A Long, Long Time Ago in Greece
Once upon a time, in the land of Greece, there lived a goddess of justice named Themis. Her role was to safeguard fairness and justice in the world. Themis always wore a pure white robe and a crown that shone with radiance on her head, and her eyes were as bright and profound as the stars.
One day, two villagers were quarreling endlessly over the ownership of a piece of land. One villager claimed that the land had been passed down from his ancestors, while the other villager firmly maintained that he was the true owner of this land because he had been farming on it for a long time. Neither of them would give in, and the surrounding villagers didn't know what to do either. At this time, someone suggested seeking Goddess Themis to preside over the matter. So, they came to the temple of Themis. Themis listened quietly to their statements. Her expression was solemn, and she held tightly in her hand the scales that symbolized fairness.
Themis decided to use her scales to find out the truth. She asked the two villagers to present evidence that could prove the ownership of the land respectively. One villager took out an ancient document which recorded the inheritance of this land. The other villager brought the testimonies of other elderly villagers, proving that he had been working on this land all along. Themis placed these pieces of evidence on both sides of the scales, and the scales began to sway slightly. All the people held their breath and watched the movement of the scales nervously.
Finally, the scales stopped swaying. Themis made a verdict according to the direction in which the scales tilted. In a gentle yet firm voice, she announced that the land should belong to the villager who had the ancient document, because the document was the most powerful proof of land inheritance. However, she also showed sympathy for the villager who had been farming on the land. She suggested that the villager who owned the land give the other villager some compensation, such as allowing him to continue farming on this land for a period of time or giving him some other property as compensation.
This verdict convinced both villagers, and the surrounding villagers also praised Themis's fair verdict highly. Since then, people respected Goddess Themis even more, and they also understood that in life, they should uphold the principle of fairness and justice. Whether dealing with others or handling their own affairs, they should be as impartial as Goddess Themis.
