Theia

The Shining Titan Goddess

Theia was one of the twelve Titans, born to Gaia and Uranus before the Olympian gods took control. Her name is connected with brightness, and Hesiod also calls her Euryphaessa, which means something like ‘wide-shining’. That is a very suitable name because Theia became part of one of the brightest families in Greek mythology. Her partner was the Titan Hyperion, and together they had three children who were connected with the changing sky.

Their son Helios was the Sun god. Their daughter Selene was the goddess of the Moon, and their other daughter Eos was the goddess of the Dawn. I love this family because it makes the whole sky feel like one giant story. Eos arrives in the morning, Helios shines during the day and Selene appears at night. Theia herself was not the Sun or Moon goddess, but she was their mother. Later Greek poetry also connected her with the wonderful shine and value of gold, which is why she is sometimes described as being linked with precious and gleaming things.

Theia does not have one huge adventure like Heracles or a famous argument like Athena and Poseidon. We mainly know her through the Titan family tree and through her brilliant children. She should not be confused with Thetis, the sea goddess who became the mother of Achilles. Their names are annoyingly similar, but they are completely different characters. There is also a fun modern connection. Scientists use the name Theia for a possible young planet that may have crashed into the early Earth billions of years ago, helping to form our Moon. That is science rather than Greek mythology, of course, but naming it after the mother of the Moon goddess was a very clever choice. Theia might be quiet in the myths, but her family literally lights up the sky.

⬅   Back