Tethys

Hermogenes: That is true.

Socrates: Well then, how can we avoid inferring that he who gave the names of Cronus and Rhea to the ancestors of the gods agreed pretty much in the doctrine of Heraclitus? Is the giving of the names of streams to both of them purely accidental? Compare the line in which Homer, and, as I believe, Hesiod also tells of: Ocean the origin of gods, and mother Tethys.

And again Orpheus says that: The fair river of Ocean was the first to marry, and he espoused his sister Tethys, who was his mother's daughter.

You see that this is a remarkable coincidence, and all in the direction of Heraclitus.

Hermogenes: I think that there is something in what you say, Socrates; but I do not understand the meaning of the name Tethys.

Socrates: Well, that is almost self-explained, being only the name of a spring a little disguised.

For that which is strained and filtered, diathoumenon, aithoumenon, may be likened to a spring; and the name Tethys is made up of these two words.

Hermogenes: The idea is ingenious, Socrates.

Although they give no proof, we must believe them as is customary.

They tell us that Oceanus and Tethys were the children of Earth and Heaven; that Phorcys, Cronus, and Rhea came in the next generation, and were followed by Zeus and Hera, whose brothers and children are known to everybody.

When all of them, both those who show themselves in the sky and those who retire from view, had come into being, the Creator addressed them thus: Gods, sons of gods, my works, if I will, are indissoluble; that which is bound may be dissolved, but only an evil being would dissolve that which is harmonious and happy.

And although you are not immortal, you shall not die; for I will hold you together.

Although they give no proof, we must believe them as is customary.

They tell us that Oceanus and Tethys were the children of Earth and Heaven; that Phorcys, Cronus, and Rhea came in the next generation, and were followed by Zeus and Hera, whose brothers and children are known to everybody.

When all of them, both those who show themselves in the sky and those who retire from view, had come into being, the Creator addressed them thus: 'Gods, sons of gods, my works, if I will, are indissoluble.

That which is bound may be dissolved, but only an evil being would dissolve that which is harmonious and happy.

How can we doubt the word of the children of the gods? Although they give no probable or certain proofs, still, as they declare that they are speaking of what took place in their own family, we must conform to custom and believe them.

In this manner, then, according to them, the genealogy of these gods is to be received and set forth.

Oceanus and Tethys were the children of Earth and Heaven, and from these sprang Phorcys and Kronos and Rhea and all that generation.

And from Kronos and Rhea sprang Zeus and Hera and all those who are said to be their brethren and others who are the children of these.

And out of chaos came earth, and out of earth there came the starry heaven.

And from heaven and earth wedded there were born the Titan gods and goddesses, Oceanus, Coesus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, Thea, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, gold-crowned Phoebe, and lovely Tethys.

And then heaven and earth had for their child Cronus, the most cunning of all.

Cronus wedded Rhea, and from Cronus and Rhea were born the gods, who were different from the Titan gods.

The Titans were twelve in number.

Their names were Oceanus, Ceas, Cryos, Hyperion, Iapetus, Cronus, Theia, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, and Tethys.

Now Uranus, the chaste light of heaven, the essence of all that is bright and pleasing, held in abhorrence his crude, rough, and turbulent offspring, the giants, and moreover feared that their great power might eventually prove hurtful to himself.

He therefore hurled them into Tartarus, that portion of the lower world which served as the subterranean dungeon of the gods.

Although they give no proof, we must believe them as is customary.

They tell us that Oceanus and Tethys were the children of Earth and Heaven; that Phorcys, Cronus, and Rhea came in the next generation, and were followed by Zeus and Hera, whose brothers and children are known to everybody.

When all of them, both those who show themselves in the sky and those who retire from view, had come into being, the Creator addressed them thus: 'Gods, sons of gods, my works, if I will, are indissoluble.

That which is bound may be dissolved, but only an evil being would dissolve that which is harmonious and happy.

How can we doubt the word of the children of the gods? Although they give no probable or certain proofs, still, as they declare that they are speaking of what took place in their own family, we are to conform to custom and believe them.

In this manner, then, according to them, the genealogy of these gods is to be received and set forth.

Oceanus and Tethys were the children of Earth and Heaven, and from these sprang Phorcys and Cronos and Rhea and all that generation; and from Cronos and Rhea sprang Zeus and Here and all those who are said to be their brethren, and others who were the children of these.

Now when all of them, both those who visibly appear in their revolutions as well as those other gods who are of a more retiring nature, had come into being, the Creator of the universe addressed them in these words: 'Gods, children of gods, who are my works, and of whom I am the artificer and father, my creations are indissoluble, if so I will.

Although they give no proof, we must believe them as is customary.

They tell us that Oceanus and Tethys were the children of Earth and Heaven, that Phoraes, Cronus, and Rhea came in the next generation, and were followed by Zeus and Hera, whose brothers and children are known to everybody.

When all of them, both those who show themselves in the sky and those who retire from view, had come into being, the Creator addressed them thus, Gods, sons of gods, my works, if I will, are indissoluble.

That which is bound may be dissolved, but only an evil being would dissolve that which is harmonious and happy.

How can we doubt the word of the children of the gods? Although they give no probable or certain proofs, still, as they declare that they are speaking of what took place in their own family, we must conform to custom and believe them.

In this manner, then, according to them, the genealogy of these gods is to be received and set forth.

Oceanus and Tethys were the children of Earth and Heaven, and from these sprang Phorcys and Cronos and Rhea and all that generation.

And from Cronos and Rhea sprang Zeus and Here and all those who are said to be their brethren and others who were the children of these.

And out of chaos came earth, and out of earth there came the starry heaven.

And from heaven and earth wedded there were born the Titan gods and goddesses, Oceanus, Coesus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, Thea, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, gold-crowned Phoebe, and lovely Tethys.

And then heaven and earth had for their child Cronus, the most cunning of all.

Cronus wedded Rhea, and from Cronus and Rhea were born the gods, who were different from the Titan gods.

Although they give no proof, we must believe them as is customary.

They tell us that Oceanus and Tethys were the children of Earth and Heaven; that Phorcys, Cronus, and Rhea came in the next generation, and were followed by Zeus and Hera, whose brothers and children are known to everybody.

When all of them, both those who show themselves in the sky and those who retire from view, had come into being, the Creator addressed them thus, Gods, sons of gods, my works, if I will, are indissoluble; that which is bound may be dissolved, but only an evil being would dissolve that which is harmonious and happy.

And although you are not immortal, you shall not die, for I will hold you together.

How can we doubt the word of the children of the gods although they give no probable or certain proofs still as they declare that they are speaking of what took place in their own family we must conform to custom and believe them.

In this manner then according to them the genealogy of these gods is to be received and set forth.

Oceanus and Tethys were the children of earth and heaven and from these sprang Phorcys and Kronos and Rhea and all that generation and from Kronos and Rhea sprang Zeus and Hera and all those who are said to be their brethren and others who are the children of these.

Now when all of them both those who visibly appear in their revolutions as well as those other gods who are of a more retiring nature had come into being the creator of the universe addressed them in these words Gods children of gods who are my works and of who I am the artificer and father my creations are indissoluble if so I will.