Nemesis: the goddess of retribution
Nemesis was the Greek goddess of retribution and revenge, who enacted punishment upon those who fell to hubris before the gods. Though she never appeared, the weapon called the Nemesis Whip was named for her and forged as an instrument of vengeance against Zeus.
Nemesis was the Greek goddess of retribution and revenge, also called Rhamnousia, who enacted punishment upon those who fell to hubris before the gods. A daughter of the primordial Nyx in Hesiod's telling, she never appeared in the saga in person, yet her name endured in the weapon forged by Hephaestus and wielded by Kratos as an instrument of vengeance against Zeus. (Theogony; God of War III)
The goddess of retribution#
Nemesis was the goddess of retribution and revenge, known also as Rhamnousia after her great temple at Rhamnous in Attica. She enacted punishment upon those who succumbed to hubris, the arrogance shown before the gods, and Hesiod counts her among the children of Nyx, born to be a bane to mortal men. She could also change her shape: in one telling she became a goose to escape Zeus, who took the form of a swan to pursue her. (Theogony; Description of Greece; Bibliotheca)
The Nemesis Whip#
Though Nemesis herself never appeared and took no part in the defense of Olympus during the Second Titanomachy, her name lived on in a weapon forged by the smith god Hephaestus. The Nemesis Whip was most likely named for the goddess of retribution, for Hephaestus spoke of it in terms of retribution when he placed it in the hands of Kratos. Its power was fitting as an instrument of vengeance against Zeus, and through it the goddess of revenge was honored even in her absence. Her own ultimate fate remained unknown. (God of War III)
Frequently asked questions
- Who was Nemesis in God of War?
- Nemesis was the Greek goddess of retribution and revenge, also called Rhamnousia. She enacted punishment upon those who succumbed to hubris before the gods, and Hesiod names her a daughter of the primordial goddess Nyx.
- What is the Nemesis Whip?
- The Nemesis Whip was a weapon forged by Hephaestus and named after the goddess Nemesis. Hephaestus spoke of it in terms of retribution, and it was given to Kratos as an instrument of vengeance against Zeus.
- Did Nemesis appear in God of War?
- No. Nemesis was only ever spoken of and never appeared directly. She did not aid the gods of Olympus in the Second Titanomachy, and her ultimate fate remained unknown.
Sources
- BookTheogony, Hesiod, around 700 BC
- BookDescription of Greece, Pausanias, 2nd century AD
- BookBibliotheca, Attributed to Apollodorus, 1st or 2nd century AD
- GameGod of War III, Santa Monica Studio, 2010
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
Hephaestus: the smith who made the Blades
He forged Pandora's Box for Zeus and the Blades of Chaos for Ares, and lost everything for it. Kratos killed him in the Underworld, defending his daughter.
Nyx
Nyx was the Primordial of Night, one of the first beings born from Chaos and the sister-consort of Erebus. From the darkness she brought forth a host of lesser primordial gods, drawing her cloak of night across the Greek heavens before withdrawing to her own world of eternal gloom.
Zeus
Zeus was the King of Olympus and ruler of the Greek Pantheon, the youngest son of Cronos who freed his siblings, ended the Great War, and claimed the heavens. Father of Kratos, he became the great antagonist of the Greek age and fell at last to the very son he had tried to destroy.
Kratos
Kratos was the demigod son of Zeus who rose from a Spartan general to the Greek God of War, destroyed the pantheon of Olympus in a quest for vengeance, and then began again in the Norse realms as a father seeking to leave his bloody past behind.
Nemesis Whip
The Nemesis Whip was a weapon of paired chains tipped with claw-like daggers, crafted by Hephaestus from the Omphalos Stone. Intended to kill Kratos, it was instead turned against its maker and wielded by the Ghost of Sparta.
Second Titanomachy
The Second Titanomachy was the war Kratos set in motion against the Olympian Gods, when he led the Titans up Mount Olympus to take his vengeance on Zeus. It ended with the death of nearly every god and Titan and the ruin of Greece.
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