Nyx

Nyx was the Primordial of Night, one of the first beings born from Chaos and a figure who stood at or near the beginning of creation. Sister-consort of Erebus and mother of a host of lesser primordial gods, she was an ancient power whose offspring included Morpheus, Thanatos, Charon, and the Sisters of Fate themselves.

Birth from Chaos#

Nyx was among the oldest and original of the Greek deities, originating from Chaos itself. She must have fought during the great war of the Primordials, by which Ouranos took supreme lordship of the cosmos and its deities. She survived that conflict, unlike such casualties as Ceto and Ourea, a testament to her power and durability. She was the sister-consort of Erebus, the god of Darkness, and the two formed the first couple of Greek history, with no known rifts or troubles between them. In this she differed from her sister Gaia, whose union with Ouranos turned to tragedy.

Mother of the night gods#

Nyx birthed many primordial gods, who personified the quintessential abstractions of nature. Among them were Morpheus, Thanatos, and Charon, and many more besides. Many of her children had no father, brought forth by Nyx alone. None of her dark offspring commanded such power over the cosmos and its lifeforms as the Sisters of Fate, whose rule over the past, present, and future none could defy. The Fates would come to dwell on the Island of Creation, an idyllic place that Nyx and the other Primordials fashioned before the beginning of time. As the Goddess of Stars, she may also have been responsible for the stars of the Greek cosmos.

Goddess of the Night-Sky#

The ancient Night Goddess lived well into the Olympian Age, bringing forth her cloak of darkness onto the heavens before returning to her own world of eternal darkness and gloom. She lived in her own plane of existence, much like her sons Morpheus and Thanatos, who also resided within and ruled realms that mirrored their own natures. One known way to access the Realm of Night was through a portal at the Statue of Apollo, where she was seen giving light during the Trials of Archimedes.

Powerful as she was, Nyx contended with Helios, the bringer of light, who could destroy the world and was strong enough to force her to retreat. It was stated that Helios was banishing her from the night sky, which suggested that the Olympians had grown more powerful than the ancient Primordial deities. Without Nyx, it could be presumed, the night itself would not occur and the cosmos would fall into disarray, much as the disappearance of Helios would rob it of light.

Appearance#

Though Nyx was never seen directly, her likeness was preserved in a massive statue erected in her honor within the Realm of the Night. It portrayed her as an enormous, semi-nude female figure of imposing scale and solemn presence. Her head was covered by a veiled mask that emitted a faint, ethereal glow, fully concealing her face, while a long mantle flowed from the crown of her head and draped over her shoulders and upper arms. Below the waist she wore a skirt composed of numerous intertwined hands, woven through with anguished faces and contorted bodies that appeared trapped within the material.