InHesiod'sTheogony, Hemera and her brother Aether were the offspring of Erebus and Nyx.[2]Bacchylides apparently had Hemera as the daughter ofChronus (Time) and Nyx.[3] In the lost epic poem theTitanomachy (late seventh century BC?),[4] Hemera was perhaps the mother, by Aether, ofUranus (Sky).[5] In some rare versions, Hemera was instead the daughter ofHelios (theSun) by an unknown mother.[6][7]
According to Hesiod'sTheogony, Hemera leftTartarus just asNyx (Night) entered it; when Hemera returned, Nyx left:[8]
Night and Day passing near greet one another as they cross the great bronze threshold. The one is about to go in and the other is going out the door, and never does the house hold them both inside, but always the one goes out from the house and passes over the earth, while the other in turn remaining inside the house waits for the time of her own departure, until it comes. The one holds much-seeing light for those on the earth, but the other holdsSleep in her hands, the brother ofDeath—deadly Night, shrouded in murky cloud.[9]
Hemera's Roman counterpartDies (Day) had a different genealogy. According to the Roman mythographerHyginus, Chaos and Caligio (Mist) were the parents of Nox (Night), Dies, Erebus, and Aether.[10]Cicero says that Aether and Dies were the parents ofCaelus (Sky).[11] While, Hyginus says that, in addition to Caelus, Aether and Dies were also the parents ofTerra (Earth), and Mare (Sea).[12] Cicero also says that Dies and Caelus were the parents ofMercury, the Roman counterpart ofHermes.[13]
Although Eos (Dawn) is a separate entity in Hesiod'sTheogony—where she is the daughter of theTitansTheia andHyperion, the mother ofMemnon, and the lover ofCephalus[14]—elsewhere Eos and Hemera are identified.[15] For example, the geographerPausanias describes seeing depictions, on the "Royal Portico" atAthens and on thethrone of Apollo atAmyclae, of Cephalus being carried off by a goddess whom he identifies as Hemera.[16] He also describes a stone pedestal atOlympia which depicted Hemera pleading with Zeus for the life of her son Memnon.[17] Similarly, although, inHomer'sOdyssey, Eos is said to be the abductor ofOrion,[18] ascholiast on that passage says that, according toEuphorion, Hemera fell in love with Orion and carried him away.[19]
While there is little evidence of Hemera having received a cult in ancient times, archaeological evidence has proven the existence of a small shrine to Hemera andHelios, the god of the sun, on the island ofKos.[20]
Gantz, Timothy,Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, Two volumes:ISBN978-0-8018-5360-9 (Vol. 1),ISBN978-0-8018-5362-3 (Vol. 2).
Hard, Robin,The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology: Based on H.J. Rose's "Handbook of Greek Mythology", Psychology Press, 2004,ISBN9780415186360.Google Books.
Hyginus, Gaius Julius,Fabulae inApollodorus'Library and Hyginus'Fabulae: Two Handbooks of Greek Mythology, Translated, with Introductions by R. Scott Smith and Stephen M. Trzaskoma, Hackett Publishing Company, 2007.ISBN978-0-87220-821-6.
Pausanias,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.
Tripp, Edward,Crowell's Handbook of Classical Mythology, Thomas Y. Crowell Co; First edition (June 1970).ISBN069022608X.
West, M. L. (2002), "'Eumelos': A Corinthian Epic Cycle?" inThe Journal of Hellenic Studies, vol. 122, pp. 109–133.JSTOR3246207.
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