Nemesis: Goddess of Retribution, Greek Mythology's Avenging Angel

Nemesis was the goddess of retribution. She personified the power that visited punishment on those guilty of wrongdoing. Some myths feature her as human-like, but often she was conceptualized as an omnipresent force rather than a physical entity. Her power functioned something like moral gravity, only punishing instead of pulling. When a person jumps, gravity pulls them back down to earth, and similarly, under the auspices of Nemesis, when a person did something bad, they were punished.
Nemesis was the bane of those who disrupted the natural order. Those most at risk of bringing down her power upon themselves were the hubristic, disrespecting the gods, the wicked - in all their myriad forms - and the inordinately lucky.
Her fundamental purpose was to maintain equilibrium, the balance of things. She personified the desire for retribution society felt towards wrongdoers and towards those whose good fortune was excessive or undeserved. People who perpetrated evil and people who were ridiculously lucky found themselves in her crosshairs, as did people who didn’t respect the stark divide between divinity and mortality, challenging the gods or thinking themselves equal to or greater than them.
Watch the video for the rest!

[@carneios08]

Guy wins the lottery twice: ... Nemesis: "...And now you die, human."

[@MythologyExplained]

Had a good chuckle at that.

[@mikemanolo]

Nemesis is basically what we know as Karma. Gaia and Rhea are known for their popular offspring. Nyx and her offspring may be lesser known, but just as powerful. Good work.

[@Aravis217]

What happened to her then? Karma, at least imo, doesnt exist.

[@blueberrycranberrycherry]

@@Aravis217pssst, it’s mythology

[@Aravis217]

@@blueberrycranberrycherry you know, the original definition (through etymology) of mythology is true history.

[@mikemanolo]

@@Aravis217 It's all in what u believe. U do dirt, u get dirt. Whatever u put in the universe is gonna come back to u. Karma.

[@blueberrycranberrycherry]

@@Aravis217 vampires are also mythology, and zombies

[@daniellogan-scott5968]

As a devotee of Nemesis, I am impressed by your work here. Well done. I think you captured the metaphysical sense of Nemesis. Oh, one thing missed was mentioning the griffins that draw her chariot, but that is a minor point of interest.

[@Aravis217]

Curious- is she also the representation of americas lady justice? I notice that she also holds the scales....

[@daniellogan-scott5968]

@@Aravis217 No, that would be Themis. Sometimes modern creators will conflate Nemesis and Themis, such as in the game Smite. Think of Themis as the judge and Nemesis as the executioner of the judgement, though sometimes Themis is depicted with a sword representing judgement. Just to confuse things even more, there is also Dike and Tyche. Themis is the goddess of divine order, fairness, and law. Dike is the goddess of moral justice, fairness, and the proper distribution of rights and responsibilities. She is also depicted carrying scales and is also sometimes associated with Lady Justice.Tyche is the goddess of luck who, like Nemesis, uses the wheel of fate as a symbol and she has been paired with Nemesis in ancient artwork.

[@Aravis217]

@@daniellogan-scott5968 very cool! Thank you! Makes perfect sense, believe it or not.😄

[@gbengaadeogun5573]

What does being a devotee of Nemesis entail?

[@daniellogan-scott5968]

@@gbengaadeogun5573 I am what I call a Hellenic Conceptualist. It is based on the idea that the Divines are concepts derived from real-world phenomenon. For example, Athena is a conceptualisation of Wisdom. Athena may not be literal, but Wisdom is. Devotion to Athena is a devotion to Wisdom. In this, the Divines become a focus for our values. If you value Wisdom, then you are devoted to Athena. As for Nemesis, she is Consequence, Karma, and FAFO. The opposite of Nemesis is mercy, when we do not get what we deserve. For example, Demeter is the goddess of agriculture, but in the modern world she is the goddess of food production from farm to market. If we see this as a Divine force, then the modern factory farming system that strips the soil for higher but lesser produce is not aligned with Demeter, thus can be seen as hubris. We do not need to follow the Divine order. Then Nemesis steps in as the consequence, which we see in the diminished nutritional value of the food supply and the health of the people who consume it. All due to the hubris of the corporations. For me, devotion to Nemesis takes the form of prayers for justice. Check out the song Nemesis by VNV Nation which I see as a hymn. But also it is a reminder that I am also subject to her justice and must face the consequences of my action. Again, look at the concept of values as those things we act to gain or to keep. Devotion to the Divines reminds us of what is important to us and what is worth fighting for. Nemesis is in my personal pantheon to remind me of what is important, specifically to live in accordance with the Divines, not play god, and not tolerate those who do.

[@MythologyExplained]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@momentslive1154]

very much enjoyed this, thank you

[@joshuavincent3515]

I won't lie I've been lacking on your videos. But I think I'm going to catch myself up man. Great job.

[@MixedRaceAndProud1690]

Another great informative vid .. thank you very much 🙏

[@Obsidian_Gargantuan_Leviathan]

Mythology Nemesis: guardian of balance the Hollywood Nemesis: *insert Resident Evil Umbrela Corp. theme here*

[@nickimontie]

I always thought that the story of Echo was sad. 😢

[@johnnycage112]

She's such a diva

[@kevinnorwood8782]

In a lot of courtrooms, we see a statue of a woman wearing a blindfold, holding a sword in her right hand and a set of scales in her left hand. Is that meant to be Nemesis, Goddess of Retribution, or is that meant to be Themis, Goddess of Justice?

[@MythologyExplained]

Themis is the goddess you would find in a courtroom.

[@darkshado124]

Nemesis is the one you'll meet if you fuck around and find out. >:3

[@melissaklemm9976]

​@darkshado124 YES❤

[@melissaklemm9976]

Yes❤

[@DaughterofRevenge]

4:24 Poor Nemesis. She is a goddess remarkable of power and importance. She is serving Zeus as his dispenser of dues, only to be used by her "boss" as a vessel for his own agenda. You see, in the Cypria, he and his ex-wife Themis had a plan of depopulating the earth through the Trojan War, and the first step is to bear a beautiful daughter, Helen, and they did so by having Zeus rape Nemesis and have her bear Helen, betraying her trust, and the rest is history.

[@melissaklemm9976]

Holy shit ❤

[@jimmyfaulkner1855]

Where do you get your music for your background videos from?

[@MythologyExplained]

Epidemic Sound

[@MagikarpMark]

Bad match-up for Hakari :(

[@IAmShe-Ra]

❤😂🎉

[@EzGainz9877]

Why can’t people compare themselves to a god lmao😂😂

[@PelonStar]

We can't you think we can compare to Jesus no so be quiet even if they are fake fiction mythology and religion they all solo 😂

[@scarletsophia4315]

why compare ur self to anyone, we are all unique but should still be able to feel and relate to all things, and nothing (as if that were a "thing"😂)pun intended😊

[@raycosmic9019]

How to learn nothing about nothing. Well done. A story is just a story until you find practical application for it in your daily life. The ancients competed for the best stories, which were the ones that transformed your perspective while listening or as a result of listening (Objective Art). Our collective task between now and April is to recognize our nemesis and take the necessary steps to liberate our self. My mom was my nemesis. Getting free of her influence was a Herculean task. My new Life is better in every way without her in it to ruin everything. Same for my best friend. Have you recognized your nemesis yet?

[@WilliamJATK]

How so?

[@Dlokey4315]

You are just repeating. Blah blah blah about the same story. Doesn't KZbin have enough repetitive stuff on it. 😢

[@JudoGeoff]

What contribution is this comment of yours supposed to make?

[@resurgam75]

You are free to move along anytime you wish.

[@-RONNIE]

Thanks 👍🏻 I knew some but not all of the information in this video