Rhea
Rhea names 5 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below.
Rhea a variety of the nettle family
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a variety of the nettle family, which grows luxuriantly in India. From the delicate fibers in its bark the finest and strongest textile fabrics can be produced, ced, d, and in the manufacture of such fabrics it is unrivalled. The hindrance to its use has hitherto lain in the difficulty and cost of separating the fibers RHEA from the gums and cortex of the bark in which they are embedded. However, an Anglo-Indian chemist, Mr. Gomess, has succeeded in elaborating a chemical process which frees the fiber from the resins in which it is imbedded, by the use of zincate of soda; and this process, after numerous trials, the Indian Government pronounced a complete success. A large demand consequently developed for the "ribbons" or strips of dried bark. Rhea fibers can be worked into every variety of fabric, from velvets to laces. It is specially suitable, from its lightness and toughness, for tents and ship ship can vas, and it is found to be far more durable than linen.
Rhea An ancient Greek goddess
1000 Classical Characters (1900)
An ancient Greek goddess, who appears to have been a goddess of the earth. In Rome the Galli were her priests. The lion was sacred to her. In works of art she is usually represented seated on a throne, adorned with a mural crown, from which a veil hangs down. Lions appear crouching on the right and left of her throne, and sometimes she is seen riding in a chariot drawn by lions. Rhenus (Rhein in German, Rhine in English). One of the great rivers in Europe, forming in ancient times the boundary between Gaul and Germany, rises in Mount Adulas (St. Gothard), not far from the sources of the Rhone. Rhodanus (Rhone). One of the chief rivers of Gaul, rises in Mount Adulas, on the Pennine Alps, not far from the sources of the
Rhea MADEMOISELLE (MLLE
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
MADEMOISELLE (MLLE. HORTENSE BARBE-LORET), a Belgian actress; born in Brussels, Belgium, Sept. 4, 1844. Educated at the Ursuline Convent, Paris, France; she began to study for the stage soon after leaving school; made her début at the Théâtre de la Monnaie, Brussels, in "Fairy Fingers"; was engaged at Rouen and at the Vaudeville, Paris; made a tour of France; was leading actress at the Imperial Theater, St. Petersburg, 1876-1881; played, in English, Beatrice in "Much Ado About Nothing," at the Gaiety Theater, London, in 1881; acted in the United States in 1881 and 1882. Her repertory contained "Adrienne Lecouv- 1 reur"; "Camille"; "Pygmalion and Galatea"; "School for Scandal"; "Frou- Frou"; "The New Magdalen"; "Lady of Lyons"; "Nell Gwynn"; etc. She died in Montmorency, France, May 5, 1899.
Rhea in Greek mythology
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
in Greek mythology, the goddess of the Earth. She was the daughter of Uranus and Gaea; she became the wife of Cronus, and mother of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Hestia, and Demeter. She was worshipped especially in Crete. She was early identified with Cybele. The Romans identified her with their Ops.
Rhea or Rea Silvia
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
or Rea Silvia, in Roman legend, a vestal virgin. She was the mother, by Mars, of Romulus and Remus. She is called also Ilia.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Collier's 1921 confidence that rhea fiber was "unrivalled" and about to displace linen for tents and ship canvas did not pan out. The plant, now generally called ramie (Boehmeria nivea) or China grass, remains a minor textile fiber: degumming the bark is still chemically costly, and the world's modest output — largely from China — is mostly blended with cotton in shirting rather than woven into sailcloth. The mythological entries in Aiton's (1910) and 1000 Classical Characters (1900) stand up well; Rhea as consort of Cronus, mother of Zeus, worshipped in Crete and conflated with Cybele and the Roman Ops, is still how she is taught. What no volume on this shelf mentions is that a reader typing "Rhea" today may want Saturn's second-largest moon, photographed close up by the Cassini spacecraft between 2004 and 2017, or the South American flightless bird of that name.
Written for this edition, 2026.