THEMIS--ASTRÆA--NEMESIS.
_Ques._ Who was Themis?
_Ans._ She instructed both gods and men, and was generally considered
the goddess of law and justice. Her origin is uncertain; but she is
said to have been a Titaness.
_Ques._ Who was Astræ´a?
_Ans._ She was also goddess of justice; according to some, she was the
daughter of Jupiter and Themis. When the Titans took up arms against
Jupiter, Astræ´a descended to earth, and mingled with the human race.
This intercourse was uninterrupted during the Golden Age; in the
Silver Age, Astræ´a dwelt in the mountains, and descended only amid
the shades of evening, when she was unseen by men. When the Brazen Age
commenced, she fled altogether from the human race, being the last
among the Immortals to abandon the earth. Jupiter then changed her
into the constellation Virgo, one of the signs of the zodiac. This
constellation is represented by the figure of a woman holding scales
in one hand, and a sword in the other. The scales have been variously
explained, but they are generally supposed to be an emblem of justice.
According to some, Erigo´ne, a maiden who hung herself in despair, at
the death of her father, was changed into the constellation Virgo.
_Ques._ Who was Nem´esis?
_Ans._ She was the daughter of Night, and the goddess of just
vengeance. It was her office to follow and punish guilty men. She had
wings, but generally went on foot, which signifies that the punishment
of crime, although sure, is generally slow. An ancient poet says:
"Vengeance divine to punish sin moves slow;
The slower is its pace, the surer is its blow."
_Ques._ What do you say of the temple of Nem´esis at Rhamnus?
_Ans._ This temple was but a short distance from the plain of
Marathon. The Persians had brought with them a great block of Parian
marble for the trophy which they intended to erect in honor of their
expected victory. This marble fell into the hands of the Athenians,
and a sculptor, said by some to have been Phidias, afterwards carved
from it a beautiful statue of Nem´esis, which was placed in the temple
of Rhamnus. A fragment was found in the ruins of this edifice, which
is supposed to be the head of this statue; and has been presented as
such to the British Museum.