One day Zeus’s eye fell on the most beautiful of all the Oceanids—EURYNOME, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. Hidden in a cave while the battle roared outside, Eurynome bore Zeus three ravishing daughters, AGLAEA (which means “splendor”), EUPHROSYNE also known as EUTHYMIA (glee, merriment, mirth) and THALIA28 (cheerfulness). Together they were known as the CHARITES or, to the Romans, the GRATIAE. We call them the Three Graces, favored throughout history by sculptors and painters seeking an excuse to render perfect female nudes. Their sweetness of nature gave the world something to counteract the
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