Gaia

Earth Goddess

The most famous of her names is GAIA, mentioned first around 700 BC in the Hesiod’s Theogony, where he described her as the "firm foundation of all". She was considered a primordial deity, powerful force, existing from the very beginning of time. Gaia was the great mother of all creation; the heavenly gods were descended from her through her union with Ouranos / Uranus (Sky), the sea-gods from her union with Pontos (Sea), the Gigantes (Giants) from her mating with Tartaros (the Pit), and mortal creatures, as the first humans, born directly from her earthy flesh.

This focus exists still today, that we all come from dust/sand/earth.

Here we see detail from a red figure pottery from around 500-400 BC of Gaia holding her infant son Erichthonius, probably the first human, or at least the first Athenian according to the story...

Gaia

See also