In Honour of Nyx

After playing with my Wisdom of the House of Night deck of Oracle cards, I got the idea to write a post about the goddess of night herself, Nyx.

I have owned these cards for about five years. They are created by the same author who wrote the House of Night YA fiction series. They are one of my favourite decks of cards to read. I love working with Nyx and I thought I would write a dedicated post about her.

Synopsis of the Series

House of Night is a series of young adult vampire-themed fantasy novels by American author P. C. Cast and her daughter Kristin Cast. It follows the adventures of Zoey Redbird, a 16-year-old girl who is "marked", becomes a fledgling vampyre and is required to attend the House of Night boarding school in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The Goddess Nyx Background Information

The name of the goddess, Nyx comes from ancient Greek: Nύξ or the modern spelling Nýx. This simply means “night.”

She is a Greek goddess that is rumored to even had been feared by Zeus because she is older and more powerful than he is. She is the personification of night, the wife to Erebus (the personification of darkness) and the daughter of Chaos. Erebus also happens to be her brother. She didn't just rule over the night, she owned it. They say she was the complete embodiment of of the night. In the book series House of Night, she is the goddess that the Vampyres worshiped.

Nyx is a mysterious, shadowy figure, often portrayed under an flowing dark cloak. She rarely shows up in Greek mythology but is feared by all because of how powerful she is. I have always been fascinated by her. She was told to be very beautiful according to the ancient Greek legends.

Nyx was one of the primordial deities who first emerged at the very beginning of the universe. These primordial gods and goddesses represented the very foundations of the universe. All life after came because of these primordial gods and goddesses. She was said to have given birth to many other well known deities such as the three Fates (not all text describe her as being their mother though), Hypnos, the god of sleep, and Thanatos, the god of death.

Nyx was also sometimes shown as a protector of children and was associated with dreams and sleep according to old writings. She was loved and honored by the ancient Greeks, who believed that she had the power to bring dreams and visions to those who slept which I also firmly believe after playing with her deck of cards.

Her home is in the depths of Hades’ underworld.

Nyx appears in many important Greek poems. In the fragments of poetry she inhabits, Nyx is the first of all creation. Before there was anything, there was darkness or ‘night’ and it was there that Nyx came to be, according to the ancient Greek myths. She is often portrayed in Greek symbolism as a moon or stars, which complies with her ending the daytime and bringing forth the night.

Best Ways to Connect With Nyx

Spend time outside during the night. Of course praying to the goddess of night herself means spending time within the dark with the moonlight shining before you.

Use moon water as a tool in your prayers. How do you create moon water? There is a link to that just down below.

What are Nyx’s symbols?

Crescent moon: One of the most sacred symbol related to her and her energy as a presence growing into the darkness.

Owl: Her sacred animal and also the nocturnal creature suited for Nyx’s representation.

How do you honor Nyx?

• Dedicate an altar to her
• Perform some moon rituals
• Enjoy the night
• Connect with the dead.

I am not very good at praying. I try but it doesn't come very easily to me anymore. I loved looking up rituals to perform to bring forth Nyx the goddess of night and I kind of came up with some of my own ways to pray.

Goddess Nyx, hear my humble plea,

Queen of darkness and obscurity;

From your shadowy realm you govern the night,

With your raven wings spread wide in flight.

Mistress of dreams and visions wild,

With power over every sleeping child;

The stars above are but a tapestry in thy hand,

And the moon herself must obey thy command.

Infinite goddess of the starry skies,

Your presence is felt when daylight dies;

Desired by all who seek peaceful rest,

To lay their heads upon their weary breast.

Benevolent goddess, to you I pray,

Guide me through this dark and treacherous way;

May your gentle touch soothe away my fears,

And grant me sweet sleep that lasts for years.

Prayer taken from EclecticWitchcraft.com

I loved this prayer as soon as I found it I knew it was meant for me to use within my own spirituality practice.

I found doing this research to be fascinating actually. I hope someone else falls in love with this goddess as much as I have.

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Chloe Rose Violet

References

https://mythologysource.com/nyx-greek-goddess/

https://craftofwicca.com/goddess-nyx-invocation-and-offerings/amp/

https://eclecticwitchcraft.com/praying-to-nyx/