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 mentioned in many ancient texts and stories, including the birth of the cosmos, describing how in the beginning there was only Chaos. From Chaos came Darkness (Erebos) and Night (Nyx), and from Nyx was born Air (Aether) and Day (Hemera), conceived by Erebos.
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.
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.
It is thought Nyx can either be helpful or harmful, bringing sleep and relief, or pain and death.
Thalia Took
Theoi
Goddess A Day
© A Year And A Day (2012)
West Coast Pagan 