In
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these representations, and to th ...
, Dies (Latin ''diēs'' "
day
A day is the time rotation period, period of a full Earth's rotation, rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours (86,400 seconds). As a day passes at a given location it experiences morning, afternoon, evening, ...
") was the personification of day. She was the daughter of
Chaos and Caligo (Mist), and the counterpart of the
Greek goddess
Hemera.
Family
According to the Roman mythographer
Hyginus, Chaos and Caligo were the parents of Nox (Night), Dies,
Erebus (Darkness), and Aether.
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...
says that Aether and Dies were the parents of
Caelus (Sky). Hyginus says that, in addition to Caelus, Aether and Dies were also the parents of
Terra (Earth), and Mare (Sea). Cicero also says that Dies and Caelus were the parents of
Mercury, the Roman counterpart of
Hermes.
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...
, '' De Natura Deorum'
3.56
Name
The Latin noun ''diēs'' is based on the
Proto-Italic accusative singular ''*dijēm'', itself stemming from the
Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. No direct record of Proto-Indo-European exists; its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-Euro ...
root ''*dyeu-'', denoting the "diurnal sky" or the "brightness of the day" (in contrast to the darkness of the night). The corresponding Proto-Indo-European day god is ''*
Dyeus''.
See also
* ''
Dies lustricus
In ancient Rome the ''dies lustricus'' ("day of Lustratio, lustration" or "purification day") was a traditional naming ceremony in which an infant was purified and given a ''praenomen'' (given name). This occurred on the eighth day for girls and t ...
''
Notes
References
*
Cicero, Marcus Tullius, ''
De Natura Deorum'' in ''Cicero: On the Nature of the Gods. Academics'', translated by H. Rackham,
Loeb Classical Library
The Loeb Classical Library (LCL; named after James Loeb; , ) is a monographic series of books originally published by Heinemann and since 1934 by Harvard University Press. It has bilingual editions of ancient Greek and Latin literature, ...
No. 268, Cambridge, Massachusetts,
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou.
The pres ...
, first published 1933, revised 1951.
Online version at Harvard University Press Internet Archive
* Hyginus, Gaius Julius, '' Fabulae'' in ''Apollodorus' ''Library'' and Hyginus' ''Fabulae'': Two Handbooks of Greek Mythology, Translated, with Introductions by R. Scott Smith and Stephen M. Trzaskoma'', Hackett Publishing Company, 2007. .
*
*
External links
*
Roman goddesses
Day
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