Enyo
Greek goddess of war
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In Greek mythology, Enyo (/ɪˈnaɪoʊ/; Ancient Greek: Ἐνυώ, romanized: Enȳṓ) is a war-goddess, frequently associated with the war-god Ares. The Romans identified her with Bellona.[1]
Name
Her name might be preserved on the cornice of one of the friezes of the Gigantomachy altar, among those of fourteen others.[2]
Cult
At Thebes and Orchomenos, a festival entitled Homolôïa, which was celebrated in honour of Zeus, Demeter, Athena, and Enyo, was said to have received the surname of Homoloïus from Homoloïs, a priestess of Enyo.[3] A statue of Enyo, made by the sons of Praxiteles, stood in the temple of Ares at Athens.[4]
Description
Enyo is called the "sister of War" by Quintus Smyrnaeus,[5] in a role closely resembling that of Eris, the embodiment of strife and discord, with Homer, in particular, representing the two as the same. In some myths, she is identified as the mother of the war god Enyalius as well,[6] and in these myths, Ares is indicated as the father, however, the masculine name Enyalius or Enyalios also may be used as a title for Ares.[7]
As goddess of war, Enyo is responsible for orchestrating the destruction of cities, often accompanying Ares into battle.[8] She is depicted as "supreme in war".[9] She is so delighted in warfare that she even refused to take sides in the battle between Zeus and the monster Typhon:
Eris (Strife) was Typhon's escort in the mellee, Nike (Victory) led Zeus into battle… impartial Enyo held equal balance between the two sides, between Zeus and Typhon, while the thunderbolts with booming shots revel like dancers in the sky.[10]
Enyo was involved in the war of the Seven against Thebes, and in Dionysus's war with the Indians as well.[11] During the fall of Troy, Enyo inflicted terror and bloodshed in the war, along with Eris ("Strife"), Phobos ("Fear"), and Deimos ("Dread"), the latter two being sons of Ares.[12] She, Eris, and the two sons of Ares are depicted on the shield of Achilles.[12]
Notes
- ^ Grimal, s.v. Enyo; Tripp, s.v. Enyo; Smith, s.v. Enyo.
- ^ Mitchell, p. 92
- ^ Suidas s. v.; compare Müller, Orchomen, p.229, 2nd edit. (cited by Schmitz)
- ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, I. 8. § 5. (cited by Schmitz)
- ^ Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy, 8.424.
- ^ Eustathius on Homer 944
- ^ Willcock, Malcolm M. (1976). A companion to the Iliad : based on the translation by Richard Lattimore ([9th print.] ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 58. ISBN 0-226-89855-5.
- ^ Homer, Iliad 5. 333, 592
- ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece 4.30.5.
- ^ Nonnus, Dionysiaca 2. 358 and 2. 475 ff
- ^ Statius, Thebaid, Nonnus, Dionysiaca
- ^ a b Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy
References
- Grimal, Pierre, The Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Wiley-Blackwell, 1996. ISBN 978-0-631-20102-1. Internet Archive.
- Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
- Quintus Smyrnaeus, Quintus Smyrnaeus: The Fall of Troy, Translator: A.S. Way; Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA, 1913. Internet Archive
- Smith, William, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London (1873). Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
- Tripp, Edward, Crowell's Handbook of Classical Mythology, Thomas Y. Crowell Co; First edition (June 1970). ISBN 069022608X.
- Mitchell, Lucy M., "Sculptures of the Great Pergamon Altar" in The Century Magazine, 1883.
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