21 Days of Goddesses til’ Imbolc
Day 7 — Nyx ( Night, Fate, Darkness, Relief)
Nyx, the Greek goddess of Night, is one of the first-born elemental gods. These primeval gods also include Earth (Gaea), Air, Sea, Sky, Fresh Water, Underworld, Darkness, Night, Light, Day, Procreation and Time.
She is the daughter of Chaos and sister/wife to Erebos, God of Darkness. Homer called her the subduer of gods and men, and that Zeus himself stood in awe of her. Nyx is the Greek Goddess of the night, and the daughter of Chaos. She is known to be very beautiful. Her birthplace was not on Earth but in Gaia. She is Primordial God. It is said that she was created near the beginning of time. Her home is in the depths of Hades’ underworld. Nyx has a shadowy figure, which makes her the perfect personification of the night. In ancient art, Nyx was drawn in three different ways. She was either winged, charioteer, or crowned with an aureole of dark mists.
Nyx is a very unique goddess. She can impact mankind in a good or bad way. Her ability to bring sleep or death unto to the human race. This is not the goddess to mess with. Zeus even feared Nyx because she was older and stronger than him. She is the only goddess he’s ever feared. That speaks volumes of her power. The moonstone is used to honor her to this day. It reflects it’s owner and should be used during the full moon.
She is often described as a winged goddess or riding in a chariot across the sky, shrouded in mist, bringing stars and the night behind her. She is said to reside in the western part of Hades, where she and her sister/daughter Hemera (Day) would pass each other at sunrise and sunset.
Nyx is not exactly the personification of evil in greek mythology. She’s never spoken of having done anything more ‘evil’ than Zeus himself does in any mythology. Yet, because of her mysterious and dark nature, many see her as more of a villain figure than she ever appears to be.
Nyx married Erebus, the God of darkness. Nyx and Erebus produced Hemera (Day) and Aither (Light). Hemera is Nyx’s opposite. Nyx brought the dark veil over the night, while Hemera chased the dark mists away each morning.
Interestingly so, Nyx was able to create her own dark spirits including Fates, Sleep, Death, Strife, and Pain. More of Nyx’s children include, Geras, Moros, Nemesis, the Keres, and the Oneiroi.
Nyx appears in many important greek poems. In the fragments of poetry she inhabits, Nyx is the first of all creation. Before there was anything, there was darkness or ‘night’ and it was there that Nyx came to be, according to the ancient Greek mythos. Nyx is often portrayed in symbolism as a moon or stars, in accordance with her ending the daytime and bringing the night.
Nyx had many children, most of which represented the ‘darker’ aspects of humanity, such as the Three Fates, Nemesis, Sleep, Death, Doom, Misery, Deceit, and Strife.
It is thought Nyx can either be helpful or harmful, bringing sleep and relief, or pain and death.
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