Nemesis/Invidia

**Nemesis** (Greek: Νέμεσις) is the Greek goddess of balance, retribution, and vengeance. Her Roman counterpart is also called **Nemesis** for revenge is universal, though she may also be considered **Invidia**

## Basic Info

### Alias

Goddess of Balance, Goddess of Retribution and Vengeance, Aunt Rosa (by Ryan Anderson), Mrs. Leer (By Harper), Mom (By Her children)

### Symbols

Sword, lash, dagger, measuring rod, scales, bridle

## Family Info

### Siblings

* Moros, Oneiroi, Momus, Geras, Dolos, Ponos, Epiphron, Thanatos, Hypnos, (Brothers)
* Keres, Oizys, Hesperides, Moirai, Apate, Philotes, Styx, Euphrosyne, Continentia, Petulantia, Misericordia, Pertinacia (Sisters)
* Nancy Campbell (Maternal half-sister)
* Ethan Reyes (Paternal half-brother)

### Consorts

* Zeus
* Tartarus
* Kazumi Smith
* James Thompson

### Offspring

Helen of Troy, the Telchines (Immortal children)Natalie Smith and Isabella Thompson (Demigod children)

### Extended Family

* George Flores, Isaiah Castor, and Eustace Mizéria (nephews)
* Hayley Robles, Juniper Noveschosch, Amelia Cappello, Lilly Miller, Clara Astilla, Emma Jones, Agatha Diaz (Nieces)

## History

### Fortune and retribution

The word *nemesis* originally meant the distributor of fortune, neither good nor bad, simply in due proportion to each according to what was deserved. Later, *Nemesis* came to suggest the resentment caused by any disturbance of this right proportion, the sense of justice that could not allow it to pass unpunished. O. Gruppe (1906) and others connect the name with "to feel just resentment". From the fourth century onward, Nemesis, as the just balancer of Fortune's chance, could be associated with Tyche. Divine retribution is a major theme in the Greek world view, providing the unifying theme of the tragedies of Sophocles and many other literary works. Hesiod states: "Also deadly Nyx bore Nemesis an affliction to mortals subject to death" (*Theogony*, 223, though perhaps an interpolated line). Nemesis appears in a still more concrete form in a fragment of the epic *Cypria*. She is implacable justice: that of Zeus in the Olympian scheme of things, although it is clear she existed prior to him, as her images look similar to several other goddesses, such as Cybele, Rhea, Demeter, and Artemis. In the Greek tragedies Nemesis appears chiefly as the avenger of crime and the punisher of hubris, and as such is akin to Atë and the Erinyes. She was sometimes called Adrasteia, probably meaning "one from whom there is no escape"; her epithet *Erinys* ("implacable") is specially applied to Demeter and the Phrygian mother goddess, Cybele.

### Nemesis and Zeus

In some traditions, Nemesis is the mother of Helen of Troy, rather than the mortal queen Leda. This narrative is first found in the lost epic *Cypria*, the prelude of the *Iliad*. According to its author, Stasinus of Cyprus, Helen was born from the rape of Nemesis by Zeus. Zeus fell in love with Nemesis, here possibly presented as his daughter, and pursued her, only for her to flee in shame. She took several forms to escape Zeus, but he eventually captured her. Apollodorus speaks of a single transformation, into a goose, while Zeus turned into a swan to hunt her down and raped her, producing an egg that was given to the queen of Sparta; Helen hatched from the egg, and was raised by Leda. In another variation, Zeus desired Nemesis, but could not persuade her to sleep with him. So he tasked Aphrodite to transform into an eagle and mock-chase him, while he transformed into a swan. Nemesis, pitying the poor swan, offered it refuge in her arms, and fell into a deep sleep. While asleep, Zeus raped her and in time she bore an egg which was transported to Leda by Hermes. According to Eratosthenes in his *Catasterismi*, this version was presented by Cratinus.

### Narcissus

Nemesis enacted divine retribution on Narcissus for his vanity. After he rejected the advances of the nymph Echo, Nemesis lured him to a pool where he caught sight of his own reflection and fell in love with it, eventually dying

### Aura

In Nonnus' epic *Dionysiaca*, Aura, one of Artemis' virgin attendants, questioned her mistress' virginity due to the feminine and curvaceous shape of her body; Aura claimed that no goddess or woman with that sort of figure would be a virgin, and asserted her own superiority over the goddess thanks to her own lean and boyish silhouette. Artemis, enraged, went to Nemesis and asked for revenge. Nemesis promised to the goddess that Aura would have her punishment, and that the punishment would be to lose the virginity she took such pride in. Nemesis then contacted Eros, the god of love, and he struck Dionysus with one of his arrows. Dionysus fell madly in love with Aura, and when she rebuffed his advances, he got her drunk, tied her up and raped her as she lay unconscious, bringing Nemesis' plan to a success

## Personality

Overall, Nemesis appears to be both fair and intense. She enjoys tearing down the proud and powerful, making sure no man has too much good in his life to prevent hubris. Nemesis is seen as a cold, cruel goddess whose ruthlessness isn't exempt from even her own children, as shown when she took her son's eye as part of their deal. However, she does have a strong sense of honor, as shown when she swore to her son that he would gain recognition from their deal. While arguing with her mother Nyx, Nemesis states that her role is about balance, not just revenge and she refuses to help Nyx with her vengeance upon Nancy Campbell (Nyx's daughter and Nemsis' half-sister) as she sees it as unjust and is infuriated by her unfair treatment of Nancy. Instead, Nemesis helps Nancy and her friends against their mother, stating that she's not one to be ordered around and that she only helps those who need her help, inspiring their siblings to rebel as well. Nemesis then uses her powers to grant the group as much luck as she can to help them escape, but warns that luck won't be on their side if they ever return to Tartarus which the demigods have no interest in doing anyways.

## Appearance

Nemesis has short, curly brown hair and green eyes. She currently wears a red jacket, black jeans and boots, carries a whip and owns a motorcycle. Nemesis will appear as someone the viewer wants to take revenge on. This means that she will always look different to different people. For example, when she met Ryan, he thought she looked like Aunt Rosa. Even if the observer sees this person, Nemesis herself doesn't seem to know who she is perceived as.

## Powers and Abilities

As her powers were able to affect the gods, it can be stated that Nemesis is considerably more powerful than her status as a non- Olympian, such as Eris, Thanatos, and Hypnos.

### Goddess Powers

* **Tychokinesis**: As the goddess of balance, retribution and vengeance, Nemesis has absolute and divine authority over luck. She will provide bad luck to anyone with too much good luck and good luck to anyone with too much bad luck.
	+ **Destiny Deals**: Nemesis can change someone's destiny as long as she receives adequate payment in return. In exchange of his eye, she made an Egyptian demigod, Alfonso change the war by reviving Kronos and making the demigods recognized as she promised.
	+ **Curses**:  Nemesis can create horrible curses as punishments. She punished Narcissus in only loving himself.
* **Umbrakinesis**:  As one of Nyx's children, Nemesis can control and manipulate shadows. She displayed this ability by making the area around herself darker.
	+ **Shadow Travel**: Nemesis is capable of traveling through the shadows, apparently even into and out of Tartarus.

## Attributes

* A scale, the wheel of fortune, the rudder, balance and cubrit, the whip or sword.

## Etymology

Her name's origins, "nemêsis" and "nemô", mean "dispenser of dues." The word "Nemesis" is now often used as a term to describe one's worst enemy, normally someone or something that is the exact opposite of oneself but is also somehow similar.

## Trivia

1. A festival named after her called Nemeseia was held at Athens in Ancient Greece. It involved torch races.
2. A statue of Nemesis or Themis is sometimes seen in courts of law to represent the balance of justice.
3. The woman depicted on the New York state flag, holding the scales and sword, is believed to be based on Nemesis, Themis or Dike (the goddess of Moral Justice).
4. In Ancient Greek imagery, Nemesis is depicted as being winged, although she is yet to appear in such a form in the series.
5. According to mythology, Zeus once fell madly in love with Nemesis, but she avoided his advances by turning into a goose.
	1. Other legends tell that as a result of her union with Zeus assuming the form of a swan while Nemesis was in the guise of a goose, she laid an egg from which Helen of Troy hatched.
6. Her Roman name, Invidia, is Latin for Envy, one of the seven deadly sins.
7. Her Egyptian equivalent is Ma'at.
8. Her Norse equivalent is either Vidar or Forseti.
9. She is hinted to be bisexual, having Natalie with a woman and Isabella with a man