Skip to main content
Greek Mythology Notes

Orthosie

godὈρθοσία
Prosperity, order

One of the lesser-known Horae whose name means prosperity or upright standing, associated with the f‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‍​‌​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌lourishing of crops

The Myth of Orthosie

Orthosie was one of the Horae listed in the expanded catalogues of later Greek mythography.‍​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‌​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‍​‌​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‍​‌​‌​‌​‌ Her name derives from the Greek word orthos, meaning straight, upright, or prosperous, connecting her to the concept of things standing tall and thriving, whether crops in a field or the general state of a community. The Horae as a collective were daughters of Zeus and Themis, the goddess of divine order, and their function was to regulate the natural progression of the seasons to ensure that the world operated in an orderly and productive fashion. Orthosie's specific role within this larger group was to oversee the phase of prosperity and correct growth, the time when planted seeds stood upright and strong. She represents the Greek tendency to personify every stage of the natural cycle, assigning divine oversight to processes that modern cultures attribute to impersonal natural law.

Parents

Zeus and Themis

Symbols

wheat stalkscales

Fun Fact

Orthosie's name shares its root with orthodoxy and orthopaedics, all deriving from the Greek word for straight or correct

Explore Further

Euporie

god

Abundance, passage

One of the lesser-known Horae whose name means good passage or abundance, associated with prosperity and ease of travel

Ops

god

Abundance, harvest, earth

Roman goddess of abundance and the harvest, wife of Saturn, equivalent to the Greek Rhea

opulentopus

Thallo

god

Spring, growth

Goddess of spring blossoms and one of the original Attic Horae who presided over the budding of plants

Demeter Thesmophoros

god

law, agriculture

An epithet of Demeter as bringer of divine law and civilised customs, honoured at the Thesmophoria, the most widespread festival in the Greek world.

thesmophoria

Carpo

god

Harvest, autumn

Goddess of the autumn harvest and one of the original Attic Horae who presided over the fruiting of crops

Ceres

god

Agriculture, grain, harvest, fertility

Roman goddess of agriculture and grain, identified with the Greek Demeter

cerealceremony

Thalia

god

Festivity and abundance

One of the three Graces, personification of festivity and rich abundance

Demeter

god

Goddess of harvest and the Eleusinian Mysteries

Demeter was the goddess of grain, harvest, and fertility whose grief over Persephone's abduction explained the seasons and whose Mysteries promised hope beyond death.

cereal

Auxo

god

Growth, summer

Goddess of plant growth and one of the original Attic Horae who presided over the increase of crops

Venus

god

Love, beauty, desire, fertility

Roman goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, identified with the Greek Aphrodite but also revered as ancestress of the Roman people

venerealvenerate

Demeter

god

Goddess of the harvest, agriculture, fertility, sacred law

Goddess of grain, harvest, and the fertility of the earth. When her daughter Persephone was abducted, Demeter's grief brought winter to the world.

cereal

Eunomia

god

Goddess of good order and lawful governance

Eunomia was the goddess of good order, lawfulness, and civil governance — one of the Horae (Seasons) who embodied the conditions necessary for a just society.

eunomia