This article contains lore based on real-life sources of the Greek mythology as introduced from the God of War Greek era.
Themis (Θέμις) is the Titaness of Justice and Goddess of Law.
Greek Mythology[]
Themis (/ˈθiːmɪs/; Ancient Greek: Θέμις) is an ancient Greek Titaness. She is described as "[the Lady] of good counsel", and is the personification of divine order, fairness, law, natural law, and custom. Her symbols are the Scales of Justice, tools used to remain balanced and pragmatic. Themis means "divine law" rather than human ordinance, literally "that which is put in place", from the Greek verb títhēmi (τίθημι), meaning "to put".
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, she 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 stands in contrast to justice viewed as custom or law and as retribution or sentence.
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, who gave it to her grandson Apollo as a birthday gift. According to Ephorus, Themis helped Apollo find the oracle, with the intent of helping mankind. Some examples of Themis' visions; In the story of Dryope in Ovid's Metamorphoses, Themis warns the gods of an oncoming civil war in Thebes. In another tale she warns Zeus and Poseidon to not marry Thetis because her son will be more powerful than his father. 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. Also according to Ovid, Themis prophesied that a son of Zeus will steal golden apples from the orchard of Atlas.
In Homer's Iliad she is tasked with calling the gods to council on Olympus by Zeus.
Themis was present at Delos to witness the birth of Apollo, and nursed him with nectar and ambrosia. In his De Astronomica, Hyginus lists Themis, in addition to the nymph Amalthea, as the foster-mother and nurse of the young Zeus. In a fragment of Pindar, Themis was brought from the springs of Oceanus by the Moirai (in this version not her daughters) to Olympus, where she became the first wife of Zeus (rather than the second), and by him the mother of the Horae.
According to the lost Cypria by Stasinus of Cyprus, Themis and Zeus together plotted the start of the Trojan War. According to Quintus Smyrnaeus, when the gods defied the orders of Zeus and started fighting each other after the creation of the Trojan Horse, Themis stopped them by warning them of Zeus's wrath.
In the Orphic "Rhapsodic Theogony", or Rhapsodies, (first century BC/AD) Nyx (Night) prophesied that Themis would remain a virgin until Rhea gave birth to a child of Cronus.
Themis also played a role in Eros, the young god of love, growing up; according to Porphyry, his mother Aphrodite was 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.
When four Cretan men (Aegolius, Celeus, Cerberus and Laius) broke into the sacred cavern in Crete where 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.
God of War Series[]
Birth and early days[]
She was born from Gaia along with her younger sister Mnemosyne. She became the embodiment of divine order, law, and custom, giving the Titans a purpose to be a part of the world.
After Cronos overthrew and slayed his father Ouranos. She along with several titans became his close allies. She pledged herself to him. But she didn't agreed with his cruel methods.
Great War[]
When the sixth child, now known as Zeus, came of age, he freed his brothers and sisters from Cronos. Themis did not took part in the Titanomachy along with her sister Mnemosyne. Now declared themselves as the Olympians, they would ultimately declare war against the Titans. Instead she allied herself with Zeus and his fellow Olympians to his newly established pantheon of Grecian gods.
Aftermath[]
She was given status as a goddess and she at somepoint became Zeus's lover and had children with him.
Zeus' Punishment[]
Later she didn't agreed on Zeus caring only for control and power over mortals. She also disapproved Zeus's cruel treatment on Titans and stripping them of their roles also denying all of their rights. Then she was imprisoned in Tartarus due to not supporting Zeus's thirst for revenge on Titans.
God of War: Ascension[]
She is mentioned and near island of Delos a truly enormous Statue of Themis had been constructed by Archimedes in her honor.
God of War II[]
After Titans were defeated they were banished to Tartarus. She did not aid the Titans but Zeus imprisoned her along with her sister Mnemosyne. Typhon mentions her and several other Titans who were banished to Tartarus. When Kratos freed the Titans, she did not aid them in the second Titanomachy.
God of War III[]
Second Titanomachy[]
Later Kratos saved the Titans from their banishment to Tartarus and allowed them to scale the mountain to exact vengeance after traveling back in time. Themis along with her sister Mnemosyne did not aided them in the Second Titanomachy.
Powers & Abilities[]
- Immortality: As a Titaness and Goddess, she is immortal. Only a sufficiently powerful weapon or an extremely powerful being can kill her.
- Divination: She can foresee a future and can see a the past of every being.
- Omniscience: Themis can see the past, the future and present of every creature.
Trivia[]
- Themis is not seen in Tartarus when Kratos enters Tartarus.
- In some sources Moirai are said to be Sisters of Fate and that they are the daughters of Themis.
- She along with her sister Mnemosyne did not aid the Titans in the second Titanomachy.
- She is mentioned in the God of War II (Novel).
Gallery[]
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