Aurora (mythology)

In Roman mythology, Aurora is the goddess and personification of the dawn. Her name comes from the Latin word for dawn, and she appears often in Latin literature.

Aurora is similar to other dawn goddesses from different cultures, like the Greek goddess Eos and the Rigvedic goddess Ushas. She is part of a long tradition that goes back to an earlier Indo-European dawn goddess named Hausos.

Many stories and poems feature Aurora, showing her important role in connecting the night to the day and bringing light to the world.

Name

Aurora comes from an ancient word meaning "dawn" and is linked to similar dawn goddesses in other cultures, like Ēṓs, Uṣas, Aušrinė, Auseklis, and Ēastre. These goddesses all represent the beautiful morning light.

Roman mythology

In Roman mythology, Aurora brings in the dawn each morning by flying across the sky and announcing the Sun's arrival. She is known as the goddess of dawn. Different stories tell us she might be the daughter of the powerful Titan Hyperion or of Pallas. She has a brother, Sol, who is the Sun, and a sister, Luna, who is the Moon.

One famous story tells of Aurora's love for Tithonus, a prince from Troy. Because he was mortal, he would grow old and pass away. Aurora asked Jupiter to give him immortality so they could stay together forever. Jupiter agreed, but Aurora forgot to ask that he also stay young. Tithonus kept aging until he became very old. Aurora then turned him into a cicada.

In Roman literature

In Roman stories, the goddess Aurora appears often. The writer Ovid wrote about her in his work Heroides, mentioning that Aurora loved a man from Phrygia. Another writer, Virgil, described Aurora leaving her bed to bring light to the sky in his famous poem The Aeneid. Later, a poet named Rutilius Claudius Namatianus wrote about Aurora bringing fair weather in his poem De reditu suo.

These writings show how people in ancient times thought about the dawn and the goddess who brought it.

In popular culture

Aurora has appeared many times in books, poems, plays, and music.

• In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Lord Montague talks about the Sun moving away from Aurora's bed.
• Aurora and Flora, the goddess of spring, are shown together with Neptune in the traditional Irish folk song "Lord Courtown."
• The 18th century African-American poet Phillis Wheatley wrote about Aurora and Tithonus in her poem "On Imagination."
• In Chapter 8 of Charlotte Brontë's Villette, a character named Lucy Snowe compares someone to Aurora.
• Alfred, Lord Tennyson described Aurora as shining, with sweet, bright eyes and red cheeks in his poem "Tithonus."
• The 20th-century Polish poet Zbigniew Herbert wrote about Aurora's grandchildren in "Kwestia Smaku." In the poem they are unusual, but will eventually become beautiful.
• The first and strongest of the 50 Spacer worlds in The Caves of Steel and other novels by Isaac Asimov is named after the goddess Aurora. Its capital city is called Eos.
• Icelandic singer Björk sings about the goddess in the song "Aurora" on her Vespertine album.

Depiction in art

Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn, has inspired many famous artworks over the years. Some notable paintings and artworks include Aurora by Guido Reni, Aurora (Artemisia Gentileschi), and Aurora by Guercino. Other works include The Countess de Brac as Aurōra by Jean-Marc Nattier, Aurora e Titone by Francesco de Mura, and many more beautiful pieces created by talented artists.