Who was Themis?
Themis was the Titan goddess of justice and order and one of the extraordinary number of gods and goddesses worshipped by the Ancient Greeks. The female Titans were called the Titanides. The Titans were the descendents of the first gods or divinities, called the primordial or primeval gods, who were born out of Chaos. The first 12 Titans, that included Themis were a race of powerful, giant gods from the union of the primordial deities Gaia and Uranus. Themis was the lover of Zeus and from their union they produced the Horae and the Fates. The legend and myth about Themis, the Titan goddess of justice and order has been passed down through the ages and plays an important role in the history of the Ancient World of Greece and the study of the Greek classics. Facts about Themis
Themis features in the Creation myth of the ancient Greeks which are based on the idea that these supernatural beings resembled mortals but were of gigantic proportions and possessed great magical and mystic powers. Name: Themis Role & Function: The function of Themis is described as being the Titan goddess of justice and order Status: A principle goddess in the first dynasty of Titans Gender: Female Name of Consort: Zeus Name of Father: Uranus Name of Mother: Gaia Names of Brothers (Titans): Oceanus, Hyperion, Coeus, Cronus, Crius and Iapetus Names of Sisters (Titanides): Mnemosyne, Tethys, Theia, Phoebe and Rhea Names of Children: The Horae and the Fates
The Children of Themis and Zeus
The children of Themis and Zeus were collectively known as the Horae and the Fates. The Horae were goddesses of law and order, their names were Eunomia (Lawfulness), Dike (Justice), and Eirene (Peace). The Three Fates were the goddesses of destiny, the weavers of fate. The names of the Three Fates were Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. Facts about Themis in Greek Mythology
Discover interesting information and facts about Themis, the Titan goddess of justice and order. Themis took the side of the Olympians in the War of the Titans She is the personification of the order of things established by law, custom, and equity The Roman counterpart of the goddess was Justitia She had the gift of prophecy and was associated with the Oracles of Delphi over which she presided with the god Apollo She established codes of conduct in relation to the offerings to the gods She was both a lover and counsellor to Zeus and was depicted as sitting close to Zeus advising on laws She was the first to instruct mortals in the laws of justice and morality She was also the goddess of important assemblies and councils in which kings of nations would hear petitions Themis is often represented on coins with a horn of plenty and a pair of scales She was a kind goddess and when she was disregarded it was the goddess Nemesis who issued just retribution. She was also friendly to Hera and sympathized with her when Zeus was unfaithful
The Imprisonment of Themis and the Titans
According to the ancient Greek Creation myth Uranus, the father of Themis and the other Titans, was terrified of the massive size and strength of his gigantic children and to prevent them rebelling against him, Uranus seized them immediately after their birth and hurled them down into a dark abyss called Tartarus, where he kept his Titan children in chains. Their mother, Gaia, helped them to escape and, led by Cronus, they overthrew their father and took power as the Titan gods. Cronus was no better than his father which led to the War of the Titans. The Titanomachy in Greek Mythology
The Battle of the Titans, called the Titanomachy, was a 10 year war and power struggle that was fought between the Titans and the gods and goddesses who would become known as the Olympians. In ancient Greek mythology Mount Othrys was the base of the Titans during the Battle of the Titans and Mount Olympus was the base of the Olympian gods and goddesses led by Zeus. Mnemosyne, Themis, Oceanus, and Hyperion choose to join the Olympians. |
