To the ancient Greeks, every essence of life could be attributed to a god or goddess.
Whether it be time, space, nature, death or even life itself, the gods either ruled or represented
every conceivable notion. In many cases, the gods became the personification of these notions,
allowing the Greeks to cultivate some understanding and context for matters and affairs
that weren’t completely understood at the time. Other beliefs saw the gods personify elements
of society, thus creating a face for a concept to perhaps make it more tangible and perhaps,
more popular. With this, the concept and practice of law and order was indeed
personified by the Greeks, and one might argue that of all the personifications,
the goddess Themis was a most important one. The ancient Greeks certainly agreed,
for Themis - a female Titan - would be revered as the Goddess of Justice and would prove to be
an essential component in guiding ancient society on its way to becoming a more organised construct.
Even today, the imagery of Themis, that is a woman holding a sword and scales, connotes the idea
of law and order, proving that despite not being a major player in the mythology itself,
certainly stood the test of time. As is the case with the first generation titans,
Themis was born to the primordial beings Ouranus and Gaia and was one of the twelve siblings that
shaped the origins of the Greek pantheon - most notably, her brother Cronus, who set
in motion the events that overthrew Ouranos and established Titan dominion on the earth.
It is with Cronus’ usurpation that saw the female Titans benefit greatly from such an insurrection,
as under the rule of Cronus, each female Titan was handed a privileged position. As mentioned,
Themis would become a goddess of justice, and was thought of as the Lady of good counsel,
though it would be more accurate to say that she was the goddess of Divine Law and Order.
With this title, she would be considered to be a goddess who provided mankind with the laws
by which they should live their lives and set the rules for various engagements and
customs. To the ancient Greeks, it was believed that she was originally an organiser of communal
affairs between the humans, but that after the insurrection that saw Ouranus dethroned, Themis
was offered a much more grand responsibility. In this sense, the rules set down by Themis
were indisputable on the account that they were actually divine and therefore were simply above
man to debate. It also provided man with the idea that the law was not just a man made construct,
but instead a construct implemented by the gods, that which was therefore sacred and unbreakable.
Of course, rules were always broken by the mortals - in fact, the gods didn’t always
set good examples when it came to heeding the law. So in order to implement these divine laws,
it is believed that Themis worked hand in hand with the goddess
Nemesis, she was the divine goddess of retribution and revenge. Ultimately,
Themis laid down the rules to ward mankind away from hubris and wickedness.
Whilst Nemesis provided the consequences to those who did not follow them. The very image of Themis
as discussed screams order and justice and we can see that by the Scales of Justice
in which she carries, a scale being a tool used to balance items in equal measure.
In essence, if you were in the favour of Themis, it’s likely that you were in the right.
As far as her name goes, Themis was believed to simply mean ‘divine law’, as opposed to being a
more human decree. As mentioned, this meant that man could not break these divine laws so easily,
and if he did, then he was in violation of gods’ intentions and thus, demonstrating both hubris
and arrogance. Interestingly, it is believed that Themis originated from the Greek verb
títhēmi, a verb meaning ‘put in place’, furthermore suggesting that certain laws
were indeed put in place by Themis and thus, were considered non-negotiable. Others believe
that Themis simply meant a right, custom, protocol or some aspect of social order; but nonetheless,
her representation seems unanimously associated again with the laws and order of mankind.
But amongst the grand responsibility of divine law and order, Themis was also considered to be
able to see into the future and she was often associated as one of the Oracles of Delphi.
It was here that it was believed that she first spoke to the early humans and using her divine
voice, was able to enable mankind with justice and morality, thus making them acknowledge the
rules of hospitality, appropriate conduct and the methods in which to make offerings to the gods.
It is with her association with the Oracle of Delphi therefore
that she would become to be revered as a prophetic goddess
and even maintained some authority when Apollo had taken over the responsibility at Delphi.
In other legends, it was Themis herself who had built the Oracle at Delphi,
or that she had been the first to receive it as a gift from her mother Gaia. With these ideas,
her role as prophetic goddess becomes even more profound, and it might be said that in this,
she was indeed one of the first goddesses to peer into the future. We do see evidence
of her doing this very thing as she is seen in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, in The Story Dyope,
to warn the gods of a civil war in Thebes, as well as the disasters that happen thereafter.
In a more crucial tale, we see her warn Zeus not to marry the sea nymph Thetis,
for his child with her would be so powerful, that the child would usurp him.
As a goddess who could see into the future, it comes as no surprise
that she did not side with her brother during the Titanomachy, when Zeus faced
off against Cronus in the battle for supremacy. Instead, Themis, amongst the other female Titans
were considered to have remained neutral, which is why they were likely not punished
in the same way their male counterparts were. Of course, another idea as to why none of the
female titans were punished could possibly have been because Zeus fancied all of them.
You don’t need me to tell you about Zeus’ many conquests in the mythology and just because a
deity was a Titan, it did not mean that she was off limits from his salacious appetite.
In fact, it probably made it all the more enticing for him.
Little is known about the relationship between Zeus and Themis, but we do know that she would
be his second wife after Zeus had swallowed his first wife Metis. With this marriage,
Themis was thought to have given birth to two sets of children, three Horai and the three Moirai.
The three Horai, who were Dike, Eirene and Eunomia were primarily seasonal goddesses
who governed over portions of time in a year.
Taking after their mother, they were also considered to be goddesses
of justice and order, much as their mother was. The Moirai meanwhile, often referred to as ‘the
Fates’ were also three sisters, those who went by the names Atropos, Clotho and Lachesis.
These children worked similarly to the Horai, though they were considered to be deities
who controlled the destinies of the mortals. Hesiod tells us in the Theogony of this event,
saying - "Next [after
Metis] he [Zeus] led away (married?) bright Themis (Divine Law) who bare the Horai (Horae, Seasons),
and Eunomia (Order), Dike (Justice), and blooming (thallô) Eirene (Irene, Peace), who mind the works
of mortal men, and the Moirai (Moirae, Fates) to whom wise Zeus gave the greatest honour,
Klotho (Clotho), and Lakhesis (Lachesis), and Atropos (Atropus)
who give mortal men evil and good to have." This is also spoken of in the Bibliotheca
by Pseudo-Apollodorus, that "With Themis, the daughter of
Ouranos (Uranus, Sky), he [Zeus] fathered his daughters the Horai (Horae, Seasons), by name
Eirene (Irene, Peace), Eunomia (Good Order), and Dike (Justice); also the
Moirai (Moirae, Fates), called Klotho (Clotho), Lakhesis (Lachesis), and Atropos (Atropus)."
Of course, despite the success of their relationship, we know that
Zeus and Themis did not work out given that Zeus would end up with his more famous wife,
Hera. Still, Zeus is not seen to do away with Themis in the same way he did away with Metis.
In fact, their breakup appears to have been amicable given that Themis maintained her status
as the goddess of divine law and even served to offer guidance to Zeus in the years thereafter.
Going by Edith Hamilton’s book The Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, we understand
that both Themis and her daughter Dike became advisors of Zeus who sat enthroned beside him.
We are told “As the idea of Zeus became loftier, two august forms sat beside him in Olympus.
Themis, which means the Right or Divine Justice, and Dike, which is human justice.”
It is believed that in their role as counsellors to the supreme being, they also advised on matters
that centered around the conduct of men and sought to report those who’d broken important laws.
But perhaps one of Themis’ biggest contributions to Zeus as his advisor,
was their joint conspiracy to commence the Trojan War. Indeed, in some versions of the tale,
it was Zeus and Themis who planned the hostility between the Greeks and the Trojans which involved
Eris, the goddess of Strife, placing the golden apple into the party of Peleus
and Thetis, that which would set off the war in the first place and lead to the sacking of Troy.
With this idea, it might be said that both Themis and Zeus operate on a more insidious level and
that the pair do collaborate at the expense of the humans, if only to amuse themselves.
Yet, we do see Themis also act with the well-being and honour of the humans in mind,
for in one story in the Metamorphoses of Antonius Libaralis, we are told
“When thieves attempted to steal honey from the sacred Dictaeon cave where Zeus was born,
Zeus thundered and brandished his thunderbolt, but the Morai and Themis stopped him.
It was impious for anyone to die there. So Zeus turned them all into birds.”
You’ll notice that despite recognising that it was wrong for the mortals to rob Zeus cave,
it was not fair to shed blood in such a sacred place.
To this extent, it might be said that this is a demonstration of Themis and the Moirai using their
influence over Zeus and exhibiting their powers of law - perhaps in this sense, a sacred law
that violence and wrongdoing should not have taken place at the holy sight of Zeus’ birth.
Furthermore, you’ll also see that the Moirai were instrumental in Zeus staying his hand,
those who we know consisted of Dike, the daughter who sat beside Zeus’ throne.
Hesiod considered Dike as an important character in the mythology,
for where her mother was a divine personage and a cosmic divinity, Dike, by contrast,
was considered to be more responsible for customs and local law, those that required retribution
and or sentencing from a human perspective. In essence, Hesoid considered Dike to be a goddess
that dealt with the less complex laws - those that were likely introduced by mankind themselves.
As far as specific worship to Themis went, it is unknown for certain how her followers
paid her tribute. Whilst there were several temples in Greece that were dedicated to her,
there do not appear to be many notable considerations made by the ancient authors.
She was thought to have sometimes been depicted in the sanctuaries of other gods, which makes
sense given her interactions with the other gods, and may have even shared her temples with them.
This makes sense when we think of her engagements with the other gods,
such as Apollo, whom she was said to have been present for during his birth as well
as eventually signing over the role as Oracle to him. We also see her play a role
in Aphrodite’s life, for when she was worried about her son Eros staying a child forever,
Themis advised her to have another child, for love needed to be returned in order to grow.
Throughout the mythology, Themis is seen to be a wise goddess who is approached for counsel
not just by Zeus, but by many others. It’s likely that given this trait of hers, she was well liked
in the pantheon and so probably maintained a space in many of the other gods’ temples.
Let me know which Titan you’d like to see appear here next
and what you thought about today’s installment of Greek Mythology Explained. As always,
if you’ve enjoyed today’s episode then don’t forget to give it a thumbs up and don’t forget
to subscribe for more content just like this. Furthermore, if you like Greek Mythology as
much as I do, you might want to check out our book Greek Mythology Explained,
where we retell a couple of a favourite myths and explore the meanings and themes behind them.
With that being said, I hope you all have a good evening
and I’ll see you in the next one. Until next time!