Themis.
Order older than the throne
Themis: Greek Goddess of Divine Law, Order and Justicerepresents divine order, proper custom, and counsel. As a associated with ’s rule, she helps make authority something more durable than the force that won a throne.
More than a myth.
Themis and the order of Zeus
makes a daughter of Earth and Sky and a partner of . Their children include the Horae: Eunomia, Dike, and Eirene, associated with good order, justice, and peace. These names make political and social well-being part of the ruling god’s family rather than an accidental benefit of his victory.
Mother of the Fates
The also names the Fates as children of and , despite an earlier passage placing them among Night’s children. Both survive in the poem. The disagreement is useful evidence of the way ancient divine families express ideas, and should not be hidden by presenting one chart as a universal record.
Delphi and the image of justice
puts between and in the succession of the Delphic . Her concern with right order therefore reaches into prophetic counsel. The modern blindfolded figure of justice should not be projected unchanged onto every ancient image of Themis; familiar present-day attributes can combine several historical traditions.
Questions about Themis
Are Themis and Dike the same goddess?
distinguishes them. is the mother; Dike, Justice, is one of her daughters with .
Who are Themis’s parents?
and , Earth and Sky. is one of the original twelve .
It’s a family affair.
The stories of Themis.
Ancient voices.
Enduring stories.
Myths have many tellings. These are the ancient works behind this profile, linked to freely available English translations.
Theogony
Lines 133–138, 211–225, 901–906
Eumenides
Lines 1–8 · the oracle’s succession, collected passage