Dike – Just Retribution
Pronounced: Dye-kee (rhymes with Nike)
Dike is the goddess of righteous judgment and punishment. She is an avatar of her mother, Themis, but fiercer. Dike is the Accuser. She reports human wrongdoing to her father, Zeus.
Dike lived among mortals during a Golden Age when peace reigned over Earth, hence her excellent vantage to report on human sins and crimes. Initially there were few crimes to report, but gradually human behaviour worsened. Conflicts and wars began. Dike doesn’t have to actually witness crimes; she feels them. Lies, slander, unethical behaviour, and so forth actually cause her to feel pain.
She begged humanity to behave, but over time, they listened to her less and less. Overwhelmed, she withdrew into the mountains. As matters on Earth deteriorated, Dike kept ascending, basically trying to put distance between herself and people until finally she reached the sky. Zeus took pity on her and transformed her into the constellation Virgo. She hasn’t completely retired, however. To commune with her, locate the constellation in the sky or gaze at images representing Virgo.
ORIGIN:
Greece
SEE ALSO:
- Nike
- Themis
- Zeus
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses – Written by : Judika Illes Copyright © 2009 by Judika Illes.
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