Thetis | Greek mythology | Britannica.com Greek mythology Odin Thetis, in Greek mythology , a Nereid loved by Zeus and Poseidon . When Themis (goddess of Justice), however, revealed that Thetis was destined to bear a son who would be mightier than his father, the two gods gave her to Peleus , king of the Myrmidons of Thessaly. Thetis, unwilling to wed a mortal, resisted Peleus’s advances by changing herself into various shapes. But, assisted by the wise centaur Chiron , Peleus finally captured her. “Peleus Taming Thetis,” pelike by the Marsyas Painter, c. 340–330 bc; in … Courtesy of the trustees of the British Museum All the gods brought gifts to their wedding. The child of their union was the warrior Achilles , but, according to some authorities, Thetis bore seven children, all of whom perished either when she attempted to render them immortal by fire or when she destroyed them as the tokens of an unwilling alliance.

According to one story, Peleus stymied Thetis’s attempt to make Achilles immortal by appearing at the wrong moment, and she deserted him. She saved Zeus when Poseidon, Hera , and Athena revolted against him, and she rescued both Hephaestus and Dionysus from the sea. She had a sanctuary at Sparta . Learn More in these related articles: Thetis | Greek Mythology Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Akhilleus Mythology During a prophecy, it was revealed that Thetis was to bear a son with greater power than his father, which both Zeus and Poseidon feared. Zeus instructed a mortal king, Peleus , to grab onto Thetis on the beach and to not let go of her no matter what form or shape she took. He did as he was told and they were married in a ceremony that was attended by all the gods, except Eris . Because Eris was not invited, she snuck into the party and threw in a golden apple of discord that said "To The Fairest". Athena , Hera , and Aphrodite all fought over this. The story goes on to how the Trojan War was started.

See Aphrodite for more information. During the Trojan War, Thetis tried to protect her son as much as possible by pleasing as many gods as she could. She let Hephaistos and Dionysos hide in the sea and she protected Zeus' throne by calling Briares. The Nereid Thetis holding a pitcher Thetis Thetis Thetis See More Thetis Pictures > Thetis was a sea nymph in Greek mythology, or according to some myths , one of the Nereids , the fifty daughters of the sea god Nereus and Doris . She was courted by both Zeus and Poseidon , but neither of them married her, out of fear of a prophecy that said Thetis ' son would surpass his father in glory. Instead, she married Peleus , with whom she had a son, the mythical hero Achilles . Peleus ' and Thetis ' wedding was the main event that caused all subsequent events triggering the Trojan War . During the wedding, the goddess of discord Eris , who had not been invited, threw amidst the guests the Apple of Discord, on which the words "to the fairest" had been inscribed.

Hera , Aphrodite and Athena started fighting over who should get the apple; Zeus said that Paris , prince of Troy should make the decision. He picked Aphrodite , after she told him she would give him the most beautiful woman in the world as a wife. This woman was Menelaus ' wife, Helen . When Hephaestus , the blacksmith god, was thrown from Olympus either by Hera or Zeus , it was Thetis along with Eurynome that helped him and placed him on the island of Lemnos. There, he worked for them as a blacksmith. When Thetis gave birth to her son, Achilles , she decided to make him immortal by dipping him in the sacred waters of the river Styx , one of the rivers that flowed through the Underworld. However, when she was dipping him, she did not realise that his heel by which she held him was not touched by the waters, thus leaving that spot vulnerable. This is how the modern phrase "Achilles' heel" came to be; this was also the hero 's doom, as an arrow shot by the prince of Troy , Paris , and guided by the god Apollo , hit Achilles ' heel during the Trojan War , killing him.

After his death, Thetis took her son's body and collected his ashes in an urn. She then started commemorative festivals in his honour. THETIS - Greek Sea-Goddess & Leader of the Nereides Thetis riding Hippocamp, Apulian red-figure Pelike C5th B.C., The J. Paul Getty Museum THETIS was a goddess of the sea and the leader of the fifty Nereides . Like many other sea gods she possessed the gift of prophesy and power to change her shape at will. Because of a prophesy that she was destined to bear a son greater than his father, Zeus had her marry a mortal man. Peleus, the chosen groom, was instructed to ambush her on the beach, and not release his grasp of the struggling goddess as she metamorphosed into a host of shapes. The couple were afterwards married in a ceremony attended by all the gods of heaven. She bore a son, the celebrated hero Akhilleus (Achilles). In her desperate attempts to protect her son during the Trojan War, Thetis called in many favours from the gods.

These included Hephaistos (Hephaestus) and Dionysos, both of whom she had given refuge in the sea as they faced crises of youth, and Zeus, whose throne she had protected by summoning the giant Briareus-Aigaion (Aegaeon) when the gods had sought to bind him. Thetis's name is connected with the ancient Greek words thesis "creation" and têthê "nurse".

FAMILY OF THETIS PARENTS NEREUS & DORIS (Hesiod Theogony, Homer Iliad, Homeric Hymns, Pindar Odes, Alcaeus, Apollodorus, Apollonius Rhodius, Ovid Metamorphoses, et al) OFFSPRING AKHILLEUS (by Peleus) (Homer Iliad & Odyssey, Hesiod Theogony, Alcaeus, The Aegimius, Apollodorus, Plato Republic 391c, Ovid Metamorphoses, et al) ENCYCLOPEDIA THETIS (Thetis), one of the daughters of Nereus and Doris, was the wife of Peleus, by whom she became the mother of Achilles. (Hom. Il. i. 538, xviii. 35, &c., 52, &c.; Hes. Theog. 244.) Later writers describe her as a daughter of Cheiron (Schol. ad Apollon. Rhod. i. 558).

According to others, Peleus married Philomela, the daughter of Actor, but his friend Cheiron, wishing to render Peleus celebrated, spread the report that he was married to Thetis. (Schol. ad Apollon. Rhod. iv. 816.) Being a granddaughter of Poseidon, Catullus (64. 28) calls her Neptunine. As a marine divinity, she dwelt like her sisters, the Nereids, in the depth of the sea, with her father Nereus. (Hom. Il. i. 358, xviii. 36, xx. 207.) She there received Dionysus on his flight from Lycurgus, and the god, in his gratitude, presented her with a golden urn. (Hom. Il. vi. 135, Od. xxiv. 75; comp. Tzetz. ad Lycoph. 273.) When Hephaestus was thrown down from heaven, he was likewise received by Thetis. She had been brought up by Hera (Il. xxiv.

60), and when she reached the age of maturity, Zeus and Hera gave her, against her own will, in marriage to Peleus. Poseidon and Zeus himself are said by some to have sued for her hand (Pind. Isthm. viii. 58), but when Themis declared that the son of Thetis would be more illustrious than his father, both suitors desisted. (Pind. l. c. viii. 70; Ov. Met. xi. 225, xv. 856, xi. 350, &c.; Aeschyl. Prom. 767 ; Hygin. Fab. 54 ; Serv. ad Virg. Eclog. vi. 42.) Others state that Thetis rejected the offers of Zeus, because she had been brought up by Hera (Hom. Il. xxiv. 60; Apollon. Rhod. iv. 793); and the god, to revenge himself, decreed that she should marry a mortal.

Cheiron then informed his friend Peleus how he might gain possession of her, even if she should metamorphose herself; for Thetis, like Proteus, had the power of assuming any form she pleased, and she had recourse to this means of escaping from Peleus, but the latter did not let her go, until she again assumed her proper form. (Apollod. iii. 13. § 5; Pind. Nem. iii. 60; Paus. viii. 18. § l.) Others again relate, that a marine divinity appeared to Peleus on Mount Pelion, and testified her love to him, but without revealing herself to him. Peleus, however, who saw her playing with dolphins, recognised the goddess, and henceforth shunned her presence. But she encouraged him, reminding him of the love of Eos to Tithonus, of Aphrodite to Anchises, &c., and promised to present him with a son who should be more illustrious than any mortal. (Philostr. Her. 19. 1.) The wedding of Peleus was honoured with the presence of all the gods. (Hom. Il. xxiv.

62.) After she had become the mother of Achilles, she bestowed upon him the tenderest care and love. (Hom. Il. i. 359, 500, &c., viii. 370, xviii. 73, 457; comp. Achilles.) Her prayers to Zeus for him were listened to, because at one time, when Zeus was threatened by the other gods, she induced Briareus or Aegaeon to come to his assistance. (Hom. Il. i. 396, &c.) Thetis had a temple (Thetideion) between Old and New Pharsalus in Thessaly (Strab. ix. p. 431), and in Sparta and Messenia she was likewise worshipped. (Paus. iii. 14. § 4, 22. § 2.) HALOSYDNE (Halosudnê), that is, "the seafed," or the sea born goddess, occurs as a surname of Amphitrite and Thetys. (Hom. Od. iv. 404, Il. xx.

207.) Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. CLASSICAL LITERATURE QUOTES Thetis riding Hippocamp, Apulian red-figure Pelike C5th B.C., The J. Paul Getty Museum Homer, Iliad 24. 59 ff (trans. Lattimore) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) : "A goddess [Thetis], one whom I myself [Hera] nourished and brought up." Hesiod, Theogony 240 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) : "To Nereus and to Doris . . . there were born in the barren sea daughters greatly beautiful even among goddesses : Ploto and Eukrante (Eucrante) and Amphitrite and Sao, Eudora and Thetis [in a list of fifty names]." Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 168 (trans.

Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "Thetis had been reared by Hera." Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4. 757 ff (trans. Rieu) (Greek epic C3rd B.C.) : "[Hera addresses Thetis :] ‘I brought you [Thetis] up myself and loved you more than any other Lady of the Sea.’" THETIS & THE FALL OF HEPHAESTUS (HEPHAISTOS) Homer, Iliad 18. 369 ff (trans. Lattimore) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) : "[Hephaistos (Hephaestus) addresses his wife Kharis (Charis) :] ‘There is a goddess [Thetis] we honour and respect in our house. She saved me when I suffered much at the time of my great fall through the will of my own brazen-faced mother, who wanted to hide me for being lame. Then my soul would have taken much suffering had not Eurynome and Thetis caught me and held me . . . With them I worked nine years as a smith . . .

working there in the hollow of the cave, and the stream of Okeanos (Oceanus) around us went on forever with its foam and its murmur. No other among the gods or among mortal men knew about us except Eurynome and Thetis. They knew since they saved me. Now she has come into our house; so I must by all means do everything to give recompense to lovely-haired Thetis for my life.’" Homeric Hymn 3 to Pythian Apollo 319 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th - 4th B.C.) : "[Hera addresses Zeus :] ‘My son Hephaistos (Hephaestus) whom I bare . . . I myself took in my hands and cast out so that he fell in the great sea. But silver-shod Thetis the daughter of Nereus took and cared for him with her sisters : would that she had done other service for the blessed gods.’" Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1. 19 (trans.

Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "Zeus threw [Hephaistos (Hephaestus)] from the sky. [He] landed on Lemnos, crippled in both legs, but saved by Thetis." Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 2. 433 ff (trans. Way) (Greek epic C4th A.D.) : "The cunning God-smith [Hephaistos (Hephaestus)] welcomed she [Thetis] within her mansion, when from heaven he fell." Pausanias, Description of Greece 8. 41. 4 - 6 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : "Eurynome was a daughter of Okeanos (Oceanus), whom Homer mentions in the Iliad, saying that along with Thetis she received Hephaistos (Hephaestus) . . .

If she [Eurynome] is a daughter of Okeanos (Oceanus), and lives with Thetis in the depth of the sea, the fish may be regarded as a kind of emblem of her." Nonnus, Dionysiaca 43. 400 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) : "Clever work of Hephaistos (Hephaestus), Olympian ornaments . . . necklace and earrings and armlets he [Nereus] brought and offered, all that the Lemnian craftsman had made for the Nereides with inimitable workmanship in the waves--there in the midst of the brine he [at the time he lived with Thetis in the sea] shook his fiery anvil and tongs under the water, blowing the enclosed breath of the bellows with mimic winds, and when the furnace was kindled the fire roared in the deep unquenched." THETIS & THE FLIGHT OF DIONYSUS Homer, Iliad 6. 135 ff (trans.

Lattimore) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) : "[Lykourgos (Lycurgus)] once drove the fosterers of rapturous Dionysos headlong down the sacred Nyseion (Nysian) hill, and all of them shed and scattered their wands on the ground stricken with an ox-goad by murderous Lykourgos, while Dionysos in terror dived into the salt surf, and Thetis took him to her bosom, frightened, with the strong shivers upon him at the man's blustering." Stesichorus, Fragment 234 (from Scholiast on Homer's Iliad) (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric III) (Greek lyric C7th to C6th B.C.) : "When he [Dionysos] was pursued by Lykourgos (Lycurgus) and took refuge in the sea, Thetis gave him a kindly welcome, and he gave her the amphora [a golden urn], Hephaistos' (Hephaestus') handiwork.

She gave it to her son [Akhilleus (Achilles)], so that when he died his bones might be put in it. The story is told by Stesikhoros (Stesichorus)." Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 34 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "Lykourgos (Lycurgus) . . . was the first to show hubris to Dionysos by expelling him. Dionysos fled to the sea and took shelter with Nereus' daughter Thetis." Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 2. 433 ff (trans. Way) (Greek epic C4th A.D.) : "In her [Thetis'] bowers she sheltered Dionysos, chased by might of murderous Lykourgos (Lycurgus) from the earth." Pseudo-Hyginus, Astronomica 2. 21 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "[The Hyades :] Pherecydes the Athenian [C5th B.C.

mythographer] says, are the nurses of Liber, seven in number, who earlier were nymphae called Dodonidae . . . They are said to have been put to flight by Lycurgus and all except Ambrosia took refuge with Theits, as Asclepiades [of Samos, C3rd B.C. poet] says." Nonnus, Dionysiaca 20. 350 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) : "He [Dionysos] thought Kronion (Cronion) [Zeus] was fighting for Lykourgos (Lycurgus) [an Arabian king who attacked Dionysos and his troop of Bakkhantes (Bacchantes)], when he heard the thunderclaps rolling in the heavens. He took to his heels in fear and ran too fast for pursuit, until he plunged into the gray water of the Erythraian Sea [the Red Sea]. But Thetis in the deeps embraced him with friendly hands, when he entered within the loud-resounding hall.

Then she comforted him with friendly words, and said : ‘Tell me, Dionysos, why are your looks despondent? No army of earthborn Arabs has conquered you, no pursuinig mortal man, you fled from no human spear; but Hera, sister and consort of Zeus Kronides (Cronides), has armed herself in heaven and fought on the side of Lykourgos--Hera and stubborn Ares and the brazen sky; Lykourgos the mighty was only a fourth. Often enough your father himself, the lord of heaven ruling on high, had to give way to Hera! You will have all the more to boast of, when one of the Blessed shall say--Hera consort and sister of mighty Zeus took arms herself against Dionysos umarmed!’ So speaking, the Nereis (Nereid) tried to console Bakkhos (Bacchus)." Nonnus, Dionysiaca 21.

170 ff : "In the Erythraian Sea [the Red Sea], the daughters of Nereus [Nereides] cherished Dionysos [driven into the sea by Lykourgos (Lycurgus)] at their table, in their halls deep down under the waves . . . So he remained in the hall deep down in the waves under the waters, and he lay sprawled among the seaweed in Thetis' bosom." Nonnus, Dionysiaca 33. 348 ff : "She [Khalkomede (Chalcomede), a leader of the Bassarides in Dionysos' War against the Indians] would have thrown herself rolling headlong into the waves [to escape the pursuit of the Indian Morrheus], but Thetis gave her help, to please Dionysos. She changed her shape, and stood before Khalkomedeia in the form of a Bakkhante (Bacchante) woman with comfortable words : ‘Courage Khalkomede! Fear not the bed of Morrheus. You have in me a lucky omen of your untouched maidenhead, bringing witness that no marriage shall come near your bed.

I am Thetis, like you an enemy marriage. I love maidenhood, as Khalkomede herself . . . Be astute, and save us! For if you contrive your own death, without learning what marriage is without a bridegroom, the wild Indian will destroy the whole company of Bassarides. No, you must delude him, and you will save from death your army, which is now in flight while Dionysos is under the lash [driven mad by the Erinys] . . . Have no fear about marriage. No bedfellow shall loose the firm knot of your maidenhood: I swear it by Dionysos, who has touched my board, I swear it by your thyrsus, and by Aphrodite of the sea.’ She ended her consolation; and then hid the girl in a cloud, that the guards might not see her, or some spy walking cunningly in the night with secret foot, or some bold goatherd womanmad, and drag the maiden in the evening to a wayside wedding.

The girl passed over the hills in her quickmoving step, until she silently passed into the woody uplands; nor did Thetis herself linger upon the shore, but she too returned to the weedy hall of her father Nereus." THETIS, AEGAEON (AIGAION) & THE BINDING OF ZEUS Thetis riding Hippocamp, Greek mosaic from Eretria C1st B.C., Eretria House of the Mosaics Homer, Iliad 1. 393 ff (trans. Lattimore) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) : "[Akhilleus (Achilles) addresses his mother Thetis :] ‘You [Thetis] only among the immortals beat aside a shameful destruction from Kronos' (Cronus') son [Zeus] the dark-misted that time when all the other Olympians sought to bind him, Hera and Poseidon and Pallas Athene.

Then you, goddess, went and set him free from his shackles, summoning in speed the creature of the hundred hands [Briareus-Aigaion (Aegaeon)] to tall Olympos.’" Ion of Chios, Fragment 741 (from Scholiast on Apollonius of Rhodes) (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric IV) (Greek lyric C5th B.C.) : "Ion says in a dithyramb that Aigaion (Aegaeon) was summoned from the ocean by Thetis and taken up to protect Zeus, and that he was the son of Thalassa (Sea)." Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 2. 433 ff (trans. Way) (Greek epic C4th A.D.) : "The Lightning-lord [Zeus] she [Thetis] once released from bonds. " Statius, Achilleid 1. 209 ff (trans.

Mozley) (Roman epic C1st A.D.) : "What time she [Thetis] was sent to follow Aegaeon freed [Zeus] from his stubborn bonds and to count the hundred fetters of the god." Nonnus, Dionysiaca 43. 361 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) : "[When Poseidon led the sea-gods into battle against Dionysos and his allies during the Indian War :] Psamathe sorrowful on the beach beside the sea, watching the turmoil of seabattling Dionysos, uttered the dire trouble of her heart in terrified words : ‘O Lord Zeus! If thou hast gratitude for Thetis and the ready hands of Briareus, if thou hast not forgot Aigaion (Aegaeon) the protector of they laws, save us from Bakkhos (Bacchus) in his madness! Let me never see Glaukos (Glaucus) dead and Nereus a slave! Let not Thetis in floods of tears be servant to Lyaios (Lyaeus), let me not see her a slave to Bromios, leaving the deep . .

.’ She spoke her prayer, and Zeus on high heard her in heaven [and ended the battle]." THETIS THE SEA-GODDESS POETIC MISCELLANY Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae 2. 26c (trans. Gullick) (Greek rhetorician C2nd to C3rd A.D.) : "Matron the parodist, in the Banquet, has, ‘He brought oysters, which are the truffles [i.e., a great delicacy] of the Nereis (Nereid) Thetis.’" Ovid, Heroides 20. 60 ff (trans. Showerman) (Roman poetry C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : "[Praise for a maiden :] Feet which Thetis' own methinks could scarcely equal." [N.B. Thetis is called the silver-footed by Homer.] Virgil, Georgics 1. 396 (trans.

Fairclough) (Roman bucolic C1st B.C.) : "The halcyons, the pride of Thetis [here the sea personified], spread their wings on the shore." Propertius, Elegies 3. 6 (trans. Goold) (Roman elegy C1st B.C.) : "Ye hundred Sea-Maidens (Aequoreae Puellae) sired by Nereus, and you, Thetis, that have felt a mother's grief, you should have placed your arms beneath his failing chin [a boy drowning in a shipwreck]: he could not have weighed heavy on your hands." Statius, Thebaid 9. 360 ff (trans. Mozley) (Roman epic C1st A.D.) : "Often does Alcyone [the sea-nesting kingfisher] deserted make lament for her wave-wandering, spray-drenched home, when savage Auster [Notos the South Wind] and envious Thetis have scattered her darlings and their shivering nests." Statius, Silvae 3. 2. 1 (trans.

Mozley) (Roman poetry C1st A.D.) : "Before ships were, the waters lay in a slumberous calm, Thetis dared not foam nor the waves assault the clouds." Suidas s.v. Argyropeza (trans. Suda On Line) (Byzantine Greek Lexicon C10th A.D.) : "Argyropeza (silver-footed) : She who has a silver foot. For peza [is] the foot." CULT OF THETIS I. SPARTA Chief City of Lacedaemonia (Southern Greece) Pausanias, Description of Greece 3. 14. 4 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : "The sanctuary of Thetis [in Sparta] was set up, they say, for the following reason. The Lakedaimonians (Lacedaemonians) were making war against the Messenians, who had revolted, and their king Anaxandros (Anaxander), having invaded Messenia, took prisoners certain women, and among them Kleo, priestess of Thetis.

This Kleo (Cleo) the wife of Anazandros asked for from her husban, and discovering that she had the wooden image of Thetis, she set up with her a temple for the goddess. This Leandris did because of a vision in a dream, but the wooden image of Thetis is guarded in secret." Pausanias, Description of Greece 3. 22. 2 : "But when Menelaus had taken Ilion [Troy] and had returned safe home eight years after the sack of Troy, he set up near the sanctuary of Migonitis [sanctuary of Aphrodite founded by Paris at Migonion in Lakonia (Laconia)] an image of Thetis and the goddesses Praxidikai (Exacters of Justice)." II. SEPIA Headland in Euboea (Euboia) (Central Greece) Herodotus, Histories 7. 178. 1 (trans.

Godley) (Greek historian C5th B.C.) : "[A storm struck the Persian invasion fleet (historical event) as it was sailing down the coast of Euboia (Euboea) :] Finally the [Persian] Magi made offerings and cast spells upon the Wind [Boreas], sacrificing also to Thetis and the Nereides. In this way they made the Wind stop on the fourth day--or perhaps it died down on its own. They sacrificed to Thetis after hearing from the Ionians the story that it was from this place that Peleus had carried her off and that all the headland of Sepia (Cuttle-Fish) [in Euboia] belonged to her and to the other Nereides." III. LACINIUM (LAKINION) Promontory (Southern Italy) Lycophron, Alexandra 856 ff (trans. Mair) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.) : "The recesses of Lakinion (Lacinium) [in Italy] wherein a heifer [Thetis] shall fashion an orchard for the goddess Hoplosmia [Hera], furnished with trees.

And it shall be for all time an ordinance for women of the land to mourn the nine-cubit hero [Akhilleus (Achilles)], third in descent from Aiakos (Aeacus) [grandfather of Akhilleus] and Doris [Thetis' mother], the hurricane of battle strife, and not to deck their radiant limbs with gold, nor array them in fine-spun robes stained with purple--because a goddess [Thetis] to a goddess [Hera] presents that great spur of land [Lakinion] to be her dwelling-place." POETIC TITLES & EPITHETS Thetis had a number of poetic titles and epithets. Greek Name Thetis - More than Achilles's Mom Thetis: Not Just a Greek Nymph More than Achilles's Mom Share By N.S. Gill Thetis was the nymph who was mother to the Trojan War hero Achilles . But she was more than just one guy's mother.

Background Thetis and one of the 50 Nereid daughters of Nereus (son of Gaia [Earth] and Pontos [Sea]; whom Hercules seizes in order to extract information pertinent to his labors ) and Doris (daughter of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys). She might not have been Achilles' mother, if things had gone differently, though. At one time, the king of the Greek gods, Zeus , had been wooing her, but a prophecy that the son would be greater than the father made Zeus give her up. After all, he didn't want a repeat episode of what happened with his own dad. As Prometheus prophesied in Aeschylus 's play Prometheus Bound, the god "plans a marriage that shall hurl him into oblivion from his sovereignty and throne; and then immediately the curse his father Cronus invoked as he fell from his ancient throne, shall be fulfilled to the uttermost." Thankfully, Zeus averted that by marrying Thetis off to another man... continue reading below our video Test Your General Science Knowledge Marriage Instead, Thetis married a mortal king, Peleus , at the command of Zeus.

It was at this wedding that Eris , goddess of discord, tossed an apple for the most beautiful goddess of them all into the crowd and kicked off the events precipitating the Trojan War. The bride and groom produced a son, Achilles, whom Thetis tried to make immortal. She dipped her infant son into the River Styx , holding him by the ankle, according to tradition. This made him invulnerable, except at the one weak spot where Thetis had held him. Peleus didn't agree with this risky treatment and Thetis left him. Thetis also shows up in Homer 's Iliad where she offers to get Achilles a new and better suit of armor and shield from the blacksmith of the gods, Hephaestus . Hephaestus was in her debt because Thetis and her sisters had cared for him when Hera threw him down from Olympus.

As mentioned in the Homeric Hymn 3 to Apol lo, "But silver-shod Thetis the daughter of Nereus took and cared for him with her sisters…" In the Iliad , Homer says that Thetis also rescued Dionysus from folks pursuing him: "But Dionysus fled, and plunged beneath the wave of the sea, and Thetis received him in her bosom, filled with dread, for mighty terror gat hold of him at the man's threatenings." During the war, Thetis gave her son good advice, but he still tragically perished. -Edited by Carly Silver Thetis Thetis by James Hunter 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. Article details: THETIS - the Greek River Goddess (Greek mythology) THETIS Also known as THETYS River Goddess Nereid and mother of Achilles Daughter of NEREUS and DORIS , and best friend of EURYNOME , she was doing well god-wise until an oracle put out a prophecy which upset ZEUS and POSEIDON , who both fancied her at the time. To avoid the consequences of the prophecy they hastily made sure she was married off to Peleus, a mortal. This happened against her wishes, but she tried to make the best of it.

The wedding was a glitzy OLYMPUS affair with all the Gods in attendance — the only one not invited was ERIS who gatecrashed anyway and ended up causing all kinds of Trojan trouble. Marriage to mere mortals always leads to mortification. She gave birth to a bouncing mortal baby called ACHILLES . Unhappy that her half-human son was not a true deity, she did her best to make him immortal. Smothering him in holy ambrosia over a fire just looked silly, so she grabbed him by the heel and dipped him in the River STYX . That seemed to do the trick. ACHILLES was now immortal — except for his heel... THETIS FACTS AND FIGURES Cite this Link to this page HTML: To link to this page, just copy and paste the text below into your blog, web page or email. <a href="">Godchecker entry on THETIS, the Greek River Goddess</a> BBCODE: To link to this page in a forum post or comment box, just copy and paste the text below: [url= entry on THETIS, the Greek River Goddess[/url] Cite this article Here's the info you need to cite this page.

Just copy the text in the box below. Saunders, Chas, and Peter J. Allen, eds. "THETIS - the Greek River Goddess (Greek mythology)." <em>Godchecker</em>. Godchecker.com / CID, 08 Jan. 2014. Web. 18 January 2017. . 08 January 2014 by Rowan Allen. Editors: Peter J Allen, Chas Saunders References: Coming soon. Thetis * The Immortals * Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant Nereus and Doris had fifty daughters (Theogony, line 264) . Thetis is one of the Daughters of Nereus. As a group, they are called the Nereids. Thetis was given to Peleus (a mortal) for his undying devotion to the gods on Mount Olympos (Olympus). Thetis and Peleus had a magnificent son, Akhilleus. The fate of Akhilleus was known to Thetis.

Simply put, Akhilleus could return to his father and die happy yet forgotten, or, he could die at Troy and be remembered forever as a hero. Mother of Akhilleus (Achilles) To protect her son in battle, Thetis provided Akhilleus with armor made by Hephaistos (Hephaestus), the smith of the gods. But during the war at Troy, Akhilleus was angered by Agamemnon, he refused to fight. Instead, he gave his armor to his friend Patroklos (Patroclos). Patroklos was killed as he pressed the attack to the walls of Ilion (Troy). The most brutal fighting of the war was for the armor of Akhilleus and the body of Patroklos. The disgrace to his friend’s body and the theft of his armor brought Akhilleus into the battle, but not before Thetis could persuade Hephaistos to forge new armor for her, soon to be immortalized, son. When Akhilleus strode into battle with his new armor, the Trojans fled in terror.

His divine protection was obvious from the blaze of his armor and his divine lineage was also obvious from his beauty and his enormous strength. The Trojans who did not have the good sense or swift feet to run away, were killed. After Akhilleus had had his revenge, Thetis led a procession of her sisters up from the depths to morn openly and to cast a divine mist over the body of Patroklos. Thetis and Hephaistos When Hephaistos was thrown from Mount Olympos, Thetis and Eurynome healed him and gave him love and protection. The noble smith has never forgotten their kindness.

Thetis in The Iliad (listed by book and line) 01.280 ...Agamemnon warns Akhilleus (Achilles) that he is no match for him even though his mother, Thetis, is an Immortal 01.351 ...Akhilleus (Achilles) calls upon his mother, Thetis, to help him 01.360 ...Thetis comes to her son, Akhilleus (Achilles), on the beach and asks what has made him sad 01.394 ...Akhilleus (Achilles) asks his mother, Thetis, to supplicate Zeus on his behalf 01.401 ...Akhilleus (Achilles) reminds his mother, Thetis, of the time she summoned Briareos (Briareus) to free Zeus from the shackles which Hera, Athene (Athena) and Poseidon had put on him 01.413 ...Thetis laments that her son, Akhilleus (Achilles), will have a brief and bitter life but she will still approach Zeus and

 ask for help 01.495 ...Thetis rose from the sea and ascended Mount Olympos (Olympus) to speak to Zeus on behalf of her son, Akhilleus (Achilles) 01.502 ...Thetis supplicates Zeus on behalf of her son, Akhilleus (Achilles) 01.511 ...When Zeus would not say that he would help Akhilleus (Achilles), Thetis took his knees and begged him to nod his head if he would agree to help her 01.531 ...After speaking with Zeus, Thetis descends Mount Olympos (Olympus) 01.538 ...Hera berates Zeus for meeting secretly with Thetis 01.556 ...Hera tells Zeus that she is afraid that Thetis has won his favor 06.136 ...The warrior, Diomedes, tells Glaukos (Glaucus) the story of when the mortal man, Lykourgos (Lycurgus), attacked Dionysus, the injured god took refuge in the sea and Thet

is took him to her breast 08.370 ...Athene (Athena) tells Hera that Zeus has taken the side of Thetis and will not help the Trojans 09.410 ...Akhilleus (Achilles) says that his mother, Thetis, has told him that his life has two possibilities: 1) he can go home and have a long life or 2) he can die at Troy and have eternal fame 13.350 ...Zeus protected Hektor (Hector) but also honored his promise to Thetis to give glory to her son, Akhilleus (Achilles) 15.076 ...Zeus tells the other Immortals that he will honor his promise to Thetis and give glory to her son, Akhilleus (Achilles) 15.599 ...Zeus allows Hektor (Hector) to set fire to the Argive ships but also remembers the prayer of Thetis to give glory to her son, Akhilleus (Achilles) 16.034 ...Patroklos (Patroclus) berates

 Akhilleus (Achilles) for not joining the fight for the ships; he angrily says that Peleus and Thetis were not the parents of Akhilleus but that he was born of sea and rock 16.051 ...Akhilleus (Achilles) tells Patroklos (Patroclus) that he refuses to fight because of his anger towards Agamemnon and not because of a prophecy from Zeus or his mother, Thetis 16.203 ...Akhilleus (Achilles) calls his men to fight and recalls their bitter words against him when they said that his mother, Thetis, nursed him on gall 16.222 ...Akhilleus (Achilles) retrieves a golden goblet from a chest his mother, Thetis, had given him and prepares a libation for Zeus 16.574 ...When Epeigeus was exiled for killing his cousin, Peleus and Thetis took him into their home 16.860 ...After hearing the prophecy of the dying Patroklos (Patroclus), Hektor (Hector) insists that he will

 kill the son of Thetis, Akhilleus (Achilles), and not vise versa 17.409 ...Thetis often told her son, Akhilleus (Achilles), the will of Zeus but she did not tell him of the death of Patroklos (Patroclus) 18.035 ...After the death of Patroklos (Patroclus), Thetis heard Akhilleus (Achilles) crying and gathered her sisters to come to the camp of the Akhaians (Achaeans) 18.038 ...The names of many of the sisters of Thetis are listed in passages 038-049 18.049 ...Thetis tells her sisters, the Nereids, of her sorrow 18.065 ...Thetis leads her sisters from the depths of the sea towards the camp of the Akhaians (Achaeans) 18.070 ...Thetis emerges from the sea with her sisters and speaks to her son, Akhilleus (Achilles) 18.079 ...Akhilleus

 (Achilles) tells his mother, Thetis, about the death of Patroklos (Patroclus) 18.085 ...Akhilleus (Achilles) reminds his mother, Thetis, that she was forced to marry a mortal man, Peleus 18.094 ...Thetis tells her son, Akhilleus (Achilles), that he will die soon after Hektor (Hector) is killed 18.127 ...Thetis tells her son, Akhilleus (Achilles), that even though Hektor (Hector) has taken the armor from Patroklos (Patroclus), he will soon die 18.139 ...Thetis tells her sisters, the Nereids, to return to the sea because she is going to Mount Olympos (Olympus) to ask Hephaistos (Hephaestus) for new armor for her son, Akhilleus (Achilles) 18.146 ...As her sisters, the Nereids, plunge back into the sea, Thetis goes to Mount Olympos (

Olympus) 18.189 ...Akhilleus (Achilles) tells Iris that he cannot join the fighting until his mother, Thetis, brings his new armor 18.369 ...Thetis enters the home of Hephaistos (Hephaestus) 18.381 ...Thetis enters the home of Hephaistos (Hephaestus) and draws near him as he works 18.385 ...Kharis (Charis), wife of Hephaistos (Hephaestus), asks Thetis why she has come to their home 18.390 ...Kharis (Charis), wife of Hephaistos (Hephaestus), escorts Thetis into their house and makes her comfortable on an elaborate chair 18.392 ...Kharis (Charis) calls to her husband, Hephaistos (Hephaestus), and tells him that Thetis has come 18.394 ...When Hephaistos (Hephaestus) is told that Thetis has come to his house, he says

 that a goddess he honors has arrived 18.398 ...Hephaistos (Hephaestus) recounts how Thetis and Eurynome helped him when he had been thrown from Mount Olympos (Olympus) 18.405 ...Hephaistos (Hephaestus) says that Eurynome and Thetis were the only Immortals who knew that he had survived the fall from Mount Olympos (Olympus) 18.407 ...Hephaistos (Hephaestus) says that he owes lovely haired Thetis a debt 18.422 ...The golden robot assistants of Hephaistos (Hephaestus) moved near to where Thetis was seated 18.424 ...Hephaistos (Hephaestus) asks Thetis why she has come to his house 18.427 ...Crying, Thetis tells Hephaistos (Hephaestus) of the plight of her son, Akhilleus (Achilles), and his need for new armor 18.4

68 ...Hephaistos (Hephaestus) agrees to help Thetis and returns to his bellows to forge new armor for Akhilleus (Achilles) 18.615 ...Thetis, like a hawk, descended Mount Olympos (Olympus) with the armor that Hephaistos (Hephaestus) made for her son, Akhilleus (Achilles) 19.002 ...Carrying the armor Hephaistos (Hephaestus) made, Thetis finds her son, Akhilleus (Achilles), racked with sorrow for the death of his friend, Patroklos (Patroclus) 19.006 ...Thetis presents her son, Akhilleus (Achilles), with the armor that Hephaistos (Hephaestus) made and tells him to put away his sorrow for Patroklos (Patroclus) 19.012 ...Thetis placed the armor that Hephaistos (Hephaestus) made before her son, Akhilleus (Achilles) 19

.021 ...(Akhilleus (Achilles) accepts the armor that his mother, Thetis, has given him and asks her to protect the dead body of Patroklos (Patroclus) 19.028 ...Thetis promises to protect the body of Patroklos (Patroclus) from all types of degradation while her son, Akhilleus (Achilles), arms himself for battle 20.107 ...Apollon tells Aineias (Aeneas) to fight against Akhilleus (Achilles) because his mother was Aphrodite, daughter of Zeus, and Akhilleus was born to a lesser goddess, Thetis 20.207 ...Aineias (Aeneas) taunts Akhilleus (Achilles) by saying that after they fight either Thetis or Aphrodite will mourn 24.074 ...Zeus tells Hera that they should summon Thetis to Mount Olympos (Olympus) and tell her of their plans to return the body of Hektor (Hector) to his parents 24.082 ...After plunging

 into the sea between the islands of Samos and Imbros, Iris found Thetis with her sisters, the Nereids, in a cave 24.085 ...Iris found Thetis under the sea mourning the impending death of her son, Akhilleus (Achilles) 24.088 ...Iris tells Thetis to rise up and obey the summons of Zeus 24.090 ...Thetis asks Iris why Zeus has summoned her to Mount Olympos (Olympus) 24.095 ...Thetis donned a black veil and followed Iris as the waves of the sea opened before the divine messenger 24.100 ...On Mount Olympos (Olympus), Thetis sits by Zeus while Athene (Athena) and Hera make her comfortable 24.104 ...Zeus tells Thetis that the dead body of Hektor (Hector) must be returned to his parents and that her son, Akhilleus (Achilles), must accept a ransom for the body 24.120 ...After Zeus told her that the body of Hek

tor (Hector) must be returned to his parents, Thetis descended Mount Olympos (Olympus) and went to the camp of her son, Akhilleus (Achilles) 24.126 ...Thetis tells her son, Akhilleus (Achilles), that the body of Hektor (Hector) must be returned to his parents and that he must accept a ransom for the body 24.466 ...Hermes reveals his true identity to king Priam and advises him to ask Akhilleus (Achilles), in the name of his mother, Thetis, for the return of the body of Hektor (Hector) 24.537 ...Akhilleus (Achilles) reminds king Priam that the Immortals gave his father, Peleus, an immortal wife, Thetis 24.562 ...Akhilleus (Achilles) tells king Priam that he will return the body of Hektor (Hector) because his mother, Thetis, and Zeus commanded him to do so How to Cite this Page Cut and paste the following text

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Stewart, Michael. "Thetis", Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant. (November 15, 2005) Cut and paste the following html for use in a web report. Stewart, Michael. &quot;Thetis&quot;, <i>Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant</i>. (November 15, 2005) Cut and paste the following html for use in a web report. This format will link back to this page, which may be useful but may not be required. Stewart, Michael. &quot;Thetis&quot;, <i>Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall of the Last Tyrant</i>. <a href=""> (November 15, 2005) Thetis, Greece, Greek mythology Greek Mythology Zethos Thetis Sea nymph who was the mother of Achilles with her mortal Peleus husband. Her father was the sea god Nereus and mother Doris.

Peleus had conquered Thetis by holding on to her while she was taking on different forms - everything from animals to fire. According to another version the gods had ordered her to marry a mortal. Both Zeus and Poseidon had wanted to marry her, but when Themis prophecised that her son would be stronger than them both, they considered it wiser to give her to a mortal. It was at their wedding the Trojan war became an issue. They had invited all the gods except the godess of arguments and misunderstandings, Eris, and she took her revenge by throwing a golden apple with the inscription "to the most beautiful" into the party, resulting in the argument between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. Thetis made Achilles immortal by holding him as a baby over a fire or into the river Styx. Because she held him by his heel, that was the only mortal part of him. She would often help Achilles with advice and warnings. Greek Gods Thetis | Mythology Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit Thetis is the mother of Achilles , a warrior of Greece who appears in Homer's Iliad.

She and Peleus of Phthia had married; after the gods Zeus and Poseidon were attracted to Thetis but then learned from an oracle that her son would be greater than his father, which is the reason they had Peleus marry her instead. Poseidon then chose Thetis' sister Amphitrite to marry instead and she became Queen of the Seas. Thetis appeals to Zeus A renowned incident at Thetis's and Peleus's wedding was the origin of the Trojan War in the stories by Homer and others. Family

Question: In Greek Mythology who was the son of Thetis?
Answer: ACHILLES.