Theia (Greek goddess)

Symbol: Shimmering light; sight

Culture: Ancient Greece

Mother: Gaia

Father: Uranus

Siblings: Oceanus, Coeus, Cronus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, Tethys, Themis, Phoebe, Mnemosyne, Rhea

Children: Helios, Selene, Eos

Overview

Theia was the Greek goddess of sight and the shimmering light of the blue sky. Theia was one of the twelve Titans, powerful beings that ruled the universe before the birth of the Olympian gods. She was viewed as the divine personification of the aether, a pure substance the ancient Greeks believed made up the topmost reaches of the sky. Her connection to the shimmering sky also led to Theia being associated with objects that glisten, such as silver and gold. According to mythology, Theia married her brother, the fellow titan Hyperion, and gave birth to the sun, moon, and the dawn.

In Mythology

The name Theia itself means “divine” and was derived from the Greek words thea, meaning “sight,” and theiazô, or “prophesy.” Theia was also referenced by the name Euryphaessa, which means “wide-shining.” Theia was one of twelve children born to the oldest of the Greek deities: Uranus, god of the sky, and Gaia, mother goddess of the earth. These twelve children were called the Titans. The six male Titans were Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, and Cronus; the six female Titans, or Titanides, were Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Rhea, Theia, Themis and Tethys. Some mythological accounts have Theia as the eldest of the six female Titans.

According to myth, the male Titans rose up against their father, castrated him, and took control of the cosmos. Cronus then took his father’s place as supreme deity. Theia and the female Titans were said to have remained neutral in the uprising. Cronus and Rhea would later give birth to the Olympian gods—Zeus, Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Hestia, and Demeter—who would, in turn, overthrow their father, the other male Titans, and their allies. The defeated Titans were cast into Tartarus, a prison in the deepest regions of the underworld.

Theia was not often mentioned in Greek myths other than being the wife of Hyperion. Hyperion, the god of heavenly light, took part in the uprising against Uranus and was later imprisoned in Tartarus. As deities associated with light and the sky, Theia and Hyperion were the parents of three celestial children: Helios, the sun; Selene, the moon; and Eos, the dawn. Helios was said to drive his golden chariot across the sky during the day, while Selene drove the great chariot of the moon by night. Eos was said to awaken each morning to chase away the night with her golden rays and open the gates of heaven for her brother to ride forth.

The Greeks associated Theia with the shimmering light of a clear, blue sky. They believed this light came from the pure regions above the air breathed in by the mortals who inhabited the earth. The Greeks referred to this mysterious, divine substance as the aether. In some early myths, Theia was seen as the female personification of the aether and was known by the name, Aethra. This shimmering light was believed to imbue precious objects such as gold, silver, or gemstones, and was the reason they were able to glisten. Gold, in particular, was highly valued by the Greeks who thought its glittering aspects were a reflection of the divine light of Theia.

To the ancient Greeks, people received their sight because their eyes emitted beams of light like a lamp. This light fell upon the objects in a person’s field of view, allowing them to see. The Greeks connected this light with Theia, leading to her role as the goddess of sight. Theia’s association with sight, clear skies, and purity also led to her being considered a source of prophecy, a gift she was said to share with her sisters.

Origins & Cults

Most of the references to Theia in myth are found in the writings of Hesiod, a Greek poet and scholar who lived about 700 BCE. Her name is also mentioned in genealogy lists of the gods compiled by Apollodorus, a Greek historian from the second century BCE. Some scholars believe Theia may have been mentioned in the works of the poet Homer, best-known for writing the epics Iliad and Odyssey. In Homer’s works, Theia may be identified as another goddess named Ichnaea, the goddess of tracking.

Theia was not worshiped as part of traditional Greek cult practices, so archaeologists have found no temples dedicated to her. However, she may have been viewed as the oracle deity at a shrine in the city of Ichnae in the ancient region of Thessaly. This association was likely as her sister Titans all had oracular shrines dedicated to them, including the well-known oracle of Delphi, which was initially dedicated to the Titan Phoebe.

While Theia may not have had a prominent place in ancient mythology, modern astronomers have acknowledged her by naming a primordial planet in her honor. This planet, which was in the process of forming as part of the early solar system, is believed to have collided with the infant Earth about 4.5 billion years ago. Scientists believe Earth’s collision with Theia threw up a large amount of rock and planetary debris that eventually formed the Moon—in a way, fulfilling the mythological role as mother of the Moon. Theia is believed to have been only slightly smaller than Earth and would likely have developed into a planet on its own if it the collision did not occur. Theia did not survive its encounter with Earth, but scientists have identified rocks on both the Moon and Earth that likely originated as part of Theia.

Bibliography

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Bane, Theresa. “Theia.” Encyclopedia of Giants and Humanoids in Myth, Legend and Folklore. McFarland & Company, 2016, p. 147.

Parada, Carlos, and Maicar Förlag. “Titanomachy.” Greek Mythology Link, 1997, www.maicar.com/GML/Titanomachy.html. Accessed 8 June 2019.

“The Goddess Theia in Greek Mythology.” Greek Legends and Myths, www.greeklegendsandmyths.com/theia.html. Accessed 8 June 2019.

“Thea.” GreekMythology.com, 2019, www.greekmythology.com/Titans/Thea/thea.html. Accessed 8 June 2019.

“Theia (Thia, Thea, Euryphaessa).” Greek-gods.org, 2018, www.greek-gods.org/titans/theia.php. Accessed 8 June 2019.

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Wolpert, Stuart. “Moon Was Produced by a Head-On Collision Between Earth and a Forming Planet.” UCLA Newsroom, 28 Jan. 2016, newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/moon-was-produced-by-a-head-on-collision-between-earth-and-a-forming-planet. Accessed 8 June 2019.