Praxidice

In Greek mythology, Praxidice (Ancient Greek: Πραξιδίκη, Greek pronunciation: [praksidíkeː]) is the goddess of judicial punishment and the exactor of vengeance, which were two closely allied concepts in the classical Greek world-view.

For the moon of Jupiter, see Praxidike (moon).

The Orphic hymn to Persephone identifies Praxidice as an epithet of Persephone: "Praxidike, subterranean queen. The Eumenides’ source [mother], fair-haired, whose frame proceeds from Zeus’ ineffable and secret seeds."[1][2] As praxis "practice, application" of dike "justice", she is sometimes identified with Dike, goddess of justice.

The plural Praxidicae (Praxidikai) refers to the following groups of mythological figures who presided over exacting of justice:

1. Arete and Homonoia, daughters of Praxidice and Soter, sisters to Ktesios.[3]

2. Alalcomenia, Thelxionoea and Aulis, daughters of the early Boeotian king Ogyges.[3] At Haliartos in Boeotia, Pausanias saw the open-air "sanctuary of the goddesses whom they call Praxidikae. Here the Haliartians swear, but the oath is not one they take lightly".[4] Their images only portrayed their heads, and only heads of animals were sacrificed to them.[5]

According to Stephanus of Byzantium, a daughter of Ogygus named Praxidike was married to Tremilus or Tremiles (after whom Lycia had been previously named Tremile) and had by him four sons: Tlos, Xanthus, Pinarus and Cragus. Of them Tlos had a Lycian city named Tlos after himself.[6] Cragus may be identical with the figure of the same name mentioned as the husband of Milye, sister of Solymus.

References
  1. Orphic Hymn 29 to Persephone
  2. "Persephone - Greek Goddess of Spring, Queen of the Underworld (Roman Proserpina)". www.theoi.com.
  3. Suda s.v. Praxidike
  4. Pausanias, Guide to Greece, VIII.15.3.
  5. William Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, v. 3, page 517 Archived 2011-09-04 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Stephanus of Byzantium s. vv. Tlōs; Tremilē (quoting a poem by Panyassis)
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