Russian Themis. Russian Themis Which goddess is depicted blindfolded

An elegant, strict woman in a robe and blindfolded, with scales in one hand and a sword in the other is a well-known symbol of justice. Who is she and what does her extravagant appearance mean?

Mythology

According to legend, Themis was born from the union of the sky god Uranus and the earth goddess Gaia. In other words, she was a Titanide, that is, a deity of the second generation, which included the children of Gaia and Uranus. Among her six sisters and six brothers, Themis occupies a special place. Having reached maturity, the intelligent Themis became the second wife of Zeus and predicted to him that he would be overthrown by his own offspring, born of the nymph Thetis. Cautious Zeus heeded the prediction and refrained from marrying the sea mistress.

The goddess Themis is also known for taking an active part in starting the Trojan War. She was always a support and support to her husband in everything. Themis gave birth to three wonderful daughters to Zeus - justice, goodness and peace (Dike, Eunomia and Eirene).

The practice of divination and divine rites also spread thanks to Themis. This goddess not only knew how to predict, she legitimized this ability. Themis presided over a thirteen-month cycle, divided into the summer and winter solstices. According to some mythological sources, she also gave birth to Zeus, goddesses of the seasons and fate.

Why does she patronize law and order?

Ancient Greek authors lift the veil over the secrets of life, which was led by the goddess of justice Themis. Aeschylus, for example, tells us that she was the mother of the brave Prometheus, who gave people fire. Homer wrote that she, as the first and most significant adviser to the great Zeus, convenes the gods for council and reveals to them the will of the Olympian ruler. She is always ready to convey the will of the supreme deity to people, teaching them the correct moral standards and foundations. It is not surprising that Themis was responsible for the foundations of law and order and became what we call today “the goddess of justice.” You can often hear that the courthouse is called the “temple of Themis”, and the judicial officials are called “priests of Themis”. The Latin word “justice” refers to both the judicial power itself and the system of bodies involved in this activity.

Her unusual appearance

Why does the goddess of justice appear before us with a blindfold? This detail perfectly demonstrates the impartiality with which, according to the ancients, it is necessary to make judicial decisions. A judge should not look at people, he should listen only to the facts. Not seeing the differences between those on trial, he simply blindly makes the right decisions. Let us not argue with the fact that such an understanding is highly preferable today.

Blind to the truth or to the lies?

The fact that the patroness of the right court is blindfolded is often perceived with irony. It turns out that this detail can emphasize not only the objectivity and impartiality of the judicial tribe, but, on the contrary, can be perceived as partiality and subjectivity, possessing people called upon to administer righteous justice and not be seduced by promises. If the court made an unfair decision to please someone or out of fear, then, looking at the eyes of the goddess covered under the scarf, they say with a bitter smile that the goddess of justice, alas, is blind.

Scales, sword, mantle

The scales held in the left hand of the goddess of justice Themis mean that guilt and rightness are accurately weighed, justice triumphs. The sword, on which the royal Themis places her right hand, used to be a cornucopia, a symbol of retribution for good done during life. This is how it was among the Greeks. By the way, she didn’t have a blindfold on her eyes then. Roman mythology, having borrowed the image and attributes of the goddess, named her Justitia, covered the beauty’s eyes with a bandage, and instead of a cornucopia, put a punishing sword in her hand: let criminals and servants of evil tremble! The fact that the goddess holds a sword in her right hand symbolizes the correctness of her decisions. The fact that the sword is sharpened on both sides suggests that the law not only punishes, but also warns against rash actions. The mantle is an ancient ritual garment, which is attributed with the symbolism of a spiritual transition to a state corresponding to the ceremony of performing a particular action, in this case - justice.

From whom is the Russian Themis defending itself?

When the building of the Supreme Court of Russia was reconstructed, a large sculpture of Themis was installed above the entrance, on whose eyes for some reason there was no blindfold. In her right hand, contrary to tradition, the goddess of justice holds not a horn or a sword, but a shield. The public was discouraged.

The authors of the reconstruction project explained that they decided not to adhere to the ancient Greek canons, because “our Themis sees everything and knows everything.” And since she does not have a sword in her hands, she “does not cut or beat anyone.” This is the interpretation of a universally significant symbol. And here one inevitably recalls the ancient Russian story about Judge Shemyak, who made his decisions by looking at a stone wrapped in a rag in the defendant’s bosom and mistaking this stone for a bribe or threats.

Themis is considered a Titanide, the organizer and guardian of the moral foundations on which civilized society is based. Even the ancient Greeks understood this! In addition, Themis is the guardian of the entire structure of life of the ancients. She is the daughter of Gaia and Uranus, as well as the second legal wife of Zeus after the goddess Metis.

Since Themis is a goddess, her image was presented by the ancient Greeks quite interestingly: the goddess is blindfolded, holds a sword in one hand, and scales in the other. The sword and scales are its most important attributes. They are used by modern law enforcement and judicial authorities on their own emblems.

The scales in Themis’s hand are explained very simply: they are the personification of equality before the court. On one cup lies the evil that a person managed to do before the moment of justice, and on the other - the good that he has ever done. If everything is clear, then there are several versions about the blindfold over her eyes, but they all converge into a single essence - incorruptibility and impartiality. It's worth looking at this in more detail.

Why is Themis blindfolded?

Scientists explain this by saying that the ancient Greeks “blindfolded” Themis in order to show all her impartiality and incorruptibility: blindfolded eyes indicate that she is not interested in any external reasons. In principle, this is a fairly logical explanation: for Themis, all people are equal, she does not single out any particular person. It is worth noting that such impartiality of Themis became widespread in subsequent cultures and in the modern world.

There is another version why the goddess Themis is depicted blindfolded. The fact is that with all her appearance she is designed to personify incorruptibility, i.e. she does not see the riches that dishonest people can offer her. Themis doesn’t care who tries to bribe her and how. She is incorruptible and impartial! The Greeks themselves gave such an interesting explanation for her blindfold.

What do the goddesses Themis and Justice have in common?

Some experts are confident that the confusion of the images of the ancient Greek goddess Themis and the Roman goddess Justice has long confused society. According to them, a woman in a robe with a sword, scales and a blindfold is more correctly called Justice rather than Themis, since the latter was not yet blindfolded when Justice appeared. However, traditional ideas suggest that Justice is still an improved copy of Themis, and not vice versa.

The image of Themis in modern justice

Themis is a universally recognized symbol of justice and integrity. She is depicted on everything related to justice: on courthouses, on emblems, etc. The name of the ancient Greek goddess has become a household name and even developed into a metonymy: Russian courts are now called “Russian Themis”.

Themis is the goddess of justice in Greek mythology. She was depicted with a blindfold (a symbol of impartiality), with a cornucopia and scales in her hands.
The basis of Themis is a blindfold. This is a symbol that justice is administered impartially and impartially.
But for some reason the statue of Themis in front of the building of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation is without a blindfold, why would that be? Not only are the eyes not blindfolded, but the scales are almost balanced. If the original Themis, blindfolded, obviously outweighs the truth on the scales, then this one reads in her eyes “How much will you give?”, and the answer to this question determines where the scales will swing.
By the way, also pay attention to the coat of arms of Moscow depicted on the shield. This is to make it immediately clear who this very justice is protecting and whose side it is on. No one will go unpunished. Themis is a stately, worthy woman, dressed in a robe. In her left hand she holds a scale and in her right hand a double-edged sword. Her eyes are covered with a bandage.
Correct Themis Thus, the attributes of the goddess of justice Themis are scales, a sword, a blindfold, and the first two are the main attributes and, moreover, so ancient and fundamental.
Libra is an ancient symbol of measure and justice. Good and evil, guilt and innocence are weighed on the scales of justice. The rigor and fairness of justice also presupposes an accurate weighing of actions. In ancient mythologies, the rulers of the underworld weighed the good and evil deeds of people, and their posthumous fate depended on which scale outweighed. The scales are in the left hand of the goddess - the left side of the body is considered the receptive side.
The sword is a symbol of spiritual strength, retribution; in the hands of Themis it is a symbol of retribution. The goddess's sword is double-edged, since the law not only punishes, but also warns. The hand holding it is the right one: this is the side of action, a symbol of strength, a “just cause.”
The goddess's blindfold symbolizes impartiality. The judge does not look at the litigants themselves, at their property and social differences, but only listens to the facts and truth, listening to both sides. Justice does not see the differences between people; it is blind in the sense that it rewards only what is right.
Here's what I found on the Internet:
As it turned out, such an image of the goddess of justice is not at all some super-fashionable trend in sculpting sculptures and not even the fruit of the author’s wild imagination. The Supreme Court of Russia has come up with its own goddess of justice! When they were preparing the design program, the court itself said that “our Themis cannot have her eyes closed, since she sees everything and knows everything,” said the chief architect of the Supreme Court reconstruction project, Yuri Milaev, dumbfounded. “That is, it was decided not to adhere to the ancient Greek canons.” And to the astonished question: what about impartiality? - the architect calmly explained: “If you noticed, our Themis does not have a sword, that is, she does not cut or beat anyone.”
Or perhaps it’s not Themis at all, but Nemesis (Nemesis, ancient Greek) - in ancient Greek mythology, the winged goddess of retribution, punishing violations of social and moral norms (the ruling elite).

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