Law and Order, Olympian Style
As ruler of gods and men, Zeus had the duty of bringing ultimate order to the universe. An order of sorts had already been established — the universe had come a long way from the chaos that had preceded it — but Zeus wanted to refine this order further.
Zeus made love to his aunt, Themis, who was the goddess of eternal order. Their union produced numerous daughters, including six who became the personifications of the principles needed to complete the ultimate order he desired. These daughters of Zeus and Themis were:
Eirene: The personification of peace
Eunomia: The personification of law and order
Dike: The personification of justice
Clotho: The Fate who was responsible for spinning the thread of life
Lachesis: The Fate who was responsible for measuring the thread of life
Atropos: The Fate who was responsible for cutting the thread of life
With universal order now established, it became Zeus's job to maintain that order, and he was fully capable of doing so. Zeus was known as a strict but fair ruler who firmly believed in justice.
Zeus did not allow his emotions or biases to affect his rule. If he felt he could not judge a matter impartially, he would either bring it before a council of other deities or find some other way (such as a contest) to determine the final outcome. For example, Zeus's brother Poseidon had a tendency to fight for land and often started battles with other gods and goddesses. Sometimes Zeus thought he could not decide impartially between his brother and, say, his daughter. Who would want to make such a choice? So Zeus would bring the matter before the council or create a contest whose winner could rightfully claim the land. Occasionally Zeus also used compromise to settle a dispute.
In matters of law, Zeus could be very wise. He did have his weaknesses, though — especially women. And some myths say that even though Zeus was supreme ruler, he did not have complete control. Remember his daughters the Fates? All of the gods — even the great Zeus himself — were subject to these three personifications of destiny.
