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0616: Astraea (Justice) leaves the Earth. Painting by Salvator Rosa, 1615-1673. Künsthistorische Museum, Wien.
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Dike is Justice, a great goddess worshipped by
all and denied by no one.
Dike is Justice
Dike is Justice. She is also called Astraea
(starry), for she is the constellation of the
Virgin (Virgo). During the Golden Age, she
had her dwelling on earth, and was still upon the
earth in the Silver
Age.
Dike warns men of the Silver Age
At that time, no nations were attacked in war,
and there were no fleets, for no one knew how to
sail, but instead they took care of their fields.
Gradually mankind became less observant of duty and
more greedy, and so Dike associated more rarely
with men and rebuked them harshly:
"Behold what
manner of race the fathers of the Golden
Age left behind them! Far
meaner than themselves! but you will breed a viler
progeny! Verily wars and cruel bloodshed shall be
unto men and grievous woe shall be laid upon
them." (Dike to the men of the Silver Age.
Aratus, Phaenomena 123).
As men became more and more diseased, the Race of Bronze was born. These were the first to forge the sword
of the highwayman, and the first to eat of the
flesh of the ploughing-ox. Justice detested this
race, and not being able to endure any more, she
left the earth and went to heaven, establishing
herself near Bootes (Bear-Watcher) as the
constellation of Virgo.
Sisters of Dike
Dike, who is one of the HORAE, has been called the
secure foundation of cities, as has Eirene 1 (Peace). Along
with their sister Eunomia (Order), they are the
guardians of wealth for all men.
Great goddess
Justice is a great goddess. So great is she that nobody ever dares to go against her openly, being worshipped by the whole of mankind. And it is said that whoever does not make pretension to Justice must needs be mad. Mankind is often seen divided into groups which
continuously stand against each other, having
arguments about all imaginable things. So, for
example, those who are for "red" say "we are red",
and those who are for "white" say "we are white";
and so there are, in most situations, "reds" and
"whites", and sometimes also "pinks".
Worshipped by all
But mankind cannot be divided into those who
worship Justice, and those who are against
worshipping her; for both "reds" and "whites", and
even "pinks", claim to be her greatest worshippers.
So some of them will say: "We are 'reds' because we
worship Justice"; and the others will similarly
declare: "We are 'whites' because we worship
Justice".
Supported by all
But, no matter how unjust anyone may be when
acting in private or public life, none will make
declarations against Justice herself. And if anyone
happens to be unjust, he will conceal it by all
means as if he had been stealing in a temple.
Instead he will pretend, whenever he can, to be a
follower and a worshipper of Justice. For it is a
great shame to fail to worship Dike, and no one
dares to stand against her openly.
No one defends Injustice
Parents and children alike claim to be just, and
both teachers and pupils claim to be just, and so
do businessmen, chiefs, judges, generals, and
priests. But also thieves have the same claim, and
those who attack others, or take bloody revenge,
also claim to be assisted by Dike. That is why Orestes 2 says:
"… not without justice did I slay my mother …" (Aeschylus. Libation-Bearers 1026).
In short: there is no one who would dare to defy
Dike and openly declare: "I worship Injustice";
those can only be the words of a madman.
Pillar of society
Such is the power of this goddess, who thus
controls the tongues of men, their written
declarations, their contracts, and many other
things. For proclamations against Dike are
impossible to be found, and states continuously
invoke her, knowing that they would not be able to
exist without her, who is the pillar of society.
And only a madman could dream of founding a state
upon injustice, for that is an impossibility.
A honour to be called "Just"
Such is the extraordinary power and influence of
this goddess. And being so great, there is no
mortal that does not wish to be regarded as a great
worshipper of Dike, and thereby earn the honour of
being called "just". For those who do not partake
in Justice, and are therefore called "unjust", are
considered to be most wretched.
More important than profession
When learning about other men and women, people do not just ask about their trade and profession, whether he or she is a physician, or a farmer, or a public servant, or a soldier, but also whether he or she is a just person. For only a fool wishes to meet a physician who deals in poisons, or a farmer who cheats, or a public servant who misuses his power, or a soldier who acts like a bandit. In short, very few love to meet people who do not know about Justice, and even a robber would prefer to share with a man who worships Dike, than with someone who doesn't.
Great popularity
This is why the popularity of Dike is always
close to 100%, and there is no doubt that she would
win all elections in all countries if she cared to
run for office. For candidates in democracies are
always referring to her, quoting her, and making
promises in her name. And tyrants cannot stop
talking about her, or using her garments in their
public appearances. Independently of the social
system or the colors of the flag, all praise Dike
as much as they can. For deep in their hearts they
know that, no matter how things look like, this
goddess cannot but win in the long run, and those
who secretly oppose her, can hope at best to live
the impoverished life of the wicked.
All written above is nonsense
However, it has been pointed out that all this
may just be nonsense, for many believe in their
hearts, although they are reluctant to say it
aloud, that they might achieve happiness by
depriving others of their share, or by having their
will done by the support of force.
The Just and the Unjust
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Dike fighting Injustice (Adikia).
R1-1019: Dike und Adikia (nach Nuove Memorie dell' Inst. arch. 2 tav. 4, 4). Roscher, 1884.
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That is why some say that the just man always
comes out at a disadvantage in his relation with
the unjust. For in all their business dealings or
joint ventures, the unjust man always takes the
lion-share, and the just man always has the worst
out of their partnership. And when it comes to pay
taxes, the just man pays more and the unjust less,
but when social benefits are distributed, the
unjust man receives more and the just man less. And
when a just man holds office, he profits nothing
from the state, is unwilling to serve his friends
unjustly, and as a consequence his own affairs fall
into disorder. But when the unjust man holds
office, he takes advantage of his position,
pleasing his acquaintances with all kinds of
privileges, and becoming richer himself. A pleasant
life, they think, is the same as the largest
possible amount of inflow.
Itching and scratching
But then again, others say that a large amount
of inflow increases outflow, and that these kind of
men feel compelled to constantly increase their
share, or else suffer extreme distress, and that
therefore neither happiness nor freedom can be
found in their lives, but instead itching and
scratching. For, they say, these men have an itch
and they want to scratch, and they may scratch in
all freedom, and also pass their lives happily in
continual scratching. But he who follows Dike has
no itch.
Dike fairest
Money-making is a wonderful thing, for it
relieves mortal citizens from poverty, and medicine
is also extraordinary, for it vanquishes disease.
But some have believed that Dike is fairer than
these two, and yields greater benefit and pleasure
because, they reason, there is nothing more painful
than being wicked, and for that reason they also
think that it is fouler to wrong than to be
wronged.
The superiority of Dike
The superiority of Dike, they say, is proved by
the fact that all unjust men or unjust states, have
to rely on Justice in order to perform any
undertaking. For upon injustice nothing can be
built, and even robbers could not achieve anything
if they were wronging each other continuously. And
this, they affirm, reveals the power of Dike, and
shows that success is proportional to the degree in
which she is practically honoured. This is why
Dike's power is present whenever a state is
founded, or a family, or an army, or even a gang of
thieves, making possible any action in common.
Without her, they say, each thing would be enemy to
itself, being incapable of cooperation, and a
victim of faction and dispute.
Dike indispensable
That is why it is believed that if men or states
were thoroughly unjust, they could accomplish
nothing. But when they do carry out something, it
is because some amount of justice has prevented
them from wronging each other, letting them work
for their common good. And that proves, they
assert, that Justice is indispensable if any
success is to be achieved.
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