![]() ![]() Īside from these and a handful of other scattered references, little was said about Theia in antiquity. For Hyperion wedded glorious Euryphaessa, his own sister, who bare him lovely children, rosy-armed Eos and rich-tressed Selene and tireless Helios who is like the deathless gods. Homeric Hymn 31, which is dedicated to Helios, elaborates slightly on the unsung Theia, piling epithets on her and even renaming her Euryphaessa (see above):Īnd now, O Muse Calliope, daughter of Zeus, begin to sing of glowing Helios whom mild-eyed Euryphaessa, the far- shining one, bare to the Son of Earth and starry Heaven. Helios' mother Thea was often associated with heavenly bodies and other forms of light. ![]() Marble relief showing the sun god Helios with rays of sun as a crown (ca. Hesiod, for example, describes her solely in relation to her lover and offspring:Īnd Theia was subject in love to Hyperion and bare great Helius (Sun) and clear Selene (Moon) and Eos (Dawn) who shines upon all that are on earth and upon the deathless Gods who live in the wide heaven. Theia appears only a few times in ancient Greek literature, and even then only in connection with her children. Among her brothers and sisters were the other Titans- Coeus, Crius, Cronus, Hyperion, Iapetus, Oceanus, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Tethys, Themis, and Rhea-as well as the Hecatoncheires and the Cyclopes, destructive monsters who terrorized gods and mortals alike. Theia was a daughter of the primordial deities Gaia, who embodied the earth, and Uranus, who personified the heavens. And in athletic contests, someone who has wreathed his hair with many garlands has achieved longed-for fame, when he has been victorious with his hands or with the swiftness of his feet. Mother of the Sun, Theia of many names, for your sake men honor gold as more powerful than anything else and through the value you bestow on them, o queen, ships contending on the sea and yoked teams of horses in swift-whirling contests become marvels. The fifth-century BCE poet Pindar further connected Theia with the light that shines off of gold, as well as with athletic competitions: Theia appears to have been associated with heavenly bodies and other forms of light-an association that was supported by her identity as the mother of Helios (sun), Selene (moon), and Eos (dawn). The Roman mythographer Hyginus, for example, used the name Aethra to refer to the wife of Hyperion and the mother of the sun, moon, and dawn. Eurypháessa), meaning “wide-shining.” She may also have been known as Aethra. This word is also the root of modern English terms such as “theism” and “theology.” PronunciationĪn alternative name for Theia, which only appears in Homeric Hymn 31, is Euryphaessa (Greek Εὐρυφάεσσα, translit. Theía), alternatively spelled Thea or Thia, simply means “goddess” or “divine” and is linguistically related to the ancient Greek word θεός ( theós, “god” or “goddess”).
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