Lyssa
Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology
, Lyssa (called Lytta by the Athenians) was the spirit of mad rage, frenzy and rabies
in animals. She was closely related to the Maniae
, the goddesses of madness and insanity. Her Roman equivalent was variously named Ira, Furor, or Rabies. Sometimes she was multiplied into a host of Irae and Furores.
' Herakles, Lyssa is identified as "the daughter of Nyx
, sprung from the blood of Ouranos"—that is, the blood from Ouranos' womb following his castration by Cronus
. The 1st century Latin writer Hyginus
describes her as a child of Gaia
and Aether
.
She personifies mad rage and frenzy, as well as rabies in animals. In Herakles she is called upon by Hera
to inflict the hero Heracles
with insanity. In this scenario she is shown to take a temperate, measured approach to her role, professing "not to use [her powers] in anger against friends, nor [to] have any joy in visiting the homes of men". She counsels Hera against targeting Heracles but, after failing to persuade, bows to the superior goddess' commands and sends him into a mad rage that causes him to murder his wife and children.
Greek vase-paintings of the period indicate her involvement in the myth of Aktaion
, the hunter torn apart by his own, maddened dogs as a punishment for looking on the naked form of the goddess Artemis
. Aeschylus
identifies her as being the agent sent by Dionysus
to madden the impious daughters of Minyas
, who in turn dismember Pentheus
.
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, Lyssa (called Lytta by the Athenians) was the spirit of mad rage, frenzy and rabies
Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms...
in animals. She was closely related to the Maniae
Maniae (mythology)
In Greek mythology, the Maniae are a spirit or group of spirits personifying Insanity, madness and crazed frenzy. They operate closely with Lyssa, the spirit of mad rage, frenzy and rabies; and, like, Lyssa, are presumed to be daughters of Nyx...
, the goddesses of madness and insanity. Her Roman equivalent was variously named Ira, Furor, or Rabies. Sometimes she was multiplied into a host of Irae and Furores.
Description
In EuripidesEuripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
' Herakles, Lyssa is identified as "the daughter of Nyx
Nyx
In Greek mythology, Nyx was the primordial goddess of the night. A shadowy figure, Nyx stood at or near the beginning of creation, and was the mother of personified gods such as Hypnos and Thánatos...
, sprung from the blood of Ouranos"—that is, the blood from Ouranos' womb following his castration by Cronus
Cronus
In Greek mythology, Cronus or Kronos was the leader and the youngest of the first generation of Titans, divine descendants of Gaia, the earth, and Uranus, the sky...
. The 1st century Latin writer Hyginus
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...
describes her as a child of 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...
and Aether
Aether (mythology)
Aether , in Greek mythology, is one of the Protogenoi, the first-born elementals. He is the personification of the upper sky, space, and heaven, and is the elemental god of the "Bright, Glowing, Upper Air." He is the pure upper air that the gods breathe, as opposed to the normal air that mortals...
.
She personifies mad rage and frenzy, as well as rabies in animals. In Herakles she is called upon by Hera
Hera
Hera was the wife and one of three sisters of Zeus in the Olympian pantheon of Greek mythology and religion. Her chief function was as the goddess of women and marriage. Her counterpart in the religion of ancient Rome was Juno. The cow and the peacock were sacred to her...
to inflict the hero Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
with insanity. In this scenario she is shown to take a temperate, measured approach to her role, professing "not to use [her powers] in anger against friends, nor [to] have any joy in visiting the homes of men". She counsels Hera against targeting Heracles but, after failing to persuade, bows to the superior goddess' commands and sends him into a mad rage that causes him to murder his wife and children.
Greek vase-paintings of the period indicate her involvement in the myth of Aktaion
Actaeon
Actaeon , in Greek mythology, son of the priestly herdsman Aristaeus and Autonoe in Boeotia, was a famous Theban hero. Like Achilles in a later generation, he was trained by the centaur Chiron....
, the hunter torn apart by his own, maddened dogs as a punishment for looking on the naked form of the goddess Artemis
Artemis
Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
. Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
identifies her as being the agent sent by Dionysus
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
to madden the impious daughters of Minyas
Minyas
Minyas may refer to:*Minyas , a moth genus*Minyas , the founder of Orchomenus*Minyas , a Greek epic poem*according to Nicolas of Damascus, a region of Armenia, see Minyans...
, who in turn dismember Pentheus
Pentheus
In Greek mythology, Pentheus was a king of Thebes, son of the strongest of the Spartes, Echion, and of Agave, daughter of Cadmus, the founder of Thebes, and the goddess Harmonia....
.