Nyx, the ancient Greek goddess of the night, is one of the Protogneoi, the primordial first born gods of the Greek cosmos that preceded the Titans and the Olympians. Considered to be the daughter of the goddess Chaos, the very first of all deities, she was depicted as a beautiful woman, dressed in black and surrounded by mist. Apart from that, Nyx was depicted in ancient art as either a winged goddess or a charioteer, sometimes crowned with an aureole of dark mists. According to legends, she stays home during the day and starts her night journey in the evening to cover the universe with darkness, which allows the world to rest.

It is also said that Hemera, who rules the day, is the daughter of Nyx and they meet each other twice a day, at twilight and dawn, when they wave at each other from their relative chariots as they passed through the gates of Tartarus, as one was leaving and the other was returning home. In the ancient Greek mythology, Nyx is often portrayed in symbolism as a moon or stars, in accordance with her ending the daytime and bringing the night.

Nyx lives in Tartarus, in the depths of Hades' underworld, which is a place of torment, suffering, and darkness. However, though she was not attached to any evil incident, she was looked upon by many as a villain figure, because of her mysterious look and dark nature. She was never worshipped as part of her own cult, but was just revered as the personification of night. It is also difficult to find exactly where she was revered, as there are no temples. Unfortunately, there is also no record of the holy days dedicated to the worship and celebration of Nyx.

Nyx is mother of many deities. She was conceived by Erebus to produced Moirae, the three fates; Aither, the light; Hemera, the day; Hypnos, the sleep; and Thanatos the death. Apart from that, she also conceived Khaos by Hesiod.

There is an interesting episode about Nyx’s son Hypnos and Zeus. On one occasion, Hera, the wife of Zeus and the goddess of Birth & Marriage, asked Hypnos to put Zeus to sleep, as she intended to plot something against her husband, while he was asleep. However, Hypnos failed to cast his spell on Zeus, as he was not strong enough to incapacitate Zeus. As Zeus figured out the truth, he hunted down Hypnos and chased him, when Nyx allowed her son refuge in her cave. As a result, Zeus had to retreat, as he was scared of Nyx.

Nyx is a very confusing goddess and very much different from most of the other goddesses. Depending on her mood and attitude, she may either be helpful or harmful to mankind and depending on the situation and circumstances, she can bring either sleep or death.