| Gaea |
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| Real Name: Gaea Powers: Gaea possesses phenomenally powerful mystic powers, allowing her control over all the natural forces of the Earth, such as storms, volcanoes, tidal waves, etc. She can also draw upon the spiritual energies of all of Earth's living beings, or bestow mystical powers or protection upon others. She can bring any creature of Earthly origin to full health, and communicate telepathically with the same. She normally appears as a female humanoid, but can alter her form and size as she wishes. The full extent of her power seems near infinite. History: Gaea is one of the major Elder Gods who first materialized on Earth shortly before other lifeforms appeared there. She and her brother god Chthon were among those Elder Gods who inhabited the land masses of the Earth (as opposed to the sea or skies) and may have had something to do with forming certain geological patterns. Although Gaea was humanoid in form, most of the Elder Gods were not. Except for Gaea, the Elder Gods eventually degenerated into demons; in other words, these Elder Gods became parasitic entities, needing to feed on the life essences of other beings in order to survive. Since humankind had not yet been born, these Elder Gods began preying on each other. Fearing that the demons' battles would destroy the newly evolving life on Earth, Gaea called upon the Demiurge, the sentient life force of Earth's biosphere, and gave birth to the first of the next generation of Gods, Atum, who was dedicated to the consumption and elimination of the evil which the Elder Gods had wrought in their degeneration into demons. Atum killed virtually all the Elder Gods, although some, like Chthon and Set, escaped into other dimensional worlds. Gaea was the only Elder God permitted by the second generation of gods to exist. She infused her godly life essence into all living beings on Earth. Each living being born on Earth is infused with a portion of her life essence. It is for this reason that Gaea has been known throughout human history as the patron goddess of all living beings on Earth. She is the embodiment of the spirit of life, growth, harvest, and renewal on this planet. Under various names Gaea has become a member of every pantheon of gods worshipped by polytheistic religions throughout human history. Her role in these pantheons is always that of the maternal goddess of the Earth. In at least some cases, Gaea is actually the parent to races of gods who were worshipped on Earth, or to particular gods within specific pantheons. For example, according to ancient Greek myth, Gaea gave birth to the sky god Ouranos, with whom she then mated to produce the race of Titans, two of whom, Cronus and Rhea, were the parents of Zeus and the rest of the first generation of Olympian gods. The Asgardian god Odin mated with Gaea, under her name of Jord, in order to produce a son who would combine the power of Asgard and the power of Earth within himself. That son was Thor, who, however, was raised by Odin's wife Frigga and did not learn his mother's identity until more recent years. On the arrival of the Third Host of the Celestials upon Earth, the leaders of Earth's pantheon of gods learned that these extraordinarily powerful extraterrestrial beings intended to return to Earth centuries later to judge its inhabitants. If the Celestials judged against humanity at that time, they would destroy Earth. Over the following centuries, while the leading male gods of the pantheons planned means of defense against the Celestials, the leading goddesses sought out members of the human race who had the highest genetic potential. Twelve such humans were selected and evolved by the gods into godlike beings themselves, who became known as the Young Gods. Gaea presented these twelve Young Gods to the Fourth Host of the Celestials as examples of the human race at its finest. As a result, the Celestials judged in humanity's favor and left Earth, taking the Young Gods with them. This was perhaps Gaea's greatest achievement in her role as protectress of all life on Earth. Gaea is no longer worshipped or thought to be real in the monotheistic cultures of the present day. However, whether people believe her to be real or not, when they refer to Mother Nature or Mother Earth, they are speaking about Gaea. |
| Images Gaea1 Marvel.com |