27. Greek Gods Thought Being a Proud Mother Was a Sin Worthy of Divine Vengeance
In Greek mythology, Niobe was a daughter of Tantalus, who got his own dose of terrible divine vengeance from the gods – see below. Niobe was a queen of Thebes who was blessed with great fortune. In addition to her noble birth and her descent from a king, Niobe was a stunning beauty. However, she committed the sin of hubris – a mixture of extreme pride, dangerous overconfidence, and overweening arrogance. For that, the gods visited their vengeance upon her.
Niobe took great pride in both her birth and her looks. What she took the greatest pride in, however, was her large brood of fourteen children – seven sons and seven daughters. A common theme in Ancient Greek stories about the gods is that pride on the part of mortals tends to set them off. One day, the people of Thebes went out to celebrate the feast of Latona – a religious festival in honor of Leto, also known as Latona, the mother of the gods’ Apollo and Artemis. Niobe’s conduct that day got her in serious trouble.