When we hear the word “mania”, most of us think that it means crazed or to act in a frenzy. How did this word work its way into our vocabularies? It all goes back to the Greek goddess, Mania.
She is often associated with the dead, the crazed, and the mentally ill. Her name, after all, means excessive excitement or craze. She is also associated with Erinyes who was a very fearsome goddess herself. Erinyes was associated with the Furies. The Furies took their vengeance out on me and were also a crazed group. This is why Mania was often associated with them and Erinyes.
Mania not only dealt with gods and goddesses, but she had a huge impact on humans as well. Many men wrote that Mania had a trigger finger that, just from one touch, would send them into a crazy, irrational fit. When animals would start foaming at the mouth or acting frenzied, the owners would blame it on Mania as well. We now know that these fits are what happens when animals develop rabies.
Her family life could explain why she was so crazed and filled with anger and rage. Her parents were Erebus and Nyx. Erebus is known as being the Titan of darkness and Nyx is known for being the Titans of the night. Not too much is said about how Mania managed her home life except that her parents were always using negative feelings and emotions to express themselves. This could be the reason that Mania was filled with so much rage and negativity herself.
It is said that she did rule the underworld for quite sometime along with the husband, Mantus.
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