Aega (mythology)
Encyclopedia
Aega was, according to Hyginus
, a daughter of Olenus
, who was a descendant of Hephaestus
. Aega and her sister Helice nursed the infant Zeus
in Crete
, and the former was afterwards changed by the god into the constellation called Capella
.
According to other traditions mentioned by Hyginus, Aega was a daughter of Melisseus, king of Crete
, and was chosen to suckle the infant Zeus
; but as she was found unable to do it, the service was performed by the goat Amalthea
. Hyginus also reports a tradition that while married to Pan
she had a son by Zeus whom she called Aegipan
.
According to other authors, Aega was a daughter of Helios
and of such dazzling brightness that the Titan
s in their attack upon Olympus
became frightened and requested their mother Gaia
to conceal her in the earth. She was accordingly confined in a cave in Crete, where she became the nurse of Zeus. In the Titanomachy
, Zeus was commanded by an oracle
to cover himself with her skin (aegis). He obeyed the command and raised Aega among the stars.
Similar, though somewhat different accounts, were given by Euemerus and others. It is clear that in some of these stories Aega is regarded as a nymph
, and in others as a goat
, though the two ideas are not kept clearly distinct from each other. Her name is either connected with , which signifies a goat, or with , a gale of wind; and this circumstance has led some critics to consider the myth about her as made up of two distinct ones, one being of an astronomical nature and derived from the constellation Capella, the rise of which brings storms and tempests, and the other referring to the goat which was believed to have suckled the infant Zeus in Crete.
Gaius Julius Hyginus
Gaius Julius Hyginus was a Latin author, a pupil of the famous Cornelius Alexander Polyhistor, and a freedman of Caesar Augustus. He was by Augustus elected superintendent of the Palatine library according to Suetonius' De Grammaticis, 20...
, a daughter of Olenus
Olenus
In Greek mythology, Olenus was the name of several individuals:#Olenus, son of Hephaestus and father of Helice and Aex, two nurses of infant Zeus. A city in Aulis was named for him....
, who was a descendant of Hephaestus
Hephaestus
Hephaestus was a Greek god whose Roman equivalent was Vulcan. He is the son of Zeus and Hera, the King and Queen of the Gods - or else, according to some accounts, of Hera alone. He was the god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes...
. Aega and her sister Helice nursed the infant Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
in Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, and the former was afterwards changed by the god into the constellation called Capella
Capella (star)
Capella is the brightest star in the constellation Auriga, the sixth brightest star in the night sky and the third brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, after Arcturus and Vega. Although it appears to be a single star to the naked eye, it is actually a star system of four stars in...
.
According to other traditions mentioned by Hyginus, Aega was a daughter of Melisseus, king of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, and was chosen to suckle the infant Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
; but as she was found unable to do it, the service was performed by the goat Amalthea
Amalthea (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Amalthea or Amaltheia is the most-frequently mentioned foster-mother of Zeus. Her name in Greek is clearly an epithet, signifying the presence of an earlier nurturing goddess, whom the Hellenes, whose myths we know, knew to be located in Crete, where Minoans may have called...
. Hyginus also reports a tradition that while married to Pan
Pan (mythology)
Pan , in Greek religion and mythology, is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music, as well as the companion of the nymphs. His name originates within the Greek language, from the word paein , meaning "to pasture." He has the hindquarters, legs,...
she had a son by Zeus whom she called Aegipan
Aegipan
Aegipan , that is, Goat-Pan, was according to some statements a being distinct from Pan, while others regard him as identical with Pan. His story appears to be altogether of late origin. According to Hyginus he was the son of Zeus and Aega , and was transferred to the stars...
.
According to other authors, Aega was a daughter of Helios
Helios
Helios was the personification of the Sun in Greek mythology. Homer often calls him simply Titan or Hyperion, while Hesiod and the Homeric Hymn separate him as a son of the Titans Hyperion and Theia or Euryphaessa and brother of the goddesses Selene, the moon, and Eos, the dawn...
and of such dazzling brightness that the Titan
Titan (mythology)
In Greek mythology, the Titans were a race of powerful deities, descendants of Gaia and Uranus, that ruled during the legendary Golden Age....
s in their attack upon Olympus
Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, about 100 kilometres away from Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city. Mount Olympus has 52 peaks. The highest peak Mytikas, meaning "nose", rises to 2,917 metres...
became frightened and requested their mother Gaia
Gaia (mythology)
Gaia was the primordial Earth-goddess in ancient Greek religion. Gaia was the great mother of all: the heavenly gods and Titans were descended from her union with Uranus , the sea-gods from her union with Pontus , the Giants from her mating with Tartarus and mortal creatures were sprung or born...
to conceal her in the earth. She was accordingly confined in a cave in Crete, where she became the nurse of Zeus. In the Titanomachy
Titanomachy
In Greek mythology, the Titanomachy or War of the Titans , was the ten-year series of battles fought in Thessaly between the two camps of deities long before the existence of mankind: the Titans, based on Mount Othrys, and the Olympians, who would come to reign on Mount Olympus...
, Zeus was commanded by an oracle
Oracle
In Classical Antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination....
to cover himself with her skin (aegis). He obeyed the command and raised Aega among the stars.
Similar, though somewhat different accounts, were given by Euemerus and others. It is clear that in some of these stories Aega is regarded as a nymph
Nymph
A nymph in Greek mythology is a female minor nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from gods, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing;...
, and in others as a goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
, though the two ideas are not kept clearly distinct from each other. Her name is either connected with , which signifies a goat, or with , a gale of wind; and this circumstance has led some critics to consider the myth about her as made up of two distinct ones, one being of an astronomical nature and derived from the constellation Capella, the rise of which brings storms and tempests, and the other referring to the goat which was believed to have suckled the infant Zeus in Crete.