Aglaea () or Aglaïa (; grc, Ἀγλαΐα, lit=festive radiance) is one of the three '' Charites'' or ''Gratiae'' (Graces) in Greek mythology.

Family

According to

Hesiod Hesiod (; grc-gre, Ἡσίοδος ''Hēsíodos'') was an ancient Greek poet generally thought to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer. He is generally regarded by western authors as 'the first written poet i ...

, Aglaea is the youngest of the Charites, the three daughters of Zeus and the

Oceanid In Greek mythology, the Oceanids or Oceanides (; grc, Ὠκεανίδες, Ōkeanídes, pl. of grc, Ὠκεανίς, Ōkeanís, label=none) are the nymphs who were the three thousand (a number interpreted as meaning "innumerable") daughters o ...

Eurynome. The mythographer

Apollodorus Apollodorus (Ancient Greek, Greek: Ἀπολλόδωρος ''Apollodoros'') was a popular name in ancient Greece. It is the masculine gender of a noun compounded from Apollo, the deity, and doron, "gift"; that is, "Gift of Apollo." It may refer to: ...

, in constrast, calls them the children of Zeus by Eunomia, the goddess of good order and lawful conduct. Aglaea's two sisters are Euphrosyne, the goddess of joy or mirth, and Thalia, the goddess of festivity and rich banquets. Together they are known as the Charites in Greek mythology or the ''Gratiae'' (Graces) in Roman mythology, and they were responsible for overseeing all feasts and dances. They were part of the

retinue A retinue is a body of persons "retained" in the service of a noble, royal personage, or dignitary; a ''suite'' (French "what follows") of retainers. Etymology The word, recorded in English since circa 1375, stems from Old French ''retenue'', it ...

of Aphrodite with Aglaea sometimes acting as her messenger. Aglaea was married to Hephaestus, typically seen as after his divorce from Aphrodite, and by him she became mother of Eucleia ("Good Repute"), Eupheme ("Acclaim"), Euthenia ("Prosperity"), and Philophrosyne ("Welcome").

, '' Theogony'
945
Orphicbr>fr. 182 Kern, p. 213

Mythology

Aglaea was also known as ''Charis'' (the Grace) and ''Kale'' (Beauty).

Notes

References

, ''The Library'' with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.Greek text available from the same website
* Bell, Robert E., ''Women of Classical Mythology: A Biographical Dictionary'', ABC-Clio, 1991.
Internet Archive
* ''Brill’s New Pauly: Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World. Antiquity, Volume 1'', A-Ari, editors: Hubert Cancik, Helmuth Schneider, Brill, 2002.
Online version at Brill
* Grimal, Pierre, ''The Dictionary of Classical Mythology'', Wiley-Blackwell, 1996.
Internet Archive
* Hard, Robin, ''The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology: Based on H.J. Rose's "Handbook of Greek Mythology"'', Psychology Press, 2004.
Google Books
*

, '' 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
* Kern, Otto, ''Orphicorum Fragmenta'', Berlin, 1922
Internet Archive
*

Nonnus of Panopolis Nonnus of Panopolis ( grc-gre, Νόννος ὁ Πανοπολίτης, ''Nónnos ho Panopolítēs'', 5th century CE) was the most notable Greek epic poet of the Imperial Roman era. He was a native of Panopolis (Akhmim) in the Egyptian The ...

, ''

Dionysiaca The ''Dionysiaca'' {{IPAc-en, ˌ, d, aɪ, ., ə, ., n, ᵻ, ˈ, z, aɪ, ., ə, ., k, ə ( grc-gre, Διονυσιακά, ''Dionysiaká'') is an ancient Greek epic poem and the principal work of Nonnus. It is an epic in 48 books, the longest survi ...

'' translated by William Henry Denham Rouse (1863-1950), from the Loeb Classical Library, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 1940.
Online version at the Topos Text Project
* Pindar, ''Odes'' translated by Diane Arnson Svarlien. 1990
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.
*Pindar, ''The Odes of Pindar'' including the Principal Fragments with an Introduction and an English Translation by Sir John Sandys, Litt.D., FBA. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1937
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library
* Smith, William; '' Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', London (1873)
"Charis"
{{Portal bar, Ancient Greece, Myths Greek goddesses Beauty goddesses Children of Zeus Consorts of Hephaestus Characters in Greek mythology