Nyx - Goddess of the Night

     Nyx was thought to be the Goddess of the Night, one of the primordial figures in Greek mythology. By this, it means she was one of the first among the Gods and Goddesses, born straight from the void of Chaos (the state of nothingness, before all of creation). She is seen as the personification of night itself, much as Selene with the moon. Homer, a greek poet and author of the well known Iliad and the Odyssey - two poems that depict much of Greek Mythology, claims that Nyx was enchanting and a subduer of men and Gods alike, to the point that even Zeus stood in her awe.

Family: 

• Mother to:
  - Aether (Brightness)
  - Hemera (Day)
  - Moros (Doom / Destiny)
  - the Keres (Destruction / Death)
  - Thanatos (Death)
  - Hypnos (Sleep)
  - Oneiroi (Dreams)
  - Momus (Blame)
  - Oizys (Pain / Distress)
  - Hesperides and Moirai (Fates)
  - Nemesis (Retribution / Indignation)
  - Apate (Deceit)
  - Philotes (Friendship)
  - Geras (Old Age)
  - Eris (Strife)
• Many of her children have negative connotations due to what they rule, which could reflect on Nyx herself. However, she has caused less harm than what was written about the mighty and admired Zeus.
• She lives in Tartarus, the underworld ruled by Hades. Tartarus is a deep abyss where the judgement of the souls of those who have passed occurs.

Nyx, Zeus and Hypnos:

• Homer, within Iliad, tells a story of Hera attempting to plot against her husband, Zeus. To help her, she asked Nyx's son, Hypnos, God of Sleep, to help her put Zeus to sleep while she carried out her plans. However, Zeus being the mighty God of the Sky and Thunder and the ruler of Olympus, was too powerful for Hypnos, and he failed in his task of sending him into slumber. Zeus found out about the plan, and was infuriated. He went after Hypnos, but his mother Nyx had offered him safety in her cave. Nyx was more powerful than even Zeus, and the only other deity that he feared, and so Zeus went back to where he came from as Hypnos hid in his mother's cave.
• This story shows just how powerful Nyx was believed to be to the Greeks. The king of the Gods even feared her and would not fight against her.

Nyx and her guidance to sailors:

• Nyx is often written as helping sailors find their way and giving them refuge when in need. This goes against the popular view of her as a negative character
• Aratus, Phaenomena 468 ff :"On a clear night, when Nyx (Night) in the heavens shows to men all her stars in their brightness and no star is borne faintly gleaming at the mid-month moon."
• Aratus, Phaenomena 405 ff (trans. Mair) (Greek astronomy C3rd B.C.) : "The [constellation] Altar even beyond aught else hath ancient Nyx (Night), weeping the woe of men, set to be a mighty sign of storm at sea. For ships in trouble pain her heart, and other signs in other quarters she kindles in sorrow for mariners, storm-buffeted at sea. Wherefore I bid thee pray, when in the open sea, that that constellation wrapt in clouds appear not amidst the others in the heavens, herself unclouded and resplendent but banked above with billowing clouds, as often it is beset when the autumn wind drives them back For often Nyx herself reveals this sign, also, for the South Wind in her kindness to toiling sailors. If they heed her favouring signs . . . Nyx kindles like signs of storm upon the gleaming Altar."

Appearance: 

• Nyx is often spoken about as being wrapped in clouds or mist, and suitably depicted wearing black.
  
• Hesiod, Theogony 744 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) : There stands the awful home of murky Nyx (Night) wrapped in dark clouds.
  
  
• Euripides, Ion 1150 ff (trans. Vellacott) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) : Nyx (Night) in her black cloak driging a single pair
  
• Ovid, Fasti 4. 661 ff (trans.Boyle) (Roman poetry C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : "Nox (Night) [Nyx] approaches: a garland of poppies binds her peaceful brow
  
• Nonnus, Dionysiaca 18. 160 ff : "Silent Nyx (Night) shrouded the west in her own colour, and scored the sky across with her own starry cloak."

La Nuit - William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905)

      This painting by the French painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau depicts Nyx, Goddess of the Night, in a wrap of dark cloth, levitating about the ground. The subject is typical of a painting by Bouguereau, who often painted women as his subject, often Goddesses or in the nude (or in this case, both). Emphasising the female body with his use of light, colour and pose not only represents the Goddess as typically beautiful, and links her to the human, mortal body (may we question why she has a belly button if Nyx was born from Chaos?), but also demonstrates Bouguereau's skill in painting, and knowledge of a woman's body - something that would have helped the artist's reputation, and win him more clients.
     The sheer, layered cloth the floats around the Goddess has no apparent gravity, as it floats around her in a dreamy, otherworldy way, depicting her power. The black clearly represents the night that she brings, as in popular Greek texts she's often depicted as delivering night by covering the sky in her dark cloth. She is entwined with the night sky.
     Her pose to me, however, does not represent the power that poets such as Homer wrote about - almost cowering protectively from the birds. As we'e seen with paintings of Asteria, Zeus is often depicted as an Eagle, as the Eagle was a sacred animal of the God of the sky and thunder. The bird in this painting appears to be an owl to me, which is suiting considering she's Goddess of the Night, but perhaps Bouguereau made a link between the bird and Zeus, making the narrative about the tension between him and Nyx? Unfortunately there's little writing on the painting to confirm or deny this.
     The painting could also be seen as representing the Goddess getting ready to perform her duties and bring the night, as we can see what looks like an early evening sky behind her, or perhaps just having done so considering the stars are already out.
     While I appreciate the skill needed for such a painting, I find it hard to get past or understand just how uncomfortable Nyx looks due to the pose the artist places her in, which doesn't fit what was written about her at all. I question why Bouguereau decided that's how he would paint her. Perhaps he felt the need to present his own masculinity by reducing hers into a more feminine, vulnerable position, or perhaps he wanted the audience to feel as if they were viewing a less posed and performed version of Nyx, or perhaps he simply wanted to show off his knowledge of female anatomy. I think it's also important to note that Bouguereau has painted Nyx through his own male gaze and feminine expectation of women by showing her completely shaven, soft, and the ideal woman's body for the time, but he was able to satisfy such desires in a woman by painting her as a Goddess, who are supposed to be 'perfect' and admirable.

The Night escorted by the geniuses of Love and Study - Pedro Américo (1886)

     Pedro Américo is known as one of Brazil's most famous and important painters, yet there is very little information about him or the image above online. The artist trained under a few prominent names in the industry, but what stood out to me is that among these names is Ingres, one of the most renowned painters in the world, and who also painted a scene of Selene that I have written about in a previous post. Working under such names likely influenced Américo in terms of his subjects and style. As the name suggests, the painting depicts Nyx with Love and Study, who are depicted as cherubs. Love, we can assume is Eros, the God of Love who is often painted as a cherub like figure. Athena is the Goddess of love, however she's not often depicted in such a way as Eros.
     This painting shows Nyx with a far greater amount of power than  Bouguereau painted the same Goddess. Her pose shows confidence and power, her face is neither stern nor soft and perhaps most importantly the angle in which she's been painted at positions a viewer below her, and she's been given spotlight lighting. It's also important to note that Américo painted her with direct eye contact with the viewer, making her almost challenge whoever looks at it, drawing attention to her, and again showing her power as a strong, fearless Goddess.
      She's still painted to be feminine; the curves of her body, the soft skin, the flowing hair and elegant fingers, for example, but it's not so apparent or perhaps stereotypical than Bouguereau's painting. Unlike Bouguereau, the nude of the body is not the main interest here. While she is nude, she is covered in a (sheer) cloth that hides her genitals and most of her breasts, if feels as if this painting's aim is not to impress with anatomical knowledge or female sexualisation, but rather the story of Nyx and her importance in the world of Greek Mythology.
     Again, she's shown in a night time scene, placed in front of a giant full moon, which would of course have been seen as Selene, and the stars shine behind her. Her right hand (to our left) seems to place a star in the sky, giving her an active position in the scene. As for her left hand, it seems she has some kind of platter within it. Unfortunately I couldn't find any writing on the painting so I struggle to find the significance of this, perhaps it's to mimic a galaxy in the night sky, however its dazzling silver alone is a mark of superiority and status.

Nyx, Night Goddess, Gustave Moreau (1880)

     This painting by Gustave Moreau, a prominent French painter of mythical subjects, shows even less emphasis on the female anatomy of Nyx, depsite being painted in the same century as the two images above. This is likely to be because of his style of art, which despite being trained by classical painters, developed a unique style after his European travels and his readings.

     By encompassing the painting in a gold frame, Moreau has presented her position as an important and powerful figure. Again, she is seen as levitating from the ground, though this time she is leaning on a seat of black cloth. The use of a looser paint style, being less precise and more free, especially with these darker areas makes the painting seem much more ominous and menacing than the previous paintings. 

    Her figure has been elongated in pose, revealing her femininity. Her passive face with her eyes closed and her relaxed body emit less power than the background she is placed in front of. The combination of the two represents both Nyx's kindness and more feminine side as well as her immense power, both of which are written about in the work of Ancient Greek poems. 

     Nyx in this depiction wears a crown, something that we haven't seen in the previous two paintings, but nevertheless only emphasises her important role. Above said crowd is a gold, metal looking star, confirming her relationship with the night sky as well as her status.

     There is a bird in the left of the painting, as there has been in the other two paintings as well. Perhaps it is yet again an owl, a bird of the night. The owl is seen as a symbol of Athena, and therefore wisdom.