Nyx: Darkness before Dawn

The darkness that is Nyx.

To Nyx (Night)

Fumigation with Torches.

Nyx, parent goddess,

Source of sweet repose from whom at first both Gods and men arose.

Hear, blessed Kypris [Aphrodite], decked with starry light,

In sleep’s deep silence dwelling ebon night!

Dreams (oneiroi) and soft ease attend thy dusky train,

Pleased with the lengthened gloom and feastful strain,

Dissolving anxious care, the friend of mirth,

With darkling coursers riding round the earth.

Goddess of phantoms and of shadowy play,

Whose drowsy power divides the natural day;

By Fate’s decree you constant send

the light to deepest hell, remote from mortal sight;

For dire necessity (ananke), which nought withstands,

invests the world with adamantine bands.

Be present, Goddess, to thy suppliant’s prayer,

desired by all, whom all alike revere,

blessed, benevolent, with friendly aid

dispel the fears of twilight’s dreadful shade.

–Orphic Hymn 3 to Nyx (Source)

Unlike the other Hellenic goddesses who are all bright and cheery and clad in radiant gowns, Nyx was a dark figure so awesome even the greatest of the gods made a run for his money. As Wiki puts it:

Her appearances in mythology are sparse, but reveal her as a figure of exceptional power and beauty. 

Tsk, tsk. So much badassness.

Nocturnal Relations

In the ancient cosmogonies, Nyx (Roman Nox) was one of the very first created beings emerging from the void; a daughter of Chaos, and a sister of Erebus, Gaea and Tartarus. Sometimes, she was even represented as the mother, sister or daughter of the creator god Phanes (T’was hard to tell – no one else was present during the time!). Three generations before Zeus ‘n the gang, two before the Titans came on the scene; Nyx is ancient stuff, guys.

Following the custom of those times (or she didn’t really had much choice), Nyx married her brother, the equally dark Erebus. Together, they parented quite a handful of children:

• Aether (Brightness);
• Hemera (Day);
• Charon (Ferryman of the Dead);
• Eleos (Mercy);
• Epiphron (Sagacity); and
• Sophrosyne (Temperance)

However, Nyx did not seem satisfied with just making love with her husband. And so, without the help of any man, she spawned a brood of other kids. Most of her later children, though, seemed to have represented the ‘darker’ aspects of humanity (Really, the adjectives used to describe them were not particularly morale boosters). They were:

• Achlys (Death Mist);
• Apate (Deceit);
• Dolos (Deceit);
• “Hard-hearted” Eris (Strife);
• “Hateful” Geras (Old Age);
• Hybris (Insolence);
•  Hypnos (Sleep);
• “Black” Keres (Violent Deaths);
• Lyssa (Madness);
• Momus (Mockery);
• “Hateful” Morus (Doom);
• “Painful” Oizys (Misery);
• Philotes (Friendship);
• Ponus (Toil); and
• Thanatos (Death);

(The lists I had in hand were so varying I had to settle with my own list. There are a few who I believe have more reputable parents, so I didn’t put them here. Please let me know what you think!)

Mama knows best. That’s already a lot of children to keep track of; but Nyx still proved to be a protective mother to her children, though.

Love this photo? See more here.

One incident in the Iliad talks of Hypnos having offended Zeus for making him fall asleep in the middle of a war (Not a very wise move, man). Zeus was furious and would have smitten Hypnos into the sea had he not fled to Nyx, his mother, in fear. Zeus, fearing to anger Nyx, held his fury at bay, and in this way Hypnos escaped his wrath.

This badass mother may be one of the few, if not the only god Zeus would defer to, especially after a little show of her power.

Dark Matriarch

Then again, we cannot blame Zeus for being afraid of this goddess. Most of the oldest accounts say more about her than being just a goddess under the weather. And so, I thought this part could use this song:

The ancients considered Nyx as one of the most powerful divine beings. She was a first principle entity, and she was believed to be omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, and drives all things to their ends (Ooh, creepy).

What’s more? She was the second in the evolutionary progression of the dynasties of the Vasilei (“Kings”) to whom the first ruler of the cosmos, Phanes, gave his royal scepter. As a queen,  Nyx was said to be very unpredictable and tended to display an aura of tranquility and threat at the same time. Homer even called her

the subduer of gods and men

and related that Zeus himself stood in awe of her.

Lastly, like any other queen, Her Imperial Majesty was a bit narcissistic and enjoyed wearing jewelry (especially those made of moonstone and agate, she said), and was rarely found without any form of precious stone adornment.

The 'Night Shift'

Nyx herself was the primeval substance of darkness; the power that stood in the beginning of creation, a dark veil of mist drawn forth from the underworld which blotted out the light of Aether (shining upper atmosphere).

Simply said, she was the goddess of the night and the mistress of darkness.

I made this myself and named it Tag Ein Nacht (Day and Night)...
even though I don't speak German, Lieblings.

According to God Checker:

Every evening she coaxes him [Erebus, her husband] out to spread his gloomy darkness, which obscures the shining AETHER and lets the stars come out to play. It's up to daughter HEMERA to waft away the darkness every morning to let the sun shine.

As days could not be counted if dark-robed Nyx would not come between them, night and day become, in a certain way, equals. Records showed that the two goddesses live in one mansion (which I’ll be touring you later), although they did nothing together but greet each other every day (and night). According to the Greek-Gods:

Nyx used to reside in her home all day long, taking care of her dark spirited children. But when the evening set in, Nyx was leaving her home to set off for her nightly journey. Just as Hemera entered it, Nyx left.

When one, either night or day, crosses the earth, the other will wait at home. They will greet each other only at the threshold where Atlas holds up heaven. Wiki says that this mirrors the portrayal of Ratri (night) in the Rigveda, where she works in close cooperation but also tension with her sister Ushas (dawn). Hmm. Tension. Nice choice of words.

House of Night. First off, I would like to apologize for ripping off the title of P.C. Cast’s vampire series. I have never actually read the books, but I heard they’re quite good.

(For the information of us all, Nyx had a part in the series as the goddess of vampyres and night honored through the Full Moon Ritual and had the ability to bless vampires with the gift of ‘affinity,’ whatever that is. Thanks House of Night Wiki!)

Back to Nyx’s home:

“There also stands the gloomy house of Night;

ghastly clouds shroud it in darkness.

Before it Atlas stands erect and on his head

and unwearying arms firmly supports the broad sky,

where Night and Day cross a bronze threshold

and then come close and greet each other.”

(Hesiod, Theogony, 744 ff.) 

So, yeah, the goddess owned a gloomy but very HUGE manor house in the far west of Tartarus. Her whole estate spread around the pit in triple line like a necklace. Maicar’s Greek Mythology Link also said that at her gates and above it are the sources and ends of heaven, earth and sea, and it is told that if a man should find himself inside the gates, he would not reach the bottom for one year, being carried by blasts in all directions.

(Her home could have been a nice feature for magazines featuring celebrity homes. Too bad, she doesn’t seem to be a very hospitable host!)

Anyway, her Palace was made of the most exquisite black marble, with white marble streaks through. Central columns run the lobby towards the main reception hall, with black cat statues lining the outer walls.

Inside the main reception hall, a solid black ivory throne padded with blackened silk sits on a raised dais. A table with ambrosia and wine sits next to it within arm's reach. Set into the wall behind and coming out to form a roof over the throne is a blackened knurled branch upon which owls perch during audiences, while black cats can rest on a thick wool rug laid out at the base of the throne. (Very detailed, eh? Special thanks to this!)

Night’s unlit abilities. Being a sinister goddess could not have been all that bad for Nyx. With this office also came her divine authority and absolute control over darkness, so-called Umbrakinesis. With this power, she gained the ability to create both extreme darkness and light. But it doesn’t just refer to a typical power shortage we sometimes experience – her darkness can enshroud souls of her choice, leading them to catatonia in an instant. She can easily hypnotize both mortals and immortals by just the sight of her eyes and her voice.

Bringing her twin sons Thanatos and Hypnos along during her night time strolls (she rides her own celestial chariot, BTW), Nyx gave either sleep or death to the un/luckiest recipients. Her kiss was said to be fatal to men. Also, she can manipulate dreams to a limited extent, but she tried not to abuse that power.

Now this is one accurate pie chart!
Thanks Cheezburger!

The goddess was also said to brew a powerful sleep mixture that causes mortals to fall unconscious for 8 hours at a time within moments of use (Source). Now that’s one fool-proof cure from insomnia (Or teens on the internet)!

On a more cosmic note, Nyx has got the ability to control the movement and rotation of planets (enabling her to change the flow of night and day), known as Circadian Manipulation. Owing from her husband’s domain, she traveled the world through shadows and mists, and morphed herself into living darkness.

Alas for Nyx, she had also become a convenient suspect any inexplicable or frightening thing that befell man. She was attributed with the powers over illness, suffering, misfortunes, quarrels, war and murder. How unfair is that?

A Series of Unfortunate Events just seemed right, eh?

The dame is a drama queen. Nyx was one dark, dangerous and voluptuous woman. Would it surprise you if I say that that she was also a diva? This could have been the reason why the evening slots on TV were called primetime.

Kidding aside, Nyx, as the indisputable embodiment of the night, also presided over all that happens after dark. Hence, spies, fugitives, thieves, murderers and secret lovers (and some say, vampires) were put under her special protection. She was known to 'deliberately enshroud them in a cloak of mystery.' Seriously, this lot could use a little help. And so Nyx becomes their fitting patron.

Foretelling the Forthcoming

Aside from her regular ‘night shift’, Nyx also did some prophesying on the side. It is in this manner that she possessed an oracle at Megara, the chief city of Megaris in Southern Greece (Source) and was affiliated with owls and bats (another Source).

(I am speculating that she got this power from the strange hermaphroditic demiurge called Phanes by the Orphics. It was he who, some say, made Nyx the supreme ruler of prophetic power.)

Nyx occupied a cave or adyton wherein she gave hints of the future. The industry was great and business was booming. At one time, she got her niece the Titaness Rhea to be her primary endorser. Outside the cave, the princess clashed cymbals and beat upon her tympanon, moving the entire universe in an ecstatic dance to the rhythm of Nyx's chanting.

(A post-Titanomachy alternate myth said that the Titan Cronus was chained within it, asleep and drunk on honey –where he dreams and prophesies.)

Not a Bad Night!

As a very dark and brooding figure, Nyx became an enigmatic and widely feared hell of a woman. The titles Deadly, Terror-bringing, Dark, and Murky did not quite help in promoting her character. But Nyx was not all bad news.

In actuality, many people consider the coming of the night as a welcome relief after a day’s work (This one really struck me). In this guise, Nyx was worshipped with the epithets Hosia or Holy and Phylia or Kindly.

The sign of Islam.
Got this here.

I’ve also read somewhere (I can’t remember where) that Nyx was worshipped as a goddess of light in some places in Africa. This could be true since aside from darkness, she also represented the starlight of night (read Nyx Poikileimôn, “spangle-robed Night”). It is in this guise that Nyx adopted the crescent moon and star as her emblem (quite similar to the symbol of modern Islam, eh?).

Nyx was not the philanthropic and humanitarian kind of goddess, yet she still does often provide lost mariners with help in the form of the constellation Ara or the Altar should they heed her favoring signs.

Lastly, night is also the time for inspiration and it is told that the muses sing during night-time their praises to the gods and Nyx on Mount Helicon.

Now everybody wants to be night goddess!

Other 'Nyx Knacks'

Just so you know, this is
free advertising. Hoho

Like many other Greek deities, Nyx has also donated her name to a celestial object (Oh, wow!). Previously known as S/2005 P1, Nix is this gloomy moon that circles the remote planetoid Pluto in a suitably shadowy and mysterious manner (Source). The name was spelled with an "i" instead of a "y", to avoid conflict with previously named asteroid 3908 Nyx.

Earlier in 1997, the International Astronomical Union approved the name Nyx for a mons (mountain/peak) feature on the planet Venus. Nyx Mons is located at latitude 30° North and longitude 48.5° East on the Venusian surface. Its diameter is 875 km, according to Wikipedia.

And, finally, back on earth, girls may find the goddess in their favorite make up under the name Nyx Cosmetics.

That’s about it… and good night!

Thalassa: Diving Deep with the Dragon Queen

Thalassa, badass mermaid.

People from across the globe have always been fascinated by stories of beautiful humanlike female beings living in an enchanting world under the sea. Likewise, the ancient Greeks worshiped a vast host of these deities. But before there were the sea celebrities Tethys, Doris, Amphitrite, and even the redhead Ariel, there was this all-powerful chick who dominated the rule of the deep.

Yes, she is Thalassa. And yes, she is not your typical little mermaid.

Birth waters. According to various ancient sources, Thalassa was the unica hija (meaning only daughter… just testing my little existent Spanish XD) of the Protogenoi Aether and Hemera. 

And although I believe that the Greek creation myth was a reasonable story which can be explained by logic and science, I still don’t understand how Light and Day together begot the Sea. I’ll really appreciate it if somebody enlightens me about this.

Anyhow, she was also called Thalatta or Thalath by her closest friends. (Source)

'Sea' the sign

The goddess Thalassa was of particular importance, in contrast with the other merfolk of myths and legends. She was the primordial female Essence of the Sea. She was waaayyyy more primitive and inhuman power than other sea goddesses we know. As such, she was often represented as having a body made of water itself.

(Science has already proven that the common mundane body is composed of 75% water. But Thalassa’s case was different. Hers was actually 100% saltwater!)

The Romans had good reason to call the Mediterranean their
sea as shown in this map of the Roman Empire, obtained here.

Her male counterpart was Pontus, the King of the Sea, son of Gaea by herself (Yes). As his wife, Thalassa was honored as the first Queen of the Sea. She must have been a very regal and stern ruler that people later nicknamed her, “the Dragon Queen.” (Or she could really transform herself into a dragon)

This title had further established her connection with the primeval Mesopotamian figure Tiamat, which I’ll be discussing later.

Anyway, she was referred to by the Romans as MARE, the female personification of the Sea. They even named the Mediterranean Sea as Mare Nostrum, meaning Our Sea (Not a very possessive lot, eh?). BTW, I read that bit in the glossary of The Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan.

Motherf***er. Before you report me for using obscene language in this blog, let me clarify that the title of this section meant MOTHER FISHER, a title I personally gave to Thalassa as the creator of all sea life. So no worries. No swearing.

Moving on, Thalassa got all ‘wet’ and ‘wild’ with her mate, the equally ‘wet’ and ‘wild’ sea spirit Pontus. From their union came the tribes of fish and all the sea mammals.

We now know who to thank for THE PLENTY OF FISH IN THE SEA. (I just don't know about that online dating site). Thalassa’s the name, babies.

Aside from the fishy children that they've had, they also spawned the nine sea daemons called the Telchines. What they really are is not totally definite. Some say that they were priestly wizards; others they were demonic spirits. Either way, they were said to know a lot about forbidden magic, and even use Stygian water for their crops. The fact that they had dog heads and flipper hands would probably making you think twice about messing with them. (They’re really interesting, and I’m planning to put an article about them. In the distant future, maybe.)

Rumors had it that she was also the mother of Aphrodite. (Although, I personally believe it was Dione who was the goddess’ real mother. Read about her here.)

Thalasa is Tiamat is Thalassa

For us to understand this part, we’ll have to first identify who this Tiamat was. The name might ring a bell to Dungeons and Dragons players out there, but for everybody’s benefit, I got this brief description from the most accessible website we call Wikipedia:

Tiamat was a chaos monster, a primordial goddess of the ocean, mating with Abzû (the god of fresh water) to produce younger gods. It is suggested that there are two parts to the Tiamat mythos, the first in which Tiamat is 'creatrix', through a "Sacred marriage" between salt and fresh water, peacefully creating the cosmos through successive generations. In the second "Chaoskampf" Tiamat is considered the monstrous embodiment of primordial chaos.

In trying to compare and reconcile various mythologies (an effort I really admire), researchers were able to find out a connection between the awesome Thalassa and the awful Tiamat. The Order ofTiamat says:

Tiamat was also known as Thalattē (as a variant of thalassa, the Greek word for “sea”) in the Hellenistic Babylonian Berossus’ first volume of universal history. It is thought that the name of Tiamat was dropped in secondary translations of the original religious texts (written in the East Semitic Akkadian language) because some Akkadian copyists of Enûma Elish substituted the ordinary word for “sea” for Tiamat, since the two names had become essentially the same, due to association.

However, whereas the Greeks saw Thalassa as a beautiful sea formed woman, Tiamat was represented as:

• 300 miles long, circumference of 100 ft, and a mouth that opens 10 ft.
• Undulates 6 miles high. Huge scaled body, legs, forked tongue, head and forelegs of a lion, feathered wings and eagle's hind quarters. Her skin was immune to all weapons.
• Tiamat was the female water spirit of chaos
• Primordial mother of all that is living and not and was
• Occasionally referred to as a monster of Air. (As Thalassa, this could have been plausible, being a daughter of Aether)
• In some sources she is given the ability to shapeshift.
• Symbolic of salt water, in which she lived
• Marduk himself is occasionally represented with a horned dragon at his feet. Particularly on a Babylonian cylinder seal.
• Alexander Heidel in Babylonian Genesis questions the popular view of Tiamat as a dragon.

(Source: http://www.theserenedragon.net/Tales/babylon-tiamat.html)

Thalassa may not have been very fond of the Babylonians that she appeared in that form. Or Tiamat may have been Thalassa’s early form before coming to the Greeks and starting life anew. Or mood swings cause her to change in either form. Or they may not have been connected at all.

Possibilities are endless, my dears.

The 'ebbing' sea

After a long time serving as the female sovereign of the Sea (and being identified with a female chaos monster), Thalassa retired almost in obscurity.

I made up a story (read it here) where Cronus seized Pontus’ Essence to use as his weapon during the Titanomachy. Thalassa must have been very grief-stricken back then. Thus, she was not anymore seen with the other marine deities. According to the Gods and Goddesses Blog:

While many of the sea deities were very social in their chaos, Thalassa became far more isolated.

And thus, she represented the vast, lonely sea on unpopulated coasts. As time passed by, she was mostly remembered only as the goddess of lonely shores. She slowly dissipated, and her body and her womb became one with the sea itself.

Would you forgive me if I insert this song at this point?

Teehee.

Thalassocracy, the sea goddess legacy

thal·as·soc·ra·cy

n.pl. thal·as·soc·ra·cies

Naval or commercial supremacy on the seas.

Now this is a very fitting legacy from the Dragon Queen of the Sea.

Examples of thalassocracies are the ancient powerful mercantile kingdoms of Phoenicia and Carthage, as well as the early modern empires of Portugal and Spain having the greatest navies of their time. Thanks The Free Dictionary and Wikipedia!

Thalassa also made it to our science (astronomy, geology, medicine, etc.) books and journals as:

• Thalassa, or Neptune IV, the second innermost satellite of planet Neptune (the salty connection between the names);
• Panthalassa was the vast global ocean that surrounded the supercontinent Pangaea, during the late Paleozoic and the early Mesozoic years (It’s interesting to note the Gaea’s name was also used in the name Pangaea. Go primeval goddesses in science!); and
• Thalassemia, a form of inherited blood disorder that originated in the Mediterranean region (Yes! From Mare Nostrum itself!).

So much for being a low-profile sea queen, eh?

Hemera: Little Miss Sunshine

This is Hemera from my imagination.

Hemera belonged to a class known as Protogenoi--the first generation of gods who played important roles in the creation of the cosmos. Like many of her 'relatives', she grew too old beyond retirement age and had been gradually forgotten in the godly happenings. Nevertheless, I still like this goddess very much.

It's a beautiful Day!

I just thought Michael Buble could set up the mood for you:

Or maybe you're a Lee DeWyze person (wherever he is right now):

Whatever. Now, back to the story.

Our girl Hemera here was the daughter of the primeval gods Erebus (Shadow) and Nyx (Night), and the sister-wife of Aether (Air). In contrast to her 'dark' parentage, this goddess was all about brightness (which made me think of  the phrase, "darkest before the dawn.). Hemera was then the goddess of light, warmth and day. She was called Dies by the Romans.

She was a totally sunny goddess who always had a positive outlook in life. As what I have read from Greekgods.info:

She brightened the dark with her morning greeting over the earth.

Quite a happy camper, I must say.

Hemera's job was to pull away the dark curtains of Erebus every morning to let her brother Aether's light shine forth. As a deity who brings morning, she also came to be considered as the goddess of new beginnings. (Source)

I personally think that that was the reason why the two of them eventually fell for each other. You know, having to see each other every day for eternity and stuff. As events showed, the two finally got married and had a daughter named Thalassa, the female personification of the sea.

A special case of parent issues

Back in the days when the universe was still young, Hemera used to reside with her mother in Tartarus, in the depths of the Underworld. However, due to their conflicting work schedules, the two deities never met each other at home.

Hemera left Tartarus just as Nyx entered it; when Hemera returned, Nyx left. According to Hesiod's  Theogony, Nyx and Hemera draw near and greet one another as they pass the great threshold of bronze: and while the one is about to go down into the house, the other comes out at the door.

But that was an allegory. Literally, it must have looked like this:

(and I just got dizzy @_@)

That could have brought a somewhat frictional relationship between the mother and daughter. (Not that they wanted it, of course!)

Breaking Dawn

NOTE: This part has nothing to do with Stephenie Meyer's novel about freakin' vampires. I have nothing against Ms. Meyer, though.

As what I have pointed out in my previous posts, the gods are vulnerable to losing their powers either as a result of seizure or of voluntary surrender. What happened to Hemera and her husband Aether was an example of the latter.

A really beautiful photo entitled

Orange Thought by ~chloh

Aether was the first of the couple to rest; having finally gotten the tad of being the literal Light. The god gave away his powers to his favorite niece, the Titaness Theia, as a birthday present. As a Protogenos himself, he could not just have faded away. Instead, he became the brass walls that fortified both Olympus and Tartarus.

As for Hemera, she still went on with her life, but felt that it was never the same without Aether. So, when Theia went to ask her to bless her newborn daughter Eos, Hemera willingly gave all her powers to the young goddess.

After that, she transformed into a celestial veil. We would later find Eos drawing back this veil every morning to make way for his brother Helios, the Sun.

And so, a wall and a curtain. That's what became the two of them. Nice ending.

Dione: A Beautiful Affair

This is how I imagined Dione.

Dione has been said to be one of the most important goddesses; but of what? No one knows for sure. Her name literally only meant the Goddess. Yeah, talk about obscure divinities. Even made me think of the song aptly titled Mizu no Akashi or ‘Evidence of Water’ by Rie Tanaka:

Back to the story, I quote from God Checker:

DIONE was one of the early birds in the goddess stakes. In fact she was on the scene so early that no-one else seems to have been around to make notes for posterity.

Because of her disputable nature, I decided to write a special article about her right after the original Titanides. My aims here are to try to paint a clear and unified picture or idea of her; and share what I know about her as obtained from different sources. This article is in no way academic and definitive. So consider yourself warned.

Drenched in Dione

Meet the parents. So, people say that this intriguing lady Dione was a daughter of Uranus and Gaea (making her a principal Titaness) or of Aether and Gaea, sometimes even of the younger Titan Epimetheus and the first woman Pandora. But the most common (and most grounded) belief, which I personally prefer, is that she was one of the eldest daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys.

(I might be worth noting that handful of those two's daughters were also considered second generation Titanides, say Metis, Clymene, Pleione, etc. Thus, the term Titan Oceanides. I might write about them, or the whole class of Oceanides soon.)

Her offices. As an Oceanid, Dione served as a goddess of water and moisture. In particular, she represented the moist soil that marks fertile ground. By extension, she also was a goddess of fertility (there are a bunch of them, actually). However, her powers seem to still remain vague. The Official Guide to the Mythological Universe says:

Dione also has some abilities to tap into and manipulate inherent mystical energies in the universe. While her exact level of power is unknown, it is known that she can move through dimensions, such as through the dimensional barriers between Earth and Olympus. She can send her voice and image over time and space, appear in a gigantic state, control the weather and cast spells upon objects and living things. She has extraordinary precognitive abilities, allowing her to see future events and possible alternate futures, discerning which events are most likely to occur. The full range of her power is unknown, but she may at least be equal to such female gods as Hera and Aphrodite. 

The last part where Dione was said to be almost equally powerful as Hera and Aphrodite suggests that she was a goddess of utmost importance.

In the Pelasgian myth, she was one of the seven principal Titanides whom the goddess Eurynome paired with the a Titan each. According to the myth, she was paired with the god Crius. I personally don't see any connection between them. Eurynome must have just selected them randomly, say a raffle draw. Nevertheless, the two were given the dominion over the planet Mars, and the power of Growth.

I've already said that I don’t believe her to be an original Titaness but her pure awesomeness is just too interesting to ignore. And so, to make ends meet, I will just presume that she made it to the Titan Council, occupying the post that should have been  Mnemosyne's, who did not readily accept the position. Finally, that diva of a goddess decided to make up with her brother Cronus and assume her place, with Dione stepping out for her.

(I probably lost you there so I recommend for you to read my own version of Mnemosyne’s history here.)

Between Zeus and Dione
Several other goddesses were paired with Zeus in different stories. However, it was only Dione was the only one who was considered to be his equal (Even Hera did not quite reach the standards). In fact, her name which means, "The Goddess" was etymologically just a female form of Zeus.

Appropriately so, the two had something going on between them. Paparazzi claimed that she even was Zeus' second girlfriend after the dude ate Metis, his first.

The two had met each other when Zeus needed a 'temple associate' for his new oracle at Dodona. Dione tried out and got the job. With that, she became:

• a goddess of the oak, Zeus's sacred tree; and
• a goddess of divination (like the other major Titanides).

The temple was visited by both Greeks and non-Greeks because of the precision of the prophecies told there. The three old prophetesses of the shrine, known collectively as the Peleiades, were probably her Dione's priestesses. A little trivia, Peleiades meant "Doves," which were Dione and Aphrodite's sacred birds.

In this guise, Dione was also called Dodona, the eponymous goddess of the shrine.

The Love Goddess by the 'Goddess'

Dione was said to be the mother of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty; although the Olympian was more generally received as a goddess born with no mother or father. People said that she just sprung out from the sea foam when Uranus' genitals were thrown to the water.

I personally prefer to believe the more charming and logical version (meaning, not the parent-less)  regarding her birth. (Lik having sex with a sea foam bath is any decent way to produce a daughter. Thanks God Checker! I'm beginning to like you and your punch lines!) 

Botticelli's very famous 'Birth of Venus'

(ALERT: This one is just MY elaboration of the Iliad's version of Aphrodite's parentage. It is also another attempt to reconcile the story of Aphrodite arriving Cyprus aboard a sea shell.)

Zeus and Dione were really into each other since they worked together in Dodona. She even lived with him on Olympus together with Zeus' other girls. Every day may have been ‘awkward day’ back there.

It was all good until Zeus finally decided to marry Hera.

Hera, in her role as Queen of Olympus, however, did not want to be reminded of her husband's extra-marital affairs and banished several of his other wives from Olympus. The then pregnant Dione departed Olympus riding a scallop shell and took refuge on the island of Cythera where her daughter Aphrodite by Zeus was born. Aphrodite was spirited off to the island of Cyprus to hide her from Hera where she was discovered and accepted into the Olympian gods.

Both Cythera and Cyprus became subsequently centers of worship for Aphrodite. As for Dione, she returned to her parents' home in the Ocean to once again serve in their court as an Oceanid.

The mother and the daughter still had kept in touch with each other in spite of the long distance. In fact, in the Iliad:

Dione played an important role as the healer of Aphrodite after the goddess was wounded in the fighting during the siege of the city of Troy. The Achaean hero Diomedes was infused with vigor and boldness by the goddess Athena and told to avoid all Immortals on the battlefield except Aphrodite ... Athena told Diomedes that he should attack Aphrodite if he saw her. 

Aphrodite's son Aeneas was in danger of being killed, so Aphrodite swooped into the fighting and shielded Aeneas from harm. At that moment, Diomedes lunged at the goddess and wounded her on the wrist. Ares (god of War) was nearby so Aphrodite mounted his chariot and fled. Once she was safe, Aphrodite went to Dione. 

Dione wiped away the oozing ichor (divine blood) from Aphrodite's wounded wrist and tried to comfort the sobbing goddess. Dione sought to make Aphrodite realize that, even though she was immortal, she was still subject to pain and injury.

Aww, a motherly advice. Thanks to Mythagora for that bit!

As Aphrodite grew more popular in the Near East under the names Astarte and Ishtar, Dione also came to be identified as Asherah and the Lady of Byblos. (Source)

Souce: click here

Scientific Dione: Goddess of the Satellite

Dione was a very vague figure in Greek mythology. In spite of this, she still lived on to this day as one of the many moons of the planet Saturn.

The image on the left is her astronomical symbol. It consists of the Greek letter delta and a representation of Saturn's hook.

Rhea: Queen Supreme

My depiction of Rhea.

Rhea is undoubtedly one of the most important goddesses of the Titan generation. Aside from being known now as the 'Mother of the Gods', she was also Goddess of the Earth and at one time, a Queen of Heaven.

A 'Natural Woman'

One of the best songs by Aretha Franklin. One of the best phrases to describe Rhea, too.

As an original Titaness (the youngest of them), Rhea represented an aspect of her mother, Gaea, like her sisters. However, in contrast to their powers, she was affiliated with the earth and the natural world more than any one of them was.

Rhea was the goddess of fertility and fruitfulness: the unceasing producer of plant life, as well as the sustainer of the vegetable world. She became primarily responsible for the fertility of the soil-- a role which, I think, being the youngest daughter; she got as a favor from her mother.

Furthermore, she was also the goddess of fertility in womanhood. Her name means "flow" and "ease," Theoi Project says. In this guise, she represented the 'flow' of menstrual blood, birth waters (scientifically called Amniotic fluid, geek alert!), and of course, milk. A natural woman all the way!

In the Pelasgian myth, the goddess Eurynome even partnered Rhea with her brother Cronus (I think that became the start of their 'romantic?' relationship) to preside over the seventh day of the week, and the planet Saturn and its Essence, Peace. We will just have to find out later whatever happened to the two.

Aside from being a nature divinity and a keeper of peace, the goddess also did some part-time job during her single and carefree days. According to Paleothea, she:

... sat outside the house of Nyx beating a bronze drum and making sure all humans were paying attention the oracle of the goddess.

Lady Night must've allocated a lot of funds for the marketing of her oracle; having a Titan royalty for an endorser and all. Or, Rhea had just volunteered to help in her aunt's business. One of the perks of the job, though, is Nyx teaching her serious and secret magic.

Source: click here

How Rhea won Mrs. Universe

Rhea had traveled a long and rather 'wrong' road to the crown. Not that she wanted it; but it's what the situations called for. Let's recount the steps on how she became Queen of Heaven.

Her brother's marriage (with her) 

Rhea must have been in love with her youngest Titan brother Cronus for a long time already; but her marriage to him happened only after the infamous castration of Uranus. Back then, Cronus was everyone's hero, who battled for equality, and freed the world from prejudice. 

(That was in reference to Uranus' supposed hatred against his ugly sons--the Hecatonchires and the Cyclopes. If the Titans only knew, Cronus has his personal intentions as well.)

Naturally, all the girls wanted him; but Cronus (who I think was in love with Rhea as well) chose her to be his wife. Rhea thought it was destiny's will, and that dreams do come true. (In the end, it proved to be a nightmare rather than a dream.)

The two begot some beautiful and pretty powerful children:

1. Hestia, fire goddess;
2. Demeter, vegetation goddess;
3. Hades, god of riches;
4. Poseidon, god of earthquakes; and
5. Hera, air goddess.

(NOTE: Those, I believe, were their functions before they became known as the Great Olympians. I've found no reliable reference for this one, though. Just my idea.)

Because of them, Rhea came to be known as Meter Megale and Meter Theon; the Great Mother and the Mother of the Gods.

The family feud

(ANOTHER NOTE: This is my attempt--a rather desperate one--to reconcile conflicting myths about the lordship of the cosmos. Again, no reliable sources found. Be aware.)

The pair did not immediately become king and queen after they deposed Uranus. They still had to get rid of Eurynome, the A-list goddess who assumed the king's role after his 'accident' (it's MY idea. I really have to explain this soon), and her consort, Ophion. Cunning as he had always been, Cronus devised a plan to get the throne--a one on one battle against the couple:

CRONUS vs. OPHION

RHEA vs. EURYNOME

I don't know how Cronus persuaded Rhea to fight beside him against the two. But surely, Rhea had the guts to wrestle with a supreme goddess. Finally, the younger ones defeated the oldies and got hold of their positions as King and Queen of Heaven. As for the losers, they got thrown either to the Ocean or Tartarus.

Rhea must have learned to like the title for herself.

The Golden Age (or not?)

A manga depiction of Cronus and Rhea by Zelda Wang.  Read it here.

The reign of Cronus and Rhea was thereafter known as the GOLDEN AGE, a period of peace and plenty. I have read in Ancient Greek Beliefs by Perry Westmoreland that:

Men of the Golden Age live like gods in tranquility on earth, and they have good relations with the gods and each other...

And more good things were said after that. Blah... blah... blah... However, in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, it is said that:

The Golden Age was described as just propaganda by Kronos (Cronus) as in truth he used humans as either cheap entertainment or as a light snack. It's said it was only after Zeus overthrew Kronos (Cronus) and Prometheus gave man fire that they began to rise into Western Civilization. (Source)

Everyone's got an opinion. How about you? What do you think of the Golden Age?

Why Rhea never loved Cronus anymore

Cronus Devouring One Of His Sons
Goya, oil on canvas, 1820-23
Prado Museum, Madrid

Titan marriages have been proven work really well (say Oceanus and Tethys, Hyperion and Theia, Coeus and Phoebe) but Rhea's was an isolated case. And it involved the fate of the world and her children.

The case. Cronus heard through the grapevine about Themis' prophecy concerning the fall of the Titans. Of course, as the top Titan, he didn't at all like the sound of the word fall. He had nightmares about it; he overthought about it; and it drove him nuts. To have his peace of mind, he finally ordered Rhea to bring all of their children to him to devour their Essences (their life force).

(I opted for a milder version because I am still disgusted with the father-eats his-children thing. Just look at the picture. Yuck.)

After that, all five children became nothing but limp vegetables whose bodies were caged in different parts of the cosmos. Here's what I think:

• Hestia in Othrys (the Titans' palace);
• Demeter on Earth;
• Hades in the Underworld;
• Poseidon in the Sea*; and
• Hera in the Ocean*.

*I pointed out in my Tethys article my invented difference between the realms of the Sea and Ocean; the former being marine and the latter estuarine.

Rhea's resolve. Rhea got really mad with what her husband did to their children. When she became pregnant with Zeus, her sixth child, she must have thought,

"I've had enough! Screw him and his glycerin rich diet"

So, she went to ask her mother Gaea to ask for help. And the two goddesses were on their way to raising the supreme god of Greek mythology.

There are so many variations to this myth and so many characters, too. But here's the gist I got from greekgods.org:

Rhea was very much like her mother and loved her children unconditionally, but unfortunately Cronus was like his father, jealous of his children`s powers and in fear of being overthrown. She became mad when Cronus forced her to give him their children to swallow upon their birth. She started plotting against him and by the time he had swallowed Hestia, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, and Demeter, Rhea decided that enough is enough. She gave birth to her last child Zeus in secrecy and gave Cronus a rock, wrapped in a blanket, to swallow instead. Cronus was pleased, not knowing that Zeus was still out there, and thought he was safe from the prophecy. Zeus however, when grown up, came to Mount Othrys as a cupbearer and mixed a potion into Cronus` drink which made him to vomit all of his children. Later in a ten-year war, Zeus and Olympians defeated Cronus and the Titans. They became the next rulers, just like Cronus and his brothers had overthrown Uranus. Rhea in the end was the main reason that history repeated itself.

It is not mentioned there that Rhea enlisted the Curetes, shield clashing daemons, and the nymphs (whose names greatly differ) to help in the baby sitting. I am also guessing that the youthful Zeus went under the alias Welchanos during his service to Cronus as a cupbearer. (Source)

When Cronus learned of Rhea's trick; he exiled her from the heavenly realms FOREVER and got himself a concubine, the Oceanid Philyra, with whom he begot the wise centaur Chiron.

As events showed, Zeus defeated Cronus in a ten year battle and the top Titan was... (poof!)... gone.

Good goddess gone 'wild'?

As a result of Cronus' curse on her, she can't be with her now bigwig children up on Mount Olympus. With nothing else to do, she wandered the mountains and glens losing her care for the world.  She stayed on caverns, which thereafter became sacred to her, and exercised unbounded sway over all animal creation, especially the lions. It is in this guise that the Phrygians came to know her as the goddess Cybele.

She finally retired to her own fabulous palace at the peak of Mount Dindymene in Phrygia, apart from the gods. The Curetes, who were her son's babysitters, served as her attendants. Clashing their cymbals, they partied every night with the Corybantes, Rhea-Cybele's orgiastic dancers.

Once when she had her house warming party where all the gods were invited, her daughter Hestia ALMOST got raped by the pervy Priapus! But that will be on another article.

A second chance in love? A looooong time after the Titanomachy, Rhea (as Cybele or Agdistis) met the beautiful long-haired godling Attis. The two were quite into each other but the foster parents of Attis sent him to Pessinos, where he was to wed the king's daughter. Just as the marriage-song was being sung, Cybele appeared in her transcendent power, and Attis went mad and cut off his genitals. Attis' father-in-law-to-be, the king who was giving his daughter in marriage, followed suit, prefiguring the self-castrating Corybantes who devoted themselves to Cybele. But Cybele repented and saw to it that the body of Attis should neither rot at all nor decay.

And thus ends her short-lived second love story.

Oops, her name is Ops. Sorry for the bad pun. Hehe. Rhea still remained one of the top gods in spite of her not joining the others' company. In Rome, she was known as Ops, the goddess of plenty and fertility. In this guise, she was attended to by the very Roman god Consus (because he has no definite Greek counterpart, that is).

Finally, Rhea in Saturn

Source: click here

Of all the possible means and mediums, it was modern science that finally got to reunite the original couple.

Rhea became the name of Saturn's (Cronus) second largest moon, discovered by Cassini. Read more about it here.

(And should I also mention that rhea also became the name of a bird, a frog and a plant? Makes so much sense for an earth goddess.)