The Sky Father and Earth Mother: the Basis of All Indo-European Religions, Part 10, the Greek Earth Mother

 Gaia is the primordial Earth Mother of the ancient Greeks. Her name Γαῖα / Γῆ comes from the PIE root *dʰéǵʰōm, meaning 'earth, ground, soil.' The older form of Her name is Gē / Gḗ Γῆ. The PIE root also gives us the following Indo-European reflexes: 

. Latin: humus ('soil'), homo ('human,' literally 'earth‑dweller')

. Old English: guma ('man,' archaic)

. Sanskrit: kṣam- ('earth')

. Avestan: zam- ('earth')

. Old Irish: du ('earth')

Gaia is both a mythological figure and a linguistic fossil of Earth as the foundational mother. Although Gaia and Gē descend from the same root, they have slightly different meanings; the former is more the mythological and poetic personification of Earth, while the latter is the common noun for 'earth, land'. Gaia is both the Earth Mother and the Earth itself. Other Indo-European parallels to Gaia where the Earth Mother is also the Earth itself are:

. Prithvi (Vedic/Sanskrit)

. Jörð (Old Norse)

. Erce (Anglo-Saxon)

. Zemyna (Lithuanian)

. Danu (Celtic)

. Mat Zemlya (Slavic)

As discussed in my previous essay, the Sky Father of the ancient Greeks is Zeus, but he is not the consort of Gaia, the Earth Mother. That honour belongs to Ouranos (Οὐρανός)-the sky, who is also Her son, whom she produces on Her own. Their union produces the Titans, Cyclopes, and Hecatoncheires. In addition to Ouranos, She also gives birth to Πόντος (Pontus)-the sea and Οὔρεα (Ourea)-the mountains, parthenogenetically. These three elements are the basic structure of the cosmos. In addition to having children with Ouranos, She also gives birth to four children with her son Pontus: Thaumas, Phorcys, Ceto and Eurybia, who are all sea deities. With the castration of Ouranos by Cronus, the blood flowing from His wound onto Gaia produces the Gigantes (giants), the Erinyes (furies) and the Meliae (ash-tree nymphs). With the primordial god Tartarus, who is the personification of the deepest abyss, She produces the primordial monster, Typhon, who sought to overthrow Zeus. The birth of Typhon was a deliberate act in order to obtain revenge on Zeus for the imprisonment of Her children, the Titans. It is likely that Typhon is related to the Greek τύφω — 'to smoke, smoulder'. It is from Typhon that we get the English word, 'typhoon'.

Gaia, as a primordial being is one of the first beings to exist. Hesiod's Theogony has the following chronology in the creation of the cosmos:

. Chaos (strictly speaking a condition, not a being)

. Gaia (the first being/first substance)

. Tartarus (depth, boundary)

. Eros (generative force)

There are some interesting parallels with the Norse cosmology. The actual details differ of course, but the underlying structure is similar:

Greek: Chaos → Gaia → Tartarus → Eros

Norse: Ginnungagap → Fire (Muspelheim) + Ice (Niflheim) → Ymir

Both cosmologies begin with a gap, a void which is then filled with substances or elements. The key difference between the two is that whereas the Norse creation is mythical and physical, the Greek is philosophical and elemental.

The first beings of the Greek cosmology are:

. Gaia (earth)

. Tartarus (abyss)

. Eros (attraction)

. Nyx (night)

. Erebus (darkness)

The first beings of the Norse cosmology are:

. Ymir (proto-giant)

. Audhumla (cosmic cow)

. Búri (the first god)

It should be noted that while the first beings in the Norse cosmology are mythic persons, those in the Greek are cosmic principles.

The role of Gaia is significantly different from the Norse Jörð, the former being foundational in the creation of the world, the latter only having a secondary role. For me it is beyond doubt that Gaia is the strongest, fullest, and most complete reflex of the Indo-European Earth Mother that we possess.

The Cult of Gaia

Her cult was primordial, chthonic, pre-Olympian and pre-Hellenic. It was ritualistic, not temple-based, being that She is the earth itself. This made Her one of the first, if not the first deity to receive worship in ancient Greece. The oracle at Delphi originally belonged to Gaia, then Her daughter Themis, then Phoebe and finally Apollo. Like Erda in Wagner's Das Rheingold, She is the source of all knowledge, wisdom and prophecy. Gaia was worshipped via the pouring of libations on the ground, the burying of offerings and sacrifices without fire. She was also invoked as a witness in legal oaths, treaties and solemn promises, which is a typical characteristic of Indo-European Earth Mother rituals.In addition to Delphi, She also had shrines in Athens (Gaia Chthonia), Sparta, Olympia and Aegae. They were normally small, near the ground and associated with pits, caves and other natural features. As Gaia was the protector of children and fertility, She was invoked in childbirth, healing rituals and agricultural fertility. Snakes were sacred to Her as they are connected to the earth and symbolise regeneration. Gaia's cult was later absorbed by other goddesses such as:

. Demeter (agriculture)

. Hera (sovereignty and marriage)

. Rhea (motherhood)

. Cybele (mountain mother)