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Gaia The Living

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GAIA mother nature was the Protogenos of earth, one of the primal elements who first emerged at the dawn of creation, along with air, sea and sky.

Peter Paul Rubens - The Union of Earth and Water

Location: Earth
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Latest Activity: Sep 20, 2024

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Ophelia and He Will Not Come

Gaia was the Protogenos of earth, one of the primal elements who first emerged at the dawn of creation, along with air, sea and sky. She was the great mother of all: the heavenly gods were descended from her union with Ouranos, the sea-gods from her union with Pontos, the Gigantes from her mating with Tartaros and mortal creatures were sprung or born from her earthy flesh.

As Gaia was the source from which arose the vapours producing divine inspiration, she herself also was regarded as an oracular divinity, and it is well known that the oracle of Delphi was believed to have at first been in her possession, and at Olympia, too, she had an oracle in early times. That Ge belonged to the theoi chthinioi, requires no explanation, and hence she is frequently mentioned where they are invoked. The surnames and epithets given to Ge have more or less reference to her character as the all-producing and all-nourishing mother (mater omniparens et alma), and hence Servius classes her together with the divinities presiding over marriage. Her worship appears to have been universal among the Greeks, and she had temples or altars at Athens, Sparta, Delphi, Olympia, Bura, Tegea, Phlyus, and other places.

In myth Gaia appears as the prime opponent of the heavenly gods. First she rebelled against her husband Ouranos who had imprisoned her sons in her womb. Then later, when her son Kronos defied her by imprisoning these same sons, she assisted Zeus in his overthrow of the Titan. Finally she came into conflict with Zeus, angered with him for the binding of her Titan-sons in the pit of Tartaros. In her opposition she first produced the tribe of Gigantes and later the monster Typhoeus to dethrone him, but both failed in both attempts. In the ancient Greek cosmology earth was conceived as a flat disk encirced by the river Okeanos, and topped above by the solid dome of heaven and below by the great pit of Tartaros. She herself supported the sea and moutains upon her breast.

Gaia was depicted as a buxom, matronly woman, half risen from the earth in Greek vase painting. She was portrayed as inseperable from her native element. In mosaic art, Gaia appears as a full-figured, reclining woman, often clothed in green, and sometimes accompanied by grain spirits —the Karpoi.

Discussion Forum

Valley of the Rocks - A unique Natural Treasure

Started by Rosmarie Heusser Aug 18, 2024. 0 Replies 2 Likes

Payote (Lophophora Williamsii)

Started by Rosmarie Heusser. Last reply by Eva Libre Aug 11, 2024. 2 Replies 2 Likes

A Global Water Prayer

Started by Rosmarie Heusser. Last reply by bridget orman May 26, 2024. 2 Replies 1 Like

We Learn It Too Late - 103 Year Old Doctor Dr. Gladys McGarey on Life's Secrets

Started by bridget orman. Last reply by Carmen Elsa Irarragorri-Wyland Mar 14, 2024. 2 Replies 3 Likes

Speaking to the Water

Started by Rosmarie Heusser. Last reply by Rosmarie Heusser Dec 26, 2023. 3 Replies 3 Likes

WHY OUR FORESTS ARE IMPORTANT

Started by bridget orman. Last reply by Carmen Elsa Irarragorri-Wyland Mar 14, 2023. 1 Reply 0 Likes

A couple of pretty, fixed bicycle-views along the road

Started by Rosmarie Heusser. Last reply by Rosmarie Heusser May 26, 2022. 2 Replies 2 Likes

Wonderful mansions in the bird world

Started by Luna Arjuna. Last reply by Rosmarie Heusser May 12, 2022. 3 Replies 3 Likes

Big Bertha

Started by Eva Libre. Last reply by bridget orman Apr 25, 2022. 3 Replies 1 Like

Daffodil

Started by Eva Libre. Last reply by Carmen Elsa Irarragorri-Wyland Apr 3, 2022. 1 Reply 3 Likes

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Comment by Nada Jung on April 20, 2019 at 3:25pm: Image: Wildflower profusion on Table Mountain near Oroville, California only 30 minutes from the horrendous fires that engulfed the town of Paradise last autumn.

Taken by the nimble fingers and loving eye of Carolien van Straten

Comment by Eva Libre on April 15, 2019 at 11:42pm: ~ Image by Nelleke Pieters

One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between Man and Nature shall not be broken.

~ Leo Tolstoy

Comment by Luna Arjuna on March 2, 2019 at 5:14pm: Benagil Sea Cave, Algarve, Portugal

Comment by Luna Arjuna on March 2, 2019 at 5:12pm: An apple tree, although very common in southern Brazil, the rest of the country probably never saw one, are not they beautiful?

Comment by Rosmarie Heusser on February 25, 2019 at 9:09pm: Story of Flowers

Comment by Rosmarie Heusser on February 21, 2019 at 8:12pm: Clare Dubois of the 'TreeSisters' was one of the Speakers in The Sacred Earth Telesummit I listended to. (4. - 19. February)

Comment by Luna Arjuna on February 21, 2019 at 4:00pm: You always find very interesting movies Rosmarie. Thank you!

Comment by Rosmarie Heusser on February 20, 2019 at 9:41pm: TreeSisters Journey to a Billion Trees from TreeSisters on Vimeo.

Comment by Rosmarie Heusser on February 10, 2019 at 8:52pm: Insect Macrophotography at the time of morning dew by the German photographer Martin Mah