Tethys

 Chart of Tethys' Greek name, transliteration, Latin spelling, and translation Tethys: Greek Titan Goddess of fresh water and nursing  Compiled by: Julie Eckendorf   


 * Greek Titan Goddess of fresh water and nursing
 * Husband is Oceanus, children are rivers and streams
 * Feeds her children by retrieving water from her husband
 * Portrayed in most mosaic art with a pair of wings over her brow
 * Tethys and husband Oceanus ruled planet Venus
 * Tethys used to be Goddess of the Ocean
 * Goddess Hera was not happy with placement of Callisto and Arcas in the sky so she asked Tethys, her nurse, to help her
 * Tethys cursed the constellations to circle the sky forever and not drop below the horizon, so this is why they are circumpolar

Tethys and her family  Tethys is the Titan goddess of fresh water, which nourished the earth. Her husband is Okeanos who is the earth-encircling, fresh-water stream. Oceanus was actually Tethys's brother, so Tethys married her brother. She is the mother of the Patamoi, the Okeanides, and the Nephelai. The Potamoi are the gods of the rivers and streams. The Okeanides are the goddesses of streams, clouds, and rain. The Nephelai are the clouds. Tethys was said to feed her children’s streams by retrieving water from Okeanos through subterranean aquifers. Ouranos and Gaia are the parents of Tethys.  In mosaic art, Tethys is portrayed with a pair of small wings over her brow. This is shown to you in the picture to the right. This is most likely because of her role as the mother of rain-clouds.

Tethys and Oceanus both ruled the planet Venus, and also the sixth day. They received the power of love from Venus. Some people believe that the Gods and everything that populated the Earth was born from Oceanus’ stream, and that Tethys was the mother. Tethys was once a Goddess of the Ocean, but then surrendered that to Doris who then surrendered it to Amphitrite. Tethys was the Godmother of Rhea. She raised Rhea during the civil war between the Gods and the Titans. Rhea’s name means Disposer, which is very similar in root to Thetis. Saturn's 9th moon is named Tethys. Tethys was the mother of the Nile, the Alpheus, and the Maeander, which were three chief rivers of the universe.
 * All About Tethys **

 What Tethys has done to other Gods The goddess Hera was not happy with the placement of Callisto and Arcas in the sky. They were the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Because she was angry about this, she asked her nurse, Tethys, to help her. Tethys cursed the constellations to circle the sky forever and never drop below the horizon. This is the reason that they are circumpolar.



[|Tethys website] [|List of Tethys' children with Oceanus]

Works Cited __Greek Mythology, the Classical Gods of ancient Greece__. 1999. Google. 29 Jan. 2009 . "Tethys." . Google. 29 Jan. 2009 . Atsma, Aaron J. "Tethys." 2000. Google. 29 Jan. 2009 . "The Greek Goddesses." 29 Jan. 2009 .