Her role was wholly subsumed by Eos in later myths. In addition, both Callistratus and Pausanias, cited Hemera as Memnon’s mother in their writings. Philostratus the Elder uses their names interchangeably when describing a painting of the funeral of the Ethiopian king Memnon-also the son of Eos. In some cases, the two goddesses were interchangeable. Given their similarities, some ancient texts closely associated Hemera with Eos, the goddess of the dawn. Hesiod seems to regard her as more of a divine substance rather than anthropomorphic goddess. Hemera was closely identified with Hera, the queen of heavens, and Eos, the goddess of the dawn. Hemera is remarked upon in Cicero's De Natura Deorum, where it is logically determined that Hemera must be a god, if Uranus is a god. The poet Bacchylides states that Nyx and Chronos are the parents, but Hyginus in his preface to the Fabulae mentions Chaos as the mother/father and Nyx as her sister. Yet another claimed Uranus as their only child. Hyginus lists their children as Uranus, Gaia, and Thalassa (the primordial sea goddess), while Hesiod only lists Thalassa as their child. Hemera was the female counterpart of her brother and consort, Aether (Light), but neither of them figured actively in myth or cult. The sun ruled the day but was not its source. In the ancient cosmogonies night and day were actual substances distinct and independent of the sun. With each morn Hemera dispersed her mother's mists, bathing the earth again in the light of the ether. The night and day were substances distinct and quite independent from sun.Įvery evening Hemera's mother Nyx drew her dark veil across the sky, obscuring the the shining blue of the heavenly ether (aither), and bringing night to earth.
Nyx and Hemera draw near and greet one another as they pass the great threshold of bronze: and while the one is about to go down into the house, the other comes out at the door. Hemera left Tartarus just as Nyx entered it, when Hemera return Nyx left. Hemera resides with her mother in Tartarus, but the two deities rarely met each other in home.Īppearance Personality Powers and Abilities History Hemera was the daughter of Nyx and Erebus and the consort/sister of Aether.
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