Dike or Dice (Greek: Δικη, meaning "Justice, Law of Custom") is the Greek goddess of justice and is numbered among the Horae. She is generally said to be the daughter of Zeus and Themis. She was conflated with the other Goddess of Justice Astraea and was associated with Dikaiosyne.
The constellation Libra (the Scales) was anciently thought to represent her distinctive symbol.
Mythology[]
Although both Dike and Themis were considered personifications of justice, Dike better represented human/mortal justice, while Themis represented divine justice. She was known to beat her counterpart, Adikia (Daimon of Injustice) with a mallet.o
She is also the mother of Hesychia.
| “ | Kindly Hesychia (Peace), daughter of Dike (Justice), you who make cities great, holding the supreme keys of counsels and of wars | ” |
–Pythian Ode 8 (trans. Svarlien), Pindar | ||
| “ | To Zeus also were born, they say, the goddesses Aphroditê and the Graces, Eileithyia and her helper Artemis, the Hours, as they are called, Eunomia and Dikê and Eirenê, and Athena and the Muses, and the gods Hephaestus and Ares and Apollo, and Hermes and Dionysus and Heracles. | ” |
–Library of History Book 5. line 72. section 5 (trans. Oldfather), Diodorus Siculus | ||
| “ | The Horai, as they are called, to each of them, according as her name indicates, was given the ordering and adornment of life, so as to serve to the greatest advantage of mankind; for there is nothing which is better to build a life of felicity than obedience to law (eunomia) and justice (dike) and peace (eirene). | ” |
–Library of History Book 5. line 73. section 6 (trans. Oldfather), Diodorus Siculus | ||
Appearance[]
She was considered to be a young woman holding a balance scale; her Roman counterpart was depicted in the same way but also blindfolded.
Role of the Horae[]
Along with Eunomia and Eirene, Dike belonged to the second-generation Horae, goddesses of the seasons and the natural portions of time.
The Horae are often considered handmaidens to certain gods, usually affiliated with Helios, though in poetry specifically Dike is an attendant of Zeus. In Nonnus' Dionysiaca, Dike was nursing and raising Dardanos until he was mature.[4] Dardanos was the son of Zeus and Electra, and was the ancestor of the Trojans after he founded a city named after himself.
Dike and her sisters also enacted their namesake upon mankind, and were seen as protectors of civilization, especially of cities.
External Links[]
Dike at Theoi
References[]
- ↑ https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0162%3Abook%3DP.%3Apoem%3D8
- ↑ https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/5D*.html#72.5
- ↑ https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/5D*.html#73.6
- ↑ https://topostext.org/work/529#3.195
| Horae | |
|---|---|
| 12 Horae of the Hours | Auge • Anatole • Mousica • Gymnastica • Nymphe • Mesembria • Sponde • Elete • Acte • Hesperis • Dysis • Arctus |
| Horae of the Four Seasons | Eiar of Spring • Theros of Summer • Phthinophoron of Fall • Cheimon of Winter |
| First Triad or the Horae of the Harvest-times | Thallo • Auxo/Auxesia • Carpo/Damia |
| Second Triad or the Horae of the Order of Law | Dike of Justice • Eirene of Peace • Eunomia of Good Order |
| Third Triad or the Horae of Welfare | Orthosia • Pherusa • Euporie |