baby blankets, and the gullible Cronus "swallowed" the hoax, instead of his baby boy Zeus. The child was secretly taken to the island of Crete and raised by the Nymphs. Zeus grew up and freed his swallowed siblings and with their help overthrew Cronus and became the supreme Olympian.


 * Gaea appeared in minor roles some myths, but eventually the shift to Zeus's(Jupiter's) rule, you saw him being assigned most of her responsibilities and accomplishments. Gaea came to be perceived as more of a concept than an active goddess. She was never part of the Olympians' council of twelve because she was considered too old and set in her ways to suit the new breed of gods.**

**Myth or Science Connection**
**Synthesize the information that you have found…**
 * **Their name is the same, and represent the same thing.**
 * **The astronomical body is named after Gaea (or Mother Earth, or just Earth) because our earth is the home to man and supports life, just as Gaea did.**


 * The Family Tree **

SCROLL SIDEWAYS TO VIEW ENTIRE TREE*

(left & right arrow keys, must manually move bottom bar first, then double click the empty space above, and then you can move the page.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Works cited:

Bellingham, David. An Introduction To Greek Mythology. Secaucus: Chartwell Books, 1989. Print

Hamilton, Edith. Mythology: Boston: Little, Brown And Company, 1998. Print

Internet Sources

http://quizilla.teennick.com http://worldsofimagination.com