But other sources said that Eos wanted Procris out of the picture and so tricked her into “cheating” on Cephalus.Īurora and Cephalus by François Boucher (1733). To overcome this reluctance, some sources claimed that Eos simply abducted Cephalus and had her way with him. According to the common tradition, Cephalus initially resisted Eos’ advances he was married to (or about to marry) a woman named Procris. There are a few different versions of the myth of Eos and the handsome Athenian Cephalus. To punish Eos, she cursed her to always be in love. Aphrodite, the goddess of love-and, more importantly, Ares’ lover-did not appreciate this. According to Apollodorus, this all started when Eos slept with the war god Ares. Mythology Dawn’s Lovers Aphrodite’s CurseĮos’ mythology was dominated by her pursuit of dashing lovers, particularly young, mortal men. Some said that Eos and Astraea were also the parents of Eurus (the east wind) and Astraea, a virgin goddess of justice and innocence. Įos married the Titan Astraeus, son of Crius and Eurybia, and together they had several children: the Anemoi (“Winds”), named Zephyrus (the west wind), Boreas (the north wind), and Notus (the south wind), as well as Eosphorus (the morning star) and the Astra (“Stars”). Others called her father Pallas or Helios. But other sources called her mother Euryphaessa, Aethra, or Basileia (possibly alternate names for Theia), or even Nyx (the personification of night). In the standard tradition, Eos was the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia and the sister of Helios and Selene. Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art Public Domain Family Attributed to the Stuttgart Group (late 4th century BCE). Terracotta lekanis showing Eos in her chariot soaring above Eros, a woman, and a swan. ![]() Various scenes from her mythology-including her grief over the death of her son Memnon as well as her pursuit of Cephalus and Tithonus-can be found in ancient art, especially in vase paintings. ![]() In art, Eos was usually represented as a winged goddess she was sometimes shown driving her chariot. She was often accompanied by her son Eosphorus (the morning star) or by the Horae, daughters of Zeus associated with time and the seasons. She was usually imagined as a beautiful goddess who reflected the pale colors of the dawn sky, as revealed by such epithets as “rosy-fingered” and “saffron-robed.”Įos’ chariot was pulled by two immortal horses, called Lampus (“Shiner”) and Phaethon (“Blazer).” Every morning, she rode her chariot from her home on the edge of the Ocean across the sky, dispelling the night and bringing the new day. AttributesĮos personified the arrival of dawn. Eos’ Roman counterpart was called Aurora. Alternate spellings included the Attic Ἠεώς ( Heṓs), the Aeolic Αὐώς ( Auṓs), and the Doric Ἀώς ( Aṓs).Įos was sometimes identified with Hemera, the goddess of the day, though they were usually regarded as separate goddesses. PronunciationĮos’ name varied slightly across local dialects. Similar words for dawn (or dawn goddesses) can be found in other Indo-European languages-for example, the Latin aurora. In the Linear B writing system of that era, used before the development of the Greek alphabet, her name was rendered as a-wo-i-jo.Įtymologically, the Greek Eos (as a proper name or a noun) seems to be derived from the Indo-European root *h₂eus-ōs (“dawn”). Ēṓs) was also the ancient Greek word meaning “dawn” and dates back to the Mycenaean period (ca. This meant that even as Eos remained eternally beautiful and youthful, Tithonus slowly wasted away until he was nothing but a shrunken, shriveled shell. ![]() In one popular myth, Eos managed to make Tithonus immortal-but not ageless. But her most famous consort was Tithonus, a handsome Trojan prince. Her marriage to the Titan Astraeus did not stop her from taking several lovers, including the hunters Cephalus and Orion. When Eos and Helios had both completed their journeys across the sky, it was time for their sister Selene to shine as the moon.Įos had an affinity for attractive young men. This cleared the way for her brother Helios, the god of the sun, who followed her in his blinding chariot. Each day, she rose from the Ocean and rode her chariot across the sky, dispersing the shadows of the night. Eos, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, was the goddess of the dawn.
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