Phoebe, a first generation Titaness in Greek mythology
Phoebe in Greek mythology | Fresco by Alexander of Athens, 1 AD
Goddess of: light, the moon
Parents: Gaia and Uranus
Siblings: Titans, Cyclopes, Hekatonkheires
Consort: Coeus
Children: Leto, Asteria
Grandchildren: Apollo, Artemis, Hecate
Symbols: Crescent
Association: Artemis, Hecate, Selene
Roman name: Diana
In Hesiod’s Theogony, Phoebe is one of the 12 Titans born to Gaia and Uranus. Those Titans were Crius, Cronus, Rhea, Coeus, Hyperion, Iapetus, Oceanus, Mnemosyne, Tethys, Theia, and Themis. She also has other categories of siblings – the Hekatonkheires and the Cyclopes.
By her husband/brother Coeus, she is the mother of Leto and Asteria. This means that she is the grandmother of Greek moon goddess Artemis and Greek sun god Apollo. From her daughter Asteria, a star goddess, Phoebe is the grandmother of Hecate, Greek goddess of the night, magic, witchcraft, and necromancy.
In addition to being called “shining”, she was also known by epithets like “Gold-Crowned”.
According to Greek tragedian and dramatist Aeschylus (525-456 BC), the Titaness Phoebe was the one who bequeathed the Oracle at Delphi to Apollo. Prior to Phoebe, the Delphi Oracle was owned by her sister Titaness Themis, the goddess/personification of justice, law and divine order.
In many accounts of her myths, she was associated with Greek deities such as Selene, the personification of the moon, and Artemis, Greek goddess of the moon and the hunt.
Ancient Romans identified her with the Roman lunar deity Diana.
In Greek mythology, her name Phoebe epitomizes the concept of light or moon. This explains why Artemis and Selene were sometimes known as Phoebe, while Greek gods Apollo and Helios were sometimes referred to as Phoebus, the masculine version of her name.
Read More:
- Temple of Artemis – History, Location, and Facts
- Myths and Early Portrayals of Hermes, the Greek God of Messengers
- Ancient Greek Titan Atlas – Origin Myth, Power and Symbols
Phoebe Family tree
In Greek mythology, Phoebe, a first generation Titan, is seen as the “shining” daughter of Titans Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (Sky). | Phoebe’s family tree
