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Philotes

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Philotes
Personification of Friendship
ParentsErebus[1] and Nyx[2]
Equivalents
Roman equivalentAmicitia, Gratia

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

Family

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

Mythology

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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]

References

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  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.

Further reading

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