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Fasti

A long Latin poem, Fasti remains unfinished. It was written by the Roman poet, Publius Ovidius Naso, also known as Orvid.

Fasti is the Roman calendar put into artistic handling. It consists of books where one is solely dedicated to a month. Being unfinished as it is, Fasti only has six books which are of the months January to June.


In Book I: January, Nyx is made note of under the ninth.

"The cock is sacrificed at night to the Goddess, Night (Nox) [Nyx],
Because he summons the day with his waking cries,
While the bright constellation of the Dolphin rises
Over the sea, and shows his face from his native waters."


In Book IV: April twelveth, Demeter (Ceres) is in search of her daughter Persephone and while wandering the sky, she spoke to the constellations when the constellation of The Bear, Arktos Megale (Ursa Major/Helice) responded of Nyx.

"She spoke, and Helice answered her in this way:
'Night's free of blame: Ask the Light about your
Stolen daughter: the Sun views, widely, things done by day.'"


Under April fifteenth in Book IV, after Numa has given sacrifices to Faunus and Hypnos (Sleep), Nyx makes appearance.

"Meanwhile Night (Nox) [Nyx] arrived, her calm brow wreathed
With poppies: bringing with her shadowy dreams."





Internet sources:
Poetry in Translation - Ovid: Fasti, Book I.
Poetry in Translation - Ovid: Fasti, Book IV.



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