Greek Mythos

Hello and welcome to Greek Mythos. Here you will find descriptions of deities, gods, heroes, monsters, and other figures from Greek mythology, as well as geneaology charts, pictures, and random information about Ancient Greece.

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The Neikea

The Neikea, or Neikos, are the daimons of quarrels, fueds, and grievances. Eris is their mother according to Hesoid's Theogony, but Hyginus says their parents are Aether and Gaea. They are said to share the same nature as Eris, Ponos, Lethe, Limos, the Algea, the Hysminae, the Makhae, the Phonoi, the Androktasea, the Pseudologi, the Amphilogiae, Dysnomea, and Ate

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Eris

Eris is the daimon, or goddess depending on the source, of discord, strife, rivalry, and contention; specifically she is associated with the strife of war. Though Eris is also associated with competitive strife, marital strife and ending arguments. Eris is also known as the Lady of Sorrow, waker of onset-shouts, giver of pain, nurse of (tearful) wars, sacker of cities, defender of peoples, and the Battle Queen She enjoys haunting battlefields and delights in bloodshed, be it among mortals or immortals, she often goads others into fighting and then watches and gloats as they battle. It is said that she wanders battlefields even when the fighting is over and the other gods have withdrawn. Her blood lust is insatiable, her wrath relentless, and she rejoices in the moaning and havoc that she creates. Eris is said to be unloved by men, because she creates evil wars and slaughter, but under her compulsion and by the will of the gods they promote her. Despite this she can also move lazy people to work hard by causing them strife with their more successful and hard working neighbors. Her most noticeable feature is her maddening scream, which is loud and terrible to hear, inspires people to fight and fills them with strength. Even when she isn’t screaming her voice is said to be thunder-like. Eris is said to be aweless, mighty, insensate (unfeeling), ghastly, frightful, impartial, pitiless, and deadly. Rarely does she play favorites in battles, and brings down misery upon both sides equally. Unsurprisingly she gets along well with Ares (god of war), and will even ride along with him in his chariot, though she is avoided by other deities do to her violent ways and ability to cause conflict. In the Illiad it is said that her likeness is depicted on Athena’s aegis (shield) and that she imbedded it with part of her powers. Her image is also said to be depicted on Herakles’ shield in Hesoid’s The Shield of Herakles along with Proioxis (pursuit) Palioxis (flight), Homados (confusion and disorder), Phobos (panic), the Androktasia (slaughter), and Kyodoimos (confusion). Those who saw her image on his shield and attempted to attack him had their minds and senses taken away. Often Eris is identified with the goddess Enyo (war), and the two were sometimes interchanged. She is said to fight with a lance or a two-edged sword, has viperine (viper like or poisonous) hair, wears a torn mantle and a blood soaked headband, and occasionally is shown with black wings. During battle she physically grows taller as the battle wages until she is as tall as the clouds, and then she brings down bitterness upon both sides and increases pain. it is said that she can make blood rain down, shake the earth with her steps, and breathe fire. She lives in the Underworld and likes to perch on its entrance. Her lineage changes depending on the author. Homer states she is the daughter of Hera and Zeus, and the sister to Ares, While Hesoid claims she is the daughter of solely Nyx in the Theogony, and Hyginus says it her parents are Nyx and Erebus. Eris is the mother to many Daimon childern, such as Ponos (hard wark), Lethe (forgetfullness), the Algea (pain and suffering), the Hysminae (female spirits of combat), the Makhae (male spirits of combat), the Phonoi (murder), the Androktasia (battlefield slaughter), the Neikea (fueds), the Pseudologoi (lies), the Amphilogia (disputes), Dysmonia (lawlessness), Ate (delusion), and Horkus (oaths that punish perjurers). She gave birth to all of her children by herself. Eris’ most famous appearance in Greek Mythology is as the instigator of the Trojan War, which she started out of resentment for not being invited to the wedding of Peleus and Themis. Originally she sides with Ares and the Trojans, but later on she becomes an independent force. During this war she is the only immortal still allowed to wander the field after Zeus declares that the gods are not allowed to interfere with the fighting any longer. During Zeus battle with Typhoeus she escorts Typhoesus into battle, while Nike escorts Zeus, but after the battle begins she keeps balance between the two. Aphrodite calls for her Deimos (fear), Lyssa (rage), Dolos (treachery) and the Keres (violent death) to assist the women of Lemnian in their slaughter of their unfaithful husbands in Valerius Glaccus’ Argonautica . Jason uses a helmet of hers to turn the Spartoi warriors against themselves. She goes to Dionysos in a dream as Rhea (titan of fertility and mother to the first six Olympian gods) and shames him for not going into battle when Deriades, the King of India, had summoned him by telling him that all the other gods and goddess look down and laugh at him, and that no one fears him. During the battle she comes and supports him. Along with Penthos (grief) and Algos (anguish) she helped Hephaestus craft the cursed necklace of Harmonia which sent Thebes into a civil war. On one occasion Hera summons Eris to create strife between the couple Polytechnus and Aedon since they stated that they loved each other more than Zeus and Hera did. Hera also sent her against Herakles. When the women of Lemnos stopped worshipping her she drove them to murder their husbands.

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The Androktasia

The Androktasia or Androctasia, literally meaning battle killings, are female daimons of battle slaughter and daughters of Eris alone according to Hesoid's Theogony. They are often associated with the Keres (daimons of violent or cruel death) and often accompanied them, Eris (goddess or daimon of discord and strife), and the Makhai (daimons of combat) on the battlefield. In Hesiod's Theogony they are said to share the same nature as Eris and their siblings Ponos (pain), Lethe (forgetfulness), the Hysminae (combat), the Makhai (battle), Limos (starvation), the Algea (pain), the Phoni (murder), the Neikea (quarrels), the Pseudologoi (lies), the Amphilogiai (disputes), Dysnomia (lawlessness) and Ate (ruin). They are said to be depicted on the Shield of Herakles in Hesoid's Shield of Herakles.

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So someone said nice things about my posts and now I'm back cause I will do almost anything if people say nice things to me. I'll try my best to update at least once a week, and a big thank you to everyone who has followed me through even though I haven't made any new posts in like a year.

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The Phonoi

The Phonoi are the male spirits of killing, murder and slaughter off of the battlefield, while their sisters the Androctasiae were the spirits of slaughter on the battlefield. Occasionally though no distinction is drawn between them. They are the sons of Eris (discord).Aeschylus' Libation Bearers it is said that they can breed more reprisal, or continuation, of murder. And in his Seven Against Thebes murders are said to be their servants, and they are described as being "ghastly-faced" in Fall of Troy.

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The Makhai

The Makhai are the male spirits of battle and combat. They are said to be the sons of Eris alone, and often accompanied gods who were related to war or battle, such as Ares (god of war), Phobos (fear), Deimos (terror), the Keres (violent death), Enyo (goddess of war), and their mother Eris. The daimons Homados (battle noise), Alala (war cry), Proxioxis (pursuit in battle), Palioxis (retreat in battle),Ioke (onslaught) Alke (battle strength), and Kyodoimos (battle confusion) are all associated with the Makhai, and they all appear together on the shield of Herakles in the Greek poem Shield of Heracles.

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Hysminae

The Hysminae are the female daimons of fighting and combat, specifically unarmmed combat (such as fist fights and street brawls), though some sources say they also ruled over battlefield combat, while others say their siblings the Makhai ruled over it. According the Hesoid's Theogony, Eris gave birth to them by herself. But Hyginus states that Aether and Gaia are their parents. In Quintus Smyrnaeus' Fall of Troy they are said to have been depectied on Achilles' shield alongside Phobos (fear), Deimos (terror), Eris (discord), and the Keres (Fate), where they are described as being in the midst of battle, screaming and covered in sweat and blood. They can also inspire violence in humans, causing them to hit, push, slap and punch one another, or even in some cases to go to war.

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News: back from hiatus

Good news: I'm back from hiatus bad news: I'm back because I lost my job.

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The Algea

The Algea were the daimons of suffering, grief, sorrow, distress, and pain, both of the body and mind. They are known to bring tears where ever they go, and their opposites were the Hedone (pleasures) and the Kharites (joy). In Hesoid's Theogony he says they are the children of Eris by herself, by Hyginus says they are Aether and Gaia's. In the Anacreontea fragments there are three listed, Lupe (pain, grief, and distrust), Anai (distress, sorrow, trouble, and boredom), and Akhos (anguish and ache). The Algea are said to live in Hades, and that they helped make the Necklace of Harmonia.

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Lethe

Lethe is the daimon of forgetfulness and oblivion, and shares her name with one of the five rivers of the underworld. Hesoid's Theogony claims that Eris is her parent, while Hyginus claims that Aether and Gaia are her parents. Mnemosyne (memory) was her opposite. She is said to dwell in a cave near where Hypnos sleeps, and that the river Lethe also flows by there. Lethe is described as being dull.

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Ponos

Ponos is the daimon of hard work, specifically extreme back breaking intensive labor. He is the son of Eris in Hesoid's Theogony and of Nyx and Ereus in Cicero's De Natura Deorum. In Virgil's Aeneid it is stated that he lives in the underworld, and that Thantos (death), Penthos (grief), Limos (hunger), the Keres (violent death), Nosoi (disease), Geras (old age), Phobus (fear), Aporia (desire/want), and Hynos all dwell nearby as well. He is described as droopy and painful, and is said to be a companion of Hypnos.

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The Oneiroi

The Oneiroi are the daimons of dreams. During the day they dwell in Erebos, the land of eternal darkness which is said to lie on the western most shore of Okeanus, and is either close to the entrance of Hades or near the cave where Hypnos sleeps. But when night comes they emerge like a flock of bats. On their way out they pass through two gates, the first is made of thorns and is the source of prophetic dreams, while the second one is ivory and is the source of meaningless and false dreams. Philostratus the Elder describes them as being young men who wear white garmentsover black ones, and carry horns. They also are messengers to oracles, giving them prophecies from the gods through their dreams. In Hesoid's Theogony, Sappho's Fragment 63,and Statius'Thebaid it is stated that they are the children of Nyx, the Pseudo-Hyginus and Cierco's De Natura Deorum as the children of Nyx and Erebus, and Ovid's Metamorphoses says that Hypnos is their father. The leader of the Oneiroi was Morpheus who was said to appear in the dreams of kings and rulers as the gods messenger. Differnt sources say he is either an Oneiroi or is a god. Other Oneiroi mentioned are Phantasos and Ikelos. The Oneiroi of nightmares or melas oneiros is Epiales, meaning to lay upon. He is described as bringing feverish chills and assaults sleepers. There is an intonation to Gaia in Aeschylus' Suppliant Women that is said to drive him away. In the Odyssey the Oneiroi bring Penelope a prophetic dream of Odysseus coming back to slay her suitors, and when Odysseus and his men travel to Hades they are said to have passed the home of the Oneiroi. Zeus commands them to send Agamemnon evil dreams in the Illiad who convince him to attack Troy and send in the Akhaians, stating that all the gods would be behind him. Epiales appears in Aeschylus' Libation Bearers showing Klytemnestra, Agamenmon's wife, a dream where she gave birth to a snake. In Aesop's Fables Zeus sends prophetic dreams to mortals to get back at the leader of the Muses after he thought he was better than Zeus, later on the two made up which caused Zeus to send false dreams as well so that the people would have to rely on the leader of the Muses for their prophecies. And in another they allow Hermes to speak to a sculptor who was selling a statue of him. Hera has them send a false dream to the queen Alkyone in Metamorphoses where her husband Keyx tells her his ship had wrecked and he had drowned. They also appear in many more stories, sending mortals and even sometimes gods messages.

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Nephelai

The Nephelai were nymphs of clouds and rain. They rose up from Okeanus and poured carried water back up to the heavens in pitchers made of clouds. The Nephelai are often depicted as being beautiful,young women pouring water from pitchers, much like their sisters the Naiades (fresh water nymphs), or simply floating across the sky in billowy robes. Normally they are depicted as being the youngest of the Okeanids, which is why many of them are part of the sixty nymph followers of Artemis (Goddess of the hunt). Hyale, Nephele (the third one), Phiale (some sources say she's a Naias[spring nymph] instead), Psekas, and Rhanis are all Nephelai in the service of Artemis. Their parents are either Okeanus (Titan and protogenos), Tethys (Titaness of fresh water), or Aether (protogenos of Light). In Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound they appear before Atlas (Titan of endurance) in order to listen to his story of how he became bound and forced to hold up the sky. However later on in the story Hermes (God and Zeus' messenger) warns them that they have to run away since Zeus has heard what was going on and was about to strike them with lightning for being sympathetic to Atlas. At first they say they'll stay and suffer with Atlas, but after it begins to thunder they run away. Aristophanes claims that they are the greatest of the gods in his play Clouds. In this Sokrates (Socrates, ancient philosopher) claims that they are the greatest goddesses for the lazy, and that they gave men thoughts, speeches, trickery, roguery, boasting, lies, sagacity (sound judgement and mental acuteness). Occasionally in myths the gods, usually Zeus had them take on the shape of other women, either god or mortal, in order to test or trick men. In one instance he had one of them look like Hera (Queen of the gods) because Ixion (mortal son of Ares and King of the Lapiths) attempted to rape her. To test him he had the Nephelai lie beside him, and when he awoke to see her he bragged that he had slept with Hera. As punishment Zeus turned him into a wheel and the winds blew him throughout the clouds. Another account says that one of the Nephelai took the shape of Helen so that Hermes could take her away from Paris and bring her Egypt, while Paris went to Troy with the Nephelai.

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Thalassa

Thalassa is the daughter of Aether (light) and Hemera (day) and is the protogenos of the sea, specificaly the Mediterranean. She is often depicted as the upper body of a woman rising from the sea with crab claw horns, bright cerulean eyes, clothed in strips of seaweed, and holding an oar's ship. Thalassa is often described as being fair and kind in ancient texts, such as Philostratus the Elder's Images. With her husband Pontus she had all of the fish in the sea, leading her to be be called "the mother of all." There is a statue of her in one of Poseidon's temple holding Aphrodite. She appears in many of Aesop's Fables.In one a man chastises the sea for luring men out only to turn violent. She tells him not to blame her, that she is firm and steady and that it is the Anemoi (winds) striking her suddenly that causes her to become violent. Another has the Potami (rivers) question her about why she changes their drinkable water into salty and undrinkable water. To which she replies that if they don't like it that they shouldn't come to her. In another one a farmer sees a ship sink in the sea and curses her saying that it'd be better if no one ever sailed on her and that she's the enemy of mankind. She rises out of the sea and confronts him, saying that he shouldn't spread such evil lies about her and that if the Anemoi didn't strike her that she'd be more gentle that dry land. With Ouranos she is said to have had the Hekatonkheiries (three gods of violent storms) and when his blood hit her after he got castrated she gave rise to Aphrodite (goddess of love).By herself she had Halia (nymph of Rhodes) and possibly the Telkhines* (sea smiths). *SIndicate some sources claim others as their parent(s)

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Creation conflict

There are two main sources in Greek mythology that give accounts on how the world and all its beings came into creation, Hesoid's Theogony and Orphica's Theogonies Fragments. Hesoid's is usually considered the mythological "cannon," mostly because most of it is still intact, while the Orphica fragments are just that, fragments. Both were written around the same time though, in the 7th or 8th BC. The main differences are the first beings, with Hesoid claiming all things came from Khaos, and Orphica Thesis, Hydrus, and Phusis are the first beings to come into creation. There are also some differences with the portrayl of Khronos, Ananke, Aether, Khaos, Erebus, and Pan. Also in Orphia's fragments much of creation comes from an egg that Kronos creates, and Ananke, not Rhea, is his consort. Alcman also has some fragments on creation, for him Thesis, Kronos, and Ananke were the first beings withe Erebus, Hemera, and Selene following suit. These differences are mainly due to the fact that they all belonged to different religious sects.

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Thesis

Thesis is the primordial goddess of creation. According to Orphica's Theogonies Fragments, she is the first being to come into creation with the god Hydrus following close behind. She is said to be connected to Metis (titaness of wisdom) and Theys (titaness of fresh water) in some early writings such as Orphica's Theogonies Fragments, though later writings have them more removed, like Nonnus' Dionysiaca. In Alcman's fragments it is said that when she came into being that the beginning and end of all things came into being as well. Occasionally she is presented as being the feminine side of Phanes (bi gendered god of procreation). Her children are said to be Kronos (time) and Ananke (inevietability) with Hydrus possibly being their father.

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Children of none

Besides Khaos, who most other beings originated from, there were a few other primodial deities who had no parents or in other words just simply emerged at the beginning of creation. There are three of them, Thesis (creation), Hydrus (water), and Phusis (nature).