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Theia, a MythSource painting
Greek

Theia

The Wide-Shining · The Divine One · Mother of Helios

01Identity

Theia in Greek tradition

Shining through the lineage of the Titans, Theia is the mother of Helios, Dawn and the Moon. She is a Greek Titan associated with sight, shining light, the clear blue sky and the radiance of precious metals and gems. Unlike Helios, her son, she is not the charioteer who carries the sun across the sky. Her names include Euryphaessa, Aethra and Thea.

Top questions

The quick answers

  • Who is Theia?

    Theia is a Greek being associated with sight, shining light, the clear blue sky, the radiance of precious metals and gems.
    Source

    Source

    • Light and Darkness in Ancient Greek Myth and Religion
    • The Oxford Companion to World Mythology
    • Dictionary of Mythology

  • What is Theia the god of?

    sight, shining light, the clear blue sky, the radiance of precious metals and gems
    Source

    Source

    • Light and Darkness in Ancient Greek Myth and Religion
    • The Oxford Companion to World Mythology

  • What family links are recorded for Theia?

    Father: Uranus, Mother: Gaia, Spouse: Hyperion, 4 children, 7 siblings.
02Family

Theia’s family, at a glance

Parents above, children below, and the figure’s consorts named in between, the same family data as the fact box, laid out as a chart instead of a field list.

UranusGaia
TheiaCronusHyperionIapetosOceanusRheaTethysThemis

with Hyperion

AuroraEosHeliosSelene
03The names

The names Theia answers to

Euryphaessa

wide-shining

SourceDictionary of Mythology

Aethra

bright sky or clear air

SourceDictionary of Mythology

Thea

goddess or divine one

SourceThe Oxford Companion to World Mythology

04The myths

The myths of Theia

2 myths, each traced to its primary text and corpus sources.

The Birth of Theia

Gaia, the Earth, came into being after Chaos, the great Void. Tartarus, the deepest recess of the Earth, and Eros, Desire, also arose at the beginning of the universe. From Chaos came Erebus, the Darkness, and Night. Erebus and Night produced Aether, the bright upper atmosphere, and Day. These beings formed the earliest divine order before Gaia began to bring forth her own children.

Gaia then brought forth Uranus, the Heavens, to surround and protect her. She also produced the mountains and Pontus, the sea, which shaped her physical form. Gaia and Uranus together became the parents of several groups of children. Their offspring included the three one-eyed Cyclopes, the Hecatoncheires, and the twelve Titans. The Cyclopes were distinguished by their single eyes, while the Hecatoncheires formed another separate group among the children of Gaia and Uranus.

The twelve Titans were six sons and six daughters. The sons were Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, and Cronus. The daughters were Theia, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, and Tethys. Theia was therefore born from Gaia and Uranus as one of the twelve elder Titans of the first divine generation. Her brothers and sisters belonged to the same generation. The Titans came before the Olympian gods in the divine succession, and Theia was part of this earlier family of deities.

The Birth of Theia, a MythSource painting of the scene

In the modern world

No modern rework confirmed yet.

3 sources· checked 2026-08-19

  1. 1Greek Myths & TalesT1
  2. 2Hesiod, TheogonyT1

    Quote

    “Gaia and Uranus produced twelve children known as the Titans, including Theia among six sons and six daughters.”

    Hesiod, Theogony

  3. 3War in Greek MythologyT1

Theia and Hyperion

Theia united with her brother Hyperion, and they had three children, Eos, Helios, and Selene. Eos was Dawn, Helios was the Sun, and Selene was the Moon. They were also named Dawn, the Sun, and the Moon, and their appearances followed one another across the heavens.

At the close of each night, Eos rose in the east before her brother. She brought the first light of day, coloured the tips of the mountains, and drew aside the mist through which Helios was about to appear. When Helios burst forth, Eos disappeared, and he drove his flame-darting chariot along its accustomed track. The chariot was made of burnished gold and was drawn by four fire-breathing horses. Helios stood upright behind them with flashing eyes and rays around his head. He held the reins of the fiery steeds, which no other driver could control.

Towards evening, Helios descended along the curve of the sky to cool his burning head in the waters of the deep sea. Selene followed him closely. She then took charge of the world and illumined the dark night with her silver crescent. Before the next rising of Helios, Eos appeared again in the east. Dawn therefore came first, Helios followed with the light of day, and Selene came after his descent to light the night.

Theia and Hyperion, a MythSource painting of the scene

In the modern world

No modern rework confirmed yet.

3 sources· checked 2026-08-19

  1. 1Greek Myths & TalesT1
  2. 2Hesiod, TheogonyT1

    Quote

    “Theia and Hyperion produced Eos, Helios, and Selene, who are Dawn, the Sun, and the Moon.”

    Hesiod, Theogony

  3. 3The Greek MythsT1

Also appears in

The myths across MythSource where Theia features, each on that figure’s page.

The film

The Underdrawing video on Theia embeds here once it publishes.

Continue the road

More of Theia’s family, sourced

GaiaMotherCronusSibling