Tethys

Tethys was the Titan goddess of the primal font of fresh water which nourishes the earth.

Residence: The Sea
Symbols: Winged brow
Parents: Uranus and Gaia
Siblings: Coeus, Crius, Cronus, Cyclops, Furies, Giants, Hecatoncheires, Hyperion, Iapetus, Oceanus, Meliae, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Rhea, Theia and Themis
Consort: Oceanus
Children: The Oceanids and the Potamoi

Tethys mosaic 83d40m Phillopolis mid4th century -p2fx.2.jpg
Mosaic of Tethys, from Philipopolis, Syria, 4th c. AD, Shahba Museum.

She was the wife of Oceanus, the earth-encircling, fresh-water stream, and the mother of the Potamoi (Rivers), the Oceanids (nymphs of springs, streams and fountains), and the Nephelai (Clouds). Tethys, daughter of Gaia, fed her children’s springs with the waters of Oceanus drawn through subterranean aquifers. Her name was derived from the Greek word têthê meaning “nurse” or “grandmother”.

Roman mosaic detail of Oceanus and Tethys, 1st-2nd c. AD, from Zeugma. Gaziantep Museum of Archaeology. (c) theoi.com
Roman mosaic detail of Tethys, from Antioch. Hatay Archaeology Museum. (c) theoi.com
Roman mosaic detail of Tethys, c. 2nd c. AD, from Antioch. Hatay Archaeology Museum. (c) theoi.com

Back to Sea Gods or Back to Titans