She is one of the earliest worshipped deities of the Archaic Greek period, some even believing her to be the creator of the entire universe. In the Trojan War<\/a>, she gave birth to hero Achilles<\/a> – the same Achilles with the wounded heel and who also stared in the ancient epic The Iliad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A prophecy was revealed that her child would become stronger than the father, which worried some of the other gods, including Zeus<\/a>. To prevent this from happening, Zeus arranged for her to get married to the mortal man Peleus<\/a>. They held their wedding on Mount Pelion, where the other deities came to celebrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eventually, they had a new son – Achilles. Though he wasn\u2019t a full god, Thetis tried to clean away his mortality by washing him in the river Styx<\/a>, also called the river of Hades<\/a>. Although it made him immortal, she was unable to dip his heels into the water while she held him. This would become his Achille\u2019s heel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the Trojan War started, Thetis tried to prevent Achilles from joining and risking his life. To do this, she disguised Achilles as a girl at the court of Lycomedes. However, when the court heard the alarm of an incoming attack, Achilles raced for his weapons. After the truth was found out, Thetis accepted fate and had commissioned new armor for her son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the Trojan War, she kept in touch with Achilles, often relaying messages between him and the other gods. At one time, the gods had Thetis tells her son that they were angry with him, as he did not return the body of his rival Hector<\/a> after defeating him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Achilles was eventually killed by an arrow to the heel which was shot by Paris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond her important role in the Trojan War and the life of her son Achilles, Thetis appears in various other myths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One lesser-known myth involves Thetis and the god Dionysus<\/a>. Diomedes writes, that when Dionysus was pursued and expelled by Lycurgus of Thrace (not to be mistaken with Lycurgus the law maker in Sparta<\/a>), with the aid of the Olympians, Thetis provided refuge to the young god in the depths of the sea. This act of protection is found across various sources, including the Iliad, Astronomica and Bibliothica. It reveals her nurturing side and her divine, water qualities as a guardian figure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other minor stories highlight the relationship between Thetis and Hephaestus<\/a>, the god of blacksmiths and fire. Hephaestus was thrown from Olympus<\/a> by Hera<\/a>, due to his physical imperfection. Such a disfiguration was ‘ungodly’. An insult to the gods. When he was cast out, it was Thetis who rescued and took care of him in the sea. In gratitude, Hephaestus crafted beautiful jewellery for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"goddess-thetis\"](\"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/goddess-thetis-1024x585.webp\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nA Worrying Prophecy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Thetis, Achilles and the Trojan War<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In other Myths<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Thetis and Dionysus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Relationship With Hephaestus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n