Philotes

For other uses, see Philotes (disambiguation).

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

Sacred and Profane Love (1514–1515), by Titian, Borghese Gallery, Rome

Family

In Hesiod's Theogony , Philotes is described as one of the children of Nyx (Night). ^[1] In later genealogies given by Roman authors, she is the offspring of Erebus (Darkness) and Nox (the Roman name for Nyx). ^[2] Her siblings are said to be, among others, Apate (Deceit), Nemesis (Indignation), and Eris (Strife)

Mythology

According to Hesiod's Theogony , she represented sexual and social intercourse. Her siblings are said to be, among others, Apate (Deceit) and Nemesis (Indignation). ^[3] She was described by Empedocles as one of the driving forces behind creation, being paired together with Eris (Feuds); Philotes being the force behind good things and Eris being the force of bad things. ^[4] He also identifies her with Kypris (Aphrodite) ^[5] and mentions that Philotes feels hurt and offended by life-destroying offerings and demands the abstention from animal sacrifices. ^[6]

References

1. Hesiod, Theogony 244
2. Hyginus, Fabulae Preface; Cicero, De Natura Deorum 3.17
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Felix M. Cleve (2013). The giants of pre-sophistic Greek philosophy. Springer. p. 354. ISBN   978-94-017-5665-5.
6. Felix M. Cleve (2013). The giants of pre-sophistic Greek philosophy. Springer. p. 390. ISBN   978-94-017-5665-5.

Further reading

• 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.