From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Philotes
Personification of Friendship
Parents Erebus [1] and Nyx [2]
Equivalents
Roman equivalent Amicitia, Gratia

In Greek mythology, Philotes ( /ˈfɪlətz/; Ancient Greek: Φιλότης) was a minor goddess or spirit ( daimones) personifying affection, friendship, and sexual intercourse.

Family

Philotes was a daughter of the primordial deities Erebus (Darkness) [3] and Nyx (Night). [4]

Mythology

According to Hesiod's Theogony, she represented sexual and social intercourse. Her siblings are said to be, among others, Apate (Deceit) and Nemesis (Indignation). [5] She was described by Empedocles as one of the driving forces behind creation, being paired together with Neikea (Feuds); Philotes being the force behind good things and Neikea being the force of bad things. [6] He also identifies her with Kypris [7] and mentions that Philotes feels hurt and offended by life-destroying offerings and demands the abstention from animal sacrifices. [8]

Notes

  1. ^ Hyginus, Fabulae Preface
  2. ^ Hesiod, Theogony 224
  3. ^ Hesiod, Theogony 244
  4. ^ Hyginus, Fabulae Preface; Cicero, De Natura Deorum 3.17
  5. ^ Stephen Scully (2015). Hesiod's Theogony: from Near Eastern Creation Myths to Paradise Lost. Oxford University Press. p. 44. ISBN  978-0-19-025396-7.
  6. ^ Stephen Scully (2015). Hesiod's Theogony: from Near Eastern Creation Myths to Paradise Lost. Oxford University Press. p. 96. ISBN  978-0-19-025396-7.
  7. ^ Felix M. Cleve (2013). The giants of pre-sophistic Greek philosophy. Springer. p. 354. ISBN  978-94-017-5665-5.
  8. ^ Felix M. Cleve (2013). The giants of pre-sophistic Greek philosophy. Springer. p. 390. ISBN  978-94-017-5665-5.

References