Adrasteia
Nymph who nursed the infant Zeus on Crete, later identified with divine retribution.
The Myth of Adrasteia
Adrasteia, a nymph of Mount Ida on Crete, was one of the nurses who raised the infant Zeus after Rhea hid him from Kronos. Alongside the Kouretes, whose clashing shields drowned out the baby's cries, Adrasteia fed Zeus goat's milk and wild honey. Her role made possible everything that followed: the Titanomachy, the fall of Kronos, the rise of Olympus. Some traditions identified Adrasteia with Nemesis, the goddess of divine retribution who ensured no mortal — from Achilles to Ajax — escaped the consequences of hubris. In either guise she represented inevitability: the hand that nurtures the destroyer of the old order, and the force that punishes those who defy the new.
Symbols
Fun Fact
The philosophical concept of "inescapable consequences" in Greek thought traces directly to Adrasteia — her name literally means "she from whom there is no escape."
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