Tethys (mythology)

ToDo Information

• Look at Gantz index
• Incorporate cites to Fowler 2013, p. 11
• Get Onal, pp. 35-38 (cited by Eraslan, p. 456)?
  • Onal, p. 35
• Look at LIMC supplements?
• Look at:
  • p. 155 n. 51
  • Fontenrose pp. 225 ff.

• Copy more of Burkert: pp. 92, 93, 202 (with additional cites?)

Current text Information

New text Information

Iconography

[Examples of Tethys as Thalassa?]

Get? Cimok, Fatih, Antioch Mosaics ISBN 978-9757528494.

MFA Art of the Ancient World Library

See p. 143

Oceanus and Tethys (or Thetis, as Levi identified her) are amongst the most popular mythological subjects at Antioch

Genealogy

Notes

References

To Do Information

Sources Information

Ancient

Acusilaus

fr. 1 Fowler [= FGrHist 2 1 = Vorsokr. 9 B 21 = Macrobius, Saturnalia 5.18.9–10]

• Fowler 2000, p. 4

**1

Ὠκεανὸς δὲ γαμεῖ Τηθὺν ἑαυτοῦ ἀδελφήν· τῶν δὲ γίνονται τρισχίλιοι ποταμοί· Ἀχελῶιος δὲ αὐτῶν πρεσβύτατος καὶ τετίμηται μάλιστα.

Macrob. Sat. 5.18.9 (322.3 Willis). Didymus enim (p. 85 Schmidt), grammaticorum omnium facile eruditissimus, posita causa quam superius Ephorus (FGrHist 70 F 20) dixit, alteram quoque adiecit his verbis: ἄμεινον δὲ ἐκεῖνο λέγειν ὅτι διὰ τὸ πάντων τῶν ποταμῶν πρεσβύτατον εἶναι Ἀχελῷον τιμὴν ἀπονέμοντας αὐτῷ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πάντα ἁπλῶς τὰ νάματα τῷ ἐκείνου ὀνόματι προσαγορεύειν. ὁ γοῦν Ἀκουσίλαος διὰ τῆς πρώτης ἱστορίας δεδήλωκεν ὅτι Ἀχελῷος πάντων τῶν ποταμῶν πρεσβύτατος. ἔφη γάρ: "Ὠκεανὸς—μάλιστα."

• Macrobius, Saturnalia 5.18.9–10

9. ... Didymus enim grammaticorum omnium facile eruditissimus, posita causa quam superius Ephorus dixit, alteram quoque adiecit his verbis:

10. ἄμεινον δὲ ἐκεῖνο λέγειν ὅτι διὰ τὸ πάντων τῶν ποταμῶν πρεσβύτατον εἶναι Ἀχελῷον τιμὴν ἀπονέμοντας αὐτῷ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πάντα ἁπλῶς τὰ νάματα τῷ ἐκείνου ὀνόματι προσαγορεύειν. ὁ γοῦν Ἀγησίλαος²³⁴ διὰ τῆς πρώτης ἱστορίας δεδήλωκεν ὅτι Ἀχελῷος πάντων τῶν ποταμῶν πρεσβύτατος. ἔφη γαρ· Ὠκεανὸς δὲ γαμεῖ Τηθὺν ἑαυτοῦ ἀδελφήν, τῶν δὲ γίνονται τρισχίλιοι ποταμοί, Ἀχελῷος δὲ αὐτῶν πρεσβύτατος καὶ τετίμηται μάλιστα.

²³⁴ Ἀγησίλαος] Ἀκουσίλαος ed. Lugd. Bat. 1670

9. ... For Didymus—easily the most learned of all grammarians—cited the explanation given by Ephorus above and added a second, as follows (Tragic Diction fr. 2):

10. "Better to say that humankind honors Akheloös for being the oldest of all rivers by addressing simply all rivers with his name; Agêsilaos,74 at any rate, in Book 1 of his History, makes it plain that the Akheloös is the oldest river, saying, “Ôkean wed his own sister, Têthys, and from them were born 3,000 rivers, with Akheloös oldest among them and much the most honored."

• Andolfi, Book 1 fr. *1, pp. 34–38

Book 1

fr. *1

Ὠκεανὸς δὲ γαμεῖ Τηθὺν ἑαυτοῦ ἀδελφήν· τῶν δὲ γίνονται τρισχίλιοι ποταμοί ·

Ἀχελῶιος δὲ αὐτῶν πρεσβύτατος καὶ τετίμηται μάλιστα.

Macr. Sat. 5.18.9 (322.3 Willis). Didymus enim (p. 85 Schmidt), grammaticorum omnium facile eruditissimus, posita causa quam superius Ephorus (FGrHist 70 F 20a) adiecit his verbis: ἄμεινον δὲ ἐκεῖνο ... ἔφη γάρ^. «Ὠκεανὸς—μάλιστα».

• Freeman, p. 16

21 (Achelôo is the oldest of rivers): Ocean marries Tethys his own sister; from them spring three thousand rivers, but Achelôos is the oldest and most honoured.

• Fowler 2013, p. 12

Akousilaos fr. 1 reports the marriage of Okeanos to his own sister Tethys; unfortunately nothing indicates to which generation the couple might have belonged. As he follows Hesiod (Th. 367) in giving 3,000 as the number of rivers, it is probable that he follows him also for the genealogy.

Hesiod

Theogony

132–138

But afterwards she [Gaia] lay with Heaven and bore deep-swirling Oceanus, Coeus and Crius and Hyperion and Iapetus, [135] Theia and Rhea, Themis and Mnemosyne and gold-crowned Phoebe and lovely Tethys. After them was born Cronos the wily, youngest and most terrible of her children, and he hated his lusty sire.

337–370

And Tethys bore to Ocean eddying rivers, Nilus, and Alpheus, and deep-swirling Eridanus, Strymon, and Meander, and the fair stream of Ister, [340] and Phasis, and Rhesus, and the silver eddies of Achelous, Nessus, and Rhodius, Haliacmon, and Heptaporus, Granicus, and Aesepus, and holy Simois, and Peneus, and Hermus, and Caicus' fair stream, and great Sangarius, Ladon, Parthenius, [345] Euenus, Ardescus, and divine Scamander. Also she brought forth a holy company of daughters¹ who with the lord Apollo and the Rivers have youths in their keeping—to this charge Zeus appointed them—Peitho, and Admete, and Ianthe, and Electra, [350] and Doris, and Prymno, and Urania divine in form, Hippo, Clymene, Rhodea, and Callirrhoe, Zeuxo and Clytie, and Idyia, and Pasithoe, Plexaura, and Galaxaura, and lovely Dione, Melobosis and Thoe and handsome Polydora, [355] Cerceis lovely of form, and soft eyed Pluto, Perseis, Ianeira, Acaste, Xanthe, Petraea the fair, Menestho, and Europa, Metis, and Eurynome, and Telesto saffron-clad, Chryseis and Asia and charming Calypso, [360] Eudora, and Tyche, Amphirho, and Ocyrrhoe, and Styx who is the chiefest of them all. These are the eldest daughters that sprang from Ocean and Tethys; but there are many besides. For there are three thousand neat-ankled daughters of Ocean who are dispersed far and wide, [365] and in every place alike serve the earth and the deep waters, children who are glorious among goddesses. And as many other rivers are there, babbling as they flow, sons of Ocean, whom queenly Tethys bare, but their names it is hard for a mortal man to tell, [370] but people know those by which they severally dwell.

Homer

Iliad

14.197–210

Then with crafty thought spake to her [Aphrodite] queenly Hera: “Give me now love and desire, wherewith thou art wont to subdue all immortals and mortal men. [200] For I am faring to visit the limits of the all-nurturing earth, and Oceanus, from whom the gods are sprung, and mother Tethys, even them that lovingly nursed and cherished me in their halls, when they had taken me from Rhea, what time Zeus, whose voice is borne afar, thrust Cronos down to dwell beneath earth and the unresting sea. [205] Them am I faring to visit, and will loose for them their endless strife, since now for a long time's space they hold aloof one from the other from the marriage-bed and from love, for that wrath hath come upon their hearts. If by words I might but persuade the hearts of these twain, and bring them back to be joined together in love, [210] ever should I be called dear by them and worthy of reverence.”

14.242–246

Then sweet Sleep [Hypnos] made answer to her, saying: “Hera, queenly goddess, daughter of great Cronos, another of the gods, that are for ever, might I lightly lull to sleep, aye, were it even the streams of the river [245] Oceanus, from whom they all are sprung; but to Zeus, son of Cronos, will I not draw nigh, neither lull him to slumber, unless of himself he bid me.

14.300–311

Then with crafty mind the queenly Hera spake unto him [Zeus]: I am faring to visit the limits of the all-nurturing earth, and Oceanus, from whom the gods are sprung, and mother Tethys, even them that lovingly nursed me and cherished me in their halls. Them am I faring to visit, and will loose for them their endless strife, [305] since now for long time's apace they hold aloof one from the other from the marriage-bed and from love, for that wrath hath fallen upon their hearts. And my horses stand at the foot of many-fountained Ida, my horses that shall bear me both over the solid land and the waters of the sea. But now it is because of thee that I am come hither down from Olympus, [310] lest haply thou mightest wax wroth with me hereafter, if without a word I depart to the house of deep-flowing Oceanus.”

21.195–197

nor the great might of deep-flowing Ocean, from whom all rivers flow and every sea, and all the springs and deep wells;

Aeschylus

Prometheus Bound

137–138 (Sommerstein, pp. 458, 459)

[To the Chorus of Oceanids] Offspring of prolific Tethys,

children of father Oceanus,

who rolls round the whole earth

Seven Against Thebes

310–311 (Sommerstein, pp. 184, 185)

of all the streams sent forth by Poseidon the Earth-Encircler [Oceanus] and by the children of Tethys?

Plato

Cratylus

402b [= Orphic fr. 15 Kern]

Socrates

Well, don't you think he who gave to the ancestors of the other gods the names “Rhea” and “Cronus” had the same thought as Heracleitus? Do you think he gave both of them the names of streams merely by chance? Just so Homer, too, says—“Ocean the origin of the gods, and their mother Tethys;”[Hom. Il. 14.201, 302] and I believe Hesiod says that also. Orpheus, too, says:

Fair-flowing Ocean was the first to marry,

and he wedded his sister Tethys, daughter of his mother.

Timaeus

40d

Concerning the other divinities, to discover and declare their origin is too great a task for us, and we must trust to those who have declared it aforetime, they being, as they affirmed, descendants of gods and knowing well, no doubt, their own forefathers.²

² This is, obviously, ironical; Cf. Cratyl. 402 B,Phileb. 66 C.

40e

It is, as I say, impossible to disbelieve the children of gods, even though their statements lack either probable or necessary demonstration; and inasmuch as they profess to speak of family matters, we must follow custom and believe them. Therefore let the generation of these gods be stated by us, following their account, in this wise: Of Ge and Uranus were born the children Oceanus and Tethys; and of these, Phorkys, Cronos, Rhea, and all that go with them;

Callimachus

Hymn

3.40–45 (Mair, pp. 62, 63)

And the maiden [Artemis] fared unto the white moutain of Crete leafy with woods; thence unto Oceanus; and she chose many Nymphs all nine years old, all maidens yet ungirdled. And the River Caeratus was glad exceedingly, and glad was Tethys that they were sending their daughters to be handmaidens to the daughter of Leto.

Lycophron

Alexandra

1069 ( Mair, pp. 582, 583)

Ἱππωνίου πρηῶνος εἰς Τηθὺν κέρας

Hipponian^l hill inclines to the sea of Lampeta.^m

Apollonius of Rhodes

Argonautica

242–244 (Seaton, pp. 210, 211)

Asterodeia, bare before he made Eidyia his wedded wife, the youngest daughter of Tethys and Oceanus.

Ovid

Fasti

2.191–192 ( pp. 70, 71)

Still Saturn's daughter [Hera] frets and begs grey Tethys never to touch and wash with her waters the Bear of Maenalus.

Metamorphoses

2.68

Then, also, Tethys, who receives

me in her subject waves,

2.508–530

Juno on high beheld

Calisto crowned with glory—great with rage

her bosom heaved. She flew across the sea,

to hoary Tethys and to old Oceanus,

whom all the Gods revere, and thus to them

in answer to their words she made address;

“And is it wondered that the Queen of Gods

comes hither from ethereal abodes?

My rival sits upon the Throne of Heaven:

yea, when the wing of Night has darkened

let my fair word be deemed of no repute,

if you behold not in the height of Heaven

those new made stars, now honoured to my shame,

conspicuous; fixed in the highest dome of space

that circles the utmost axis of the world.

“Who, then, should hesitate to put affront

on Juno? matchless goddess! each offense

redounds in benefit! Who dreads her rage?

Oh boundless powers! Oh unimagined deeds!

My enemy assumes a goddess' form

when my decree deprives her human shape;—

and thus the guilty rue their chastisement!

“Now let high Jove to human shape transform

this hideous beast, as once before he changed

his Io from a heifer.—Let him now

divorce his Juno and consort with her,

and lead Calisto to his couch, and take

that wolf, Lycaon, for a father-in-law!

“Oh, if an injury to me, your child,

may move your pity! drive the Seven Stars

from waters crystalline and azure-tint,

and your domain debar from those that shine

in Heaven, rewarded for Jove's wickedness.—

bathe not a concubine in waters pure.”

11.784–795

“Tethys was moved with pity for his fall,

received him softly, and then covered him

with feathers, as he swam among the waves.

The death he sought for was not granted him.

At this the lover was wroth. Against his will,

he was obliged to live in his distress,

with opposition to his spirit that desired

departure from the wretched pain of life.

“As he assumed upon his shoulders wings

newformed, he flew aloft and from that height

again he plunged his body in the waves

his feathers broke all danger of that fall—

and this new bird, Aesacus, plunged headlong

into the deep, and tried incessantly

that method of destruction. His great love

unsatisfied, made his sad body lean,

Till even the spaces fixed between the joints

Of his legs have grown long; his neck is long;

so that his head is far away from his

lean body. Still he hunts the sea

and takes his name from diving in the waves.

Apollodorus

1.1.3

And again he [Uranus] begat children by Earth, to wit, the Titans as they are named: Ocean, Coeus, Hyperion, Crius, Iapetus, and, youngest of all, Cronus; also daughters, the Titanides as they are called: Tethys, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Dione, Thia.

1.2.2

Now to the Titans were born offspring: to Ocean and Tethys were born Oceanids, to wit, Asia, Styx, Electra, Doris, Eurynome, Amphitrite, and Metis;¹

¹ Compare Hes. Th. 346-366, who mentions all the Oceanids named by Apollodorus except Amphitrite, who was a Nereid. See Apollod. 1.2.7; Hes. Th. 243.

Diodorus Siculus

4.69.1

69 1 We shall now discuss in turn the Lapiths and [p39] Centaurs. To Oceanus and Tethys, so the myths relate, were born a number of sons who gave their names to rivers, and among them was Peneius, from whom the river Peneius in Thessaly later got its name.

4.72.1

72 1 We shall now recount the story of the daughters of Asopus and of the sons who were born to Aeacus. According to the myths there were born to Oceanus and Tethys a number of children who gave their names to rivers, and among their number were Peneius and Asopus.

5.66.1–3

1 The myth the Cretans relate runs like this: When the Curetes were young men, the Titans, as they are called, were still living. These Titans had their dwelling in the land about Cnosus, at the place where even to this day men point out foundations of a house of Rhea and a cypress grove, which has been consecrated to her from ancient times. 2 The Titans numbered six men and five women, being born, as certain writers of myths relate, of Uranus and Gê, but according to others, of one of the Curetes and Titaea, from whom as their mother they derive the name they have. 3 The males were Cronus, Hyperion, Coeus, Iapetus, Crius, and Oceanus, and their sisters were Rhea, Themis, Mnemosynê, Phoebê, and Tethys. Each one of them was the discoverer of things of benefit to mankind, and because of the benefaction they conferred upon all men they were accorded honours and everlasting fame.

Hyginus

Fabulae

Preface (Smith and Trzaskoma, p. 95)

[6] From Ocean and Tethys came the Oceanids: Hestyaea Melite, Ianthe, Admete, Stilbo, Pasiphae, Polyxo, Eurynome, Euagoreis, Rhodope, Lyris, Clytia, <unintelligible>, Clitemneste, Mentis, Menippe, Argia. From the same seed came also the Rivers: Strymon, Nilus, Euphrates, Tanais, Indus, Cephisus, Ismenus, Axius, * Achelous, Simois, Inachus, Alpheus, Thermodon, Scamandrus, Tigris, Maeandrer, and Orontes.

177 Callisto (Smith and Trzaskoma, p. 156)

They say that Lycaon's daughter ...

See Courtney, p. 457; Cameron, p. 22, p. 39

Astronomica

2.1 [Grant (Theoi)]

This constellation, as many have stated, does not set, and those who desire some reason for this fact say that Tethys, wife of Ocean, refuses to receive her when the other stars come there to their setting, because Tethys was the nurse of Juno, in whose bed Callisto was a concubine.

Modern

Burkert

p. 91 (viewable from my laptop)

Hera, in her deception speech, says she wants to go to Oceanus, "origin of gods," and Tethys the "mother"; Oceanus is also called "the origin of all" in another verse. Oceanus and Tethys, the primeval couple, have withheld their conjugal rights from each other for a long time, separated (cont.)

p. 92

as a result of strife, neikea.¹¹ The genesis of the gods has come to an end. It is true that in the Iliadic narrative all this is made up by Hera, a patent lie, as it were; but the motifs used radiate beyond those speeches.

Aristotle, following Plato, found in the Oceanus cosmogony of Homer the very beginning of natural philosophy, the inspiration of Thales, usually considered the first philosopher. .... But Tethys is in no way an active figure in Greek mythology. In contrast to the sea goddess Thetis (with whom she was sometimes confused even in antiquity), she has no established cults, and no one had anything further to tell about her. She apparently exists only by virtue of the Homeric passage; how she came to achieve the honored position of the mother of all remains a mystery. But now the "rhyming of names" finally comes into play. Ti-amat is the form normally written in the text of Enuma Elish for the mother [cont.]

p. 93

"who bore all." The Akkadian word which lies behind this, however is just tiamtu or tâmtu, the normal word for the sea. The name can also be written in this more phonetic orthography; but in Enuma Elish we also find the form taw(a)tu.¹³ If one proceeds from Tawtu, then Tethys is an exact transcription. The different ...

p. 202

[Oceanus and Tethys] are represented on the Dino's of Sophilos (about 570 B.C.), BM 1971.11-1.1; cf. A. Birchall, Brit. Mus. Quart. 36 (1971/72) pl. 37; G. Bakir, Sophilos (1981) 64 fig. 3; D. Williams in Greek vases in the J. Paul Getty Museum I (1983) 9-34; Tethys is spelt ΘΕΘΥΣ by Sophilos.

Cahn

p. 1199

Other similar busts on late Roman mosaics can just as well represent Tethys as Thalassa.

Weitere ähnliche Büsten auf spätrömische Mosaiken können ebensogut Tethys wie Thalassa darstellen.

Uncertainty in the interpretation of many female marine deities on sarcophagi and mosaics Roman times: You were maybe contaminated even then with Tethys (and even Thetis). In a secured floor you stand again until the designated by inscriptions mosaics late Roman and early Byzantine period (11 12 14)

Unsicherheit besteht in der Deutung vieler weiblicher Meergottheiten auf Sarkophagen und Mosaiken römischer Zeit: Sie wurden vielleicht schon damals mit Tethys (und sogar Thetis) kontaminiert. Auf gesichertem Boden steht man erst wieder mit den durch Inschriften bezeichneten Mosaiken spätrömischer und frühbyzantinischer Zeit (11. 12. 14)]

Campbell

1988 The Mosaics of Antioch

p. 49

a bust of Tethys ... An inscription ΤΗ/ΘΥΣ is placed to the left, just under the rudder which leans against her right shoulder. There are large wings in her long dark hair, which falls over her shoulders.

p. 61

The panel itself shows Okeanos and Thetis reclining against against a blue/grey sea and surrounded by an enormous variety of fish.

1998 The Mosaics of Anemurium

p. 20

TETHYS/THETIS

The identification of this female figure [at Anemurium] is uncertain. That she is associated with the sea is made clear by the surrounding her. A female figure in a marine scene could be Tethys, Themis, Thetis, Thalassa, a nereid or even Aphrodite. Any of the firts three, and particularly Thetis, usually have some type of attribute such as an oar, a rudder, a sea-serpent/monster, or crab claws or wings in the hair. ... On the basis of attributes, a number of other mosaic panels in southern Turkey have been identified as Thetis, namely at Antioch, in the Yakto complex (Pl. 87), the House of the Boat of Psyches, Room 1³¹ and Room 6 (Pl. 88), House of Menander, Room 17 (PL. 89), Bath F, Pool of Thetis³² and the pavement at Anawarza (Pl. 90).³³

The Anemurium figure has none of the attributes of these other figures, but resembles them in being a bust rising from the sea and surrounded by fish. Perhaps she would be more accurately described simply as a personification of the sea. Certainly this would be in keeping with the theory of S. M. Waages [sic] that in the late third century to late fifth centuries, the iconography of Tethys and Thalassa gradually merge.

p. 22

31. AMP pl. XXXV

32. Campbell, Antioch pl. 142.

33. For a full list of the mosaic examples of Thetis/Tethys know thus far, see S.M. Waages, [sic] "A Note on the Dumbarton Oaks Tethys Mosaic," DOP 40 (1986) 127-128.

Fowler

p. 7

In Epimenides (fr. 6ab), Night and Aer are the first entities.

p. 8

Epimenides next said that Night and Aer produced Tartaros; from him (by an unamed mother—it would be Night—or by no mother at all)¹⁹ came (uniquely) only two Titans, and from them the world-egg. Who are the Titans? ... Okeanos and Tethys are another possibility (cf. Plato Tim. 40e).²⁰ The evidence for these gods as fountainheads of a rival theogony begins with Homer Il. 14.201 ...

p. 11

As mentioned above, however an intriguing line in the Iliad (14.201=302) suggests an alternative theogony, according to which Okeanos and Tethys were the original parents; and again at 14.246, where Hypnos refers to Okeanos ... Hera [Hera's] remarks also imply that the could took no part in the Titanomachy; certainly Okeanos could never be sent t Tartaros, and at Hesiod Th. 389–98, he advises his daughter Styx too assist Zeus.

The notion of the primeval waters comes ... Tehthys' name could even be derived from Tiamat.³³ ... Plato quotes an Orphic couplet (fr. 15) in which Okeanos and Tethys were the "first to marry', a notion which must also reflect their status as alternatives to Ouranos and Ge.

p. 12

Akousilaos' fr. 1 reports the marriage of Okeanos to his own sister Tethys; unfortunately nothing indicates to what generation the couple might have belonged. As he follows Hesiod (Th. 367) in giving 3,000 as the number of rivers, it is probable that he follows him also for the genealogy.

Gantz

p. 11

Homer, as we have seen, relates none of this; indeed, in Iliad 14, Okeanos and Tethys seem elevated to the status accorded Ouranos and Gaia in Hesiod (Il. 14.200-210, 245-46), while Aphrodite ... The first of these points is especially difficult to assess: Hera tells Zeus as part of her Trugrede that she is on her way to the ends of the earth to visit "Okeanos the genesis of gods and mother Tethys, they who raised me well in their home, receiving me from Rheia when Zeus cast Kronos down beneath the earth and the barren sea." Mother Tethys here need be no more than a stepmother to Hera herself, and the phrase "genesis of gods" might be simply a formulaic epithet indicating the numberless rivers and springs descended from Okeanos; so for example, at Iliad 21.195-97 he is that from which all rivers and springs and the whole sea derive. But in Hera's subsequent interview with Hypnos, the latter describes the great river as the "genesis for all," leaving us to wonder whether Homer could have supposed Okeanos and Tethys the parents of the Titans (Kronos' father is never specified), for how else can they fit this description? ...

From a later time we have Plato’s Timaios, where the genealogy offered looks very much like an attempt to bridge a presumed Homer/Hesiod divergence in Iliad 14: Ouranos and Gaia here beget Okeanos and Tethys who in turn beget Kronios, Rheia, and the others, plus Phorkys (Tim 40d-e). Just possibly, of course, it is instead an early tradition, and the basis for Homer’s [cont.]

p. 12

description of Okeanos.

p. 28

Hera’s deception speech in ‘’Iliad’’ 14 involves the story that Okeanos and his consort Tethys are quarreling and refrain from love, a detail that may or may not be part of the deception (‘’Il’’ 14.205-7). … For Tethys, there are no myths at all, save for Hera’s comment in the ‘’Iliad’’ that she was given by Rhea to Tethys to raise when Zeus was deposing Kronos (‘’Il’’ 14.201-4). Artistic representations appear in the illustrations of the wedding of Peleus and Thetis on the Francois Krater (Florence 4209) and Erskine Dinos (London 1971.11-1.1), where Okeanos and Tethys form part of the procession as invited guests; in both cases, Okeanos is presented as …

The children of Okeanos and Tethys are …

p. 30?

p. 34?

p. 57?

p. 726?

p. 743

By contrast, for the second branch of tradition, that called the Eudemian, we know for certain only that Nyx had absolute primacy, appearing first of all (fr. 28 Kern). West proceeds on the assumption that Plato's Timaios order of succession, in which Okeanos occupies an intermediate genealogy between Ouranos and Kronos (Tim 40e), come from this poem, and that we only need to Nyx at the head of it. Phorkys' mention as a brother of Kronos there may mean that he and Dione (a thiteenth Titan in Apollodorus) assume the place of Okeanos and Tethys to make up the canonical twelve Titans, in which case Dione is probably Aphrodite's mother as in the Iliad; the castration of Ouranos is omitted.

Hard

p. 36

According to a passage in the Iliad, indeed, he [Oceanus] and his consort Tethys were none other than the first couple [cont.]

p. 37

from whom all the gods had sprung (an idea that was apparently derived from a Babylonian myth in which Apsu and Tiamat, representing the sweet and salt waters respectively, were portrayed as the first couple). Even if they could not be regarded as the first gods of all in the succession myth, Hesiod accords them only a slightly lower status by including them among the Titans, as would be fitting for venerable deities whose union could account for the origin of all the lesser streams of the world.

p. 40

The goddess TETHYS was traditionally regarded as his wife; indeed in one tradition, as we have just seen, the pair were regarded as the first couple and the ancestors of the other gods. ... The Iliad reports that Rhea entrusted her daughter Hera to Okeanos and Tethys to be reared in their palace in the Ocean while Zeus was confronting Kronos and the Titans; ... Tethys came to be identified with the sea in Hellenistic and later times; an astral myth suggests that she refuses to allow the Great Bear to set in the sea out of consideration for the feelings of her formwer foster-child Hera (for this polar constellation, which never sets below the horizon, was supposed to represent a former misress of Zeus, Kallisto, who had been transformed into a bear, see p. 541).

Jentel

p. 1194

2. ... Okeanos front, lower body T. (?) draped.

2. ... Devant Okéanos, bas du corps de T. (?) drapée.

3.* ... From Alexandretta ... T., seated facing l., nude torso, draped legs, two large wings in her long hair. A ketos watching, wrapped around her arm. Rudder on left shoulder. Surrounding, fish and Erotes.

3.* ... D'Alexandrette. ...T., assise vers la g., torse nu, jambes drapées, deux larges ailettes dans sa longue chevelure. Kétos la regardant, enroulé autour de son bras dr. Gouvernail sur l'épaule g. Autour, poissons et Erotes.

5.* ... In Antioch, the House of the Calendar, triclinium. ... T to l. (Long hair with wings, nude to the waist, draped legs), R. arm tense with remains of a ketos, if retoune to Okeanos sitting r. Around them, fish and shellfish.

5.* ... D'antioch, Maison du Calendrier, triclinium. ... T. vers la g. (longue chevelure avec ailettes, torse nu, jambes drapées), le bras dr. tendu avec restes du kétos, se retoune vers Okéanos assis à dr. Autour d'eux, poissons et crustacés.

7.* Octagonal bottom of a pool. ... T. surrounded by fish, looking to the l., rising out of the sea. Bare shoulders, long dark hair topped with two gray wings. Against her r. shoulder, a golden rudder.

7.* Fond d'un bassin octagonal. ... T. entourée de poissons, regardant vers la g., surgit de la mer. Epaules nues, longue chevelure sombre surmontée de deux ailettes grises. Contre son épaule dr., un gouvernail doré.]

10. ... T. looks to the left. Long flowing hair interspersed with fish, a starfish between two wings. A ketos wraps around her neck and rises up on her right, looking; the rudder is at right. Around, Erotes in boats.

10. ... T. regarde vers la g. Longs cheveux épars entremelés de poissons, une étoile de mer entre le deux ailettes. Le kétos s'enroule autour de son cou et surgit à sa dr. en la regardant; le gouvernail est à dr. Autour, Erotes dans bateaux.

11. ... T. looks to the left. Wet hair with two yellow wings. Around the shoulders, greenish ketos to the left. Around, fish: below, Eros on a dolphin, fishing.

11. ... T. regarde vers la g. Chevelure humide avex deux ailettes jaunnes. Autour de se épaules, kétos verdâtre vers la g. qui la regarde. Autour, poissons; au-dessous, Eros sur un dauphin, pêchant.

p. 1195

15.* ... Daphne-Harbié house of Menander. ... On the left, in the background, T is looking at the bust of Okeanos in the foreground. Hair purple, brown and green wings, earrings.

15.* ... De Daphné-Harbié, maison de Ménandre. ... A g., au second plan, T. regardant Okéanos en buste au premier plan. Chevelure violacée, ailettes brunes et vertes, boucles d'oreilles.

16. ... The Baths of Alexandretta. On the left, T. looking toward Oceanus. Long dark hair with wings and earrings

16. ... Des thermes d'Alexandrette. A g. T. regardant vers Okéanos. Longue chevelure sombre avec aillettes et boucles d'oreilles.

The only representation of T. in the archaic period (1) carries no attribute: we see only her head and feet. The inscription does not correspond to the usual spelling. In the Hellenistic period, it can be assumed that the bottom of a woman draped (2) in front of Okeanos on the altar of Pergamon, is the remains of a figure of T.

La seule representation de T. à l'époque archaique (1) ne porte aucun attribut: on ne voit que sa tete et ses pieds. L'inscription ne correspond pas a la graphie habituelle. A l'époque hellénistique, on peut supposer que le bas d'une femme drapée (2) devant Okéanos, sur l'autel de Pergame, est le reste d'une figure de T.

17. ... Daphne-Harbié, House of the Boat of Psyches, triclinium. ... T., long straight hair with green wings, ketos around the neck, looking at Okeanos on the right.

17. ... De Daphné-Harbié, maison du Bateau des Psychés, triclinium. ... T., longue chevelure raide avec ailettes vertes, kétos autour du cou, regarde Okéanos à dr.

The only representation in the Roman era identified by inscription is a mosaic decorating the bottom of a pool (7), showing the bust of the goddess with long hair topped with two large wings. We can identify as T. personnages (3-6) and busts (7-17) representing a female deity with the forehead adorned with wings in a marine context displaying fish and shellfish (3-5. 10. 11. 14) or sea monsters (9) or Oceanus (5-6. 15-17). Her usual attributes are the ketos, wrapped around her arm (3-6. 8-11. 17) and rudder (3. 7-10). She is found, so far, as representations on mosaics of the third and fourth centures AD from the area of Antioch. However, there are many other representations of a sea goddess, also forming a couple with Okeanos, and bearing like him, crab claws on her head. This deity is identified on a mosaic of a thermal building of Garni (-> Oceanus 53 * = Thalassa 12) with the inscription ΘΑΛΑΣΑ. One might conclude that the many representations of the "goddess with crab claws" on sarcophagi, sculptures, mosaics, are those of -> Thalassa, another female personification of the sea, but one wonders if the ancient artists would have made a distinction between the two goddesses. From ancient times and even today, some authors have confused T. with the Nereid -> Thetis.

La seule représentations d'époque romain identifiée par une inscription est une mosaique décorant le fond d'un bassin (7), montrant le buste de la déesse avec une longue chevelure surmontée de deux grandes ailettes. On peut donc identifier comme T. les personnages (3-6) et les bustes (7-17) représentant une divinité féminine au front orné d'ailettes, dans un contexte marin où figurent poissons et crustacés (3-5. 10. 11. 14) ou des monstres marins (9) ou encore Okéanos (5-6. 15-17). Ses attributs habituels sont le kétos, enroulé autour de son bras (3-6. 8-11. 17) et le gouvernail (3. 7-10). On n'en a trouvé, jusqu'ici, de représentations que sur les mosaïques du III^c et du IV^c s. ap. J.-C. provenant de la region d'Antioche. Cependant, on connaît par ailleurs de nombreuses représentations d'une déesse marine, formant elle aussi couple avec Okéanos, et portant comme lui, sur la téte, des pinces de crabe. Cette divinité est identifiée, sur une mosaïque d'un édifice thermal de Garni (->Oceanus 53*, = Thalassa 12) par l'inscription ΘΑΛΑΣΑ. On pourrait en conclure que les nombreuses représentations de la «déesse aux pinces de crabe», sur des sarcophages, des sculptures, des mosaïques, sont celles de ->Thalassa, autre personnification fémine de la mer, mais on peut se demander si les artistes antique ont bien fait la différence entre les deux déesses. Dès l'Antiquité et encore actuellement, certains auteurs ont confondu T. avec la Néréeid ->Thetis.

Wages

p. 120

The earliest sea goddess mosaic is the one excavated from the House of the Calendar in Antioch, dated by archeological evidence to a period shortly after the earthquake of A.D. 115 (Fig. 2).⁹ The style belongs to the tradition of Greco-Roman naturalistic classicism.¹⁰ It depicts a semi-nude god and goddess reclining on opposite sides of a blue-green sea filled with fish who dart about at random, casting shadows below them, sometimes overlapping each other. The fish are portrayed with such realism that they have been identified by species.¹¹

p. 123

The iconographic development of the winged sea goddess group of mosaics can be divided into three phases. I propose that in the first phase the winged sea goddess represented Tethys primarily in her mythological role as consort of Okeanos, joint ruler of the waters of the earth. To this phase belong the second-century pavement from the House of the Calendar (Fig. 2) and its derivatives.²⁴ In the House of the Calendar mosaic the reclining god can be identified as Okeanos, for he has the wild, white hair and beard, as well as the crown of crustacean's claws, which are the standard attributes of this diety. In addition, he holds a rudder, the implement used to govern the waters. From the goddesses' forehead sprout wings, like those of Tethys in the Dumbarton Oaks pavement. Although the head has been destroyed, the serpent- [cont.]

²⁴ These include both the mosaics from the House of the Boat of Psyches as well as those from Myriandos and the House of Menander.

p. 124

tine body of some sea monster is preserved, entwined around the goddess' raised arm. I suggest that the goddess in this mosaic is Tethys because, like the goddess in the later Dumbarton Oaks mosaic, she is represented in a marine environment and has wings. The scene in the the House of the Calendar would then represent the rulers and progenitors of the waters in their domain. Support for this conclusion is provided by the later mosaic from the triclinium of the House of the Boat of Psyches dated to the third quarter of the third century. There the two dieties appear in a panel adjacent to the scene of the Rape of Europa, who was one of the daughters of Okeanos and Tethys.

It should be noted that in the mosaic of the triclinium of the House of the Boat of Psyches the head of the serpentine monster has been preserved. The combination of the dragon head and snake body identify the creature as a ketos, a sea monster of Greek myth. Since he appears in most of the winged sea goddess mosaics, although not in the Dumbarton Oaks panel, it may safely be assumed that he is a secondary attribute of the goddess.

p. 125

The last mosaic which should be considered in the second phase of the iconographic development of the sea goddess mosaics is the one from Alexandretta, now listed as number four in the Antioch Museum. In this pavement Tethys appears as a full-lenght figure reclining on a rock. All of her attributes are present: the wings, the rudder, and the ketos.

West 1966

p. 204

136. Τῃθύν: Oceanus' traditional consort, at a later period identified with the sea (first in Lyc. 1069). Her original significance must be sought behind the myth alluded to in Il. 14.200-7, according to which she was the mother of the gods, long estranged from her husband. One would guess the reference to be a 'separation of the waters', sc. the upper and lower waters, a separation corresponding to that of heaven and earth. Oceanus and Tethys would in this case correspomd to Apsū and Tiamat in the Babylonian cosmology, the male and female waters which were originally united (En. El. I. 1 ff.). But by Hesiod's time the myth may have been almost forgotten, and Tethys remembered only as the name of Oceanus' wife.

West 1983

p. 117

Plato in his Timaeus (40e) ... He must mean Orpheus or ... On the other hand Plato does quote twice elewhere from an Orphic theogony (see below). The likelyhood is that the Timaeus genealogy is derived from the same poem. ...

The Timaeus genealogy runs:

From Ge and Uranus ...

p. 118

In Cratylus 402b (= fr. 15 K.) ...

p. 119

The primeval parents

In Homer too, Oceanus and Tewthys stay well out of the Titanomachy: Hera is evacuated to them (Il. 14.200-4). In the same passage they are referred to as

Oceanus the genesis of the gods, and mother Tethys,¹¹

¹¹ 201. 246, 'Oceanus, who is the genesis of all'.

p. 120

which puts them in an earlier generation than the Titans. ...

But in Homer Oceanus and Tethys are not children of Uronos and Ge, they are themselves the primeval parents, long estranged from each other.¹² The Orphic genealogy is a compromise between the primacy of Oceanus and Tethys and the primacy of Uranos and Ge. This suggests a new explanation of the verse 'Oceanus first, the fair-flowing, initiated marriage'. Perhaps it was originally composed for a theogony in which it was literally true, and the Orphic theogony known to Plato was an adaptation of such a poem, in which the verse was allowed to stand bit made to bear a different, forced sense.

...

Hera says in the Iliad passage that Oceanus and Tethys have been estranged from each other ...

p. 121

was mentioned earlier, aquatic figures Apsū and Tiamat —a suggestive parallel to Oceanus and Tethys.

West 1997

p. 147

In Hellenistic and Roman verse Tethys was to become a handy learned term for the great outer sea, with which Oceanus had become identified, or for the sea in general. In early poetry she is merely an inactive mythological figure who lives with Oceanus and has borne his children. There is, however, one line in the Iliad,

Oceanus the origin of the gods and mother Tethys,

suggesting a myth according to which these two were the first parents of the whole race of gods.¹⁹⁷ This has long been seen as a parallel to the theogony in Enūma eliš, where Apsu and Tiamat, the Sea, appear as primeval parents. The comparison was first made by Mr. Gladstone, in the interval between his third and forth terms as Prime Minister.¹⁹⁸

More recently the question has been raised whether Tethys' name is not actually derived from that of Tiamat.¹⁹⁹ From a philological point of view it seems quite possible. Tiamat's name is a Semitic word for 'sea, the deep', found in masculine and feminine forms. The masculine prototype *tihāmu is represented in Ugaritic thm, Hebrew ...

¹⁹⁷ Il. 14.201 =302, cf. 246.

¹⁹⁸ W. E. Gladstone, Landmarks of Homeric Study, London 1890, 129-32.

¹⁹⁹ Wirth, 43; O. Szemerényi, JHS 94, 1974, 150 = Scr. Min. iii 1447; Burkert (1992), 92. f.

p 148

The possibility that Tiamat's name resounds in Homer lends colour to the suggestion that there is an echo of Apsu's, in the strange epithet apsorrhoos which is applied to Oceanus and to nothing else. The poets no doubt understood it to mean 'flowing back (ἅψ) into itself', though that does not correspond to Hesiod's conception of its flow (Th. 791 f.), and the formation is anomalous, as ἅψ should not become ἅψο- in compound. The word occurs only in the genitive formula ἀψορρόον Ὼκεανοῖο; was this a representation of an *'Αψο, ῥόον Ὼκεανοῖο, 'of Apsu, the stream of Oceanus' (or the stream of the cosmic Basin, or whatever)?

Iconography Information

Vases

London 1971.11-1.1 (The Sophilos Dinos)

LIMC 6487 (Tethys I (S) 1)

Type: dinos

Artist: Sophilos

Origin: Attica

Category: vase painting

Material: clay

Discovery: unknown

Dating: -580 – -570

Beazley Archive 350099

Fabric: ATHENIAN

Technique: BLACK-FIGURE

Shape Name: DINOS

Date: -600 to -550

AVI 4748

AVI 4748: London, British Museum 1971,1101.1. BF dinos with stand. Sophilos. Second quarter sixth. Ca. 570.

History: Ex London, Erskine.

Decoration: Wedding of Peleus and Thetis.

Inscriptions: Inscriptions in red: hε̣φαιστος, retr. hιλεθυα, retr. Θε(θ)υς (theta under the snake's tongue){1}. Οκεανος. Αθεναια̣. Αρτεμις. [Μο]ιραι. hερμες, retr. [Ἀπ]ολ<λ>ον. Μοσαι. Αφροδιτε. Αρ̣ε̣ς. Μοσαι. Ανφιτριτε. Ποσειδον (end retr.). Χαριτες. hερα. Ζευς. Νυ<ν>φαι. Θεμις. Χιρον. hεβε. Διονυσος. Λετο. Χαρικλο. hεστια. Δε̣μετερ. Ιρις, retr. Πελευς, retr. Σοφιλος :* μεγραφσεν, retr.

Commentary: 3 frs. are on loan from the Getty Museum: 76.AE.126 = London 1978.6-7.1-3. Also two frs. bought in the American :Market: London 1978.6-6.1 and 1978.6-6.2. The Getty frs. show: [Δ]ε̣μετε[ρ]. Ιρις, retr. Πελευς. Have these frs. been inserted (they are said to be on loan) in the original or the photos? Some wrong restorations have been discovered; note a gap in the signature. According to Beazley, ABV 37 the artist’s name could be: Σώφιλος [so also LGPN, but that should be Σωφίλος(?)], Σοφίλος [that should be Σόφιλος(?)], or Σόφιλλος. The first occurrence of Themis (Shapiro). Closed heta. Theta both crossed and dotted. Sigma frequently reversed.

Gantz, p. 28

Artistic representations appear in the illustrations of the wedding of Peleus and Thetis on the Francois Krater (Florence 4209) and Erskine Dinos (London 1971.11-1.1), where Okeanos and Tethys form part of the procession as invited guests;

Gantz, pp. 229–230

and the Erskine Dinos and the François Krater of Sophilos and Kleitas, respectively commemorate the [wedding of Thetis and Peleus] in the first half of the sixth century (London 1971.11-1.1; Florence; cf. Athens Akr 587, fragments of a second such pot by Sophilos). Obviously, if all the Olypmian gods are to attend there will not be much variation in th guest list, but even so, the choice of figures on these vases, and the order in which they appear are surprisingly similar, and it has been suggested that a detailed literary source such as Stesichoros may be responsible.³³ ... More surprisingly, the procession concludes on both preserved pots and the fragments with Okeanos (shown with a fish tail) and Hephaistos on his donkey.

Burkert, p. 202

[Oceanus and Tethys] are represented on the dinos of Sophilos (about 570 B.C.), BM 1971.11-1.1; cf. A. Birchall, Brit. Mus. Quart. 36 (1971/72) pl. 37; G. Bakir, Sophilos (1981) 64 fig. 3; D. Williams in Greek vases in the J. Paul Getty Museum I (1983) 9-34; Tethys is spelt ΘΕΘΥΣ by Sophilos.

Williams

p. 27

Figure 34.

p. 29

The rear of the procession is brought up by a rather amorphous group. First is the fish-bodied, bull-horned Okeanos ([ΟΚΕΑΝΟΣ]) (fig. 34), clutching a fish and a snake. In the background is his wife Tethys ([ΘΕΘΥΣ]) is accompanied by Eileithyia ([ΗΙΛΕΘΥΑ] retr.).

p. 31

The end of the procession is made up of the chariot of Athena and Artemis, virgins both and a motley crew of slow-moving stragglers (fig. 19). Okeanos, progenitor of the gods,⁶⁹ is given both aquatic and terestrial attributes, a fish-tail and a bull horn, as well as a fish in one hand and a snake in the other. This combination alludes perhaps to Okeanos' role as the great river encompassing the earth. His wife Tethys, who walks close behind, is accompanied [cont.]

p. 32

by Eileithyia—she need not hurry, for her job is still some months away. At the end rides Hephaistos on his mule slow and ridiculous.

Perseus: London 1971.11-1.1 (Vase)

Date: ca. 580 BC

Behind these chariots comes Okeanos, fish-bodied and bull-horned, holding a fish and snake, accompanied by his wife Tethys and by Eileithyia. ...

The subject of the wedding of Peleus and Thetis was painted by Sophilos on another, very similar krater, fragments of which were found on the Athenian Acropolis (Athens Acr. 587), and also on the François Vase of Kleitias and Ergotimos (Florence 4209)

British Museum 1971,1101.1

Theoi detail

Florence 4209

François Vase

LIMC 1602 (Okeanos 3)

ID: 1602

Type: volute crater

Artist: Kleitias

Origin: Attica

Category: vase painting

Material: clay

Discovery: Chiusi, Camars, Clevsin, Clusium

Dating: -570 – -560

Object ID: 7908

Description

Marriage of Peleus: In the procession of the gods behind Chiron three women wrapped into a cloak - Demeter, Chariklo (I) and Hestia. The three women walking beside the chariot of Apollon are probably the Charites . Maia and Hermes in one of the chariots. At the end of the third frieze is Okeanos. Dionysos is accompanied by three Horai.

Beazley Archive 300000

Fabric: ATHENIAN

Technique: BLACK-FIGURE

Shape Name: KRATER, VOLUTE

Provenance: ITALY, CHIUSI

Date: -600 to -550

AVI 3576

AVI 3576: Florence, Museo archeologico nazionale 4209. BF volute krater (François Vase). From Chiusi. Kleitias. Ergotimos, potter. 570-560.

Gantz, p. 28

Artistic representations appear in the illustrations of the wedding of Peleus and Thetis on the Francois Krater (Florence 4209) and Erskine Dinos (London 1971.11-1.1), where Okeanos and Tethys form part of the procession as invited guests;

Perseus Florence 4209 (Vase)

ca. 570 BC - ca. 560 BC

The next chariot is driven by Hermes, accompanied by his mother Maia. He is bearded, and carries the caduceus, whip and reins. Maia wears a long peplos and lifts one side of her mantle. In front of the horses are four Moirai, holding hands, one of whom wears another figured embroidered peplos, the others different, less elaborate peploi. The last chariot is hardly preserved, and its driver and passenger are uncertain; Tethys is one conjecture. Behind the last chariot is Okeanos, of whom only the bull-like neck and ear are preserved (cf. Eur. Orest. 1377). Finally, bringing up the end of the procession is Hephaistos, riding side-saddle on a donkey and in frontal view.

Carpenter p. 6

Buschot's reconstruction of a bull-headed Okeanos with a human body riding with Tethys is unconvincing, as it requires the presence of Triton.¹⁸ On Sophilos' vase Okeanus has a fish body, and it is likely that the fish-body on Kleitas' vase also belongs to Okeanos.

Beazley, p. 27

...Okeanus, ... with Tethys his spouse. Hardly anything of these last two figures remain, but enough to show that Okeanos was represented with a human body but the head and neck of a bull.⁹ River-gods were thought of by early Greeks as bull-like, and Okeanos was the greatest of the rivers. Euripides long after calls him bull-headed, ...

Pergammon Altar

LIMC 617 (Tethys I (S) 2)

Object

ID: 617

Type: slab

Origin: Asia Minor

Category: architectural relief

Material: marble

Discovery: Pergamon

Dating: -160 – -150

Description

Friezes of the altar of Pergamon.

Object

ID: 469

Description

... Okeanos (labelled), half nude, next to Tethys. ...

Pollit, p. 96

[Thethys: inscription not preserved, meaning conjectured]

Queyrel, p. 67

In the background, there is no longer the goddess who fought by his side, probably the Titanide Tethys, the remains of the chiton above the shield lost by a giant hand and clutching a large tree branch behind head of the god.

Au second plan, il ne subsiste plus de la déesse qui combattait à son coté, sans doute la Titanide Téthys, que les restes du chiton au-dessus du bouclier perdu par un géant et la main qui serre une grosse branche d'arbre derrière la tete du dieu.

Jentel

p. 1194

2. ... Okeanos front, lower body T. (?) draped.

2. ... Devant Okéanos, bas du corps de T. (?) drapée.

p. 1195

In the Hellenistic period, it can be assumed that the bottom of a draped woman (2) in front of Okeanos on the altar of Pergamon, is the remains of a figure T.

A l'époque hellénistique, on peut supposer que le bas d'une femme drapée (2) devant Okéanos, sur l'autel de Pergame, est le reste d'une figure de T.

Mosaics

Hatay Archaeology Museum 9097

LIMC 7916 (Tethys I (S) 3*)

Object

ID: 7619

Type: mosaic

Category: mosaic

Material: opus tessellatum

Discovery: Alexandrette, Iskenderun

Dating: 200 – 320

Description

Rectangular mosaic. Thetys (I) seated, torso nude. Ketos looks at her. Fish and Erotes.

Names

Eros, Thetys I

Jentel, p. 1194

3.* ... From Alexandretta ... T., seated facing l., nude torso, draped legs, two large wings in her long hair. A ketos watching, wrapped around her arm. Rudder on left shoulder. Surrounding, fish and Erotes.

Wages

p. 125

The last mosaic which should be considered in the second phase of the iconographic development of the sea goddess mosaics is the one from Alexandretta, now listed as number four in the Antioch Museum. In this pavement Tethys appears as a full-lenght figure reclining on a rock. All of her attributes are present: the wings, the rudder, and the ketos.

p. 128

Eraslan, p. 458

One of the Tethys compositions has been found in Seleucia Pierra (Samandağ), located in the environs of Antioch. Tethys is pictured individually in whole-body form in the centre (Cimok, 2005: 62) (Fig. 6).

Hatay Archaeology Museum 9097

Hatay Archaeology Museum 850 ("House of the Calendar" triclinium)

LIMC 735 (Tethys I (S) 5)

Object

ID: 735

Type: mosaic

Category: mosaic

Discovery: Antakya, Antiocheia on the Orontes, Antiochia ad Orontem (House of the Calendar)

Dating:

Description

Of the originally four Seasons around a round mosaic with depictions of personifications of months only two are preserved: they are named TROPE. The Trope of spring is depicted as young winged woman. In a rectangular panel Thetys (I) is seated together with Oceanus. Remains of Ketos visible, fish and shellfishes. Fragments of six standing Menses in circular design and inscribed with the names of a Syro-Macedonian calendar are preserved. The adjacent panel shows Okeanos and Thethys (I).

Names

Menses, Oceanus, Thetys I, Tropai

Jentel, p. 1194

5.* ... In Antioch, the House of the Calendar, triclinium. ... T to l. (Long hair with wings, nude to the waist, draped legs), R. arm tense with remains of a ketos, if retoune to Okeanos sitting r. Around them, fish and shellfish.

5.* ... D'antioch, Maison du Calendrier, triclinium. ... T. vers la g. (longue chevelure avec ailettes, torse nu, jambes drapées), le bras dr. tendu avec restes du kétos, se retoune vers Okéanos assis à dr. Autour d'eux, poissons et crustacés.

Wages

p. 120

The earliest sea goddess mosaic is the one excavated from the House of the Calendar in Antioch, dated by archeological evidence to a period shortly after the earthquake of A.D. 115 (Fig. 2).⁹ The style belongs to the tradition of Greco-Roman naturalistic classicism.¹⁰ It depicts a semi-nude god and goddess reclining on opposite sides of a blue-green sea filled with fish who dart about at random, casting shadows below them, sometimes overlapping each other. The fish are portrayed with such realism that they have been identified by species.¹¹

p. 123

The iconographic development of the winged sea goddess group of mosaics can be divided into three phases. I propose that in the first phase the winged sea goddess represented Tethys primarily in her mythological role as consort of Okeanos, joint ruler of the waters of the earth. To this phase belong the second-century pavement from the House of the Calendar (Fig. 2) and its derivatives.²⁴ In the House of the Calendar mosaic the reclining god can be identified as Okeanos, for he has the wild, white hair and beard, as well as the crown of crustacean's claws, which are the standard attributes of this diety. In addition, he holds a rudder, the implement used to govern the waters. From the goddesses' forehead sprout wings, like those of Tethys in the Dumbarton Oaks pavement. Although the head has been destroyed, the serpent- [cont.]

²⁴ These include both the mosaics from the House of the Boat of Psyches as well as those from Myriandos and the House of Menander.

p. 124

tine body of some sea monster is preserved, entwined around the goddess' raised arm. I suggest that the goddess in this mosaic is Tethys because, like the goddess in the later Dumbarton Oaks mosaic, she is represented in a marine environment and has wings. The scene in the the House of the Calendar would then represent the rulers and progenitors of the waters in their domain. Support for this conclusion is provided by the later mosaic from the triclinium of the House of the Boat of Psyches dated to the third quarter of the third century. There the two dieties appear in a panel adjacent to the scene of the Rape of Europa, who was one of the daughters of Okeanos and Tethys.

fig. 2

Antioch, House of the Calendar, Tethys and Okeanos

p. 127

House of the Calendar: triclinium overlooking a pool. [Antioch, II, 191 no. 71 B, pl 51; Levi I 38-39, fig. 12; II, pl. 6]

Eraslan, p. 455

In the "Calendar House" mosaic, Tethys and Oceanus were depicted as surrounded by himation under their waists and together with various marine animals (Levi, 1947: 38-9; Lassus, 1983: 257; Campbell, 1988: 61) fig. 1). They both sit on the sea floor. Tethys leans left and raises her left hand up. She probably holds the body of Cetus with her left hand.

Campbell 1988, p.61

The panel itself shows Okeanos and Thetis reclining against against a blue/grey sea and surrounded by an enormous variety of fish.

Hatay Archaeology Museum 850

Theoi image

Dumbarton Oaks 76.43

LIMC Tethys I (S) 7

Jentel

p. 1194

7.* Octagonal bottom of a pool. ... T. surrounded by fish, looking to the l., rising out of the sea. Bare shoulders, long dark hair topped with two gray wings. Against her r. shoulder, a golden rudder.

p. 1195

The only representation in the Roman era identified by inscription is a mosaic decorating the bottom of a pool (7), showing the bust of the goddess with long hair topped with two large wings.

Wages, 119–128 [in physical folder]

p. 119

Tethys is depicted rising bare shouldered from the sea, with a golden rudder resting at an angle against her right shoulder.... Her dark hair, parted in the middle, falls in waves to her shoulders, grey wings sprout from her fore- [cont.]

p. 120

head. To the left of the rudder is an inscription [drawing]

fig. 1

Dumbarton Oaks, Tethys, from the building under Bath F, Antioch

fig. 5

Dumbarton Oaks, Tethys, detail of head

Campbell 1988

p. 49

a bust of Tethys ... An inscription ΤΗ/ΘΥΣ is placed to the left, just under the rudder which leans against her right shoulder. There are large wings in her long dark hair, which falls over her shoulders.

Shahba Museum in situ

LIMC 7683 (Tethys I (S) 10)

Object

ID: 7683

Type: mosaic

Category: mosaic

Discovery: Shahba, Philippopolis (Syria)

Dating: 325 – 350

Description

Tethys (I) looking to the left. Ketos watches her. Erotes in boats.

Names

Tethys I

Jentel, p. 1194

10. ... T. looks to the left. Long flowing hair interspersed with fish, a starfish between two wings. A ketos wraps around her neck and rises up on her right, looking; the rudder is at right. Around, Erotes in boats.

10. ... T. regarde vers la g. Longs cheveux épars entremelés de poissons, une étoile de mer entre le deux ailettes. Le kétos s'enroule autour de son cou et surgit à sa dr. en la regardant; le gouvernail est à dr. Autour, Erotes dans bateaux.

Wages

p. 122

...the Tethys mosiac excavated at Shahba, Syria, which is the closest stylistically to the Dumbarton Oaks pavement of all the sea goddess mosaics (Fig. 7).

fig. 7

Museum of Shahba-Philippopolis, Tethys

p. 125

The influence of Thalassa is present, though to a lesser extent, in a group of five mosaics, dating from the third century through the second quarter of the fourth, which share certain iconographic features. These mosaics are the Dumbarton Oaks panel, the mosaic at Anazarva in Cilicia, two mosaics at Shahba in Syria and the one found in Venosa in Magna Graecia. In all of these Okeanos is omitted and the bust of the wing-crowned marine goddess is depicted alone, permitting her, therefore, to be interpreted as both the personification of the sea and as the goddess of Greek myth. In addition she now invariably holds a rudder, the attribute frequently associated with Thalassa as well as with Okeanos.

Dunbabin

p. 166

To Balty's later group from Shahba belongs an astonishing bust of the sea-goddess Tethys¹³ (figure 173). Fish are entangled in her hair, a sea-dragon coiled around her neck, and she holds a steering oar. The figure of the sea-goddess occurs frequently on mosaics of the region of Antioch, but never with the power shown here: almost too large for the frame, the figure dominates the small room where it is set. ... work of exceptional quality. Around it, a wide border shows Erotes in boats and fishing, on a sea marked by broad bands of colour.

p. 167 fig. 173

Shahba-Philippopolis, mosaic of Tethys, Shahba Museum in situ. 1.26 m square. Probably first half of the fourth century AD.

Art and History Syria

p. 124

Theoi image

Baltimore Museum of Art 1937.118 (House of the Boat of Psyches: Room six)

LIMC 7627 (Tethys I (S) 11)

Object

ID: 7627

Type: mosaic

Category: mosaic

Discovery: Daphne (Antiochia ad Orontem)

Dating: 235 – 312

Description

Tethys (I) looking to the left. Ketos watches her. Fish and Eros on a dolphin.

Names

Tethys I

Jentel, p. 1194

11. ... T. looks to the left. Wet hair with two yellow wings. Around the shoulders, greenish ketos to the left. Around, fish: below, Eros on a dolphin, fishing.

11. ... T. regarde vers la g. Chevelure humide avex deux ailettes jaunnes. Autour de se épaules, kétos verdâtre vers la g. qui la regarde. Autour, poissons; au-dessous, Eros sur un dauphin, pêchant.

Wages

p. 120

The Dumbarton Oaks mosaic is most closely related to another Antioch mosaic from the naturalism of the mosaic in the House of the Calendar. This mosaic, from Room Six in the House of the Boat of the Psyches and now in the Baltimore Museum of Art, is dated to around the third quarter of the third century (Fig. 3).¹²

p. 121

The hair, parted in the center and falling in long waves to bare shoulders,

fig. 3

Baltimore Museum of Art, Tethys, from Room Six, House of the Boat of Psyches, Anticoh

fig. 4

Detail of Fig. 3, head of Tethys

p. 127

250-275

House of the Boat of Psyches: Room Six.

Kondoleon, pp. 38–39

Baltimore Museum of Art 1937.118

Bust of Tethys on a Marine Background

Origin: Daphne, Syria (present day Turkey)

Campbell 1998, p. 20

[identified as Thetis]

"An Ancient Mosaic" (PDF)

Memorial Art Gallery 42.2

LIMC 7628 (Tethys I (S) 12*)

Object

ID: 7628

Type: mosaic

Category: mosaic

Discovery: Daphne (Antiochia ad Orontem)

Dating: 235 – 312

Description

Tethys (I) looking to the right.

Names

Tethys I

Wages

p. 127

Memorial Art Gallery 42.2

Hatay Archaeology Museum 1013 (House of Menander)

LIMC 659 (Tethys I (S) 15)

Object

ID: 659

Type: mosaic

Category: mosaic

Discovery: Daphne (Antiochia ad Orontem) (House of Menander)

Dating: 200 – 320

Description

Busts of Tethys (I) and Oceanus looking at each other.

Names

Eros, Oceanus, Tethys I

Jentel, p. 1195

15.* ... Daphne-Harbié house of Menander. ... On the left, in the background, T is looking at the bust of Okeanos in the foreground. Hair purple, brown and green wings, earrings.

15.* ... De Daphné-Harbié, maison de Ménandre. ... A g., au second plan, T. regardant Okéanos en buste au premier plan. Chevelure violacée, ailettes brunes et vertes, boucles d'oreilles.

Hatay Archaeology Museum 1013

Wages

p. 123 n. 24

To this phase belong the second-century pavement from the House of the Calendar (Fig. 2) and its third-century derivitives.²⁴

²⁴ These include both mosaics from the House of the Boat of Psyches as well as those from Myriandos and the House of Menander.

fig. 8

Antioch, House of Menander, Room Seventeen, detail of heads of Tethys and Oceanos

p. 127

Theoi image

Hatay Archaeology Museum 9095

LIMC 7630 (Tethys I (S) 16)

Object

ID: 7630

Type: mosaic

Category: mosaic

Discovery: Alexandrette, Iskenderun (thermal baths)

Dating: 200 – 320

Description

Tethys (I) looking at Oceanus.

Names

Tethys I

Jentel, p. 1195

16. ... The Baths of Alexandretta. On the left, T. looking toward Oceanus. Long dark hair with wings and earrings

Hatay Archaeology Museum 9095

Theoi

Baltimore Museum of Art 1937.126 (House of the Boat of Psyches: triclinium)

LIMC 661 (Tethys I (S) 17)

Object

ID: 661

Type: mosaic

Category: mosaic

Discovery: Daphne (Antiochia ad Orontem)

Dating: 200 – 220

Description

Tethys (I), Ketos and Oceanus.

Names

Oceanus, Tethys I

Jentel, p. 1195

17. ... Daphne-Harbié, House of the Boat of Psyches, triclinium. ... T., long straight hair with green wings, ketos around the neck, looking at Okeanos on the right.

Wages, p. 127

triclinium

Baltimore Museum of Art 1937.126

Tethys and Oceanus

Origin: Daphne, Syria (present day Turkey)

Image

[Tethys and Oceanus, with sea serpent and rudder, behind and to the right of each respectively]

Zeugma Mosaic Museum, Oceanus and Tethys Mosaic

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Discovered 2014: [1]

Theoi

Theoi

Zeugma Mosaic Museum, Poseidon Oceanus and Tethys Mosaic

Eraslan, pp. 456–457

See also Eraslan, TETHYS AND THALASSA IN MOSAIC ART pp. 2–3, fig. 2

Onal, p. 35

Theoi

Garni Oceanus and Tethys/Thalassa

LIMC 656 (Thalassa (S) 12)

Object

ID: 656

Type: mosaic

Origin: Greco-Roman

Category: mosaic

Material: opus tessellatum

Discovery: Garni (Armenia) (thermal baths)

Dating: 290 – 300

Description

Agrios (II) putting his arm on the shoulders of Epithymia who is seated in front of the marine monster. Aigialos carrying Thetis on his back. Tritons and Nereides: Aigialos, Bythos, Glaukos, Kallos, Peleus, Pothos, Epithymia, Galene (I), Thetis, Agrios (II). Busts of Thalassa and Oceanus.

Inscription

AGRIOS, EGIALOS, GALENE, KALLOS, POTHOS, THALASA, OKEANOS.

Koutsoyiannis, p. 7

[misidentifies Thetis image as Tethys]

Can

p. 84

There is a Roman settlement in Garni, Armenia, approximately 32 km south-east of Yerevan. Today, the Mithra Temple and Bath constructions are relatively well preserved. A mythological description is found on the mosaic pavement on the ground of the frigidarium, with an apsis located in the eastern part of the Bath.⁵ (Figure 2). Busts of [cont.]

⁵ Thierry-Donabedian, 1987: 529; Eraslan, 2010: Fig.8

p. 85

Oceanus and Tethys are situated side-by-side in the middle panel, and Triton, the Nerieds, and Eros are depicted in surrounding borders. These mosaics, dating to the second half of the 3rd century AD, are important because of their unity in Armenia. Besides being encountered almost everywhere in the Mediterranean basin, the best matches in style can be seen in Anatolia. As depicted in the Garni mosaic, other samples in which Oceanus and Tethys are shown together can only be seen in Anatolia — specifically in Antiocheia⁶ and Zeugma⁷. Additionally, depictions of wings on Tethy's hair can be seen in all representations of Tethys in Antiocheia and Zeugma.

⁶ "Oceanos and Tethys" mosaic of the "House of the Calendar" dated to the 2nd century BC: Cimok, 2000:46-47; "Oceanos and Tethys" mosaic dated to 3rd century BC and situated in "House of the Boat of Psyche": Cimok, 2000:151; "Oceanos and Tethys" mosaic dated to the 3rd century BC in "House of the Menander":Cimok, 2000: 187; "House of the Oceanos and Tethys" mosaic dated to 3rd century BC: Levi, 1947: II Pl.Lb-c

⁷ "House of Oceanos" mosaics dated to end of 2nd century BC-begining of 3rd century BC: Ergeç, 2006: 78-85; "House of the Poseidon" mosaics dated to the end of the 2nd century-begining of 3rd century BC: Ergeç2006:110-`113

p. 91

Figure 2 Frigidarium Mosaic, Garni Bath, Armenia

Eraslan, p 457, fig 5

One of the mosiacs depicting Tethys and Oceanus together have been found pavement of Roman Bath in Garni. In the mosaic dated 3rd century AD, the outmost part of the panel was bordered by a pink stripe, and the figures of Nereid, Eros and fish ornament were used as border ornamentation (Wages, 1986:120; Thierry-Donabedian, 1987:529) (Fig. 5).

As the mosaic is in a highly damaged situation, only the eyes and hair of Tethys and hair of Oceanus can be seen. ... in the preserved area at the top right the inscription, ΘΕΤΙC (Thetis), written in Ancient Greek language is seen.

Wages

p. 124

This development is heralded by an inscription in a mosaic in the late third-century bath at Garni, in eastern Armenia.²⁶ In the central square of this pavement survive the head of a god, crowned with claws and identified by an inscription as "Oceanos" and the head of a woman, identified as "Thalas(s)a," the personification of the sea. ... Although difficult to read because of their abstraction, the protuberances growing from Thalassa's head probably are wings. If they are wings, then their presence in a picture of a marine goddess identified as Thalassa suggests that they were attributes of the personification of the sea as well as of the goddess Tethys.

...

Since there are mistakes in the spelling of the Greek inscriptions in the Garni mosaic, its attribution of wings may also be a mistake. ...

p. 126

[Tethis] appears, identified by inscriptions, ... in the border of the third-century Garni mosaic,⁴² where she is associated with other marine subjects of Okeanos and Thalassa; ...

Jentel, p. 1195

However, there are many other representations of a sea goddess, also forming a couple with Okeanos, and bearing like him, crab claws on her head. This deity is identified on a mosaic of a thermal building of Garni (-> Oceanus 53 * = Thalassa 12) with the inscription ΘΑΛΑΣΑ. One might conclude that the many representations of the "goddess with crab claws" on sarcophagi, sculptures, mosaics, are those of -> Thalassa, another female personification of the sea, but one wonders if the ancient artists would have made a distinction between the two goddesses.

Yakto complex ("Thalassa")

Wages

p. 125

The Yakto mosaic (Fig. 6) ushers in the third and final phase in the evolution of the Tethys composition. In this phase the iconography of Tethys is completely merged with that of Thalassa. The Yakto goddess has the wavy dark hair, parted in the middle, and the ketos entwined around her body from images of Tethys in the second phase, the rudder aquired by Tethys in the second phase, and now not only Thalassa's attribute of the dolphin resting on her palm, but her crown of crustacean's claws as well. Indeed, because the Yakto goddess no longer wears a crown of wings, the distinguishing attribute of Tethys, she should be identified as Thalassa.

fig. 6

Antioch, Yakto complex, Thalassa

p. 128

Jentel, p. 1195

However, there are many other representations of a sea goddess, also forming a couple with Okeanos, and bearing like him, crab claws on her head. This deity is identified on a mosaic of a thermal building of Garni (-> Oceanus 53 * = Thalassa 12) with the inscription ΘΑΛΑΣΑ. One might conclude that the many representations of the "goddess with crab claws" on sarcophagi, sculptures, mosaics, are those of -> Thalassa, another female personification of the sea, but one wonders if the ancient artists would have made a distinction between the two goddesses.

Cahn, p. 1199

Other similar busts on late Roman mosaics can just as well represent Tethys as Thalassa.

Hatay Archaeological Museum 1017

Theoi

Anemurium mosaic

Campbell 1998, p. 20

Tethys/Thetis"

The identification of this female figure is uncertain. ... The Anemurium figure has none of the attributes of these other figures, but resembles them in being a bust rising from the sea and surrounded by fish. Perhaps she would be more accurately described simply as a personification of the sea. Certainly this would be in keeping with the theory of S. M. Waages [sic] that in the late third century to late fifth centuries, the iconography of Tethys and Thalassa gradually merge.

Wages, p. 126 n. 44

The absence of attributes supports James Russell's tentative identification of the bust of a woman surrounded by fish in the third-century Anemurium mosaic as "Thetis" ... Balty ... however, interprets this image as one of Tethys. It may best be understood as a hybrid, ...

Denver 1951.29

LIMC 739 Tethys I (S) 6)

Object

ID: 739

Type: mosaic

Category: mosaic

Discovery: Seleukeia (Pamphylia)

Dating: 200 – 320

Description

Left part of a heavily worn mosaic from the House of Okeanos and Tethys. Nude torso of Tehtys (I) and Ketos remain. :Reclining close to her is Oceanus.

Names

Tethys I

Jentel, p. 1194

6