DeWayfarer · 61-69, M
https://mythnerd.com/nyx-the-greek-goddess-of-night/
Nyx in Theogony
Hesiod actually was one of the few philosophers that tried to write about Nyx in his work “Theogony”. This is where he stated that Nyx gave birth to Aether (Brightness) and Hemera (Day) after a few escapades with Erebus.
Later on down the line however, she gave birth to the Moros, the Keres and Thanatos, alongside Hypnos, the Oneiroi, Momus, Oizys , the Hesperides, Moirai, Apate, Nemesis, Geras and Eris.
She was also known for having birthed Charon, Hades’ ferryman, the god that transported the dead over the river Styx.
But not all of her children were evil or monstrous, since she soon after also gave birth to Philotes, aka the Goddess of Friendship.
Many experts believe that this was done on purpose to showcase the fact that while friendship can be pure and just, it can also result in betrayal and pain.
According to Hesiod, she now resides in Tartarus alongside her sons Hypnos and Thanatos. As soon as her daughter Hemera (Day) makes her way into Tartarus though she leaves and she takes over until they swap places again.
This portrayal of the day and night cycle is actually very similar to that of Ratri in the Rigveda of India. In that mythology, there is a lot of tension between her and Ushas (Dawn), which is also visible in Greek mythology between Nyx and Eos.
Zeus Fears Nyx
When we think about Zeus, we like to think of him as the almighty god that rules over everyone else. He was the one that took on the Gods, the one destined to become their ruler from his very inception.
He was the one that rebelled against Cronus back in the day, and he even took on the other Titans, banishing them away to Tartarus and taking over the crown for himself.
Even so, this mighty God of Thunder and Lightning, this God of Gods, he feared the wrath of the Goddess of the Night above all else.
This was showcased in Homer’s Iliad, around 14.249 – 61, where he wrote that Hypnos, a deity of Sleep, was coerced by Hera to put Zeus to sleep as he had done before in the past.
He did so successfully in order to allow Hera to directly attack Heracles who had just returned by sea from Laomedon’s Troy.
Because of them bickering however, Zeus woke up prematurely, attacking Hypnos for attempting to put him to sleep.
Fearing for his life in the face of imminent danger, Hypnos thought himself to be a goner, having fled to the only place that he knew he’d be welcomed in even while chased by the killer of Gods himself.
He fled to his mother’s side, begging that she would save his life. As soon as Nyx showed up, Zeus stopped his advancements, looking up at the Goddess of the Night in awe.
Homer takes a second here to describe Zeus’s inner feelings, because even though he was quick to anger and he very rarely listened to others, he, for the first time in a very long time, feared the wrath of Nyx.
As such, he controlled his temper, turning his back to the Goddess of Night, walking away in shame knowing that a single word could be the death of him.
This is the story of Hypnos and how he escaped the clutch of the God of Thunder and Lightning, but it isn’t the only time that he would attempt this.
In other stories, he would try and put Zeus to sleep again several times over, but to no avail, and after every single mishap he would run back to his mother.
Every time Nyx would show up, Zeus would calm down and walk away. This is to show just how much respect Zeus has for Nyx, because even though he was constantly pestered by the minor deity, even he knew not to mess with the primordial Goddess of Night.
Nyx as the Mother of All Creation
Up until this point, Nyx was known as a primordial goddess that preceded the likes of Zeus and Hades, but her role would swiftly change as soon as these fragmentary poems attributed to Orpheus would come up.
This is where Nyx, instead of being showcased as just the mother of atrocities and monsters alike, she would be given the role of the first principle being from which all creation emerges.
Instead of just living in Tartarus with her sons, she now rests in a cave in which she issues oracles. She lives right outside of Cronus’s cage, where he is chained and asleep for all of eternity,
Next to this cage you can see Adrasteia, the Goddess of Inevitable Fate, as she clashes her cymbals and beats upon her tympanon (a traditional hard drum). While she does this, she moves the entire universe to the rhythm of Nyx’s chanting as she dances ecstatically for the dawn of a new day.
In this new iteration, Phanes, the hermaphrodite Orphic demiurge is the child or father of Nyx, it is unclear which of these roles he has per se.
Instead, what we do know is that her voice signals the beginning of every new day as she creates everything from scratch through her chanting. She is also known as the mother of Eros in this version, aka the God of Love.
In the philosophical poem of Parmenides, the poet talks about being transported to a strange palace unlike anything he’d ever seen before. A classic scholar by the name of Walter Burkert has stated that this is most likely the palace of Nyx.
More on the link above.
Nyx in Theogony
Hesiod actually was one of the few philosophers that tried to write about Nyx in his work “Theogony”. This is where he stated that Nyx gave birth to Aether (Brightness) and Hemera (Day) after a few escapades with Erebus.
Later on down the line however, she gave birth to the Moros, the Keres and Thanatos, alongside Hypnos, the Oneiroi, Momus, Oizys , the Hesperides, Moirai, Apate, Nemesis, Geras and Eris.
She was also known for having birthed Charon, Hades’ ferryman, the god that transported the dead over the river Styx.
But not all of her children were evil or monstrous, since she soon after also gave birth to Philotes, aka the Goddess of Friendship.
Many experts believe that this was done on purpose to showcase the fact that while friendship can be pure and just, it can also result in betrayal and pain.
According to Hesiod, she now resides in Tartarus alongside her sons Hypnos and Thanatos. As soon as her daughter Hemera (Day) makes her way into Tartarus though she leaves and she takes over until they swap places again.
This portrayal of the day and night cycle is actually very similar to that of Ratri in the Rigveda of India. In that mythology, there is a lot of tension between her and Ushas (Dawn), which is also visible in Greek mythology between Nyx and Eos.
Zeus Fears Nyx
When we think about Zeus, we like to think of him as the almighty god that rules over everyone else. He was the one that took on the Gods, the one destined to become their ruler from his very inception.
He was the one that rebelled against Cronus back in the day, and he even took on the other Titans, banishing them away to Tartarus and taking over the crown for himself.
Even so, this mighty God of Thunder and Lightning, this God of Gods, he feared the wrath of the Goddess of the Night above all else.
This was showcased in Homer’s Iliad, around 14.249 – 61, where he wrote that Hypnos, a deity of Sleep, was coerced by Hera to put Zeus to sleep as he had done before in the past.
He did so successfully in order to allow Hera to directly attack Heracles who had just returned by sea from Laomedon’s Troy.
Because of them bickering however, Zeus woke up prematurely, attacking Hypnos for attempting to put him to sleep.
Fearing for his life in the face of imminent danger, Hypnos thought himself to be a goner, having fled to the only place that he knew he’d be welcomed in even while chased by the killer of Gods himself.
He fled to his mother’s side, begging that she would save his life. As soon as Nyx showed up, Zeus stopped his advancements, looking up at the Goddess of the Night in awe.
Homer takes a second here to describe Zeus’s inner feelings, because even though he was quick to anger and he very rarely listened to others, he, for the first time in a very long time, feared the wrath of Nyx.
As such, he controlled his temper, turning his back to the Goddess of Night, walking away in shame knowing that a single word could be the death of him.
This is the story of Hypnos and how he escaped the clutch of the God of Thunder and Lightning, but it isn’t the only time that he would attempt this.
In other stories, he would try and put Zeus to sleep again several times over, but to no avail, and after every single mishap he would run back to his mother.
Every time Nyx would show up, Zeus would calm down and walk away. This is to show just how much respect Zeus has for Nyx, because even though he was constantly pestered by the minor deity, even he knew not to mess with the primordial Goddess of Night.
Nyx as the Mother of All Creation
Up until this point, Nyx was known as a primordial goddess that preceded the likes of Zeus and Hades, but her role would swiftly change as soon as these fragmentary poems attributed to Orpheus would come up.
This is where Nyx, instead of being showcased as just the mother of atrocities and monsters alike, she would be given the role of the first principle being from which all creation emerges.
Instead of just living in Tartarus with her sons, she now rests in a cave in which she issues oracles. She lives right outside of Cronus’s cage, where he is chained and asleep for all of eternity,
Next to this cage you can see Adrasteia, the Goddess of Inevitable Fate, as she clashes her cymbals and beats upon her tympanon (a traditional hard drum). While she does this, she moves the entire universe to the rhythm of Nyx’s chanting as she dances ecstatically for the dawn of a new day.
In this new iteration, Phanes, the hermaphrodite Orphic demiurge is the child or father of Nyx, it is unclear which of these roles he has per se.
Instead, what we do know is that her voice signals the beginning of every new day as she creates everything from scratch through her chanting. She is also known as the mother of Eros in this version, aka the God of Love.
In the philosophical poem of Parmenides, the poet talks about being transported to a strange palace unlike anything he’d ever seen before. A classic scholar by the name of Walter Burkert has stated that this is most likely the palace of Nyx.
More on the link above.
Beautyinbroken · 36-40, F
Captainjackass · 31-35, M