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Infernal Dwellings

Tartarus is sometimes considered a god since he came into being after Chaos and Gaia, but is mainly known to be a place. According to Hesoid's Theogony, Nyx resides there. The following tells not only of the home of Nyx but of Tartarus, its guardians and of Atlas. It goes on about the house of Hades and Persephone and the home of the goddess Styx.


Kottos, Briareos and Gyes are mentioned first during Zeus's war against the Titans. They were sons of Ouranos and were imprisoned by him in the pit of Tartaros.

"Astounding heat seized Chaos (Khaos): and to see with eyes and to hear the sound with ears it seemed even as if Earth and wide Heaven above came together; for such a mighty crash would have arisen if Earth were being hurled to ruin, and Heaven from on high were hurling her down; so great a crash was there while the gods were meeting together in strife. Also the winds brought rumbling earthquake and duststorm, thunder and lightning and the lurid thunderbolt, which are the shafts of great Zeus, and carried the clangor and the warcry into the midst of the two hosts. A horrible uproar of terrible strife arose: mighty deeds were shown and the battle inclined. But until then, they kept at one another and fought continually in cruel war. And amongst the foremost Cottus (Kottos) and Briareos and Gyes insatiate for war raised fierce fighting: three hundred rocks, one upon another, they launched from their strong hands and overshadowed the Titans with their missiles, and hurled them beneath the wide-pathed earth, and bound them in bitter chains when they had conquered them by their strength for all their great spirit, as far beneath the earth as heaven is above earth; for so far is it from earth to Tartarus."

It continues on to tell about Tartarus and its location, which is as far as the heavens are from earth, is it below. Gyes, Kottos and Obriareos reside there after Zeus's war and act as doorkeepers.

"For a brazen anvil falling down from heaven nine nights and days would reach the earth upon the tenth: and again, a brazen anvil falling from earth nine nights and days would reach Tartarus upon the tenth. Round it runs a fence of bronze, and night spreads in triple line all about it like a neck-circlet, while above grow the roots of the earth and unfruitful sea. There by the counsel of Zeus who drives the clouds the Titan gods are hidden under misty gloom, in a dank place where are the ends of the huge earth. And they may not go out; for Poseidon fixed gates of bronze upon it, and a wall runs all round it on every side. There Gyes and Cottus and great-souled Obriareus (Obriareos) live, trusty warders of Zeus who holds the aegis."

It tells of what would happen to someone once behind the gates and then of the first home where Atlas kneels in front of, which belongs to Nyx. There she resides with her daughter Hemera and her sons Thanatos and Hypnos.

"And there, all in their order, are the sources and ends of gloomy earth and misty Tartarus and the unfruitful sea and starry heaven, loathsome and dank, which even the gods abhor. It is a great gulf, and if once a man were within the gates, he would not reach the floor until a whole year had reached its end, but cruel blast upon blast would carry him this way and that. And this marvel is awful even to the deathless gods. There stands the awful home of murky Night (Nyx) wrapped in dark clouds. In front of it the son of Iapetus (Atlas) stands immovably upholding the wide heaven upon his head and unwearying hands, where Night (Nyx) and Day (Hemera) draw near and greet one another as they pass the great threshold of bronze: and while the one is about to go down into the house, the other comes out at the door. And the house never holds them both within; but always one is without the house passing over the earth, while the other stays at home and waits until the time for her journeying comes; and the one holds all-seeing light for them on earth, but the other holds in her arms Sleep the brother of Death, even evil Night, wrapped in a vaporous cloud. And there the children of dark Night (Nyx) have their dwellings, Sleep (Hypnos) and Death (Thanatos), awful gods. The glowing Sun never looks upon them with his beams, neither as he goes up into heaven, nor as he comes down from heaven. And the former of them roams peacefully over the earth and the sea's broad back and is kindly to men; but the other has a heart of iron, and his spirit within him is pitiless as bronze: whomever of men he has once seized he holds fast: and he is hateful even to the deathless gods."

Hades and Persephone are next to be told of with their guardian hound Kerberos and are then followed by Styx.

"There, in front, stand the echoing halls of the god of the lower-world, strong Hades, and of awful Persephone. A fearful hound (Kerberos) guards the house in front, pitiless, and he has a cruel trick. On those who go in he fawns with his tail and both his ears, but suffers them not to go out back again, but keeps watch and devours whomever he catches going out of the gates of strong Hades and awful Persephone. And there dwells the goddess loathed by the deathless gods, terrible Styx, eldest daughter of backflowing Ocean (Okeanos). She lives apart from the gods in her glorious house vaulted over with great rocks and propped up to heaven all round with silver pillars."





Book sources:
Hesoid. Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns and Homerica. English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White. Cambrige, Mass. and London. 1914.



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