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InGreek mythology,Enyo (/ɪˈnaɪoʊ/;Ancient Greek:Ἐνυώ,romanized: Enuṓ) is a war-goddess, frequently associated with the war-godAres. TheRomans identified her withBellona.[1]
Enyo is also the name of one of theGraeae, one of three grey-haired sisters who share an eye and a tooth.
Enyo is called the "sister of War" (in GreekPolemos) byQuintus Smyrnaeus,[2] in a role closely resembling that ofEris, the embodiment of strife and discord, withHomer, in particular, representing the two as the same. In some myths, she is identified as the mother of the war godEnyalius as well,[3] and in these myths,Ares is indicated as the father, however, the masculine nameEnyalius orEnyalios also may be used as a title for Ares.[4]
As goddess of war, Enyo is responsible for orchestrating the destruction of cities, often accompanying Ares into battle.[5] She is depicted as "supreme in war".[6] She is so delighted in warfare that she even refused to take sides in the battle between Zeus and the monsterTyphon:
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.[7]
Enyo was involved in the war of theSeven against Thebes, and inDionysus'swar with the Indians as well.[8] During the fall ofTroy, Enyo inflicted terror and bloodshed in the war, along with Eris ("Strife"),Phobos ("Fear"), andDeimos ("Dread"), the latter two being sons of Ares.[9] She, Eris, and the two sons of Ares are depicted on theshield of Achilles.[9]
AtThebes andOrchomenos, a festival entitled Homolôïa, which was celebrated in honour ofZeus,Demeter,Athena, and Enyo, was said to have received the surname of Homoloïus from Homoloïs, a priestess of Enyo.[10] A statue of Enyo, made by the sons ofPraxiteles, stood in thetemple of Ares at Athens.[11]
Her name might be preserved on the cornice of one of the friezes of theGigantomachyaltar, among those of fourteen others.[12]
