Goddess of Night
Nyx is the primordial goddess of night, so powerful that even Zeus avoids provoking her wrath.
The Meaning of Goddess of Night
Nyx was born from Chaos at the very beginning of existence, making her one of the first beings in the cosmos. She wore a dark veil of mist and rode a chariot drawn by black horses across the sky each evening, drawing her cloak of shadows over the world as her brother Erebus (Darkness) filled the spaces beneath the earth. Without a consort, she gave birth to a host of powerful abstractions: Hypnos (Sleep), Thanatos (Death), the Moirai (Fates), Nemesis (Retribution), Eris (Strife), Apate (Deceit), and the Keres (Doom). When Hypnos fled Zeus's anger, he hid behind Nyx, and Zeus — despite his rage — dared not pursue him. Homer says Zeus himself feared to displease Night, acknowledging a power older and more fundamental than his own rule.
Parents
Chaos
Symbols
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Nyx
💭 conceptPrimordial goddess of night
The primordial goddess of night, one of the first beings to emerge from Chaos. So powerful that even Zeus feared her.
Goddess of the Moon
💭 conceptMoon, night sky, lunar cycles
Selene drives her silver chariot across the night sky, illuminating the world with reflected light.
Venus
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The second planet from the Sun and the brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon, named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love identified with the Greek Aphrodite
Nox
🏔 titannight (Roman equivalent)
The Roman equivalent of Nyx, primordial goddess of night, mother of darkness and light alike.
Aphrodite
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
The planet Venus is named after the Roman equivalent of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, because it is the brightest and most beautiful object in the night sky after the Moon
Callisto
💭 conceptAstronomy and mythology
A moon of Jupiter named after Callisto, the nymph companion of Artemis who was transformed into a bear and placed among the stars as the constellation Ursa Major
Birth of Athena
💭 conceptNarrative
The miraculous emergence of the goddess Athena, fully armed, from the head of her father Zeus
Abduction of Persephone
💭 conceptNarrative
The seizing of Persephone by Hades and its consequences, which explain the origin of the seasons
Eros
💭 conceptPrimordial god of love and desire
In the oldest myths, Eros was a primordial force — one of the first beings to emerge from Chaos, the power that draws all things together. Later reimagined as Aphrodite's mischievous son.
Hypnos
💭 conceptGod of sleep
The gentle god of sleep and twin brother of Thanatos (Death). Hypnos dwelt in a dark cave where no light or sound could penetrate, surrounded by poppies.
Goddess of Dawn
💭 conceptDawn, morning light, renewal
Eos opens the gates of heaven each morning, spreading her rosy fingers across the sky to herald the sun.
Goddess of the Hunt
💭 conceptHunting, wilderness, childbirth, the moon
Artemis roams the forests with her band of nymphs, protecting wild animals and punishing those who violate her sacred groves.