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| The image above shows a winged Nyx as depicted on a Victorian brooch. |
Nyx is said to be a Goddess of extreme power and beauty and has many children that represent the darker things in life and of humanity. For example, some of her children are as follows: the Three Fates, Nemesis, Sleep, Death, Doom, Misery, Deceit, and Strife. Nyx's power is said to be so great that even Zeus stands in awe of her. The Goddess of Night is often depicted as either winged or riding in a chariot, pulling the darkness of night and the stars behind her. It is said that Nyx can be both helpful -- bringing peace and sleep -- or harmful -- bringing pain and death.
This is one of the Goddesses I didn't really know much about until now so thank you! Her children seem to be all the things that the ancient people would have feared. Do you think the "darkness of night" is more representative of the darkness of life when considering this goddess? - Rebecca Thompson
ReplyDeleteRebecca,
DeleteYes, I think that is a good way to put it. In essence, I believe she came hand in hand with a sense of mystery, if that makes any sense.
I never realized how significant Nyx was to Greek mythology. I've only read one story with her mentioned. Thinking of her as the mother of darkness is really interesting. In a sense, she's the reason for evil in Greek mythogy. -Derek O.
ReplyDeleteDerek,
DeleteExactly! Though she wasn't always the reason for bad things... At times she was also known for bringing peace. Its funny how we almost always associate darkness with bad things; monsters and fear of the unknown mostly - but rarely do we consider that darkness isn't always bad.
Aside from the Hesiod's major cosmology, I don't think I've read any myths in which Nyx appears, and even that she's only just mentioned as existing. She's a very interesting goddess. Besides just being described at the mother of so many mythic beings, were in any other stories she played a bigger or more active role in?
ReplyDeleteDarien,
DeleteI have not found many traces of her in ancient myths unfortunately - however, through my research I did find that in today's world, she has kind of become the "mother of the night" and with that comes the realm of werewolves and vampires and things like that. Its funny how these ancient myths seem to stick with us; they kind of evolve with the times, in a sense.
You have got to have some power if even Zeus is in awe of you!I feel at a loss in that I have heard of Erobos, but have not heard much of Nyx. I will defiantly be doing some more reading about her, thank you!
ReplyDeleteI remember learning about Nyx a couple years ago in a brief section on Greek mythology I had in an English class. We only really touched on how she came from Chaos, but you've given me a good chunk of knowledge we never really touched on. What do you like most about Nyx and her myths? The concept of her powers is awe-inspiring and wonderful, but what "humanity" was she given as a character?
ReplyDeleteCatherine,
DeleteI love that Nyx is one of the... "original" Goddesses. She dates back to before Zeus, and Aphrodite, and a multitude of other Gods and Goddesses that are far better known that she is. I also think its amazing how a culture as ancient as the one she came from gave her SO much power - so much to the point that even Zeus is in awe of her. There's a myth about the two of them, actually, that tells of how one of Nyx's children gets in trouble with the Gods, but Zeus kind of lets it slide because he's basically that scared of Nyx. As far as humanity she was given... I don't really think she had any. She stood for something the peoples in that time didn't really understand - darkness, night, the unknown... I don't think she was created with the intent of having a sense of humanity.
Cool topic for your blog - information on Nyx enriches our study of Greek mythology because most of the time we focus on the Pantheon but don't spend much time discussing the Titans or the elemental Greek gods/goddesses. The first thing I wondered was if there is a link between her name, Nyx, and our word, nix, that means zero, or to erase. I can see a possible link in that Night, and sleep, erase the day and the thoughts/pressures of the day.
ReplyDeleteYour page is set up to be easily navigable and attractive.
Thank you! For awhile there I was going to write about the Titans, but then I stumbled upon Nyx and was sold. Good point, I didn't consider that there might be a link between her name and our word nix... thanks for bringing that up!!
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