STYX (river goddess of the underworld oath)
Power of the underworld · Greek divinity of the river Styx
- Known as
- Famous, cold, eternal, and primaeval
- Parents
- Oceanus, Tethys
- Consorts
- Pallas
- Children
- Echidna, Nike, Zelus, Bia, Kratos, Fontes
- Allies
- Iris
- Haunts and cult places
- Libya, Pheneos, Dis
- In the sources
- 69 ancient passages
Styx, the eldest daughter of Ocean and Tethys, stood as the chiefest among the Oceanids.1,2,3 She was a deathless nymph with long hair, her presence dark and frowning upon the abysmal shades.4,5,6 Her waters were sad and unlovely, resembling wine in both smell and color, while the stream itself appeared small.7,8,9
Styx was the wife of Pallas and bore four children who would become central to divine power.10,3 Among her offspring were Nike, the trim-ankled Victory, and Zelus, known as Emulation.6,10,4 She also gave birth to Cratos, who represented Strength, and Bia, who represented Force.6,10,4 Other accounts name Echidna as her child, born to a man named Peiras, while some sources list her as the mother of Persephone.11,12 Her siblings included Asia, Electra, Doris, Eurynome, Amphitrite, Metis, and Philyra.1,13
When Zeus rose against the Titans, Styx and her children fought alongside him in the great conflict.14,6 She arrived at Olympus first among the gods to aid Zeus, coming with her children by using her father's wit.6 Zeus honored Styx by making oaths be sworn by her water.14,15 He sent Iris to retrieve the water, which served as the source for the great oath of the gods.14,15 This water bound the oaths of the gods, a role it maintained in later ages.16
The river Styx was located within the realm of Hades, where its water flowed from a high and beetling rock.14,17 It was a branch of the river Oceanus that flowed beneath the earth, with a tenth of Oceanus's water allotted to it.15 Styx acted as a ninefold barrier to keep the dead contained, hemming in the way of the deceased in vengeful wrath.17,18,19 A grim oarsman ferried the dead across these waters, and the river's sheer streams could have prevented Heracles from escaping Hades.20,21
Styx lived apart from the gods, her waters mixed with sulphur by the Telchines.22,23 During the judgment of souls, she accused the gods of committing perjury.24 Her waters were used for libation in golden basins before battles against the Giants and Titans.25 Though feared and loathed, she remained the eternal and primaeval water that bound the divine word.15,6
The codex facts behind this entry
Styx is the eldest daughter of Ocean and Tethys, and is considered the chiefest among the Oceanids. Apollodorus 1.2.2 +3 Styx is a branch of the river Oceanus that flows beneath the earth. The Theogony ll. 775-806 (2) Cocytus is described as a branch of the river Styx. Odyssey 10 ¶43
Appearance
Styx is described as dark and frowning upon the abysmal shades. Georgics 1.231
Powers
The river's sheer streams could have prevented Heracles from escaping Hades. Pausanias 8.18.3 Styx's water serves as the source for the great oath of the gods. The Theogony ll. 775-806 (2) The water of the Styx corrodes glass, crystal, murrhine vessels, stone, pottery, gold, horn, bone, iron, bronze, lead, tin, silver, and electrum. Pausanias 8.18.5 Styx acts as a ninefold barrier to keep the dead contained. Georgics 4.453 The waters of this river are said to bind the oaths of the gods. Seneca, Thyestes act 4 ¶3 Drinking the water of the Styx causes immediate death. Pliny, Nat. Hist. 2.106 ¶6
In the myths
Zeus honored Styx by making oaths be sworn by her water, sending Iris to retrieve it. Apollodorus 1.2.5 +1 Styx and her children fought alongside Zeus against the Titans. Apollodorus 1.2.5 +1 She arrived at Olympus first among the gods to aid Zeus. The Theogony ll. 383-403 She came to Olympus with her children using her father's wit. The Theogony ll. 383-403 Homer used the water of Styx as a witness in Hera's oath. Pausanias 8.18.2 A story claims Alexander the Great died from a poison involving the water of the Styx. Pausanias 8.18.6 The water drops from a cliff into a pool. Herodotus 6.74.2 Homer stated that the river Titaresius receives its water from the Styx. Pausanias 8.18.2 Heracles claims he previously scorned the river Styx. Seneca, Hercules Oetaeus act 4 ¶2 A grim oarsman ferries the dead across the waters of Styx. Seneca, Hercules Furens act 2 ¶15
Worship
The water of the Styx was considered sacred. Strabo 8.8.4
Fate
Zeus appointed her to serve as the great oath of the gods. The Theogony ll. 383-403 A god who swears falsely by Styx lies breathless for a full year and cannot taste ambrosia or nectar. The Theogony ll. 775-806 (2) A false swearer by Styx is cut off from the gods for nine years. The Theogony ll. 775-806 (2) A false swearer by Styx rejoins the divine assemblies in the tenth year. The Theogony ll. 775-806 (2)
