Dione: A Beautiful Affair

This is how I imagined Dione.

Dione has been said to be one of the most important goddesses; but of what? No one knows for sure. Her name literally only meant the Goddess. Yeah, talk about obscure divinities. Even made me think of the song aptly titled Mizu no Akashi or ‘Evidence of Water’ by Rie Tanaka:

Back to the story, I quote from God Checker:

DIONE was one of the early birds in the goddess stakes. In fact she was on the scene so early that no-one else seems to have been around to make notes for posterity.

Because of her disputable nature, I decided to write a special article about her right after the original Titanides. My aims here are to try to paint a clear and unified picture or idea of her; and share what I know about her as obtained from different sources. This article is in no way academic and definitive. So consider yourself warned.

Drenched in Dione

Meet the parents. So, people say that this intriguing lady Dione was a daughter of Uranus and Gaea (making her a principal Titaness) or of Aether and Gaea, sometimes even of the younger Titan Epimetheus and the first woman Pandora. But the most common (and most grounded) belief, which I personally prefer, is that she was one of the eldest daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys.

(I might be worth noting that handful of those two's daughters were also considered second generation Titanides, say Metis, Clymene, Pleione, etc. Thus, the term Titan Oceanides. I might write about them, or the whole class of Oceanides soon.)

Her offices. As an Oceanid, Dione served as a goddess of water and moisture. In particular, she represented the moist soil that marks fertile ground. By extension, she also was a goddess of fertility (there are a bunch of them, actually). However, her powers seem to still remain vague. The Official Guide to the Mythological Universe says:

Dione also has some abilities to tap into and manipulate inherent mystical energies in the universe. While her exact level of power is unknown, it is known that she can move through dimensions, such as through the dimensional barriers between Earth and Olympus. She can send her voice and image over time and space, appear in a gigantic state, control the weather and cast spells upon objects and living things. She has extraordinary precognitive abilities, allowing her to see future events and possible alternate futures, discerning which events are most likely to occur. The full range of her power is unknown, but she may at least be equal to such female gods as Hera and Aphrodite. 

The last part where Dione was said to be almost equally powerful as Hera and Aphrodite suggests that she was a goddess of utmost importance.

In the Pelasgian myth, she was one of the seven principal Titanides whom the goddess Eurynome paired with the a Titan each. According to the myth, she was paired with the god Crius. I personally don't see any connection between them. Eurynome must have just selected them randomly, say a raffle draw. Nevertheless, the two were given the dominion over the planet Mars, and the power of Growth.

I've already said that I don’t believe her to be an original Titaness but her pure awesomeness is just too interesting to ignore. And so, to make ends meet, I will just presume that she made it to the Titan Council, occupying the post that should have been  Mnemosyne's, who did not readily accept the position. Finally, that diva of a goddess decided to make up with her brother Cronus and assume her place, with Dione stepping out for her.

(I probably lost you there so I recommend for you to read my own version of Mnemosyne’s history here.)

Between Zeus and Dione
Several other goddesses were paired with Zeus in different stories. However, it was only Dione was the only one who was considered to be his equal (Even Hera did not quite reach the standards). In fact, her name which means, "The Goddess" was etymologically just a female form of Zeus.

Appropriately so, the two had something going on between them. Paparazzi claimed that she even was Zeus' second girlfriend after the dude ate Metis, his first.

The two had met each other when Zeus needed a 'temple associate' for his new oracle at Dodona. Dione tried out and got the job. With that, she became:

• a goddess of the oak, Zeus's sacred tree; and
• a goddess of divination (like the other major Titanides).

The temple was visited by both Greeks and non-Greeks because of the precision of the prophecies told there. The three old prophetesses of the shrine, known collectively as the Peleiades, were probably her Dione's priestesses. A little trivia, Peleiades meant "Doves," which were Dione and Aphrodite's sacred birds.

In this guise, Dione was also called Dodona, the eponymous goddess of the shrine.

The Love Goddess by the 'Goddess'

Dione was said to be the mother of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty; although the Olympian was more generally received as a goddess born with no mother or father. People said that she just sprung out from the sea foam when Uranus' genitals were thrown to the water.

I personally prefer to believe the more charming and logical version (meaning, not the parent-less)  regarding her birth. (Lik having sex with a sea foam bath is any decent way to produce a daughter. Thanks God Checker! I'm beginning to like you and your punch lines!) 

Botticelli's very famous 'Birth of Venus'

(ALERT: This one is just MY elaboration of the Iliad's version of Aphrodite's parentage. It is also another attempt to reconcile the story of Aphrodite arriving Cyprus aboard a sea shell.)

Zeus and Dione were really into each other since they worked together in Dodona. She even lived with him on Olympus together with Zeus' other girls. Every day may have been ‘awkward day’ back there.

It was all good until Zeus finally decided to marry Hera.

Hera, in her role as Queen of Olympus, however, did not want to be reminded of her husband's extra-marital affairs and banished several of his other wives from Olympus. The then pregnant Dione departed Olympus riding a scallop shell and took refuge on the island of Cythera where her daughter Aphrodite by Zeus was born. Aphrodite was spirited off to the island of Cyprus to hide her from Hera where she was discovered and accepted into the Olympian gods.

Both Cythera and Cyprus became subsequently centers of worship for Aphrodite. As for Dione, she returned to her parents' home in the Ocean to once again serve in their court as an Oceanid.

The mother and the daughter still had kept in touch with each other in spite of the long distance. In fact, in the Iliad:

Dione played an important role as the healer of Aphrodite after the goddess was wounded in the fighting during the siege of the city of Troy. The Achaean hero Diomedes was infused with vigor and boldness by the goddess Athena and told to avoid all Immortals on the battlefield except Aphrodite ... Athena told Diomedes that he should attack Aphrodite if he saw her. 

Aphrodite's son Aeneas was in danger of being killed, so Aphrodite swooped into the fighting and shielded Aeneas from harm. At that moment, Diomedes lunged at the goddess and wounded her on the wrist. Ares (god of War) was nearby so Aphrodite mounted his chariot and fled. Once she was safe, Aphrodite went to Dione. 

Dione wiped away the oozing ichor (divine blood) from Aphrodite's wounded wrist and tried to comfort the sobbing goddess. Dione sought to make Aphrodite realize that, even though she was immortal, she was still subject to pain and injury.

Aww, a motherly advice. Thanks to Mythagora for that bit!

As Aphrodite grew more popular in the Near East under the names Astarte and Ishtar, Dione also came to be identified as Asherah and the Lady of Byblos. (Source)

Souce: click here

Scientific Dione: Goddess of the Satellite

Dione was a very vague figure in Greek mythology. In spite of this, she still lived on to this day as one of the many moons of the planet Saturn.

The image on the left is her astronomical symbol. It consists of the Greek letter delta and a representation of Saturn's hook.

Tethys: Nursing Mother of 'Pearls'

My Tethys.

Tethys I call, with eyes cærulean bright,

Hid in a veil obscure from human sight;

Great Ocean's empress, wand'ring thro' the deep,

And pleas'd with gentle gales, the earth to sweep;

Whose blessed waves in swift succession go,

And lash the rocky shore with endless flow:

Delighting in the Sea serene to play,

In ships exulting and the wat'ry way.

Mother of Venus, and of clouds obscure,

Great nurse of beasts, and source of fountains pure.

O venerable Goddess, hear my pray'r,

And make benevolent my life thy care;

Send, blessed queen, to ships a prosp'rous breeze,

And waft them safely o'er the stormy seas. 

Orphic Hymn (Translation by Thomas Taylor) 

 (Courtesy: In Her Name)

In addition to Theia and Rhea, Tethys may also be considered another Titan queen (She was even called 'empress' on the hymn above). A mother of 3,000 (yes, seriously.... I'll discuss this later), this goddess just fits the bill to be called the Great Nurse of Greek Mythology.

Water under the bridge

Tethys' cult may have been largely forgotten, but there are still a handful of things about her that are worth mentioning.

Ancient sources agree that Tethys was one of the principal Titanides, a daughter of Uranus and Gaea. According to one source that I've read (which I lost, oops), she was their second daughter after Themis. She was attractive and cherished by both of her parents. At first, she was a goddess of rivers, as well as the distributor of FRESH WATER which nourished the earth. I am speculating that she acquired this power as a blessing from the Protogena Thesis, a creation goddess who was also a female aspect of the bi-gendered god Phanes.

(Source: click here)

She was married to her older brother Oceanus, the god of the sources of all the earth's fresh water. Upon their marriage, the Protogenoi (first-born gods) gifted them with their very own realm: the earth-encircling freshwater stream they called Ocean (which, I THINK, was originally from Hydros, a very very passive primeval water god). There, they ruled quite independently from the hustles and bustles of Heaven (then ruled by Uranus), Earth (by Gaea) and Sea (Pontus).

Furthermore, according to the Pelasgian myth (thanks Paleothea!) narrating the story of how the goddess Eurynome gave everyone everything, Tethys and Oceanus received dominion over the Planet Venus and its Essence of love. The planetary power seemed VERY appropriate for them, considering the number of children they have had; Tethys is surely one prolific woman!

(She must've gotten the trait from her mother Gaea.)

Tethys, like the other Titanides remained neutral during the Titanomachy (Although she served as Hera's protector up until then). Thus, she still retained her powers after her brothers' downfall.

And the river flows to the sea. As what I have pointed out earlier, Tethys had started out as a freshwater goddess, as opposed to the salty sea. But as time passed by, people came to identify her also as a deity of the brine. Yeah, I know it's because of the Ocean stream being identified with the Atlantic Ocean, geography becoming more accurate and stuff, but I still came up with a more dramatic story for this:

(ALERT: I composed this one. No historical references. Just sayin'.)

As a royal couple, Tethys and Oceanus wanted only the best of the best for their children. Of course they allowed their children to be with whomever they want, although they would prefer it if they marry those who belong to their caste, and who are worthy of their reputation.

In one instance, they betrothed their daughter Doris to the crowned prince Nereus, son of Pontus (who was the Sovereign of the Seas back then). Part of the prenuptial agreement stated that they had to share in the dominion over the Sea (pratical parents, actually). With their daughter now the crowned princess of the sea, the couple held some sway over the briny waters. Time passed and they eventually acquired the rule of it; both of them becoming embodiment of ALL the waters in the world (the Sea and the Ocean still remained two separate kingdoms, though). In this guise, Tethys came to be identified with Thalassa, the real female embodiment of the sea.

Nereus and Doris' wedding might have looked like this.
Credits  to Maui Wedding for this pic.

(The prenup proved to be disadvantageous on Pontus' side, as he clearly did not acquire powers over the realm of freshwater. Oh, well, he might have just been a typical old man who only wanted to have grandchildren.)

Fortunately for Doris, Nereus was a loving and faithful husband. A proof of their happiness is their fifty Nereid daughters. (Why do water gods always have tons of children???)

Had I been there, I would've suggested this to be part of their wedding soundtrack:

The more, the merrier: Tethys' family motto

No shortage of sons and daughters
Tethys was notably a nurturing goddess of fertile ocean. True enough, she and her husband, Oceanus, were among (if not THE) the busiest couples ever documented in myth. Together, they had parented a staggering number of:

• 3,000 OCEANID DAUGHTERS, nymphs and goddesses of the Great River; and
• ALL THE RIVER GODS in the world (Some say, they also numbered 3,000 but who knows? There could have been more.)

And yes, those two could populate an entire continent with just their immediate family. I was planning to name every one of them here, but then again I thought... better not. And seriously, these guys here need some serious and in-depth family planning advice.

Being a dutiful mother to these lot, she fed her children's streams by drawing water from Oceanus through subterranean aquifers (Thanks, Theoi for that one!). Awww... a mother's love!

On fostering the Queen
Tethys' nurturing quality was not just exemplified in raising her own children, but her sister Rhea's daughter as well. She raised and educated Hera back when she was still a little Titan princess. One of the proudest nanny moments for Tethys must have been when her goddaughter Hera was crowned Queen of Olympus (I can almost see her getting teary-eyed, tsss).

Ursa Major and Ursa Minor by Helen Glazer

A long time after, Hera was so displeased with one of Zeus' extramarital affairs (again, mythology readers have grown used to it) that she came down to Tethys to ask for help. According to Theoi.com:

Tethys, to honour her foster-daughter Hera, forbade the constellation Ursa Minor to set into the waters of Oceanus.

*A little background on the story, the Ursa Major used to be Zeus' lover Callisto who was changed to a bear, was accidentally shot by her son (who was also changed to a bear as Ursa Minor), and was placed in the sky as a constellation.*

Tethys, as the goddess-wife of the great earth-encircling River Oceanus, oversaw the rising and setting of the heavenly bodies--the Sun, Moon, Dawn, Starry Constellations, and Clouds. As such, she cursed both the constellations forever to circle the sky and never drop below the horizon, hence explaining why they are circumpolar.

The last few drops of Tethys

When the Olympians came to power, Oceanus and Tethys had to relinquish the rule of the seas to the upstart god Poseidon. The couple went back to their home turf, Ocean, and lived (or are still living) their retired lives undisturbed.

Postscript: Scientific Tethys(es?)

Astronomical/Astrological
symbol of Tethys. (Source)

To the Einsteins and Galileos out there, Tethys may refer to TWO distinct bodies:

• Tethys Moon in Saturn, discovered by Giovanni Domenico Cassini in 1684.
• Tethys Sea, a ancient body of water that existed between the continents of Gondwana and Laurasia during much of the Mesozoic era, before the opening of the Indian and Atlantic oceans during the Cretaceous period.

Interesting how scientific people name things.