Pyroeis
Sky god of Areios, the planet Mars
Pyroeis (Ancient Greek: Πυρόεις) in ancient Greek religion is the god of the wandering star Areios, the planet Mars.
He is also known as Mesonyx (Ancient Greek: Μεσονυξ; 'midnight').
Etymology
Pyroeis, from Ancient Greek: Πυρό, romanized: pyro, fire, means the fiery one.[1]
Family
Hesiod, in his Theogony, states that the titans Astraeus and Eos gave birth to the winds and the stars, one of which was Pyroeis.[2][3].
Function
In Ancient Greek astronomy, Pyroeis is the god of the planet Mars, one of the five planets visible to the naked eye. Astronomers of the time assigned these "planetae" a variety of names, associated them with different gods, and ascribed various qualities to their apparent behaviour in the sky.[4]
See also
References
- ^ Thom, Johan C.; Burri, Renate; Chandler, Clive; Daiber, Hans; Kraye, Jill; Smith, Andrew; Takahashi, Hidemi; Tzvetkova-Glaser, Anna (2014). "Αριστοτελους Περι Κοσμου". Cosmic Order and Divine Power. Mohr Siebeck GmbH and Co. KG: 25.
- ^ Hesiod, Theogony, 378
- ^ Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1.8-9
- ^ "Planetae", in Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, pp. 922, 923.