#it's hard to make hc's when the myths aren't solid

[godsofhumanity]

I require sustinance (themis headcanons)

i gotchu fam:

ok tbh Themis' lore is a bit sparse,, when she's in myth, it's usually just as a supporting character.

now, personally, i've always hc'd her to be headstrong and very loud.

she's the personification of justice and law, so i think she's very sure of herself and she always believes what she is doing is right.

i've said this a lot, but i'll say it again; i think that, growing up, she and Iapetus (remembering that Themis is a Titan) got along the worst... because Iapetus, to me, is a prankster with somewhat loose morals, and Themis is more rigid.

i love the idea of Themis becoming the victim of most of Iapetus and Kronos' tomfoolery because she gave the biggest reactions haha

as she grows up, i think Themis never loses any of her hot-headedness. i do think that in Kronos' court, she keeps a seat as a counsellor and gives her little brother a lot of advice-- no one's ever really been officially king before Kronos (Ouranos hardly counts), so it's a big role and i think it's important that there is someone to give Kronos advice.

of course, as time passes, Kronos becomes more paranoid and trusts in Themis all the less. i think this is because he knows, in his heart, that if Themis knew what he had done to his children, she'd have kicked him off his throne immediately.

and i do believe that the only reason why Kronos gets away with eating 6 children and none of the other titans stage a coup before that time is because Kronos was just so sneaky about it,, no one really had a reason to suspect anything was wrong.

now i think it's possible that after Zeus was born and it became clear that he would rescue everyone from Kronos' terror, that Themis would have been one of Zeus' teachers.

Hyginus suggests that Themis and Amalthea both nursed Zeus and she was like a foster-mother to him, but i personally like the idea that NONE of the other titans knew about Zeus before he defeated Kronos-- it was so imperative that Rhea keep his birth a secret,, she didn't know who she could trust. so, no, i don't think Themis raised Zeus in that sense.

i think she would taken the young Zeus under her wing and been sure to teach him what it is to be king and how to rule and the role of the law.

this is also where, Zeus, ever charming, i think manages to sway Themis romantically.

it's funny because, most of the Titans end up marrying their siblings, which makes sense myth-wise, but the only ones who don't are: Iapetus (who marries an Oceanid), Crius (who married Pontus' daughter Eurybia), Themis and Mnemosyne,, and the latter two don't really get "officially married" (i guess, or at least, no one today really considers them married), but they do end up being consorts of Zeus. which is hilarious to me. he had a thing for older women for sure.

also, given that Themis isn't one to love pranks and "smooth-talkers" like Iapetus, it's even more hilarious that she ends up falling for Zeus of all people, who to me, is definitely a prankster and smooth-talker.

i think this is a testament to Zeus' charisma, and also his good-naturedness. i know that's a strange word to put in the same sentence as "Zeus", but i do think, especially in his youth, he was very much a hero. a good guy, sweet and kind.

in a world where there has been so much of terror, first with Ouranos and then with Kronos, i think Themis recognises Zeus' goodwill and being an oracle herself, may have known that things would be better with Zeus.

timeline wise, i think Zeus and Themis get together after Metis (she is usually considered the 2nd wife),, and most likely, while she was a teacher to Zeus before he even got with Metis, i think she may have later acted in the role of a comforter to Zeus after he inadvertently kills her (by swallowing her) and that's how they became closer.

in the Iliad, it is written that Themis was the first to "offer her cup" to Hera after she fights with Zeus, and i think this is very sweet of Themis. i don't think Hera has any beef with Themis because her relationship with Zeus happened much before Hera's own, and Themis' children (the Horae) do not interfere with Hera and her children.

i hc that Hera has a lot of respect for Themis. she is an aunt to her, and is very dear.

i imagine that Oceanus and Themis remain close, so that may also be where Hera and Themis have spent a lot of time together (the lore says that Hera was raised in Oceanus' house).

in Olympus, it's said that Themis nursed Apollo when he was born, and later, she also advised Aphrodite on how to raise Eros (because apparently he was growing lol), so i like the idea that Themis is very motherly. i think she sorta just takes care of everyone on Olympus,, a bit like a Hestia-type character perhaps.