Of course, this is a supreme being who was authorized by a greater power to represent law, order, equity and custom and was not only the wife of Zeus, but also his counselor. In pre-Hellenic times wiser women made the most important decisions. Perhaps a woman brings more balance into life, in every person. In ancient times, women had the best judgmental capacity and were the most important in taking decisions.
It is universally acknowledged that the earliest appearance of justice in ancient Greek civilization is as a Goddess, whose function is to judge humans by punishing or rewarding their conduct in relation to the Divine Principle. The oldest record of justice dating from ancient Greece is to be found in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, where Themis is mentioned for the first time, being depicted as the personification of the social and moral order of human affairs. Mention should also be made that Hesiod depicts Themis as a descendent of the Great Mother-Goddess, the divine creator and final judge of all reality.
The patriarchal conceptions that dominate the ancient civilization are subject to many objections. Themis' endurance over the patriarchal system -- very abstract, male-centered, emotionless -- resides in her judgment, based not so much on principles, but on concrete relations, on solving conflicts in a cooperative way, relating and unifying humans to each other, to the reality of nature, to the reality of the world. Thus, justice is designed to restore relationships.
Kernbach, Victor. Dictionary of General Mythology. Bucharest: Albatros, 1983.
2. Ferrari, Anna. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Mythology. Torino: Unione, 2000..
3. Parada, Carlos. "Greek Mythology Link" copyright © Carlos Parada & Maicar Frlag 1997. Retrieved: Nov. 12, 2006
http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/Themis.html
4. Giancola, Donna Marie. "Justice and the Face of the Great Mother (East and West)" http://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Comp/CompGian.htm
5."Themis." Retrieved: Nov. 12, 2006
http://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanisThemis.html#Assemblies
6. Author not available. "Blind Justice, Lady Justice, Scales of Justice or Themis Statues"
Copyright © 2006. Statue.com All Rights Reserved. Retrieved: Nov. 12, 2006
http://www.statue.com/lady-justice-statues.html
7.Bahls, Steve C. "Justice and Mercy" © Augustana College 1997-2005. Retrieved: Nov. 12, 2006
http://www.augustana.edu/president/10-21-2003.php
8. "Lady of Justice" Outlaws Legal Service Copyright 2000-2001. Retrieved: Nov. 12, 2006
http://www.outlawslegal.com/answers/ladyjustice.htm
9. "Gaia: The Earth Mother." Last updated: Feb 26, 2006. Retrieved: Nov. 12, 2006
http://www.paleothea.com/SortaSingles/Gaia.html
Web site: http://www.paleothea.com/, http://www.paleothea.com/SortaSingles/Gaia.html
