Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

, Aergia (; , 'inactivity') is the personification of

sloth Sloths are a Neotropical realm, Neotropical group of xenarthran mammals constituting the suborder Folivora, including the extant Arboreal locomotion, arboreal tree sloths and extinct terrestrial ground sloths. Noted for their slowness of move ...

, idleness, indolence and laziness. She is the translation of the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

Socordia, or Ignavia: the name was translated into Greek because Hyginus mentioned her being based on a Greek source, and thus she can be considered as both a Greek and Roman goddess. Aergia's opposite character is Horme, a goddess of effort.

Family

Aergia was the daughter of the primordial deities Aether and Gaia.

Mythology

According to

Statius Publius Papinius Statius (Greek language, Greek: Πόπλιος Παπίνιος Στάτιος; , ; ) was a Latin poetry, Latin poet of the 1st century CE. His surviving poetry includes an epic in twelve books, the ''Thebaid (Latin poem), Theb ...

, Aergia was said to be the 'torpid' guard in the court of

Hypnos In Greek mythology, Hypnos (; Ancient Greek: , 'sleep'), also spelled Hypnus, is the personification of sleep. The Roman equivalent is Somnus. His name is the origin of the word hypnosis. Pausanias (geographer), Pausanias wrote that Hypnos was t ...

(Sleep) in the

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

. : "In] the hollow recesses of a deep and rocky cave . . . reset the halls of lazy Somnus/ Hypnos (Sleep) and his untroubled dwelling. The threshold is guarded by shady Quies/ ?Hesychia (Quiet) and dull Oblivio/ Lethe (Forgetfulness) and torpid Ignavia/ Aergia (Sloth) with ever drowsy countenance. Otia/ Acratus (Ease) and Silentia/ ?Hesychia (Silence) with folded wings sit mute in the forecourt. . ."Statius, ''Thebaid'' 10.86–92

Notes

References

* Gaius Julius Hyginus, ''Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus'' translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies
Online version at the Topos Text Project.
*

Publius Papinius Statius Publius Papinius Statius ( Greek: Πόπλιος Παπίνιος Στάτιος; , ; ) was a Latin poet of the 1st century CE. His surviving poetry includes an epic in twelve books, the ''Thebaid''; a collection of occasional poetry, the '' ...

'', The Thebaid'' translated by John Henry Mozley. Loeb Classical Library Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1928
Online version at the Topos Text Project.
* Publius Papinius Statius, ''The Thebaid. Vol I-II''. John Henry Mozley. London: William Heinemann; New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 1928
Latin text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
{{authority control Greek goddesses Personifications in Greek mythology Children of Gaia