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{{short description|Ancient Greek deity}} |
{{short description|Ancient Greek deity}} |
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{{other uses|Geras (disambiguation)}}{{Infobox deity |
{{other uses|Geras (disambiguation)}} |
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{{Infobox deity |
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| type = Greek |
| type = Greek |
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| name = Geras |
| name = Geras |
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| god_of = Personification of Old age |
| god_of = Personification of Old age |
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| consort = |
| consort = |
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| parents = [[ |
| parents = [[Erebus]]<ref>[[Hyginus]], ''Fabulae'' Preface; [[Cicero]], ''[[De Natura Deorum]]'' 3.17</ref> and [[Nyx (mythology)|Nyx]]<ref>[[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'' 225</ref> |
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| siblings = [[Moros]], [[Keres (mythology)|Keres]], [[Thanatos]], [[Hypnos]], [[Oneiroi]], [[Oizys]], [[Hesperides]], [[Moirai]], [[Nemesis (mythology)|Nemesis]], [[Apate (deity)|Apate]], [[Philotes]], [[Momus]], [[Eris (mythology)|Eris]], [[Styx]], [[Dolos (mythology)|Dolos]], [[Ponos]], [[Euphrosyne]], [[Epiphron]], [[Sophrosyne|Continentia]], [[Hybris (mythology)|Petulantia]], [[Eleos|Misericordia]], [[Pertinacia]] |
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| mount = |
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| children = |
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}}{{Greek myth (personified)}} |
}}{{Greek myth (personified)}} |
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In [[Greek mythology]], '''Geras''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|dʒ|ɪər|ə|s}} ({{ |
In [[Greek mythology]], '''Geras''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|dʒ|ɪər|ə|s}} ({{langx|grc|Γῆρας|translit=Gễras}}), also written '''Gēras''', was the god of [[ageing|old age]]. He was depicted as a tiny, shriveled old man. Gēras's opposite was [[Hebe (mythology)|Hebe]], the goddess of youth. His [[Roman mythology|Roman]] equivalent was [[Senectus]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Collections Online {{!}} British Museum |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG149077 |access-date=2024-04-30 |website=www.britishmuseum.org}}</ref> He is known primarily from vase depictions that show him with the hero [[Heracles]]; the mythic story that inspired these depictions has been lost. |
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== |
== Mythology == |
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According to [[Hesiod]], Geras |
According to [[Hesiod]], Geras is one of the many sons and daughters that the night goddess [[Nyx]] produced parthenogenetically.<ref>[[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'' 225</ref> However, both [[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]] and [[Cicero]] add [[Erebus]], Nyx's consort, as his father.<ref>[[Hyginus]], ''Fabulae'' Preface</ref><ref>[[Cicero]], ''[[De Natura Deorum]]'' 3.17</ref> |
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In the myth of [[Tithonus]], the mortal prince received immortality, but not agelessness, from the gods so when old age came to him he kept aging and shrinking but never dying. In the end his divine lover [[Eos]] turned Tithonus into a cicada.<ref>''[[Homeric Hymn]] to Aphrodite'' 218 ff; [[Scholia]] on the ''[[Odyssey]]'' [https://cts.perseids.org/read/greekLit/tlg5026/tlg007/First1K-grc1/1.5.1-1.6.1 5.1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103132927/https://cts.perseids.org/read/greekLit/tlg5026/tlg007/First1K-grc1/1.5.1-1.6.1 |date=2023-01-03 }}</ref> In several ancient Greek vases Geras is depicted fighting [[Heracles]], although no relevant written myth survives. Geras is presented as an old, wrinkled bald man begging for mercy.<ref>{{cite book | page = [https://books.google.com/books?id=48s3CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA137 137] | title = The Art and Science of Aging Well: A Physician's Guide to a Healthy Body | first = Mark E., M.D | last = Williams | publisher = [[University of North Carolina Press]] | date = June 22, 2016 | isbn = 9781469627403 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=48s3CwAAQBAJ}}</ref> |
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=== Hesiod's account === |
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<blockquote>"And Nyx (Night) bore hateful [[Moros]] (Doom) and black Ker (Violent Death) and Thanatos (Death), and she bore [[Hypnos]] (Sleep) and the tribe of [[Oneiros|Oneiroi]] (Dreams). And again the goddess murky Night, though she lay with none, bare [[Momus|Momos]] (Blame) and painful [[Oizys]] (Misery) and the [[Hesperides]] who guard the rich, golden apples and the trees bearing fruit beyond glorious Ocean. Also she bore the Moirai (Destinies) and ruthless avenging Keres (Death Fates), [[Clotho]] and [[Lachesis]] and [[Atropos]], who give men at their birth both evil and good to have, and they pursue the transgressions of men and of gods: and these goddesses never cease from their dread anger until they punish the sinner with a sore penalty. Also deadly Night bore [[Nemesis]] (Indignation) to afflict mortal men, and after her, [[Apate]] (Deceit) and [[Philotes]] (Friendship) and hateful [[Geras]] (Age) and hard-hearted [[Eris (mythology)|Eris]] (Strife)."<ref>Hesiod, ''Theogony'' 211–255</ref></blockquote> |
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[[Philostratus]] claimed that the people of [[Gadeira]] set up altars to Geras and [[Thanatos]].<ref>[[Philostratus]], ''[[Life of Apollonius of Tyana]]'' 5.4</ref> |
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=== Hyginus's account === |
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<blockquote>"From [[Nyx|Nox]]/ Nyx (Night) and Erebus [were born]: Fatum/ [[Moros]] (Fate), [[Geras|Senectus]]/ Geras (Old Age), [[Thanatos|Mors]]/ Thanatos (Death), Letum (Dissolution), [[Continentia]] (Moderation), [[Somnus]]/ Hypnos (Sleep), [[Oneiros|Somnia]]/ Oneiroi (Dreams), [[Cupid|Amor]] (Love)--that is [[Lysimeles]], [[Epiphron]] (Prudence), [[Porphyrion (mythology)|Porphyrion]], [[Epaphus]], [[Eris (mythology)|Discordia]]/ Eris (Discord), [[Oizys|Miseria]]/ Oizys (Misery), [[Hybris (mythology)|Petulantia]]/ [[Hybris (mythology)|Hybris]] (Wantonness), Nemesis (Envy), [[Euphrosyne]] (Good Cheer), [[Amicitia]]/ Philotes (Friendship), [[Eleos|Misericordia]]/ [[Eleos]] (Compassion), [[Styx]] (Hatred); the three [[Parcae]]/ Moirai (Fates), namely Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos; the Hesperides."<ref>Hyginus, ''Fabulae'' Preface</ref></blockquote> |
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=== Cicero's account === |
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<blockquote>"Their [<nowiki/>[[Aether (mythology)|Aether]] and [[Hemera|Hemera's]]] brothers and sisters, whom the ancient genealogists name Amor/ [[Eros]] (Love), [[Dolos (mythology)|Dolus]] (Guile), [[Deimos (deity)|Metus]]/ [[Deimos (deity)|Deimos]] (Fear), [[Ponos|Labor]]/ [[Ponos|Ponus]] (Toil), [[Nemesis|Invidentia]]/ Nemesis (Envy), Fatum/ [[Moros]] (Fate), [[Geras|Senectus]]/ Geras (Old Age), Mors/ Thanatos (Death), [[Keres|Tenebrae]]/ Keres (Darkness), [[Oizys|Miseria]]/ Oizys (Misery), [[Momus|Querella]]/ Momus (Complaint), [[Philotes|Gratia]]/ Philotes (Favour), [[Fraus]]/ Apate (Fraud), [[Pertinacia]] (Obstinacy), the Parcae/ Moirai (Fates), the Hesperides, the Somnia/ Oneiroi (Dreams): all of these are fabled to be the children of Erebus (Darkness) and Nox/ Nyx (Night)."<ref>Cicero, ''De Natura Deorum'' 3.17</ref></blockquote> |
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== Function == |
== Function == |
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Geras as embodied in humans represented a virtue: the more ''gēras'' a man acquired, the more ''[[kleos]]'' (fame) and ''[[arete]]'' (excellence and courage) he was considered to have. In [[ancient Greek literature]], the related word ''géras'' (γέρας) can also carry the meaning of influence, authority or power; especially that derived from fame, good looks and strength claimed through success in battle or contest. Such uses of this meaning can be found in [[Odyssey|Homer's ''Odyssey'']], throughout which there is an evident concern from the various kings about the ''géras'' they will pass to their sons through their names.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/odyssey.html|title=The Internet Classics Archive {{!}} The Odyssey by Homer|website=classics.mit.edu|access-date=2019-07-04}}</ref> The concern is significant because kings at this time (such as Odysseus) are believed to have ruled by common assent in recognition of their powerful influence, rather than [[Hereditary monarchy|hereditarily]].<ref>For an example of this, see Homer, The Odyssey, 24.33-34</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Thomas|first=C. G.|date=1966|title=The Roots of Homeric Kingship|journal=Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte|volume=15|issue=4|pages=387–407|issn=0018-2311|jstor=4434948}}</ref> The Greek word γῆρας (''gĕras'') means "old age" or in some other literature "dead skin" or "slough of a snake"; this word is the root of English words such as "geriatric".<ref>https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/geriatric</ref> |
Geras as embodied in humans represented a virtue: the more ''gēras'' a man acquired, the more ''[[kleos]]'' (fame) and ''[[arete]]'' (excellence and courage) he was considered to have. In [[ancient Greek literature]], the related word ''géras'' (γέρας) can also carry the meaning of influence, authority or power; especially that derived from fame, good looks and strength claimed through success in battle or contest. Such uses of this meaning can be found in [[Odyssey|Homer's ''Odyssey'']], throughout which there is an evident concern from the various kings about the ''géras'' they will pass to their sons through their names.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/odyssey.html|title=The Internet Classics Archive {{!}} The Odyssey by Homer|website=classics.mit.edu|access-date=2019-07-04}}</ref> The concern is significant because kings at this time (such as Odysseus) are believed to have ruled by common assent in recognition of their powerful influence, rather than [[Hereditary monarchy|hereditarily]].<ref>For an example of this, see Homer, The Odyssey, 24.33-34</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Thomas|first=C. G.|date=1966|title=The Roots of Homeric Kingship|journal=Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte|volume=15|issue=4|pages=387–407|issn=0018-2311|jstor=4434948}}</ref> The Greek word γῆρας (''gĕras'') means "[[old age]]" or in some other literature "[[dead skin]]" or "[[Snakeskin#Shed skin|slough of a snake]]"; this word is the root of English words such as "[[Geriatrics|geriatric]]" and "[[progeria]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/geriatric|title=Definition of GERIATRIC|website=Merriam-webster.com|access-date=16 December 2021}}</ref> |
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== See also == |
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{{portal|mythology|ancient Greece}} |
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* [[Cumaean Sibyl]] |
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* [[List of Mortal Kombat characters#Introduced in Mortal Kombat 11|Geras]], [[Mortal Kombat]] character |
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* [[Elli]], Norse personification of old age |
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* [[Gerascophobia]] |
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== Notes == |
== Notes == |
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{{ |
{{Reflist}} |
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== References == |
== References == |
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* [[Gaius Julius Hyginus]], ''Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus'' translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. [https://topostext.org/work/206 Online version at the Topos Text Project.] |
* [[Gaius Julius Hyginus]], ''Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus'' translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. [https://topostext.org/work/206 Online version at the Topos Text Project.] |
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* [[Hesiod]], ''Theogony'' from ''The Homeric Hymns and Homerica'' with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Cambridge, MA.,Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0130%3Acard%3D1 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.] [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0129 Greek text available from the same website]. |
* [[Hesiod]], ''Theogony'' from ''The Homeric Hymns and Homerica'' with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0130%3Acard%3D1 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.] [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0129 Greek text available from the same website]. |
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* [[Cicero|Marcus Tullius Cicero]], ''Nature of the Gods from the Treatises of M.T. Cicero'' translated by Charles Duke Yonge (1812-1891), Bohn edition of 1878. [https://topostext.org/work/137 Online version at the Topos Text Project.] |
* [[Cicero|Marcus Tullius Cicero]], ''Nature of the Gods from the Treatises of M.T. Cicero'' translated by Charles Duke Yonge (1812-1891), Bohn edition of 1878. [https://topostext.org/work/137 Online version at the Topos Text Project.] |
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* Marcus Tullius Cicero, ''De Natura Deorum.'' O. Plasberg. Leipzig. Teubner. 1917. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2007.01.0037 Latin text available at the Perseus Digital Library]. |
* Marcus Tullius Cicero, ''De Natura Deorum.'' O. Plasberg. Leipzig. Teubner. 1917. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2007.01.0037 Latin text available at the Perseus Digital Library]. |
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{{Time in religion and mythology}} |
{{Time in religion and mythology}} |
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{{Greek mythology (deities)}} |
{{Greek mythology (deities)}} |
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[[Category:Time and fate gods]] |
[[Category:Time and fate gods]] |
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[[Category:Personifications in Greek mythology]] |
[[Category:Personifications in Greek mythology]] |
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[[Category:Children of Nyx]] |
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[[Category:Old age]] |
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{{Greek-deity-stub}} |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Mythology of Heracles]] |
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Latest revision as of 02:06, 29 October 2024
| Geras | |
|---|---|
Personification of Old age | |
 Geras, detail of an Attic red-figure pelike, c. 480–470 BC, Louvre | |
| Abode | Erebus |
| Parents | Erebus[1] and Nyx[2] |
| Equivalents | |
| Roman | Senectus |
In Greek mythology, Geras /ˈdʒɪərəs/ (Ancient Greek: Γῆρας, romanized: Gễras), also written Gēras, was the god of old age. He was depicted as a tiny, shriveled old man. Gēras's opposite was Hebe, the goddess of youth. His Roman equivalent was Senectus.[3] He is known primarily from vase depictions that show him with the hero Heracles; the mythic story that inspired these depictions has been lost.
Mythology
[edit]According to Hesiod, Geras is one of the many sons and daughters that the night goddess Nyx produced parthenogenetically.[4] However, both Hyginus and Cicero add Erebus, Nyx's consort, as his father.[5][6]
In the myth of Tithonus, the mortal prince received immortality, but not agelessness, from the gods so when old age came to him he kept aging and shrinking but never dying. In the end his divine lover Eos turned Tithonus into a cicada.[7] In several ancient Greek vases Geras is depicted fighting Heracles, although no relevant written myth survives. Geras is presented as an old, wrinkled bald man begging for mercy.[8]
Philostratus claimed that the people of Gadeira set up altars to Geras and Thanatos.[9]
Function
[edit]Geras as embodied in humans represented a virtue: the more gēras a man acquired, the more kleos (fame) and arete (excellence and courage) he was considered to have. In ancient Greek literature, the related word géras (γέρας) can also carry the meaning of influence, authority or power; especially that derived from fame, good looks and strength claimed through success in battle or contest. Such uses of this meaning can be found in Homer's Odyssey, throughout which there is an evident concern from the various kings about the géras they will pass to their sons through their names.[10] The concern is significant because kings at this time (such as Odysseus) are believed to have ruled by common assent in recognition of their powerful influence, rather than hereditarily.[11][12] The Greek word γῆρας (gĕras) means "old age" or in some other literature "dead skin" or "slough of a snake"; this word is the root of English words such as "geriatric" and "progeria".[13]
See also
[edit]
- Cumaean Sibyl
- Geras, Mortal Kombat character
- Elli, Norse personification of old age
- Gerascophobia
Notes
[edit]- ^ Hyginus, Fabulae Preface; Cicero, De Natura Deorum 3.17
- ^ Hesiod, Theogony 225
- ^ "Collections Online | British Museum". www.britishmuseum.org. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ Hesiod, Theogony 225
- ^ Hyginus, Fabulae Preface
- ^ Cicero, De Natura Deorum 3.17
- ^ Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite 218 ff; Scholia on the Odyssey 5.1 Archived 2023-01-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Williams, Mark E., M.D (June 22, 2016). The Art and Science of Aging Well: A Physician's Guide to a Healthy Body. University of North Carolina Press. p. 137. ISBN 9781469627403.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Philostratus, Life of Apollonius of Tyana 5.4
- ^ "The Internet Classics Archive | The Odyssey by Homer". classics.mit.edu. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
- ^ For an example of this, see Homer, The Odyssey, 24.33-34
- ^ Thomas, C. G. (1966). "The Roots of Homeric Kingship". Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte. 15 (4): 387–407. ISSN 0018-2311. JSTOR 4434948.
- ^ "Definition of GERIATRIC". Merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
References
[edit]- 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.
- Hesiod, Theogony from The Homeric Hymns and Homerica with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.
- Marcus Tullius Cicero, Nature of the Gods from the Treatises of M.T. Cicero translated by Charles Duke Yonge (1812-1891), Bohn edition of 1878. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
- Marcus Tullius Cicero, De Natura Deorum. O. Plasberg. Leipzig. Teubner. 1917. Latin text available at the Perseus Digital Library.