In
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...
, Titanis ( grc, Τιτανίς, Titanis, she-Titan) is an obscure figure who is connected to
Artemis
In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...
, the goddess of the hunt. Her existence and myth is only attested in
Euripides
Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars a ...
, an Athenian playwright of the fifth century BC.
Family
The only thing known about her family is a father named
Merops
MEROPS is an online database for peptidases (also known as proteases, proteinases and proteolytic enzymes) and their inhibitors. The classification scheme for peptidases was published by Rawlings & Barrett in 1993, and that for protein inhibit ...
.
Mythology
According to Euripides in his play ''
Helen
Helen may refer to:
People
* Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world
* Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress
* Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Helen, ...
'', the beautiful Titanis was changed by
Artemis
In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...
into a golden-antlered deer and expelled from her group on account of her beauty.
Euripides
Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars a ...
, ''Helen
Helen may refer to:
People
* Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world
* Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress
* Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Helen, ...
'
382
/ref> The brief passage is very ambiguous, as it is not entirely clear what Euripides meant when he wrote that Artemis kicked her out on account of her beauty; it could be that Titanis bragged about being more beautiful than Artemis, or her beauty attracted the attention of Zeus
Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek reli ...
, or Artemis got jealous of her. The similarity to another myth, that of Artemis turning the nymph Taygete
In Classical Greek mythology, Taygete el, Ταϋγέτη, , ) was a nymph, one of the Pleiades according to the '' Bibliotheca'' (3.10.1) and a companion of Artemis, in her archaic role as '' potnia theron'', "Mistress of the animals", with its ...
into a doe in order to help her escape from the advances of Zeus, has also been noted. Titanis's own nature is questionable, as Euripides names her father as Merops, but given that her name translates to "female Titan", he could be designating her as a Titaness without naming her.
In the ''Orphic Hymns
Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with Ja ...
'', 'Titanis' (there spelled as , ''Titēnís'') appears as an epithet of Artemis herself.['' Orphic Hymn 36 to Artemis'' line 2.]
See also
* Antigone of Troy
Antigone ( ; Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) of Troy is a minor figure in Greek mythology. She is the daughter of the Trojan king Laomedon and the sister of Priam.Ovid. '' Metamophoses, Book 6.93'' The meaning of the name is, as in the case of the mascu ...
* Callisto Callisto most commonly refers to:
*Callisto (mythology), a nymph
*Callisto (moon), a moon of Jupiter
Callisto may also refer to:
Art and entertainment
*''Callisto series'', a sequence of novels by Lin Carter
*''Callisto'', a novel by Torsten Kro ...
* Gerana
Gerana was a queen of the Pygmy folk in Greek mythology. She boasted she was more beautiful than the goddess Hera and was transformed by the angry goddess into a crane (Greek γέρανος ''geranos''). The bird descendants of Gerana waged an et ...
References
Bibliography
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Deeds of Artemis
Retinue of Artemis
Women in Greek mythology
Metamorphoses into animals in Greek mythology
Epithets of Artemis
Mythological deer
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