InGreek mythology , Nyx , goddessof the night , was one of the oldest deities in the universe , pay in the first moments of creation from the yawning abyss of Chaos . Every night Nyx rode across the sky , other deities , even mightyZeus , were afraid to cross her .
We spoke with Daniel Turkeltaub , aclassics professorat Santa Clara University , to discover more about the mist - shrouded pattern of Nyx , the chariot - riding queen mole rat of nighttime and mother of death , deceit and dreams .
Transcending Greek Mythology
Nyx is n’t just any primordial god ; she is the parent goddess of some of the most sinewy and terrible beings in the Grecian pantheon . Most notably , she and Erebus ( Darkness ) were the parent of Aether ( Upper Sky ) and Hemera ( Day ) . In other row , all the immortal were very aware that either Nyx or her children were find out their movements at all time .
Her influence extends beyond the Greek gods , touching even the realms of papist mythology where nighttime deities hold sway .
Nyx ’s power was not just in her ability to keep in line the night but also in her profound dark manipulation . This power to manage iniquity like a prick or weapon is a testament to her immense king and the darker aspect of her graphic symbol .
A Primordial Female Force Born Out of Chaos
Nyx ( pronounced as " nook , " according to Turkeltaub ) is one of the"primordial " god — protogenoiin Greek — who were born of Chaos , the gaping void that survive before introduction .
allot to Hesiod ’s " Theogony , " an epic verse form dating from the eighth hundred B.C.E. , Nyx ’s sister and brothers were Gaia ( Earth ) , Tartarus ( the Pit ) , Eros ( Love ) and Erebus ( Darkness ) .
Through a " trade union in love " with her sorry brother Erebus , Nyx gave giving birth to two " luminous " offspring , Aether ( Divine Air ) and Hemera ( Day ) . Then things took a go .
In Hesiod ’s cosmogony , Nyx next self - conceived a brood of baddies that included the Keres ( spirits of Violent Death ) , Moros ( Doom ) , Oizys ( Misery ) , Apate ( Deceit ) , Nemesis ( Retribution ) and the Moirai ( the three " ruthless and avenging " Fates ) .
Hesiod attached disconfirming descriptor to Nyx like " pestilent Night " and " evil Night , " but the ancient goddess was also the mother of more positive offspring like Hypnos ( Sleep ) , the Oneiroi ( Dreams ) , Geras ( Old Age ) , Thanatos ( Peaceful Death ) and Philotes , which could mean either Friendship or Sex .
" It is a nocturnal activity , " say Turkeltaub .
Nyx Appears as a Charioteer of the Dark Sky
Few ancient picture of Nyx survive , but a stunning one comes from a terracotta vase at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York dating from 500 B.C.E.
The painted scene shows the hero Heracles extend a sacrifice to Helios ( the Sun ) as it rises . On either side of Helios are Nyx and Hemera , the goddesses of night and day , who each ride cavalry - drawn chariots in opposite guidance as dawn breaks .
The hoi polloi of ancient Greece develop a sophisticated mythology to explain the unknown workings of the natural world , like the alternation of night and day .
" In Greek mythology , Nyx and her girl Hemera divvy up an abode at the end of the earth , " say Turkeltaub . " When one leaves on her chariot , the other enters . "
Here ’s how Hesiod describes it :
In the vase house painting , Nyx is swaddle in gauzy robes , and there ’s a dark head covering or mist above her read/write head . Hesiod describes her rest space in Tartarus as " the awful home base of murky Night wrapped in dark cloud . "
Even Zeus Knew Not to Mess With Nyx
There are n’t many " stories " associated with the Nyx , say Turkeltaub , but the ancient Greek author Homer make a hap reference in his epic poem , the " Iliad , " that shows us the regard and even fear that she command .
In this part of the " Iliad , " the powerful Greek goddessHerahatched a program to " lay in erotic love " with Zeus , but she needed aid from Hypnos , the god of Sleep and son of Nyx . If Hypnos would just lull Zeus into a rich slumber , Hera promise him thrones of gold .
Hypnos was n’t have it , though . He said that he played the same trick for Hera once before when she wanted to meddle in the Trojan War , and it did n’t go well . Zeus woke up angry and " overreach the gods up and down his house " in search of Hypnos , writes Homer .
Hypnos think he was finished " had not Nyx ( Night ) who has power over gods and human being rescued me , " write Homer . " I hand her in my trajectory , and Zeus let be , though he was angry , in reverence of doing anything to swift Nyx ’s displeasure . "
In other Good Book , Zeus knew well than to check off Nyx .
" The other gods do not mess with Nyx , " says Turkeltaub . " She has a power that precedes Zeus . Nyx is a loom transmissible female parent figure with a aboriginal power that other graven image respect and revere . "
The Influence of Nyx’s Personality and Worship
Nyx ’s personality is as complex as the night she represent , balancing the dualities of light and dark , creation and destruction .
While no statue of the aboriginal goddess survive , there may have been a temple dedicated to her in the Grecian coastal metropolis of Megara . Turkeltaub say that the ancient Greek geographer Pausanias account a " tabernacle to Night " at the acropolis in Megara where Nyx was believe to vaticinate the time to come .
The mystical hymns also verbalise to the reverence and revere Nyx commanded , highlighting her role as a goddess who be the closed book of the night . These hymns often reverberate the sinister aspects of her worship , focus on her role in the cosmic proportion between light and dark .
They serve as a reminder that all the other primaeval deities require to make their room through the dark , just like the residue of us .
