In Greek and Roman Mythology, Astraeus or Astraios (Ancient Greek: Ἀστραῖος, romanized: Astraîos, lit. 'starry'[1]) was a Titan of astronomy and astrology. He was also the god of dusk.
Astraeus is the son of Crius and Eurybia, his siblings were Pallas and Perses. He was the husband of his cousin Eos and by her, he is the father of the Anemoi, the Astra Planeta, and Astraea.
He participated in the Titanomachy and was imprisoned in Tartarus for this. He is sometimes considered to have taught mankind astrology.
Etymology[]
Astraeus (Ἀστραῖος) derives from the Greek word ἀστήρ (astḗr) meaning star. Ἀστήρ itself is inherited from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ster- "star", from *h₂eh₁s- "to burn".[2]
Mythology[]
Genealogy[]
According to Hesiod's Theogony and the Bibliotheca, Astraeus is a child of Crius and Eurybia,[3] but the Roman mythographer Hyginus wrote that he was the child of Tartarus and Terra, and was one of the Gigantes.[4] Hyginus further states that with Aurora, he was the father of the Venti (Aquilo, Favonius, Auster, Vulturnus).[5] Servius, perhaps conflating him with the Giant like Hyginus did, wrote that he took arms and fought against the gods.[6]
Ovid in Book 14 of his Metamorphoses, also referred to the Winds (he refers to the Winds as the "brother Winds") as the sons of Astraeus.[7]
Marriage[]
Astraeus, who was the god of dusk, married Eos, the goddess of dawn. The result was many sky-related children, like The Anemoi (The Winds) and The Astra Planeta (The Planets).[3] A few sources mention another daughter, Astraea, the goddess of innocence and, occasionally, justice.[8]
As an Oracular God[]
In Nonnus' Dionysiaca, Astraeus is presented as an oracular god. One day the goddess Demeter visited him, worried about the future of her daughter, Persephone. On Olympus, she had a lot of admirers and Demeter worried that she would marry Hephaestus. Astraeus then told her that soon, "Persephone would be taken by a serpent, and give birth to fruit from that union", which greatly upset Demeter.[9]
Nonnus also mentions a figure named Asterion as an attendant of Astraeus.[10]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Hard, p. 48.
- ↑ Beekes, pp. 156–157.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hesiod. Theogony, 375-383; Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1.2.2, 1.2.4
- ↑ Hyginus, Fabulae, Preface.4.
- ↑ Hyginus, Fabulae, Preface.9.
- ↑ Servius, On Virgil's Aeneid 1.132
- ↑ Ovid, Metamorphoses 14.545
- ↑ Aratus, Phaenomena 96; Hyginus, Astronomica 2.25.1 (trans. by Mary Grant) (In the case of Hyginus, Astraea is conflating with Justitia)
- ↑ Nonnus, Dionysiaca 6.1–6.105
- ↑ Nonnus, Dionysiaca 6.66
[]
| Titans | |
|---|---|
| Parents | Ouranós • Gaîa |
| Elder Titans | Coeus • Crius • Cronus • Hyperion • Iapetus • Oceanus |
| Elder Titanesses | Phoebe • Mnemosyne • Rhea • Theia • Themis • Tethys |
| Coeonides | Asteria • Leto |
| Crionides | Astraeus • Pallas • Perses |
| Hyperionides | Eos • Hḗlios • Selene |
| Iapetonides | Atlas • Epimetheus • Menoetius • Prometheus |
| Oceanides | Oceanids (Clymene • Metis • Styx • Rhode) • Potamoi |
| Third Generation | Hecate • Astraea • Anemoi • Astra Planeta • Kratos • Nike • Bia • Zelus |
| Miscellaneous Titans | Dione • Anytos • Ophion • Eurynome (wife of Ophion) • Lelantos • Melisseus • Titan (brother of Helios) • Olymbros • Syceus • Titanic Muses |
| Topics | Overthrowing of Ouranós • Titanomachy |