{"id":899,"date":"2018-06-10T23:10:31","date_gmt":"2018-06-10T22:10:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/?post_type=goddesses&p=899"},"modified":"2024-03-05T11:31:56","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T11:31:56","slug":"philotes","status":"publish","type":"goddesses","link":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/goddesses\/philotes\/","title":{"rendered":"Philotes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Spirit Goddess (daimon) of Friendship and Affection, and Intercourse<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Greek goddess Philotes was the daughter of Nyx, but details of her father are less clear. According to the Ancient Greek poet Hesiod, she had no father. The Roman writer Hyginus, however, says that Philotes’s father was Erebus<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philotes was a minor goddess in Greek mythology. Sometimes referred to as one of the diamones or spirit goddesses that where believed to personify specific traits. In Philotes’s case, she was seen as the personification of affection,\u00a0friendship, and\u00a0sexual intercourse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nyx was a goddess of the night. Her Latin name, Nox, means “night.” She is also the mother of Hypnos<\/a>, the god of sleep. Erebus himself was a son of Chaos<\/a> and Nyx’s companion. His name also represents the part of the underworld where the dead pass to directly after their deaths. The best translation of Erebus is believed to be “darkness.” Philotes had many siblings, including Hatred, Friendship, Discord and the three Fates<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Family of Philotes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Philotes, her parents, and her siblings are considered to be part of the second generation of the “primordial” pantheon of gods. Their parents, Nyx<\/a> and Erebus, were said to have existed at the beginning of time. Most of the more well-known Greek gods had parents that were part of the primordial pantheon. This includes Zeus<\/a> and his brothers, Hades and Poseidon<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In mythology, the goddess Philotes was one of the driving forces of the creation of humankind. She was the force of good things. According to the Greek philosopher<\/a> Empedocles, she did not agree with blood sacrifices. She demanded that mankind stop the practice. In some of his writings, Empedocles associates Philotes with the more famous goddess of love, Aphrodite<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are not many stories about Philotes. Hesiod tells that this minor goddess personified friendship, romantic friendship, and affection. The Roman lawyer Cicero wrote of another minor goddess, Gratia (or Favor) who many scholars believe is the same as Philotes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Philotes Facts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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  1. Unique Representation in Art<\/strong>: Unlike many of her divine counterparts, Philotes does not have a well-documented representation in ancient Greek art.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Philotes and Human Morality<\/strong>: Philotes’s association with both platonic and romantic affection suggests that the ancient Greeks viewed these emotional connections as integral to the moral fabric of society.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. No Known Temples<\/strong>: There are no records of temples dedicated specifically to Philotes. This is indicative of her role as a personification of concepts rather than an actively worshipped deity in public religious practices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. In Modern Interpretations<\/strong>: In contemporary explorations of Greek mythology, Philotes is often invoked to symbolize the power of non-romantic bonds. This highlights the enduring relevance of her domain over affection and friendship.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Influence on Philosophical Thought<\/strong>: The principles associated with this minor deity, particularly her opposition to blood sacrifices, may have influenced early philosophical discussions on ethics and the nature of divine demands. Reflecting on the broader impact of mythological figures on Greek thought.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Spirit Goddess (daimon) of Friendship and Affection, and Intercourse The Greek goddess Philotes was the daughter of Nyx, but details of her father are less clear. According to the Ancient Greek poet Hesiod, she had no father. The Roman writer Hyginus, however, says that Philotes’s father was Erebus. Philotes was a minor goddess in Greek […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":900,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/goddesses\/899"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/goddesses"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/goddesses"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=899"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/goddesses\/899\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5107,"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/goddesses\/899\/revisions\/5107"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greekgodsandgoddesses.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}