Nemesis << NEHM uh sihs >>, a minor goddess in Greek mythology, represented the spirit of vengeance. Her role was to visit hardship and loss on those who enjoyed too much good fortune. She did this to keep people humble. The ancient Greeks believed that the gods were sometimes jealous of human happiness.
Nemesis was the daughter of two ancient deities (gods). They were Erebus, the god of darkness, and Nyx, the goddess of night. In early Greek writings, Nemesis represents reverence for law, conscience, and fate. In later writings, she represents balance between good fortune and happiness on the one hand and bad fortune and suffering on the other. Nemesis gradually came to represent the avenging power of fate that catches up with those who enjoy too much good luck or undeserved wealth. She especially punishes people who become arrogant and boastful as a result of good fortune.
Nemesis also avenges arrogance in matters of love. Most famously, she punished Narcissus. Narcissus was a handsome youth courted by many lovers for his beauty. Narcissus haughtily rejected all of them. As punishment for his cruelty, Nemesis caused him to fall in love with his own reflection.
