Mount Ida refers to two distinct sacred mountains in classical mythology: one located in Crete and the other in the ancient Troad region of western Anatolia. The latter is also known as Phrygian Ida and appears in significant literary works, including Homer's Iliad and Virgil's Aeneid.
Both mountains are associated with a mother goddess within pre-Greek mythology. In Anatolia, Mount Ida was sacred to the goddess Cybele, who is sometimes referred to as Mater Idaea. On the island of Crete, the mountain is linked to Rhea, who is often identified with Cybele; according to myth, Rhea placed the infant Zeus there to be nursed by Amaltheia. Following these events, the Cretan site became sacred to Zeus, the king and father of the Greek gods.