Themis - Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Basse-Normandie - Epic Beings and Creatures on Waymarking.com

[FR] Déesse de la Justice, de la Loi et de l'Équité, Thémis assiste Zeus dans l'Olympe. Elle est souvent représentée dans l'art ancien tenant les plateaux d'une balance avec laquelle elle pèse les arguments des parties adverses.

Selon certains auteurs, elle a été également autrefois l'épouse de son frère, le Titan Japet, qu'elle a rendu père de Prométhée. Cela expliquerait qu'elle ait pu transmettre à Prométhée une grande partie de sa sagesse et de ses dons divinatoires. De fait, elle connaît l'avenir et des secrets dont même Zeus est ignorant, tel que le destin du fils de Thétis, qui doit devenir plus puissant que son père. C'est grâce à sa sagesse que Prométhée, plus tard, est libéré de son châtiment par Zeus. Succédant à Gaia comme possesseur de l'oracle de Delphes, Thémis révèle à Pyrrha et à Deucalion le moyen de repeupler la terre après le Déluge. Elle avertit également Atlas qu'un jour un fils de Zeus viendra voler les pommes d'or du jardin des Hespérides. C'est pour cette raison qu'Atlas refuse d'aider Héraklès lorsque celui-ci le lui demande. Elle transmet plus tard l'oracle de Delphes à sa sœur Phébé ou bien encore à Apollon5, lorsque le dieu revient du Tempé où il est purifié du meurtre de Python.

[EN] The personification of abstract concepts is characteristic of the Greeks. The ability of the goddess Themis to foresee the future enabled her to become one of the Oracles of Delphi, which in turn led to her establishment as the goddess of divine justice.

Some classical representations of Themis showed her blindfolded, holding a sword. The sword is also believed to represent the ability Themis had from cutting fact from fiction; to her there was no middle ground. Themis built the Oracle at Delphi and was herself oracular. According to another legend, Themis received the Oracle at Delphi from Gaia and later gave it to Phoebe.

When Themis is disregarded, Nemesis brings just and wrathful retribution; thus Themis shared the Nemesion temple at Rhamnous. Themis is not wrathful: she, "of the lovely cheeks", was the first to offer Hera a cup when she returned to Olympus distraught over threats from Zeus.

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 the deme), and judges were often referred to as "themistopóloi" (the servants of Themis). Such was also the basis for order upon Olympus. Even Hera addressed her as "Lady Themis". The name of Themis might be substituted for Adrasteia in telling of the birth of Zeus on Crete.

Themis was present at Delos to witness the birth of Apollo. According to Ovid, it was Themis rather than Zeus who told Deucalion to throw the bones of "his Mother" over his shoulder to create a new race of humankind after the deluge.
Hesiod's description and contrast to Dike

In Greek mythology, Hesiod mentions 1d Sky). Among these Titans of primordial myth, few were venerated at specific sanctuaries in classical times.

Themis occurred in Hesiod's Theogony as the first recorded appearance of Justice as 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 of Zeus and Themis.

Dike executed the law of judgments and sentencing and, together with her mother Themis, carried out the final decisions of Moirai. For Hesiod, Justice is at the center of religious and moral life, who, independently of Zeus, is the embodiment of divine will. This personification of Dike will stand in contrast to justice viewed as custom or law, and as retribution or sentence.

Source wikipedia

Time Period: Ancient Approximate Date of Epic Period: Antiquité Epic Type: Mythical Exhibit Type: Figure, Statue, 3D Art

Visit Instructions:
To post a log for this waymark, take a picture of the location and tell at least 'a little' bit about your encounter, impression or experience.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   11/23/2016 Tromel visited it