Information ☽¤☾ Depth ☽¤☾ Texts ☽¤☾ Miscellania ☽¤☾ Site


Spouses and Children

Nyx is a mother goddess, for she found the main branch of the family Khaos on her own rather than with her brother who also acted as her consort, according to Hesoid's Theogony. In many myths she has had few to many children by a spouse or by herself.

Spouses

Cicero's De Natura Deorum:
Erebos - Nether Darkness.

Epimenides' Theogony:
Aer - Air.

Hesoid's Theogony:
Erebos - Nether Darkness.

Hyginus' Fabulae:
Erebos - Nether Darkness.

Orphic myths:
Phanes - Procreation and generation of life.

Unknown:
None - She is the first principle.
Khaos - Gaping void (Male).



Define:

☽¤☾ Aer - Usually known as the "lower air" in opposition to Aither, the "upper air". It is considered to be the air mortals breathe. I have never encountered Aer alone as a god.

☽¤☾ Khaos - The primeval goddess to emerge at the creation of the universe as according to Hesoid. She is also known as Chaos through Latin translation. Not known as what chaos means today, her name translates to Gaping Void. There are some oddities about, usually in books that quickly summarize creation, where Khaos and Nyx are husband and wife and Erebos is their son. Following that, Erebos eventually dethrones his father and marries his mother.

☽¤☾ Phanes - The primeval god of procreation and generation of life in was considered the first ruler of the universe in accordance to Orphic myths. In truth, despite usually be addressed as "he", Phanes was a god of both sexes. Phanes, being of both genders, acted as Nyx's father and mother. It is also said that Nyx was the only one able to see Phanes. Phanes is also known Eros (equivalent to Hesoid's Eros), Erikepaios, Metis, and Protogonos.



Children

Aeschylus's Oresteia:
Erinyes - Furies.
The Morai - The Fates.

Aristophanes' Birds:
Eros - Love (Equivalent of Phanes).

Bacchylides' Ode 7:
Hemera - Day.

Bacchylides' Fragment IB:
Hekate - Hecate.

Cicero's De Natura Deorum:
Ouranos - Cæus (Caeli).
Aither - Æther (Aether).
Hemera - Dies.
Eros - Love (Amor).
Dolos - Guile (Dolus).
Deimos - Fear (Metus).
Ponos - Labour (Labor).
Nemesis - Envy (Invidentia).
Moros - Fate (Fatum).
Geras - Old Age (Senectus).
Thanatos - Death (Mors).
Keres - Darkness (Tenebrae).
Oizys - Misery (Miseria).
Momos - Lamentation (Querella).
Philotes - Partiality (Gratia).
Apate - Deceit (Fraus).
Stubborness (Pertinacia).
The Moirai - The Fates (The Parcae).
The Hesperides - Guardians of the golden apples.
The Oneiroi - Dreams (the Somnia).

Epimenides' Theogony:
Tartaros - Place in the Underworld.

Derveni Papyrus:
Ouranos - Heaven.

Hesoid's Theogony:
Aither - Upper Air.
Hermera - Day.
Moros - Doom.
Ker - Fate's cruel death.
Thanatos - Death.
Hypnos - Sleep.
The Oneiroi - Dreams.
Momos - Blame.
Oizys - Woe.
The Hesperides - Guardians of the golden apples.
The Moirai - Clotho and Lachesis and Atropos.
The Keres - Keres were female spirits of death and destruction in ancient Greece.
Nemesis - Envy.
Apate - Deceit.
Philotes - Friendship.
Geras - Old Age.
Eris - Strife.

Hesoid's Works and Days:
Eris - Strife.

Homer's Iliad:
Hypnos - Sleep.
Thanatos - Death.

Hyginus' Fabulae:
Moros - Fate (Fatum).
Geras - Old Age (Senectus).
Thanatos - Death (Mors).
Ker - Dissolution (Letum).
Sophrosyne - Continence (Continentia).
Hypnos - Sleep (Somnus).
Oneiroi - Dreams (Somnia).
Eros - Love (Amor).
Epiphron - Prudence.
Porphyrion - ?
Epaphos - ? (Epaphus).
Eris - Discord (Discordia).
Oizys - Wrethcedness (Miseria).
Hybris - Wantoness (Petulantia).
Nemesis - Envy.
Euphrosyne - Good cheer.
Philotes - Friendship (Amicitia).
Eleos - Compassion (Misericordia).
Styx - Hatred.
Moirai - The three Fates: Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. (The Parcae).
Hesperides - Guardians of the golden apples: Aegle, Hesperie, Aerica [Aerika].

Orphic Hymns, 7:
The Astra - The Stars.

Orvid's Metamorphoses:
Erinyes - Furies (Furiae).

Pausanias' Description of Greece:
Thanatos - Death.
Hypnos - Sleep.
Nemesis - Vengeance.

Rhapsodic Theogony:
Ouranos - Heaven (Sky-dome).
Gaia - Earth.

Seneca's Hercules Furens:
Hypnos - Sleep (Somnus).
Thanatos - Death (Mors).

Quintus Smyrnaeus' Posthomerica:
Hemera - Dawn (Eos).

Vergil's Aeneid:
Erinyes - Furies (Furiae).

Unknown:
Erebos - Nether Darkness.

Unknown:
Kharon - Charon the ferryman of Akheron.



Define:

☽¤☾ Aither - He is the first-born elemental god of heaven's "upper air", which is the meaning of aether in Latin. Aither is also known as Aether or Æther. Within Hesiod's Theogony, it is written that Aither came from the union of Nyx and Erebos. In a case of uncertainty, through the Birds by Aristophanes, it is said Air (likely Aither) was "the son of Erebus". By that, one can assume he was son of Nyx as well.

☽¤☾ Apate - Apate was the female spirit of deceit, guile, fraud and deception. Apate is also known as Fraus. Fraus means deceit, deception and fraud in Latin. Hesiod's Theogony mentions her and not her counterpart. Cicero's De Natura Deorum mentions her (as Fraus, translated into deceit).

☽¤☾ The Astra - They are the gods of the five wandering stars or planets known as Stilbon (Mercury), Eosphoros (Venus), Pyroeis (Mars), Phaethon (Jupiter) and Phainon (Saturn). They are also known as Astra Planeta, meaning Wandering Stars. They are known as Stelle Errante in Roman. In Orphyc hymns they were called Astron.

☽¤☾ Deimos - He was the spirit of fear, dread, and terror, which are the words his name translate to. In Roman translation he is Formido and Metus.

☽¤☾ Dolos - Dolos was the male spirit of craftiness, cunning deception, guile, treachery and trickery. Dolos is also known as Dolus. Dolos means deceit, deception and fraud in Latin. Cicero's De Natura Deorum mentions him (as Dolus, translated into guile).

☽¤☾ Eleos - She was the spirit of compassion, mercy and pity. Her Latin spelling is Eleus and her Roman names are Misericordia and Clementia.

☽¤☾ Epaphos - Unknown. I think it has to do with touch and contact though since Epaphos stems from epaphe.

☽¤☾ Epiphiron - The spirit of prudence, shrewdness, thoughtfulness, carefulness and sagacity.

☽¤☾ Erebos - The primeval god of darkness, the consort of Nyx. He is also known as Erebus in Latin and as the Nether Darkness. He has been considered an equivalent to Tartaros in terms of a place. I still don't consider this possibility, but am putting it down since it has been acknowledged.

☽¤☾ The Erinyes - They are female spirits who exacted vengeance against those who committed specific crimes. Their name translates to murky and dark. Their Roman equivalents are the Furiae, which translate to rage and fury.

☽¤☾ Eris - Goddess who personifies strife. Her Roman name is Discordia.

☽¤☾ Eros - He is the primeval god of sexual desire who emerged at the very creation of the universe. His Roman name is Amour and his Latin translation is Love.

☽¤☾ Euphrosyne - One of the three Kharites (Graces), she is the goddess of good cheer, joy, merriment and mirth, which is what her name translates to.

☽¤☾ Geras - He was the spirit of old age. His Roman equivalent is Senectus.

☽¤☾ Hekate - The goddess of magic. Hecate is the Latin spelling of her name.

☽¤☾ Hemera - The primeval goddess of day. Her Roman name is Dies.

☽¤☾ Hemera/Eos - Goddess of the dawn. Her Roman name is Aurora.

☽¤☾ The Hesperides - They are three nymphs who guarded the legendary Golden Apple tree. Apollonius Rhodius names the three Aigle, Hespere and Erytheis. Hyginus's Fabulas names them Aigle, Hesperie and Aerika. The name Hespirides translates to Of the Evening.

☽¤☾ Hybris - She was the spirit of exactly what her name translates to: arrogance, excessive pride, insolence, violence, wantonness, and outrageous behavior in general. Her Roman equivalent is Petulantia.

☽¤☾ Hypnos - God of sleep. The Latin translation is Hypnus. He is Somnus in Roman.

☽¤☾ Ker - The personified necessity of death. In Latin it is Cer, which means death spirit. Letum is the Roman name, meaning death and destruction.

☽¤☾ The Keres - They are the female spirits of violent death and destruction. In Latin it is Ceres, which means death spirits. Tenebrae is the Roman name, meaning Darkness of Death and Death Ghosts.

☽¤☾ Kharon - He was the ferryman of the stream of pain, Akheron, and servant to Hades. From what this has been established from, I really have no idea.

☽¤☾ Momos - He is the spirit of exactly what his name translates to: blame, complaint, criticism, mockery, ridicule and scorn. The Latin spelling of his name is Momus. His Roman name is Querella.

☽¤☾ The Morai - They are three goddesses who supervised fate. They are known as Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos in Hesoid's Theogony. Their Latin spelling is Moerae and their Roman is Parcae or Fatae.

☽¤☾ Moros - He was the spirit of doom. In Latin it is Morus, meaning destiny, doom and violent death. In Roman it is Fatum, meaning destiny, fate and fated death.

☽¤☾ Nemesis - Known as the goddess of justice, retribution and vengeance. Her name means Despenser of Dues. Her Roman name is Rivalitas or Invidia, meaning jealousy or envy.

☽¤☾ Oizys - She is the spirit of exactly what her name means: distress, misery and woe. Her Roman name is Miseria.

☽¤☾ The Oneiroi - The spirits of dreams. The Latin spelling is Onirus. Their Roman equivalent is Somnia.

☽¤☾ Ouranos - Primeval God of the solid dome of the sky. In Latin it is Uranus. Romans call him Caelum.

☽¤☾ Philotes - She was the spirit of affection and friendship or of sex. Her Roman names were Gratia and Amicitia.

☽¤☾ Ponos - He was the spirit of hard work. In Latin it is Ponus and the Roman is Labor.

☽¤☾ Porphyrion - The King of the Gigantes, a tribe of one hundred giants. As porhyrion, the meaning is Purple-coot in comedic sense due to Aristophanes' Birds. As porphyrios, the meaning is Purple. As porphyro, it goes to porphyra, which is also Purple.

☽¤☾ Sophrosne - She is the spirit of discretion, moderation, restraint, self-control, and temperance. Her Roman name was Sobrietas.

☽¤☾ Styx - She is the goddess of the underworld River Styx and one of the Titan generations of Okeanides. Styx was also the personified spirit of hatred. Her name means abhorrent, gloomy and hatred.

☽¤☾ Tartaros - The primeval god of the great pit that lay beneath the earth. His Latin spelling is Tartarus.

☽¤☾ Thanatos - God of Death. The Latin translation is Thanatus. He is Mors in Roman.





Book sources:
Aeschylus. Aeschylus. English translation by Herbert Weir Smyth, Ph. D. in two volumes. Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press. 1926.
Aristophanes. The Complete Greek Drama, vol. 2. Birds. English translation by Eugene O'Neill, Jr. New York: Random House. 1938.
Marci Tullii Ciceron. Marci Tullii Ciceronis ; De natura deorum. Translation by Francis Brooks. Methuen & Co. 1896.
Hesoid. Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns and Homerica. English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White. Cambrige, Mass. and London. 1914.
Hyginus. The Myths of Hyginus. Translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Press. 1960.
Ovid. Metamorphoses. Brookes More. Boston: Cornhill Publishing Co. 1922.
Pausanias. Pausanias Description of Greece. English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd. 1918.
Seneca. The ten tragedies of Seneca: With notes : rendered into English prose as equivalently as the idioms of both languages permit. Translation by Watson Bradshaw. London: S. Sonnenschein & Co. 1902.
Vergil. Aeneid. Theodore C. Williams. trans. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1910.
Myths of Greece & Rome. H. A. Guerber. Revised by Dorothy Margaret Stuart. London: Harrao & Co.
The Presocratic Philosophers: A Critical History with a Selection of Texts. Geoffrey Stephen Kirk, John Earle Raven, Malcolm Scholfield. Cambridge University Press. 1983.
Sexual Ambivalence: Androgyny and Hermaphroditism in Graeco-Roman Antiquity. Luc Brisson. Translated by Janet Lloyd. University of California Press. 2002.
The Rise and Fall of the Afterlife: The 1995 Read-Tuckwell Lectures at the University of Bristol. Jan Bremmer. Routledge. 2002.
Studies on the Derveni Papyrus. Andr Laks, Glenn W. Most. Oxford University Press. 1997.

Internet source:
20000-Names - Male Names: "P"
Sacred-Texts - Hymn 6



☽¤☾ Back