In Greek mythology, Themis (Ancient Greek: Θέμις) was the goddess of divine law and order, custom, assemblies, justice, and fairness. She is a child of Uranus and Gaia and was the second wife of Zeus and bore him The Fates and The Horae.
Themis was given the Oracle of Delphi by Gaia, until Themis gave it to Phoebe, who in turn gave it to Apollo. She is associated with oracles and is often seen with a sword and the Scales of Justice. Additionally, she is sometimes blindfolded.
Etymology[]
Themis (Θέμις) means "divine law" and her name symbolizes proper procedure, order, and correct custom.
Themis means "divine law" rather than human ordinance, literally "that which is put in place", from the Greek verb títhēmi (τίθημι), meaning "to put."
Family[]
Themis is one of the twelve Titans, children of Uranus and Gaia. Themis is Zeus' second wife, and bore him the Fates and The Horae. The names of the Fates are:
The names of the Horae are:
The Roman poet Hyginus, in his Fabulae, makes Themis the daughter of Aether and Terra, and by Zeus the mother of the Horae. In the play Prometheus Bound, traditionally attributed to Aeschylus, Themis is the mother of Prometheus, while according to a scholion on Euripides' play Hippolytus, Themis is mother of the Hesperides by Zeus.
Mythology[]
As an oracular goddess[]
In some myths, Themis built the Oracle of Delphi and gave herself the gift of prophecy. In other accounts, her mother Gaia blessed her with the gift of prophecy and the Oracle of Delphi. Later Themis gave the oracle to her sister Phoebe, who gave it to her grandson Apollo, as a birthday gift. Themis aided Apollo in prophecies. Some of her prophecies were; warning the gods of an oncoming civil war in Thebes and the misfortunes to come with it, warning Zeus and Poseidon to not marry Thetis because her son will be more powerful than his father, telling Deucalion to throw the bones of "his Mother" over his shoulder to create a new race of humankind after the deluge, a son of Zeus will steal golden apples from the orchard of Atlas.
As a law goddess[]
In Homer's Iliad, Themis was tasked to call the Olympian gods to council meetings. In modern culture, she is often called "Lady Justice" and appears outside of law courts. She is depicted with a blindfold, symbolizing impartiality, the idea that justice should be served without regard to race, gender, power, wealth, or status.
Gallery[]
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| Titans | |
|---|---|
| Parents | Ouranós • Gaîa |
| Elder Titans | Coeus • Crius • Cronus • Hyperion • Iapetus • Oceanus |
| Elder Titanesses | Phoebe • Mnemosyne • Rhea • Theia • Themis • Tethys |
| Coeonides | Asteria • Leto |
| Crionides | Astraeus • Pallas • Perses |
| Hyperionides | Eos • Hḗlios • Selene |
| Iapetonides | Atlas • Epimetheus • Menoetius • Prometheus |
| Oceanides | Oceanids (Clymene • Metis • Styx • Rhode) • Potamoi |
| Third Generation | Hecate • Astraea • Anemoi • Astra Planeta • Kratos • Nike • Bia • Zelus |
| Miscellaneous Titans | Dione • Anytos • Ophion • Eurynome (wife of Ophion) • Lelantos • Melisseus • Titan (brother of Helios) • Olymbros • Syceus • Titanic Muses |
| Topics | Overthrowing of Ouranós • Titanomachy |