Nix She is a goddess present in the mythology of Ancient Greece, being a secondary figure in both Greek myths and religiosity. The Greeks considered Nix to be the personification of the night, and she was considered a powerful goddess despite her lesser importance. Its origin is narrated in Hesiod's accounts and in Orphic myths.
Although there were statues for her and some rituals performed in her honor, Nix was not a goddess widely worshiped by the Greeks. There were no temples dedicated to Nix. Greek myths tell that even Zeus feared Nix, and she was represented as a young woman dressed in black.
Read too: Pandora's Box — Greek myth about the creation of the first woman
Summary about Nix
Nix is a Greek deity, considered the personification of the night.
There are two possible origins of Nix narrated in different myths: one reported by Hesiod and the other by Orpheus.
She was represented as a young, beautiful woman dressed in black clothing. It is also said that she had wings.
She did not have great relevance in religion, being little worshiped.
Historians know of no temple dedicated to this goddess.
Who was the goddess Nix?
Nix is a divinity present in Greek mythology, taken as the personification of the night for the Greeks in Antique. This goddess is considered part of the group of primordial gods, that is, the first Greek gods to emerge, their emergence being directly associated with the creation of the Universe. These gods are also known as “protogenos”.
The primordial gods were understood by the Greeks as those who represented the physical elements and forces of the Universe, and other beings present in Greek mythology originated from them, as well as the other gods. Nix was an unimportant goddess for the Greeks and did not play a prominent role in the myths or religiosity of these people.
It was left known for having several children, many begotten with Erebus, her brother, who was considered the personification of darkness and darkness in the cosmogony of the Greeks. Nix was represented as a goddess young and beautiful, dressed in a black and starry cloak. Some representations showed her driving a chariot, that is, a war chariot, and others presented her as a winged deity, who she had wings.
Nix resided in Tartarus, the deepest place in the underworld in Greek cosmogony. An interesting detail about her residence in Tartarus is that she was never present in her home at the same time as one of her daughters, Hemera. This goddess was the personification of the day for the Greeks, so when Nix arrived in Tartarus, Hemera left and vice versa.
What is the origin of the goddess Nix?
Greek myths narrate two possible origins for Nix. One of the main sources that mention this goddess is Hesiod's account in his book Theogony, which narrates the origin of the Universe and the Greek gods. Hesiod narrates that Nyx was born from Chaos, the void that existed before the creation of the Universe.
In Orphic myths, originating from the accounts of a Thracian poet named Orpheus, Nix was the daughter of Phanes, the god responsible for the creation of everything that exists. Historians theorize that Nix she may have been a goddess of great importance to Orphism, during the beginning of this cult in Greece. Orphism is understood as a set of religious practices that reinterpreted some Greek myths.
See too: What are the gods of Olympus?
Stories about Nix in Greek culture
There are not many passages about Nix in Greek mythology and culture. One of these mentions was made in a comedy that is known in Portuguese as The birds. In this comedy, Nix is presented as the first, along with Erebus, to hatch an egg. Through this action, she and Erebus gave rise to Eros, god of love.
Furthermore, there is a Greek myth that narrates Nix's action to protect Hypnos, one of her sons, from Zeus' fury. She protected her son knowing that Zeus would not have the courage to cross the night, that is, to face her, thus demonstrating her power. The Greek myth narrates that Zeus hesitated in face Nix and go through the night to capture Hypnos, letting him escape.
Cult of Nix
Historians know of no evidence that there was any temple dedicated to Nix. Therefore, We do not know about the existence of rituals and cults in religious temples for this goddess. However, we know that there were sculpture representations of this deity, and small sacrifices could be performed in reverence to Nix.
An account from the 2nd century AD. W. says there was a statue of Nix present in the Temple of Artemis, located in the city of Ephesus. Another report also points out that there was a statue of Nix in a temple dedicated to Hera, in Olympia.
