Out from the personification of night springs abstractions that bear similarity to her, Nyx, much like how a child bears similarity to their parents. Through the entities that arose from her, Hesiod presents in his Theogony an example of how the generation of the Greek Pantheon is one of like from like and how that in at least one way the race of immortal gods is similar to the race of men; the children begotten in both groups carry on the qualities or identities of their parents.
The “dark” and “deadly” mistress gives rise to personifications that like her, their progenitor, pertain to concepts that are dark and deadly (Th 214,225). From Nyx emerges reminders of man’s mortality: peaceful death, Thanatos; destiny or violent death, Ker(es); …show more content…
Carrying on the theme of like begetting like, Nyx gives birth to the personifications of sleep (Hypnos), dreams (Oneiroi), and passion (Philotes) (212, 224). What these spirits embody are actions which often occur at night or at least are associated with night. Effectively, they carry on the torch of their mother in a comparable manner to how a carpenter’s son lives to be a carpenter, or how a caring mother has caring children. In both cases, the identity of the offspring is closely intertwined, or directly associated with the identity of the parent. This notion differs slightly from what was described earlier in that here the identity of the parent, rather than a single quality, is in someway manifested in the child. To clarify, the notion of night and sleep is almost inseparable in that sleep comes with and from night. It would be difficult to rationally separate the two concepts: one arises from the other. On the other hand, violent death and night can be rationally separated. This type of death does not necessarily occur at or with night. Nonetheless, it remains that Hesiod describes the generation of the Greek Pantheon in an equivalent way to the passing of traits from parents to child: like begets like. Although, here identity, not a quality, is
The “dark” and “deadly” mistress gives rise to personifications that like her, their progenitor, pertain to concepts that are dark and deadly (Th 214,225). From Nyx emerges reminders of man’s mortality: peaceful death, Thanatos; destiny or violent death, Ker(es); …show more content…
Carrying on the theme of like begetting like, Nyx gives birth to the personifications of sleep (Hypnos), dreams (Oneiroi), and passion (Philotes) (212, 224). What these spirits embody are actions which often occur at night or at least are associated with night. Effectively, they carry on the torch of their mother in a comparable manner to how a carpenter’s son lives to be a carpenter, or how a caring mother has caring children. In both cases, the identity of the offspring is closely intertwined, or directly associated with the identity of the parent. This notion differs slightly from what was described earlier in that here the identity of the parent, rather than a single quality, is in someway manifested in the child. To clarify, the notion of night and sleep is almost inseparable in that sleep comes with and from night. It would be difficult to rationally separate the two concepts: one arises from the other. On the other hand, violent death and night can be rationally separated. This type of death does not necessarily occur at or with night. Nonetheless, it remains that Hesiod describes the generation of the Greek Pantheon in an equivalent way to the passing of traits from parents to child: like begets like. Although, here identity, not a quality, is