THETIS (nereid of Greek mythology)
Power of the sea · Nereid of Greek mythology
- Known as
- Silver-shod
- Parents
- Nereus, Doris
- Consorts
- Peleus, Poseidon
- Children
- Achilles, Calibos
- Haunts and cult places
- Pelion
- In the sources
- 171 ancient passages
Thetis, the silver-footed daughter of Nereus and Doris, stood as the most prominent and first among the Nereids. f: 1, 2, 4, 6, 11, 12, 35, 38, 98, 99, 1031,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18 She appeared as a young woman with fair, lovely tresses and silver feet, gliding with the grace of the still breath of dawn. f: 4, 61, 62, 63, 645,6,19,20,21 Though she was a sea goddess of inferior rank compared to Aphrodite, her wisdom was renowned throughout the world. f: 5, 5422,23,24 She resided in the deep sea near the dwelling of her father, often accompanied by her sisters when she left the water. f: 10, 83, 84, 8625,26,27,28,29
Zeus and Poseidon both competed for the chance to marry her, but they withdrew their pursuit after a prophecy that her son would be mightier than his father. f: 29, 404,30 Some accounts claim Prometheus warned Zeus that Thetis's son would rule the heavens, while other accounts note that Zeus became angry at her for refusing his marriage proposal. f: 24, 3131,32,4,33 To please Hera, she avoided union with Zeus, and Zeus instead swore that she would become the wife of a mortal man. f: 17, 23, 8130,31,32 Zeus betrothed her to Peleus, who seized her despite her ability to shape-shift into fire, water, or beasts. f: 3, 58, 924,34 She was a most unwilling bride in their union, and the gods gathered on Pelion to celebrate the marriage with feasting and singing. f: 16, 34, 76, 784,35,36,37
Thetis bore Achilles at Phthia, the only child she gave to Peleus. f: 18, 34, 4136,38,37,39 Her son was a hero among heroes, a lion-hearted destroyer of men, and a dazzling light to Thessaly. f: 740,7 She lived with Peleus in a place apart from the world, avoiding the throng of men. f: 42, 8522 Peleus and his descendants honored her shrine as a symbol of his marriage to the Nereid, making her the object of his chiefest adoration. f: 3241,42
Thetis guided the ship's course while the other Nereids circled around it, and she made the paths of the Achaean ships straight during their approach.43,44,45 She moved through the water faster than a flash of an eye or sunbeams, and could foil the rocks and tyrannous waves with the aid of her sisters. f: 53, 55, 8743,30 She held onto Zeus's knees, kissed them, and grabbed his beard while pleading for honor for Achilles. f: 846,12 She left to fetch armor for her son, remembering the task he had assigned to her, and was noted as an honoured guest who did not visit Hephaestus often. f: 20, 3347,14,16,48 Thetis told her son that his death would follow Hector's death soon and advised him to release Hector and accept a ransom. f: 2149,11 She also told him of two fates: dying in battle with eternal fame or living long at home with his name dying. f: 4650
After her son's death, Thetis mourned with endless wailing and great sorrow, causing the mourners to feel an even deeper sense of longing. f: 9, 56, 72, 73, 9351,52,53,54 She believed she would never welcome her son back to Peleus's house. f: 3055,56 Following a dispute with Ajax, she gave the armor of Achilles to Odysseus. f: 2257,58 Thetis had the ability to remove physical pain and fatigue, and could keep a corpse's flesh sound for a full year. f: 47, 52, 8859,9 She was expected to stand in Zeus' hall among the gods, possessing majestic divine authority over the swelling sea. f: 26, 59, 9460,38,61 She possessed the ability to release Peleus from human suffering and make him a deity. f: 4940
The codex facts behind this entry
Thetis is one of the fifty Nereids, the daughters of Nereus and Doris. Apollodorus 1.2.7 +13 Thetis is a sea goddess of inferior rank compared to Aphrodite. Euripides, Andromache 1-25 +6 Thetis is the most prominent and first among the Nereids. Euripides, Iphigenia in Aulis 1058-1079 +2
Appearance
Thetis is a young woman with fair, lovely tresses and silver feet. Athenaeus 4.13 part 1 +8
In the myths
Thetis held onto Zeus's knees, kissed them, and grabbed his beard while pleading for honor for Achilles. Iliad 1 ¶45 +3 Thetis mourned the death of her son Achilles, grieving with endless wailing and great sorrow. Quintus 3 ¶29 +3 Thetis provided refuge to Dionysus when he fled from Lycurgus, holding the frightened god in her arms to soothe his terror. Apollodorus 3.5.1 +2 Thetis guided the ship's course while the other Nereids circled around it. Argonautica 4 ¶52 +2 Thetis left to fetch armor for her son, remembering the task he had assigned to her. Iliad 1 ¶43 +1 Thetis told her son that his death would follow Hector's death soon and advised him to release Hector and accept a ransom. Iliad 18 ¶8 +1 Thetis gave the armor of Achilles to Odysseus after his death, following a dispute with Ajax. Odyssey 11 ¶45 +1 Thetis avoided marrying Zeus in order to please Hera. The Catalogues of Women and Eoiae fr. 57 +1 Zeus became angry at Thetis for refusing his marriage proposal. The Catalogues of Women and Eoiae fr. 57 +1 Thetis placed the divinely crafted armor of Achilles in the center as a prize for martial prowess. Quintus 5 ¶1 +1
Worship
Peleus and his descendants honor the shrine as a symbol of his marriage to the Nereid, and she is the object of his chiefest adoration. Euripides, Andromache 26-55 +1
Fate
Zeus swore that Thetis would become the wife of a mortal man. Argonautica 4 ¶50 +2 Zeus and Poseidon withdrew their pursuit of Thetis after a prophecy that her son would be mightier than his father. Apollodorus 3.13.5 +1 Thetis believes she will never welcome her son back to Peleus's house. Iliad 18 ¶26 +1 Some accounts claim Prometheus warned Zeus that Thetis's son would rule the heavens. Apollodorus 3.13.5 +1
