#Erebus greek mythology series

The theme of Nyx's cave or mansion, beyond the ocean (as in Hesiod) or somewhere at the edge of the cosmos (as in later Orphism) may be echoed in the philosophical poem of Parmenides. Nyx is also the first principle in the opening chorus of Aristophanes' The Birds, which may be Orphic in inspiration. Phanes – the strange, monstrous, hermaphrodite Orphic demiurge – was the child or father of Nyx. Outside the cave, Adrasteia clashes cymbals and beats upon her tympanon, moving the entire universe in an ecstatic dance to the rhythm of Nyx's chanting. Cronus – who is chained within, asleep and drunk on honey – dreams and prophesies. Nyx occupies a cave or adyton, in which she gives oracles. In them, Nyx, rather than Chaos, is the first principle from which all creation emerges. Nyx took on an even more important role in several fragmentary poems attributed to Orpheus. He disturbed Zeus only a few times after that always fearing Zeus and running back to his mother, Nyx, who would have confronted Zeus with a maternal fury. Homer goes on to say that Zeus, fearing to anger Nyx, held his fury at bay and in this way Hypnos escaped the wrath of Zeus by appealing to his powerful mother. Zeus was furious and would have smitten Hypnos into the sea if he had not fled to Nyx, his mother, in fear. He had once before put Zeus to sleep at the bidding of Hera, allowing her to cause Heracles (who was returning by sea from Laomedon's Troy) great misfortune. According to Hesiod, Nyx's home was in Tartarus, along with her children Hypnos and Thanatos.Īt Iliad 14.249–61, Hypnos, the minor deity of sleep, reminds Hera of an old favor after she asks him to put Zeus to sleep. This mirrors the portrayal of Ratri (night) in the Rigveda, where she works in close cooperation but also tension with her sister Ushas (dawn). Hesiod says further that Hemera (Day), who is Nyx's daughter, left Tartarus just as Nyx entered it continuing cyclically, when Hemera returned, Nyx left. In his description of Tartarus, Hesiod locates there the home of Nyx, and the homes of her children Hypnos and Thanatos. Later, on her own, Nyx gives birth to Moros (Doom, Destiny), Ker (Fate, Destruction, Death), Thanatos (Death), Hypnos (Sleep), theOneiroi (Dreams), Momus (Blame), Oizys (Woe, Pain, Distress), the Hesperides (Evening, Sunset), the Moirai (Fates), the Keres,Nemesis (Indignation, Retribution), Apate (Deceit), Philotes (Friendship, Love), Geras (Old Age), and Eris (Strife). With Erebus (Darkness), Nyx gives birth to Aether (Brightness) and Hemera (Day). In Hesiod's Theogony, Nyx is born of Chaos.

#Erebus greek mythology series

Aphrodite imposes a series of difficult tasks on Psyche, which she is able to achieve by means of supernatural assistance. Eventually she approaches Aphrodite and asks for her help. Wounded, Eros leaves his wife, and Psyche wanders the Earth, looking for her lost love. Their fragile peace is ruined by a visit from Psyche's jealous sisters, who cause Psyche to betray the trust of her husband. But instead, Eros falls in love with Psyche himself and spirits her away to his home. Aphrodite was jealous of the beauty of mortal princess Psyche, as men were leaving her altars barren to worship a mere human woman instead, and so she commanded her son Eros, the god of love, to cause Psyche to fall in love with the ugliest creature on earth. The story tells of the struggle for love and trust between Eros and Psyche. Eros and Aphrodite are called by their Latin names (Cupid and Venus), and Cupid is depicted as a young adult, rather than a child. The novel itself is written in a picaresque Roman style, yet Psyche retains her Greek name. The story of Eros and Psyche has a longstanding tradition as a folktale of the ancient Greco-Roman world long before it was committed to literature in Apuleius' Latin novel, The Golden Asse.