Gaia was the Mother Earth, born from Chaos, the great void of space. She gave birth without male intervention to Oranos (the sky) and Pontus (the sea), and took Oranos as her mate. Together they produced the Titans, and other gods and creatures. After the emasculation of Oranos, she mated with Pontus and protected Zeus prior to his overthrow of the Titans. As the goddess Mother Earth she was worshipped as the force behind all things in the world, living and inanimate.