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Nyx is the primordial goddess of the night, according to Greek mythology.


Genealogy and Family[]

Nyx is a child of the god, Chaos, she appeared from the void, fully grown in her body at birth, with complete mastery and control over her element, Nyx's being night. Nyx was born off earth and in outer space, possibly before the earth was even formed, her siblings are usually listed as Gaia (goddess of the Earth/mother nature), Erebus (god of darkness), Uranus/Ouranos (god of the heavens) and Tartarus (god of the underworld).

Nyx had many children on her own or with Erebus, some being:

Role and Significance[]

Nyx is the primordial goddess of the night, she has the divine duty of bringing night to the earth, where she would draw her dark veil across the sky, obscuring the shining blue of the heavenly ether (aither). Nyx is closely associated with her brother-husband, Erebus, the Primordial God of Darkness.

While Nyx was not worshipped widely, some cults held her in esteem, and she was the subject of art.

Stories[]

A myth mentioning Nyx; recalls that during the ancient Trojan Wars between Greece and Troy, Hera struck a deal with Nyx's son, Hypnos, the God of Sleep that if he could make the King of the Gods, Zeus fall asleep for some time, she would give him the hand of Pasithea, one of The Graces. Using his powers, Hypno's fulfilled Hera's request and put Zeus to sleep however, after Zeus awoke from the sleep he knew that he had been struck by Hypnos, the only person capable of putting him to sleep and he was unhappy with his actions, but Hypnos warned Zeus that he would involve his mother, Nyx, if he were to pursue him, which made Zeus drop his conflict with Hypnos, as did not want to displease, Nyx, the Goddess of the Night, as she was even more ancient, powerful and feared than Zeus.

Appearance and Personality[]

Nyx was envisaged as the very substance of the night--a veil of dark mists drawn across the sky to obscure the light of Aither, the shining blue of the heavens.

In ancient art Nyx was depicted as a either a winged goddess or charioteer, sometimes crowned with an aureole of dark mists.

Relationships[]

Like other major goddesses, Nyx had her own retinue her's consisting of the gods, Hypnus, Oneiroi, Astra and Hesperus.

Symbols[]

Nyx's symbols are the night sky, the owl, the moon, stars and mist.

Titles and Epithets[]

Nyx's epithets included: Khaosgenetor meaning 'chaos-born', Nux meaning 'night' and Nyktelios meaning 'night revealing' or 'night-bringing'.

Gallery[]

Nyx's gallery can be found here.

Trivia[]

Nyx's name derives from the word "Nyktos" meaning Night.

Her Roman equivalent was named Nox.

Nyx's name was given to a makeup brand, Nyx Professional Makeup.

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