{"id":1264,"date":"2019-10-21T10:56:56","date_gmt":"2019-10-21T09:56:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/?post_type=goddesses&p=1264"},"modified":"2024-02-29T11:52:34","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T11:52:34","slug":"metis","status":"publish","type":"goddesses","link":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/goddesses\/metis\/","title":{"rendered":"Metis – Titan of Wisdom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Titan Goddess of Good Counsel And Wisdom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In\u00a0Greek mythology,<\/a>\u00a0Metis is one of the female Titans. Metis means \u201ccraft,\u201d \u201cskill,\u201d or \u201cwisdom\u201d. She is also considered to be the goddess of prudence, deep thought, and higher wisdom. She is considered to be the wisest beings in all of creation. Metis is one of the three thousand Oceanids, a daughter of\u00a0Oceanus<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Tethys.<\/a>\u00a0The Oceanids<\/a>\u00a0were the patrons of all the different kinds of water like rivers, ponds, lakes, springs, etc.\u00a0The Titans<\/a>, including Metis, were born before\u00a0Zeus<\/a>\u00a0and the other\u00a0Olympic gods<\/a>. She was also one of the first\u00a0wives of Zeus<\/a>, and she is often called the Metieta, or the \u201cwise counsellor\u201d in Homer\u2019s work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally, the Greek word was the combination of cunning and wisdom. These qualities were highly prized by the Mycenaeans and particularly by\u00a0heroes<\/a>\u00a0like Odysseus.\u00a0Odysseus<\/a>\u00a0was often considered to be the embodiment of metis, embracing both cunning and wisdom. Throughout Athens, Metis was a characteristic of the typical Athenian character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Metis and the Titanomachy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Metis was one of Zeus\u2019 greatest counselors in his war with Cronus. In mythology, she was the Titaness who gave Zeus the drink to force\u00a0Cronus<\/a>\u00a0to vomit up the other siblings. Zeus was even considered to be afraid of Metis. Zeus felt she was a threat even though he desperately needed her. It was revealed through a prophecy that the children of Metis would be incredibly powerful, possibly more powerful than Zeus himself. One of her children is\u00a0Athena<\/a>, the goddess of wisdom. But to prevent a child being born who was stronger than himself, Zeus turned Metis into a fly and ate her whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Metis was already pregnant with his child. She made a robe and a helmet for her daughter even as she was inside Zeus. As Metis hammered the helmet, she caused Zeus incredible pain. In some stories,\u00a0Hephaestus<\/a>\u00a0broke open Zeus\u2019 head with an axe to relieve the pain. In others, Hephaestus hit Zeus with a hammer by the river\u00a0Triton<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, Athena leapt from the head of Zeus. When\u00a0she was born<\/a>, she was not born as a child. Rather she was an adult, fully formed, with her helmet in hand. She was born fully armed as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Hesiod\u2019s\u00a0Theogony<\/a>, Metis is considered to be one of the primal forces of the universe that took part in the creation of the universe. Metis never had the second son that would overthrow Zeus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Legacy of Wisdom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After the birth of Athena, Metis’s wisdom continued to resonate through her daughter. Athena following in her mother’s footsteps, was revered as the goddess of wisdom, but also warfare and strategy. Her skill and prowess in these areas, particularly warfare, are suggested in many myths to have been inherited from her mother, Metis.\u00a0As was\u00a0her wise counsel to heroes and gods alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Metis and the Creation of Mankind<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In some lesser-known myths, Metis is credited with assisting Prometheus<\/a> in the creation of mankind. Her wisdom was said to be imbued in the clay from which humans were formed. This granted humans the capacity for thought, problem-solving, and the pursuit of knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Facts About Metis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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  1. Metis’s name, in Greek comes from a term that means the combination of both ‘cunning’ and ‘wisdom.’ These just happen to be two of her most important traits.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Metis’s fate illustrates the complex dynamics of power and vulnerability within the pantheon of Greek mythology.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. The prophecy concerning Metis’s unborn son, reveals the ancient Greeks’ belief in the power of fate and prophecy. Even the gods could not escape this.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Athena’s birth from Zeus’s head, while Metis was within him, symbolizes the transfer of wisdom from mother to daughter, highlighting the matrilineal transmission of intelligence and skill.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Metis’s ability to craft a robe and helmet for Athena inside Zeus showcases her as a goddess of not only wisdom but also of craftsmanship, a trait she passed on to her daughter. Or perhaps it better reflects her trait of cunning?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. She was considered to be one of the most important of the Oceanids, who were the children of Oceanus and Tethys.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. The story of Metis and Zeus reflects ancient Greek attitudes towards the balance of power in relationships, highlighting the tension between dependence and dominance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Some Myths mention a second child of Metis, called Porus (Poros), but they do not mention Zeus as the father.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. While a second child to overthrow Zeus, was prophesied, he was never born, and this leaves an open question in mythology about the potential for change and challenge within the divine hierarchy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. Metis’s influence extends beyond her immediate family; her wisdom and strategic acumen are echoed in the qualities admired in Greek heroes<\/a> and leaders.\u00a0Qualities and traits that emphasize the cultural value placed on intelligence and foresight.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  11. Metis’s story reflects the Greek understanding of wisdom as a double-edged sword. Capable of both protecting and threatening the existing order.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    Other mentions of Metis on GreekGodsAndGoddesses.net<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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    Birth of Athena<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    List of Ancient Sea Gods<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Daughters of Zeus<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Peitho<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Antheia<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    Tartarus<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Minerva<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Titanomachy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Greek Goddesses<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Titan Goddess of Good Counsel And Wisdom In\u00a0Greek mythology,\u00a0Metis is one of the female Titans. Metis means \u201ccraft,\u201d \u201cskill,\u201d or \u201cwisdom\u201d. She is also considered to be the goddess of prudence, deep thought, and higher wisdom. She is considered to be the wisest beings in all of creation. Metis is one of the three thousand […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2211,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/goddesses\/1264"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/goddesses"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/goddesses"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1264"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/goddesses\/1264\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5089,"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/goddesses\/1264\/revisions\/5089"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}