Thetis
Thetis was a sea nymph so powerful that both Zeus and Poseidon desired her — until a prophecy warned her son would surpass his father.
The Myth of Thetis
Thetis, a Nereid of extraordinary power, was desired by both Zeus and Poseidon until Prometheus revealed a prophecy: her son would surpass his father. The gods quickly married her to the mortal Peleus, and their wedding on Olympus — attended by every god — produced the discord when Eris threw the golden apple that led to Paris's judgment, Helen's abduction, and the Trojan War. Thetis bore Achilles and dipped him in the Styx to make him invulnerable, though his heel remained dry. She could not prevent his fated death at Troy but obtained divine armour from Hephaestus when Hector killed Patroclus.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
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Thetis
🌿 nymphSea nymph whose son's fate drove the Iliad
Thetis was the Nereid whose son was destined to surpass his father — a prophecy so threatening that Zeus and Poseidon married her off to a mortal.
Clymene
🌿 nymphfame, ocean
Oceanid nymph and mother of Phaethon and the Heliades.
Perseis
🌿 nymphWitchcraft, sun
Oceanid nymph and mother of the sorceress Circe and King Aeetes of Colchis
Perse
🌿 nymphthe sea, sorcery
An Oceanid nymph who married the sun god Helios and bore him Circe, Pasiphae, and Aeetes — a family of legendary sorcerers.
Amphitrite
🌿 nymphQueen of the sea
Amphitrite was the Nereid who became queen of the sea as Poseidon's wife.
Oenone
🌿 nymphhealing, prophecy
Mountain nymph of Mount Ida who was Paris's first wife before Helen.
Galatea
🌿 nymphSea nymph loved by a Cyclops
Galatea was a Nereid loved by the Cyclops Polyphemus — but she loved the mortal Acis.
Autonoe
🌿 nymphnature, grief
A Nereid and, in separate traditions, a daughter of Cadmus who witnessed the death of her son Actaeon.
Beroe
🌿 nymphcities, the sea
A nymph born to Aphrodite and Adonis, whose hand in marriage was contested by Poseidon and Dionysus.
Idyia
🌿 nymphKnowledge, Colchis
Oceanid nymph known as the knowing one and queen of Colchis beside King Aeetes
Rhode
🌿 nymphthe sea, islands
A sea nymph, daughter of Poseidon and Amphitrite (or Aphrodite), who gave her name to the island of Rhodes.
Periboea
🌿 nymphthe sea, giants
A Naiad or sea nymph who bore the giant Nausithous to Poseidon, becoming the ancestress of the Phaeacians.