Thanatos - Mythopedia
Jan 6, 2023 · Thanatos was the Greek god or daemon who personified death. A deity without a cult, he was usually met with dread or even hatred. The poet Hesiod described him as having a heart of iron, and his spirit within him is pitiless as bronze: whomever of men he has once seized he holds fast: and he is hateful even to the deathless gods.
Hypnos - Mythopedia
Jan 27, 2023 · Overview. Gentle Hypnos, child of Nyx, was a Greek deity who personified sleep. He was most often imagined as a benevolent god, bringing peaceful sleep to all living things. But there was a darker side to Hypnos: the god of sleep was also associated with death. Indeed, Thanatos —the personification of death—was his twin brother.
Nyx - Mythopedia
Mar 9, 2023 · The name “Nyx” (Greek Νύξ, translit. Nýx) is simply the Greek word meaning “night.”. The word itself is derived from the Proto-Indo-European * nekwt -/ nokwt - (“night”) or * negwh - (“become dark”). Almost all Indo-European languages employ a similar word for night (e.g., the Latin nox, the Gothic nahts, the Sanskrit nák ...
Tartarus - Mythopedia
Mar 9, 2023 · Overview. Murky Tartarus was one of the first entities to come into existence, together with Chaos, Gaia, and Eros. He was one of the mysterious primordial gods and represented the deepest part of the Underworld. Located far below even Hades, Tartarus was a dreaded place of darkness and punishment reserved for only the most nefarious sinners ...
Alcestis (Play) – Mythopedia
Mar 8, 2023 · Thanatos, the divine personification of death, enters and explains that he has come to claim Alcestis. Apollo fails to convince Thanatos to spare the poor woman, but before he departs, Apollo hints that Heracles will ultimately take Alcestis from Thanatos by force. As Apollo and Thanatos exit, the Chorus, made up of men from Pherae, arrives on ...
Nemesis – Mythopedia
Mar 8, 2023 · Nemesis was a goddess and personified moral agent, the spirit of “retribution.”. She represented the punishments suffered by those who committed injustice, those who violated the established laws, or those guilty of hybris against the gods. But Nemesis could also represent more destructive anger and vengeance.
Greek Underworld Gods - Mythopedia
Nov 29, 2022 · Overview. Ancient Greek mythology contained a small pantheon of gods associated with death and the Underworld. Their ruler was Hades, elder brother of Zeus and Poseidon, who lent his own name to the Underworld (the Greeks often called it simply “Hades”). In addition to Hades, the Underworld housed several other deities, both revered and ...
Erebus - Mythopedia
Mar 9, 2023 · Overview. Grim Erebus was the personification of darkness. He was often imagined as one of the primordial gods, inhabiting the dark recesses of the earth near the Underworld. In the common tradition, Erebus was one of the two children of Chaos, the first entity of creation. He married his sister Nyx (“Night”), with whom he had numerous ...
Alcestis (daughter of Pelias) – Mythopedia
Mar 11, 2023 · Alcestis, the daughter of Pelias, was a Greek princess known for her beauty as well as her virtue. She was married to Admetus, the king of Pherae in the northern Greek region of Thessaly. Alcestis proved herself a paragon of matrimonial devotion when it came time for Admetus to die. The god Apollo, who loved Admetus, devised a way for him to ...
Moirae (Fates) - Mythopedia
Mar 9, 2023 · The Moirae, also known as the “Fates,” were the goddesses who personified the Greek concept of μοῖρα (moîra, “fate” or “allotment”). Their main function was to determine the lifespan of every mortal—when they would be born and when they would die. They were usually called the daughters of either Nyx (“Night”) or of Zeus ...