| Astraeus | |
|---|---|
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Crius andEurybia |
| Siblings | Perses,Pallas |
| Consort | Eos |
| Offspring | Boreas,Notus,Zephyrus,Eurus,Eosphorus,Astraea |
InGreek mythology,Astraeus (/əˈstriːəs/) orAstraios (Ancient Greek:Ἀστραῖος,romanized: Astraîos,lit. 'starry'[1]) is the son ofCrius andEurybia, and the consort ofEos. He is said to be the father of thewinds.
His name "Astraeus" (Ancient GreekἈστραῖος, translit. Astraîos) is derived from the Greek wordἀστήρ (astḗr) "star".Ἀστήρ itself is inherited from theProto-Indo-European root*h₂ster- "star", from*h₂eh₁s- "to burn".[2]
According toHesiod'sTheogony and theBibliotheca, Astraeus is one of the children ofCrius andEurybia.[3] However,Hyginus wrote that he was descended directly fromTartarus andGaia and referred to him as one of theGigantes.
Astraeus marriedEos, the goddess of thedawn. Together as nightfall and daybreak, they produced manychildren associated with what occurs in the sky duringtwilight. InHesiod'sTheogony, Astraeus and Eos produce the winds—namelyZephyrus,Boreas, andNotus, with the fourth one,Eurus, being included as his son in later sources—as well asEosphorus and the stars.[4][5] A few sources mention another daughter,Astraea, the goddess of innocence and, occasionally, justice.[6]
Nonnus's epic poemDionysiaca, written in the fifth century, is the only work in which Astraeus has a significant appearance not related to the genealogy of the gods. In it Astraeus is presented as an oracular god whom the goddessDemeter visits, concerned about her daughterPersephone's future as she had started to attract a significant number of admirers onOlympus and worried that she might end up marryingHephaestus. Astraeus then warned her that soon enough, Persephone would be ravished by aserpent and bearfruit from that union, which greatly upset Demeter.[5]
Servius, perhaps conflating him with the Giant like Hyginus did, wrote that he took arms and fought against the gods.[7] He is also sometimes associated withAeolus, the Keeper of the Winds, since winds often increase around dusk.
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