In Greek mythology, Philotes (/ˈfɪlətiːz/; Ancient Greek: Φιλότης) was a minor goddess or spirit (daimones) personifying affection, friendship, and sexual intercourse.
| Philotes | |
|---|---|
Personification of Friendship | |
| Parents | Erebus[1] and Nyx[2] |
| Equivalents | |
| Roman | Amicitia, Gratia |
Family
editPhilotes was a daughter of the primordial deities Erebus (Darkness)[3] and Nyx (Night).[4]
Mythology
editAccording 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
edit- ^ Hyginus, Fabulae Preface
- ^ Hesiod, Theogony 224
- ^ 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.