Nyx

In Greek mythology, Nyx is the goddess and personification of the night. Her name in Ancient Greek is Νύξ, which means "Night." According to the poet Hesiod in his work Theogony, Nyx is the child of Chaos and the mother of Aether (Upper Sky) and Hemera (Day). She also has many children who represent different dark or unhappy forces.

Nyx appears in many early stories about how the world began. In some of these stories, she is one of the very first gods to exist. Poets and playwrights often describe her as a black-robed goddess who travels across the sky in a chariot pulled by horses. Even the powerful god Zeus is careful not to upset her, as told in the Iliad by Homer.

In a group of writings called Orphic literature, Nyx plays an important role. Sometimes she is described as the mother of Uranus (the sky) and Gaia (the Earth). Other times, she is the daughter and partner of a god named Phanes. She is also known for giving important messages to Zeus and taking care of the other gods.

The Romans called her Nox, also meaning "Night." In ancient Greek art, Nyx is often shown as a winged figure driving a chariot pulled by horses, along with other sky-related gods like Selene, Helios, and Eos. Although she did not have many temples or worshipers, she was linked to several places where people sought guidance and answers.

Genealogy

According to Hesiod's Theogony, Nyx is the child of Chaos. She has many children, including Aether and Hemera (Day), created with Erebus (Darkness). Nyx also created many other important ideas and feelings all by herself, such as Moros (Destiny), Thanatos (Death), Hypnos (Sleep), and the Oneiroi (Dreams).

Different stories tell slightly different versions of Nyx's family. Some say she is the mother of Tartarus, Eros, or even the Moirai (Fates). Roman writers also shared their own versions, naming many children of Nox (the Roman name for Nyx), like Amor (Love) and Mors (Death). In some Greek stories, Nyx was even the first god and the mother of Uranus or Eos (Dawn).

Early sources

Iliad

Homer tells a story in the Iliad where the goddess Nyx protects Hypnos from the angry Zeus. When Hera asks Hypnos to make Zeus fall asleep, he refuses because he remembers a time when Zeus was very upset and would have punished him if Nyx had not protected him.

Hesiod

In Hesiod's Theogony, Nyx is one of the first beings ever to exist. She is the child of Chaos and the partner of Erebus, the god of darkness. Together, they create Aether and Hemera, the spirits of light and day. Nyx also has many children all by herself, representing different powerful forces in the world.

Other

Nyx appears in many early stories about how the world began. Different writers had different ideas about her place in these stories. Some said she was among the very first beings, while others gave her different roles and families in their tales. Writers often described Nyx as living at the far edges of the world, either in the north or the west. They pictured her traveling across the sky at night, sometimes in a chariot pulled by horses, and often described her as wearing dark clothes and having stars nearby.

Roman and later sources

Roman poets described Nox, the Latin name for Nyx, with a focus on her scary nature. In Virgil's Aeneid, she lived in the underworld and drove a chariot across the sky. Tibullus said her chariot had four horses and that the Stars followed her, with Sleep coming after them. In the Thebaid, Statius wrote that Sleep was her charioteer. Ovid in his Fasti described her wearing a wreath of poppy flowers on her head.

In Greek stories, Thetis caught the attention of Zeus and Poseidon. They were told by the Titan Themis that any son Thetis had would be more powerful than his father. Later, the Greek writer Libanius said it was Nyx, not Themis, who gave this warning. In the Dionysiaca by Nonnus, the goddess Iris took the shape of Nyx to ask Hypnos to help put Zeus to sleep.

Orphic literature

Some old stories from writers like Aristophanes and Euripides suggest there might have been very early tales called Orphic theogonies. In these stories, Night is one of the first beings ever to exist, along with Chaos, Erebus, and Tartarus. Night is said to lay a "wind-egg" that hatches and brings forth Eros.

Later, in a story called the Eudemian Theogony, Night is thought to be the very first deity. Another story, the Derveni Theogony, also starts with Night as the first deity who exists forever before anything else. In this story, Night is the mother of Uranus and helps guide the young god Zeus, giving him important advice.

In the Rhapsodies, another long Orphic poem, Night also plays an important role. She helps raise Zeus and gives him advice on how to become a great ruler. Night is described as a wise advisor and a nurturing figure in many of these ancient tales.

Iconography

In ancient Greek and Roman art, it can be tricky to recognize Nyx because she doesn’t have a fixed look and is often mixed up with other gods like Selene and Eos. One old story says she was shown on a special box carried by Cypselus around the 6th century BC, where she cared for the gods Hypnos (Sleep) and Thanatos (Death), holding them as children in her hands.

From the 5th century BC, Nyx started appearing on vases with other sky-related gods such as Helios. The oldest picture we have of her is from about 500 BC, showing her driving a chariot with two horses away from Helios, who is just beginning his journey across the sky in his four-horse chariot. Many pictures of Nyx show her with wings, and early ones often show her in a chariot. For example, on the lid of an Athenian box from the 5th century BC, she is a winged woman driving a chariot pulled by four horses, with stars above her head. She moves toward a column that marks the edge of the world, followed by Selene and Helios (or Eos). Sometimes she is shown wearing a dress with black edges or a black cloth on her clothes.

After the 5th century BC, pictures of Nyx stopped showing her with other sky gods, and most later images are unclear. She might be one of the gods fighting against the Giants on the Pergamon Altar from the 2nd century BC, where she holds the edge of a shield and a jar with a snake on it. In later art, Nyx is often shown with a flowing veil behind her head, and on Roman tombs, she is a figure who helps others rest.

Cult

There are not many examples of Nyx, the goddess of night, being part of worship practices. According to Pausanias, there was a place where people asked questions about the future about Night on the high ground of Megra, near temples of Dionysus, Aphrodite, and Zeus. Some writers also said that Nyx was the first to give advice at the Oracle of Delphi, before Themis and Python took over. Plutarch also talked about an oracle that belonged to Nyx and Selene.

In addition, Pausanias wrote about a statue of Night in the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, made by an artist named Rhoecus. Some Roman writers mentioned animals that were offered to Night, such as black roosters, black bulls, and a black sheep.