Philotes
In Greek mythology, Philotes (/ˈfɪlətiːz/; Ancient Greek: Φιλότης) was a minor goddess or spirit (daimones) personifying affection, friendship, and sexual intercourse.
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This minor goddess also gave her name to a genus of butterflies native to North America,[1] which contains a single species, Philotes sonorensis.
Family
[edit]In Hesiod's Theogony, Philotes is described as one of the children of Nyx (Night).[2] In later genealogies given by Roman authors, she is the offspring of Erebus (Darkness) and Nox (the Roman name for Nyx).[3] Her siblings are said to be, among others, Apate (Deceit), Nemesis (Indignation), and Eris (Strife)
Mythology
[edit]According to Hesiod's Theogony, she represented sexual and social intercourse. Her siblings are said to be, among others, Apate (Deceit) and Nemesis (Indignation).[4] She was described by Empedocles as one of the driving forces behind creation, being paired together with Eris (Feuds); Philotes being the force behind good things and Eris being the force of bad things.[5] He also identifies her with Kypris (Aphrodite)[6] and mentions that Philotes feels hurt and offended by life-destroying offerings and demands the abstention from animal sacrifices.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ Zirlin, Harry (Summer 2008). "True Blue, pt. 2" (PDF). American Butterflies. Morristown, N.J.: North American Butterfly Association: 38. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 November 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ^ Hesiod, Theogony 244
- ^ Hyginus, Fabulae Preface; Cicero, De Natura Deorum 3.17
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Felix M. Cleve (2013). The giants of pre-sophistic Greek philosophy. Springer. p. 354. ISBN 978-94-017-5665-5.
- ^ Felix M. Cleve (2013). The giants of pre-sophistic Greek philosophy. Springer. p. 390. ISBN 978-94-017-5665-5.
Further reading
[edit]- Gaius Julius Hyginus, Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
- Hesiod, Theogony from The Homeric Hymns and Homerica with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Cambridge, MA.,Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.
- Marcus Tullius Cicero, Nature of the Gods from the Treatises of M.T. Cicero translated by Charles Duke Yonge (1812–1891), Bohn edition of 1878. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
- Marcus Tullius Cicero, De Natura Deorum. O. Plasberg. Leipzig. Teubner. 1917. Latin text available at the Perseus Digital Library.