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Themis

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Not be confused with the sea-goddessTethys (mythology),or the sea nymphThetis.For other uses, seeThemis (disambiguation).
Themis
Goddess of justice, divine law, divine order, and custom
Member of theTitans
Themis of Rhamnous,Attica, by the sculptor Chairestratos, c. 280 BCE[1]
Ancient GreekΘέμις
AbodeMount Olympus
SymbolScales of justice,bronze sword
Genealogy
ParentsUranusandGaia
Siblings
  • Briareos
  • Cottus
  • Gyges
Other siblings
ConsortZeus
Offspring
Part ofa serieson
Ancient Greek religion
Laurel wreath
Origins
Sacred Places
Sacred Islands
Sacred Mountains
Sanctuaries
Other
Deities
Primordial deities
Olympians
Chthonic deities
Lesser deities
Concepts
Worldview
Divine and Reality
Mind
Soul
Ethics
Practices
Worship
Sacrifices and Offerings
Temples and holy sites
Meditation and Charity
Rites of passage
Festivals
Three Monthly Festivals
Religious Games
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Philosophers
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Texts
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InGreek mythologyandreligion,Themis(/ˈθiːmɪs/;Ancient Greek:Θέμις,romanized:Themis,lit. 'justice, law, custom')[2]is the goddess and personification of justice, divine order, law, and custom. She is one of the twelveTitanchildren ofGaiaandUranus,and the second wife ofZeus.She is associated with oracles and prophecies, including theOracle of Delphi.Her symbol is theScales of Justice.

Name[edit]

Themismeans "divine law" rather than human ordinance, literally "that which is put in place", from the Greek verbtíthēmi(τίθημι), meaning "to put."[3]

To the ancient Greeks she was originally the organizer of the "communal affairs of humans, particularly assemblies."[4]Moses Finleyremarked ofthemis,as the word was used byHomerin the 8th century BCE, to evoke the social order of the 10th- and 9th-centuryGreek Dark Ages:

Themis is untranslatable. A gift of the gods and a mark of civilized existence, sometimes it means right custom, proper procedure, social order, and sometimes merely the will of the gods (as revealed by anomen,for example) with little of the idea of right.[5]

Finley adds, "There wasthemis—custom, tradition,folk-ways,mores,whatever we may call it, the enormous power of 'it is (or is not) done.' "[6]

In theHymnto Apollo,Themis is referred to as "Ichnaea",meaning" Tracker ".[7]

Description[edit]

Painting of Themis with scales and sword byMarcello Bacciarelli

Some classical descriptions of Themis describe a sober-looking woman holding scales.[8]Themis is an earth goddess much like her mother, Gaia, and in some stories it is hard to tell the two apart.[9]Some classical depictions of Themis show her holding a sword.[10]

When Themis is disregarded,Nemesisbrings just and wrathful retribution; thus Themis shared the small temple atRhamnouswith Nemesis.[11]Themis is not wrathful; when a distraughtHerareturned toOlympusafter quarrelling with Zeus, Themis, "of the lovely cheeks," was the first to offer her a cup.[12]

Themis presided over the proper relation between man and woman, the basis of the rightly ordered family (the family was seen as the pillar of thedeme). Judges were often referred to as"themistopóloi"(the servants of Themis). Such was also the basis for order upon Olympus. EvenHeraaddressed her as "Lady Themis".[13]

Hesiod[edit]

Themis occurred inHesiod'sTheogonyas the first recorded appearance ofJusticeas a divine personage. Drawing not only on the socio-religious consciousness of his time but also on many of the earlier cult-religions, Hesiod described the forces of the universe as cosmic divinities. Hesiod portrayed temporal justice,Dike,as the daughter ofZeusand Themis. Dike executed the law of judgments and sentencing and, together with her mother Themis, she carried out the final decisions of Moirai.[14]

Aeschylus[edit]

In the playPrometheus Bound,traditionally attributed toAeschylus,it is said by Prometheus that Themis is called many names, includingGaia.[15]

Family[edit]

InHesiod'sTheogony,Themis is one of the twelve Titan children ofGaia(Earth) andUranus(Sky).[16]She is the second wife of her nephewZeus,by whom she is the mother of theHorae(Seasons), listed asEunomia(Law),Dike(Justice),Eirene(Peace), and theMoirai(Fates), listed asClotho,LachesisandAtropos.[17]Similarly to Hesiod's account, theOrphic Hymnto Themiscalls her the daughter of Gaia and Uranus,[18]and theOrphic Hymnto theSeasonscalls her the mother, by Zeus, of the Horae.[19]

Hyginus,in hisFabulae,makes Themis the daughter ofAetherandTerra(Earth),[20]and by Zeus the mother of theHorae.[21]In the playPrometheus Bound,traditionally attributed toAeschylus,Themis is the mother ofPrometheus,[22]while according to a scholion onEuripides' playHippolytus,Themis is mother of theHesperidesby Zeus.[23]

Mythology[edit]

Themis built theOracle at Delphiand was herselforacular.[24]According to another legend, Themis received the Oracle at Delphi fromGaiaand later gave it toPhoebe,who gave it to her grandsonApolloas a birthday gift.[25]According toEphorus,Themis helped Apollo find the oracle, with the intent of helping mankind.[26]Some examples of Themis' visions; In the story ofDryopeinOvid'sMetamorphoses,Themis warns the gods of an oncomingcivil war in Thebes.[27]In another tale she warnsZeusandPoseidonto not marryThetisbecause her son will be more powerful than his father.[28]According to Ovid, it was Themis rather than Zeus who toldDeucalionto throw the bones of "his Mother"over his shoulder to create a new race of humankind after the deluge.[29]Also according to Ovid, Themis prophesied that a son of Zeus will steal golden apples from the orchard ofAtlas.[30]

InHomer'sIliadshe is tasked with calling the gods to council on Olympus by Zeus.[31]

Themis was present atDelosto witness thebirth of Apollo,and nursed him with nectar andambrosia.[32]In hisDe Astronomica,Hyginuslists Themis, in addition to the nymphAmalthea,as the foster-mother and nurse of the young Zeus.[33]In a fragment ofPindar,Themis was brought from the springs ofOceanusby theMoirai(in this version not her daughters) toOlympus,where she became the first wife of Zeus (rather than the second), and by him the mother of theHorae.[34]

According to the lostCypriabyStasinus of Cyprus,Themis and Zeus together plotted the start of the Trojan War.[35]According toQuintus Smyrnaeus,when the gods defied the orders of Zeus and started fighting each other after the creation of theTrojan Horse,Themis stopped them by warning them of Zeus's wrath.[36]

In theOrphic"Rhapsodic Theogony", or Rhapsodies, (first century BC/AD)[37]Nyx(Night) prophesied that Themis would remain a virgin untilRheagave birth to a child ofCronus.[38]

Themis also played a role inEros,the young god of love, growing up; according toPorphyry,his motherAphroditewas worried about her son, Eros, staying a child forever and brought him to Themis. Themis told her to give Eros a brother, as he wasn't growing because of his solitude. Aphrodite then gave birth to another love god,Anteros(meaning "counter-love" ), and Eros grew whenever he was near him. But every time Anteros was away, Eros shrank back to his previous, small form.[39]

When four Cretan men (Aegolius,Celeus,CerberusandLaius) broke into the sacred cavern inCretewhere Rhea had given birth to Zeus in order to steal some of the honey produced there by the sacred bees, Themis and her daughters the Fates convinced Zeus against killing them inside the holy cave, as they considered it impious for anyone to die in the cave, so instead he turned all four into different birds.[40]

Cult[edit]

Themis had several temples in Greece, though they are not described in any great detail by ancient authors. She had temples at the oracular shrine of Zeus at Dodona, at Tanagra,[41]in Athens nearby to theAcropolis,[42]a temple inRhamnousbeside one ofNemesis,[43]and a Temple of Themis Ikhnaia inPhthiotis,Thessalia.[44]Pausaniasdescribes her sanctuary in Thebes in somewhat more detail than what was normally the case and it may therefore have been of more importance:

Along the road from the Neistan gate [at Thebes, Boiotia] are three sanctuaries. There is a sanctuary of Themis, with an image of white marble; adjoining it is a sanctuary of theMoirai(Moirae, Fates) [her daughters], while the third is of Zeus Agoraios (of the Market.)[45]

Themis also had an altar in Olympia: "On what is called the Stomion (Mouth) the altar to Themis has been built."[46]Themis was sometimes depicted in the sanctuaries of other gods and may have shared temples with them occasionally, and she is mentioned to have shared a temple with Aphrodite in Epidauros: "Within the grove [of the sanctuary of Asklepios (Asclepius) at Epidauros] are a temple of Artemis, an image of Epione, a sanctuary of Aphrodite and Themis, a race-course."[47]

The temple of Themis in Athens is found west of the theater of Dionysus.[48]Themis' temple in Dodona istetrastylepronaosin antis with acella,an entrance on the northside and outside was a large altar. The temple columns in Dodona wereIonicmade out of local sandstone.[49]

Modern depictions and dedications[edit]

A modern statue in Hong Kong showing Themis with her eyes covered.

Themis in modern-day depictions is often called "Lady Justice"[50]and statues can be found outside many courthouses.

In 2022, thebuildinghosting the main courtroom of the Court of Justice of the European Union'sGeneral Courtwas renamedThe Themis Building.[51]

Genealogy[edit]

Themis's family tree[52]
UranusGaiaPontus
OceanusTethysHyperionTheiaCriusEurybia
TheRiversTheOceanidsHeliosSelene[53]EosAstraeusPallasPerses
CronusRheaCoeusPhoebe
HestiaHeraHadesZeusLetoAsteria
DemeterPoseidon
IapetusClymene(orAsia)[54]Mnemosyne(Zeus)THEMIS
Atlas[55]MenoetiusPrometheus[56]EpimetheusTheMuses
EunomiaDikeEireneClothoLachesisAtropos
TheHoraeTheMoirai[57]

See also[edit]

  • Adikia– Goddess of injustice
  • Adrestia– Greek nymph
  • Lady Justice– Personification of justice
  • Libra– Seventh astrological sign of the zodiac
  • Ma'at– Egyptian deity and concepts of truth, order and justice
  • Me– Sumerian name given to the laws of the gods
  • Raguel– Angel in the Judaic traditions

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Brill's New Pauly,s.v. Themis.
  2. ^Beekes,s.v. Θέμις, p. 539.
  3. ^LSJ,s.v. θέμις.
  4. ^"(University of Washington School of Law) Themis, Goddess of Justice".Archived fromthe originalon 2008-07-25.Retrieved2008-07-16.
  5. ^Finley,The World of Odysseus,rev. ed. (New York: Viking Press), 1978: 78, note.
  6. ^Finley,The World of Odysseus.p. 82.
  7. ^Homeric Hymn3to Apollo,96;Gantz, p. 52.
  8. ^Cooke, Rachel (2006).Encyclopedia of World Religions.{{cite encyclopedia}}:Missing or empty|title=(help)
  9. ^de Ville, Jacques (2013). "Mythology and the Images of Justice".Law and Literature.23(3): 324–364.doi:10.1525/lal.2011.23.3.324.hdl:10566/288.ISSN1535-685X.S2CID220308728.
  10. ^Bennett, De Robigne Mortimer (1880).The Gods and Religions of Ancient and Modern Times...Bennett. p. 227.
  11. ^Munn, Mark H. (2006-07-11).The Mother of the Gods, Athens, and the Tyranny of Asia: A Study of Sovereignty in Ancient Religion.University of California Press. p. 337.ISBN978-0-520-93158-9.
  12. ^Homer,Iliad15.88.
  13. ^See, Sally (2014-12-25).The Greek Myths.S&T. p. 11.
  14. ^Donna Marie Giancola, "Justice and the Face of the Great Mother (East and West)"
  15. ^Aeschylus,Prometheus bound211 (Sommerstein,pp. 446, 447;Harrison 1912,p. 480;Harrison 1908,p. 261.
  16. ^Hesiod,Theogony133–138;Gantz, p. 52; Caldwell, p. 5, table 3; Grimal, s.v. Themis, p. 443; Tripp, s.v. Themis, pp. 558–559;Oxford Classical Dictionary,s.v. Themis; Morford,p. 60;March, s.v. Themis, p. 376. Themis is similarly called the daughter of Gaia and Uranus byApollodorus,who includes her in his list of Titans (Apollodorus,1.3.1).
  17. ^Hesiod,Theogony901–906;Gantz, p. 53;Oxford Classical Dictionary,s.v. Themis. Despite the Moirai being called the offspring of Zeus and Themis, they are earlier, atHesiod,Theogony217,listed as the daughters ofNyx(Night) (Hard,p. 27).
  18. ^Orphic Hymnto Themis(79), 1–3 (Athanassakis and Wolkow,p. 62).
  19. ^Orphic Hymnto theSeasons(43), 1 (Athanassakis and Wolkow,p. 37).
  20. ^Hyginus,FabulaeTheogony 3 (Smith and Trzaskoma,p. 95).
  21. ^Hyginus,Fabulae183 (Smith and Trzaskoma,p. 158), Theogony 25 (Smith and Trzaskoma,p. 96).
  22. ^Aeschylus,Prometheus Bound18, 211, 873 (Sommerstein, pp.444, 445 n. 2,446, 447 n. 24,538, 539 n. 113);Brill's New Pauly,s.v. Themis.
  23. ^Scholia onEuripides,Hippolytus742 (Cavarzeran, p. 288)[=Pherecydesfr. 16d Fowler, p. 286=FGrHist3 F16d =FHGfr. 33b (Müller, p. 80)]; Gantz, p. 6; Fowler 2013,p. 294;Smith, s.vv.Themis,Hesperides.According to Gantz, "Jacoby argues confusion with the Eridanos Nymphai here".
  24. ^Diodorus Siculus,5.67.4;Orphic hymn 79
  25. ^Aeschylus,Eumenides1–8;West 1985,p. 174.
  26. ^Strabo,Geographica9.3.11[=FGrHist70 F31b];Oxford Classical Dictionary,s.v. Themis.
  27. ^Ovid,Metamorphoses9.324–417.
  28. ^Apollodorus,3.13.5.
  29. ^Ovid,Metamorphoses1.313–381;Hard,p. 404;Tripp, s.v. Themis, pp. 558–559; Fontenrose,p. 417.
  30. ^Ovid,Metamorphoses4.639
  31. ^Homer,Iliad20.5.
  32. ^Homeric Hymnto Apollo(3),96,123–125;Gantz, p. 52; Hard,p. 144;Oxford Classical Dictionary,s.v. Themis.
  33. ^Hyginus,De Astronomica2.13.6.Hyginus attributes this statement to "Musaeus", presumablyMusaeus of Athens;see also West, p. 43.
  34. ^Pindar,fr. 30 Race, p. 236, 237[=Clement of Alexandria,Stromata5.14.137.1]; Gantz, p. 52.
  35. ^Cypriafragment1
  36. ^Quintus Smyrnaeus,Posthomerica12.202–215 (pp. 590–3).
  37. ^Meisner, pp.1,5;cf. West 1983, pp. 261–262.
  38. ^West, pp. 73, 266; Proclus,Commentary on Plato's Timaeus30 a (I 396, 29 Diehl) [= Orphicfr. 144 Kern]. The children Themis later gave birth to were here too the Horae and the Moirai (Orphic frr.126[= Proclus,Commentary on Plato's RepublicII 207, 14 Kr.],162[= Proclus,Commentary on Plato's Timaeus41 e (III 274, 17 Diehl)],181[= Proclus,Commentary on Plato's Timaeus40 a (III 118, 30 Diehl)] Kern; West, pp. 73, 266, 267).
  39. ^Dwight,p. 266.
  40. ^Antoninus Liberalis,Collection of Transformations19
  41. ^Pausanias,9.22.1.
  42. ^Pausanias,1.22.1;Harrison 1912,p. 481.
  43. ^Burkert,p. 184.
  44. ^Strabo,3.2.11;Harrison 1912,p. 481.
  45. ^Pausanias,9.25.4.
  46. ^Pausanias,5.14.10.
  47. ^Pausanias,2.27.6.
  48. ^Acropolis, Temple of Themis. Built between 480 and 320 BC. Artstor, library-artstor-org.ezproxy.library.wwu.edu/asset/ASITESPHOTOIG_10313398073
  49. ^Temple of Themis. 4th-3rd centuries BC, 14-Jun-09. Artstor, library-artstor-org.ezproxy.library.wwu.edu/asset/ASITESPHOTOIG_10313399354
  50. ^West Publishing Company (1983).The Guide to American law: everyone's legal encyclopedia.Internet Archive. St. Paul [Minn.]: West Pub. Co. pp. 687–688.ISBN978-0-314-73224-8.
  51. ^"Themis Building".Europa (web portal).Retrieved1 October2023.
  52. ^Hesiod,Theogony132–138,337–411,453–520,901–906, 915–920;Caldwell, pp. 8–11, tables 11–14.
  53. ^Although usually the daughter of Hyperion and Theia, as inHesiod,Theogony371–374,in theHomeric Hymnto Hermes(4),99–100,Selene is instead made the daughter of Pallas the son of Megamedes.
  54. ^According toHesiod,Theogony507–511,Clymene, one of theOceanids,the daughters ofOceanusandTethys,atHesiod,Theogony351,was the mother by Iapetus of Atlas, Menoetius, Prometheus, and Epimetheus, while according toApollodorus,1.2.3,another Oceanid, Asia was their mother by Iapetus.
  55. ^According toPlato,Critias,113d–114a,Atlas was the son ofPoseidonand the mortalCleito.
  56. ^InAeschylus,Prometheus Bound18, 211, 873 (Sommerstein, pp.444, 445 n. 2,446, 447 n. 24,538, 539 n. 113) Prometheus is made to be the son of Themis.
  57. ^Earlier, at217,the Moirai are instead called the offspring ofNyx(Night).

References[edit]

External links[edit]

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