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Goddesses of Ancient Greece - T & U
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Taygete
One of Pleiades, Taygete was loved by Zeus but she prayed for Artemis
to help her. Artemis turned her into a doe, but Zeus took advantage
of her when she was unconscious and she gave birth to Lacedaemon.
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Terpsichore
(Delight of dancing) One of the nine Muses. Terpsichore is the Muse
of dancing and the dramatic chorus, and later of lyric poetry (and in
even later versions, of flute playing). Hence the word terpsichorean,
pertaining to dance. She is usually represented seated, and holding
a lyre. According to some traditions, she is the mother of the Sirens
with the river-god Achelous. She is also occasionally mentioned as the
mother of Linus by Apollo.
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Tethys
(Disposer) One of the Titans, child of Uranus and Gaea (Heaven and Earth).
She married her brother Oceanus and had over 3000 children by him, they
were the springs, lakes, rivers of the world. Tethys was the god-mother
of Rhea and raised her during the civil war between the Titans and the
Olympians. Also called Thetis, Thalassa.
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Thalassa
Thalassa, also known as Thalatta, Thalath, or Tethys is the Greek personification
of the sea. Aether and Hemera were her parents. She¹s called the
mother of Aphrodite by Zeus. She was the wife of Pontus and the mother
of nine Telchines, who are known as fish children because they have flippers
for hands; yet, they have the head of a dog. In some Greek stories, she
is known as the mother of all. Thalassa¹s name means 'sea'. A mercantile
sea kingdom is also associated with her name: Thalassocracy. In Greece,
she is the personification of the Mediterranean Sea. Thalassa did not
have god-like qualities, she was more of a metaphor than a person. She
was also a vast, lonely sea on non-populated shores.
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Thalia
(Festivity) The Muse who presided over comedy and pastoral poetry. She
also favored rural pursuits and is represented holding a comic mask and
a shepherd's crook (her attributes). Thalia is also the name of one of
the Graces (Charites - See also Aglaia and Euphrosyne.)
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Theia
(Goddess) One of the Titans, child of Uranus and Gaea (Heaven and Earth).
Her husband and brother is Hyperion with whom she had three children -
Helios (the sun), Eos (the dawn) and Selene (the moon).
Themis
(order) One of the most ancient and hallowed goddesses, and the first
to whom temples were dedicated, Themis personifies the social cohesion
of human civilization. She is the personification of divine right order
of things as sanctioned by custom and law. She has oracular powers and
it is said that she build the oracle at Delphi. By Zeus she is the mother
of the Horae and the Moirae. Themis is depicted as a stern looking woman,
blindfolded and holding a pair of scales and a cornucopia. The Romans
called her Justitia. Because her scales represent the balance of justice,
she is perfect for people in the legal and social service profession.
Under her rule, peace, commerce, and the social compact flourishes. One
of the Titans, child of Uranus and Gaea (Heaven and Earth). By Zeus, she
is the mother of Dike, Irene, and others. She is the Goddess of wise counsel,
and She governs law, ceremony, and the translation of Divine Will. She
was oracular, and a persistent story has it that she was the original
Source at Delphi, before being supplanted by Apollo.
Thetis
Thetis was one of the Nereids. Zeus desired her, but she rejected his
advances. The goddess Themis then revealed that Thetis was fated to bear
a son who was mightier than his father; fearing for his dominion, Zeus
gave Thetis as bride to a mortal, Peleus, and all the gods attended the
wedding. Thetis bore one son, Achilles, whom she tried unsuccessfully
to make immortal. In one version of the story, she anointed the infant's
body with ambrosia and then placed it upon a fire in order to burn away
the mortal parts; when she was interrupted by the child's horrified father,
she deserted their household in a rage. In a later version, she dipped
the child in the river Styx holding him by the heel; all the parts that
the river touched became invulnerable, but the heel remained dry. Achilles
was later killed in the Trojan war.
Thoosa
A daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. With Poseidon she became the mother of
the Cyclops Polyphemus. Greece
Thriae
Thriae are three holy sisters who are virgins. They recieved their name,
Thriae, because they are lesser goddesses of nature who can foresee the
future or foretell the unknown by inspiration, magic, signs, or omens.
They learned the art of prophesizing from the god Hermes. Some suggest
that they are meant to be white-haired and old or that the image is supposed
to look like bees covered with pollen. They appear to be women with wings;
probably their hair is literally powdered with white flour. They live
under a ridge of Mt. Parnassus, and the word Thriae means "pebbles,"
because the future was foretold by tossing pebbles.
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Tisiphone
(vengeful destruction) One of the three Furies. See also Alekto and Megaera.
The first meaning of the name Tisiphone is one of the Erinyes. Tisiphone
was the avenger of murder. She fell in love with Cithaeron whom she killed
by having a snake from her head bite him. The second meaning of the name
Tisiphone is the daughter of the Alcmaeon (one of the Epigoni) and his
wife Manto, she was the sister of Amphilochus. In an attack of madness,
Alcmaeon left his children behind with Creon of Corinth. Jealous of Tisiphone¹s
beauty Creon¹s wife sold her into slavery, with none of the involved
parties realizing at first that the buyer was Tisiphone¹s father.
When Alcmaeon later returned to Corinth to reclaim his children, he recognized
his daughter and also got his son back.
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Tyche
(Luck) Child of Okeanos, and Goddess of luck and chance. The ancient Hellenes
viewed Her with a certain uneasiness, rightly seeing Her as distributing
Her Attribute senselessly and without rhyme or reason. They said that
she was closely followed by Nemesis, who would put some of her Effects
to order by scourging those who boasted of their good fortune or who did
not share with others their wealth. Nevertheless, her cult was widespread
and quite persistent. She is associated with Nemesis and with Agathos
Daimon ("good spirit"). Tyche was portrayed with a cornucopia,
a rudder of destiny, and a wheel of fortune. The Romans identified her
with their Fortuna.
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Uazit
(Buto) Serpent Goddess.
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Urania
(Heavenly, Queen of the Mountains) The Greek Muse of astronomy and astrology.
She is occasionally mentioned as the mother of Linus by Apollo. She is
represented with a globe in her left hand and a peg in her right hand.
Urania is dressed in a cloak embroidered with stars and she keeps her
eyes towards the sky. |
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