How does Themis convey her instructions to Deucalion and Pyrrha?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Themis speaks in an oracle: she gives them a deliberately cryptic command—“throw the bones of your mother behind you”—a riddle whose meaning must be inferred. In the classical account (notably Ovid’s Metamorphoses) Deucalion and Pyrrha survive Zeus’s flood and consult Themis (a prophetic, law-bearing goddess). Her instruction is ambiguous: taken literally it makes no sense, but as a riddle it points to Mother Earth (Gaia) and her “bones,” i.e., stones.

Step-by-step reasoning:
1. Context: After the flood only Deucalion and Pyrrha remain; they seek guidance from Themis, who is associated with prophetic pronouncements and divine law.
2. Themis issues a short, puzzling sentence—“throw the bones of your mother behind you” (or similar wording in different translations).
3. Interpretation: “Mother” = Mother Earth (Gaia); “bones” = stones/rocks. The phrase is therefore a pun/riddle that requires reinterpretation of its key terms.
4. Action and result: They cast stones over their shoulders; the stones Deucalion throws become men, and those Pyrrha throws become women, thereby repopulating the earth.

Why the correct answer is right: Themis intentionally uses figurative, riddle-like language; the pun (“bones” = stones of Mother Earth) is central to the myth’s mechanism for recreating humanity.

Why the other options are incorrect:
- A rainbow would be associated with Iris, not Themis, and no mythic rainbow conveys this instruction.
- Patterns in receding soil are not part of the canonical narrative.
- Clay tablets are not how Themis delivers this specific guidance; it’s an oral oracle.

Therefore the best answer is: Within a riddling pun.

How does Themis convey her instructions to Deucalion and Pyrrha?单项选择题

类似问题

Which of the following characters has many descendants who play significant roles in other Greek myths:

True or False? The Greeks hated changes to their myths, and liked to keep their stories the same.

Which god is often portrayed as an outsider trying to become an insider?

What role does Hecate play in the story of Persephone?

What happens to Dionysus in the story discussed in Week 4?

Among other things, the story of Pandora reflects

Who is the first mother of Dionysus?

Who adopts Erichthonius and treats him as her child?

更多留学生实用工具

智能学习助手

风格化写作助手

论文查重助手

文献引用助手

课堂转译助手

课堂笔记助手

Quiz搜索助手

学校历年真题

智能刷题助手

智能匹配练习

希望你的学习变得更简单