Nyx: Goddess of the Night and Daughter of Chaos

Nyx isn't just any primordial deity; she is the parent goddess of some of the most powerful and fearsome beings in the Greek pantheon. Most notably, she and Erebus (Darkness) were the parents of Aether (Upper Sky) and Hemera (Day). In other words, all the gods were very aware that either Nyx or her children were watching their movements at all times.

Her influence extends beyond the Greek gods, touching even the realms of Roman mythology where night deities hold sway.

Nyx's power was not just in her ability to control the night but also in her profound darkness manipulation. This ability to wield darkness like a tool or weapon is a testament to her immense power and the darker aspects of her character.

Nyx (pronounced as "nooks," according to Turkeltaub) is one of the "primordial" gods — protogenoi in Greek — who were born of Chaos, the gaping void that existed before creation.

According to Hesiod's "Theogony," an epic poem dating from the eighth century B.C.E., Nyx's sisters and brothers were Gaia (Earth), Tartarus (the Pit), Eros (Love) and Erebus (Darkness).

Through a "union in love" with her dark brother Erebus, Nyx gave birth to two "luminous" offspring, Aether (Divine Air) and Hemera (Day). Then things took a turn.

In Hesiod's cosmology, Nyx next self-conceived a brood of baddies that included the Keres (spirits of Violent Death), Moros (Doom), Oizys (Misery), Apate (Deceit), Nemesis (Retribution) and the Moirai (the three "ruthless and avenging" Fates).

Hesiod attached negative descriptors to Nyx like "deadly Night" and "evil Night," but the ancient goddess was also the mother of more positive offspring like Hypnos (Sleep), the Oneiroi (Dreams), Geras (Old Age), Thanatos (Peaceful Death) and Philotes, which could mean either Friendship or Sex.

"It is a nocturnal activity," says Turkeltaub.

Few ancient images of Nyx survive, but a stunning one comes from a terracotta vase at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York dating from 500 B.C.E.

The painted scene shows the hero Heracles offering a sacrifice to Helios (the Sun) as it rises. On either side of Helios are Nyx and Hemera, the goddesses of night and day, who each ride horse-drawn chariots in opposite directions as dawn breaks.

The people of ancient Greece developed a sophisticated mythology to explain the unknown workings of the natural world, like the alternation of night and day.

"In Greek mythology, Nyx and her daughter Hemera share an abode at the end of the earth," says Turkeltaub. "When one leaves on her chariot, the other enters."

Here's how Hesiod describes it:

In the vase painting, Nyx is swathed in gauzy robes, and there's a dark veil or mist above her head. Hesiod describes her resting place in Tartarus as "the awful home of murky Night wrapped in dark clouds."

There aren't many "stories" associated with the Nyx, says Turkeltaub, but the ancient Greek author Homer makes a passing reference in his epic poem, the "Iliad," that shows us the respect and even fear that she commanded.

In this part of the "Iliad," the powerful Greek goddess Hera hatched a plan to "lay in love" with Zeus, but she needed help from Hypnos, the god of Sleep and son of Nyx. If Hypnos would just lull Zeus into a deep slumber, Hera promised him thrones of gold.

Hypnos wasn't having it, though. He said that he played the same trick for Hera once before when she wanted to meddle in the Trojan War, and it didn't go well. Zeus woke up angry and "beat the gods up and down his house" in search of Hypnos, writes Homer.

Hypnos thought he was finished "had not Nyx (Night) who has power over gods and men rescued me," writes Homer. "I reached her in my flight, and Zeus let be, though he was angry, in awe of doing anything to swift Nyx's displeasure."

In other words, Zeus knew better than to tick off Nyx.

"The other gods do not mess with Nyx," says Turkeltaub. "She has a power that precedes Zeus. Nyx is a looming ancestral mother figure with a primordial power that other gods respect and revere."

Nyx's personality is as complex as the night she represents, balancing the dualities of light and dark, creation and destruction.

While no statues of the primordial goddess survive, there may have been a temple dedicated to her in the Greek coastal city of Megara. Turkeltaub says that the ancient Greek geographer Pausanias described a "temple to Night" at the acropolis in Megara where Nyx was believed to prophesy the future.

The Orphic hymns also speak to the reverence and fear Nyx commanded, highlighting her role as a goddess who embodies the mysteries of the night. These hymns often reflect the darker aspects of her worship, focusing on her role in the cosmic balance between light and dark.

They serve as a reminder that all the other primordial deities needed to make their way through the night, just like the rest of us.