Nyx: Ancient Greek goddess of the night

Nyx is the embodiment of the night in Greek mythology. She is a deity that existed before gods like Zeus and Poseidon were born. Many gods also considered Nyx to be one of the most powerful goddesses in Greek mythology.

But many know little about their power and their relationships with other Greek gods and goddesses. So read along as we introduce and explain the deity of the night.

Nyx’s Birth and Children

Nyx, the ancient Greek goddess of the night, was the daughter of Chaos. The Primordial God was born in Gaia at the beginning of time. Furthermore, ancient art and writings depict Nyx as a beautiful woman clad in black surrounded by mist.

According to many stories, Nyx is the mother of deities who control various elements of heaven and earth. For example, their children Aether and Hemera would bring light and day to earth.

Nyx was also the wife of Erebus, god of the underworld. Together they had children named Eufrosine, Philotes, Eleos, Styx and many more. However, like other goddesses, she herself created multiple offspring.

Her other sons were the Fates, three deities in control of the levels that represented mortal life. They were known as Momo, Apate, and Eris – gods of sarcasm, lies, and discord, respectively.

Appearance of Nyx

The goddess of the night is depicted in a variety of ways in Greek mythology. But she usually appears in ancient art as a young woman with black hair, dressed in a black cloak of stars, and always surrounded by a dark, somber mist.

In addition, she often rides a chariot with black horses or dark bulls. What’s intimidating is that she rides her cape at night and paints the sky with stars. In some depictions, she accompanies two of her children, Hypnos and Thanatos, during the journey.

In some depictions, Nyx flies across the sky with the help of her large and black wings. But since Nyx is a primordial goddess, she has no detailed characterization compared to other figures in Greek mythology.

In general, the goddess Nyx dresses in dark colors and often shades her face. But she represents the night and all things formless, so her appearance is relatively unknown. And she appears to several legends as mist or night itself.

Nyx’s powers

Since Nyx resonates with the aura of darkness, her powers are linked to everything at night. They include the elements of surprise, fear, death, ending and so on.

She’s not all doom and gloom though! Nyx rules the light and displays other powers such as giving life, illuminating darkness and bringing fertility. The goddess’ powers are feared by many, including Zeus, the god of lightning.

In addition, Nyx is known for her prophetic powers. In various books, she gave oracles to others from a cave, and many considered her a medium.

Today, Nyx is associated with Hekate, the goddess of magic, witchcraft, and crossbreeding. In fact, many witches pray to both goddesses to try to understand the forces at work in the shadow of darkness.

Where does Nyx live?

Nyx lives in the depths of Tartarus, one of the darkest regions of the underworld. Other dark deities of ancient Greece also inhabited the same region of the underworld. Also, many suspect that the dark misty air around Tartus is Erebus, her husband.

Each night, Nyx would emerge from the cave with Erebus, blocking the light emitted by the Aether that brings night and darkness to the world.

In the morning Hemera would come out of Tartarus and banish the darkness of the night. But intriguingly, mother and daughter cannot be seen together at the same time. In other words, once the darkness faded, Nyx would return to her abode.

After a while, gods like Apollo, Eos, and Helios took over the roles of Aether and Hemera. But Nyx was never replaced, showing how much respect she is accorded in Greek mythology.

Is Nyx good or evil?

Nyx is very different from other goddesses. While some are outright good or evil, Nyx can be helpful and harmful to humanity. Depending on the situation – she is known to bring people sleep or death. Funnily enough, it was said that those who were mischievous and committed some misdeeds got along well with the goddess of the night.

However, Nyx did nothing that could be considered worse than Zeus or other disreputable Greek gods. But because of her mysterious and dark nature, she is portrayed in this way. The best way to look at Nyx is like the night – it can be frightening for some and, on the contrary, satisfying for others in certain situations.

bonus reading: Intrigued by the mythological origins of Christmas?

We celebrate Nyx

Ancient Greece had many unique gods and goddesses, but celebrations never fell short.

The witches and wizards who sought powers for witchcraft worshiped Nyx.

Other people went to her to ask for blessings, to increase chances of fertility, and for more clarity in solving everyday problems. They used to make various offerings to please the goddess.

Some examples of these offerings included night blooming flowers, red wine, selenite, moonstone, star symbols, black onyx, agate, and more.

Ritual for Nyx

Many also performed various rituals for Nyx to please and summon the goddess. For example, people performed certain rituals when they felt lost or stuck in life with no light to guide them.

To perform such a ritual, one had to begin meditating with Nyx while at the same time gaining clarity in one’s thoughts.

These are a few steps to use today when attempting to meditate with Nyx:

Use light incense sticks like sandalwood or rosemary, which will create an energizing aroma in the room. Keep the room dark and quiet, and perform the ritual at night, preferably on the new moon. Close your eyes and focus on breathing. Call Nyx and start explaining your situation.

In short, this ritual brought inner peace and clarity to one’s problems through the goddess of the night.

Symbols of Nyx and their meanings

Nyx is a goddess who prefers to live in darkness when nature’s living elements are least visible. Therefore, many signs and prayers to the goddess have a similar theme. Here are some symbols directly related to the primordial goddess of the night:

#1. moon and stars

The moon and stars are the most sacred symbols associated with Nyx. It signifies her energy as a presence growing into the darkness. She is represented with these symbols in ancient paintings, through her power ending the day and bringing night to earth.

#2. Owl

Many consider the owl their sacred animal because they are nocturnal. It signifies their ability to be strongest at night.

There are other symbols such as black wings, mist and dark clouds depicted in the ancient paintings of the primordial goddess.

Nyx and family relationships

Nyx was particularly close to her children as she asked for their help and burdened them with different types of chores. For example, she once asked her son Deceit to help her lie to one of the many men she loved by not telling about his father because she had an affair with him before.

Otherwise, Nyx was not particularly close to anyone outside of her family. Hades, ruler of the underworld, was the only other god to have sparse conversations with her earlier. Remember that she has an intimidating personality and many gods, including Zeus, were afraid of her.

Why did Zeus fear Nyx?

Nyx was among the few humans Zeus feared. The main reason was that she was older and more powerful than the god of lightning.

Did you know: Nyx is the only goddess who fears Zeus.

It is made clear by a story in which Hypnos worked with Hera to put her husband into a deep sleep. However, the god of sleep could not hold back the power and failed to complete the task. So Zeus – who was furious – chased after him to bring him down.

To save himself, Hypnos took refuge in the cave where Nyx lived. And finally, Zeus immediately gave up, afraid to wake up and anger the goddess of the night.

Signs that the goddess Nyx is calling you

Many people worship deities like Nyx extensively to please her. However, she also tends to reach out to others in subtle ways.

These indicators are usually difficult to spot, so we’ve listed some of them:

#1. A strong connection to the night

Many people are afraid of the dark, but not everyone is. When you find calm or feel the night reverberating within you, this could be the call of the Greek goddess Nyx.

#2. Appearance of symbols like moon and stars

If these symbols appear in your mind regularly, it means that the Greek goddess is trying to communicate. But if only the moon appears to you, it could be the call of other lunar deities like the goddess Selene, as Nyx represents the night as a whole and not just the moon.

#3. Fascination behind Darkness and Nyx

Those who have recently become curious to learn and explore darkness, death, or the goddess herself may find that Nyx is all around them. However, look for other signs first, as we tend to be more interested in deities with whom we share similarities than those close to us.

#4. Remembering and uncovering revelations in the unconscious

If you’ve been delving deeper into your locked subconscious memories lately, then Nyx might be near you. That’s because she loves teaching her loved ones how to deal with undiscovered thoughts, beliefs, and trauma.

However, this can be a painful process for certain people, so make sure you are always ready to work with the goddess of the night.

#5. Having dreams about the goddess Nyx

For those who perceive Nyx, or the night in general, while you sleep, this is a sign that she is turning to you. It is important to note that she also takes the form of night and dark fog, so consider anything that appears obscure in your dream.

As you can see, Nyx is always willing to work with humans despite being the goddess of the night. But like any deity, she is quite strict and demands absolute honesty. In other words, you should…