Eosphorus (Ancient Greek: Ἑωσφόρος lit. "dawn-bringer"), also known as Phosphorus (Ancient Greek: Φωσφόρος lit. "light-bringer") is the Greek god or spirit of the Morning Star (i.e. planet-Venus), the planet Venus in the morning. He is one of the Astra Planetae and the son of Eos. He is the brother of Hesperus, Astraea, and to the Anemoi.
He is better known by his Roman name, Lucifer.
One of the major differences from his Roman counterpart is that Lucifer managed to have a child with Diana while in Greek mythology Artemis is a virgin.
Mythology[]
In Greek mythology, Hesiod in his Theogony calls Eosphorus a son of Astraeus and Eos.[1] Apollodorus in his Bibliotheca calls him the father of Ceyx.[2] Conon in his Narrations also calls Eosphorus as the father of Philonis with Cleoboea. Philonis gave birth to Philammon.[3]
In Roman mythology, Roman authors say that Cephalus and Aurora were the parents of Eosphorus.[4] The Latin poet Ovid, speaking of Phosphorus and Hesperus (the Evening Star, the evening appearance of the planet Venus) as identical, makes him the father of Daedalion.[5] Ovid also makes him the father of Ceyx.[6]
Name[]
Eosphorus (Greek Ἐωσφόρος, "bearer of dawn") or Phosphorus (Ancient Greek: Φωσφόρος, "bearer of light", often translated as "Lucifer" in Latin) is the personification of the "morning star", the planet Venus in the morning. His name is sometimes conflated with the names for his brother, the personification of the planet as the "evening star" Hesperus since they are all personifications of the same planet Venus.
"Heosphoros" in the Greek Septuagint and "Lucifer" in Jerome's Latin Vulgate were used to translate the Hebrew "Helel" (Venus as the brilliant, bright or shining one), "son of Shahar (Dawn)" in the Hebrew version of Isaiah 14:12.
The Latin word corresponding to Greek "Phosphorus" is "Lucifer" as both are the literal translations of "light-bringer" or "bearer of light". It is used in its astronomical sense both in prose and poetry. Poets sometimes personify the star, placing it in a mythological context.