line 93—Dione was one of the many goddesses who were with Leto when she was preparing to give birth to Apollon on the island of Delos. [12] She is a sister of Kronos/Elus whom the latter made his wife after their father sent her, and her sisters, to kill Kronos/Elus. Myths are…, Greek mythology, body of stories concerning the gods, heroes, and rituals of the ancient Greeks. In general, however, in the popular piety….

...". The fact that her name is a feminine form of Zeus just adds to the confusion. Aphrodite was assisted from the battlefield by the goddess Iris.

Dione is translated as "Goddess", and given the same etymological derivation as the names Zeus, Diana, et al. Dione was a Titan goddess in Greek mythology, most probably a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys and thus, an Oceanid.

Other writers have identified her as the mother of Dionysus. Dione wiped away the oozing ikhor from Aphrodite's wounded wrist and tried to comfort the sobbing goddess.

She clasped her daughter in her arms, and stroked her with her hand and spoke to her ... Iliad—book 5, line 381—To her (Aphrodite) then made answer Dione, the fair goddess: "Be of good heart, my child, and endure for all your suffering; for many of us who have dwellings on Olympus have suffered at the hands of men, while bringing grievous woes on one another. Dione, in Greek mythology, a consort and, at Dodona in Epirus, a cult partner of Zeus, the king of the gods. Frank Moore Cross, Walter A. Maier, and Saul M. Olyan, "Bronze statuette of Venus or her mother, Dione", "A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dione_(mythology)&oldid=969326765, Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This article includes a list of Greek mythological figures with the same or similar names.

1. Iliad—book 5, line 417—The deathless Aphrodite sank in Dione's lap and her mother, folding her daughter in her arms, stroked her gently and whispered her name ... Iliad—book 5, line 431—Dione the light and loveliest of immortals tried to calm her (Aphrodite): "Patience, oh my child.

In particular, she represented the moist soil that marks fertile ground.



According to some sources, she was the first wife of Zeus, with whom she had a daughter, the goddess Aphrodite.She was an oracle and was worshipped alongside Zeus at the earliest Oracle in Greece that was located at Dodona. It has been suggested that she is the personification of a more ancient Mother Goddess (Goddess of the Oak from Asia Minor) and that the Greeks simply adopted her into their pantheon.

From her name Baaltis and association with Byblos she is taken to be Ba‘alat Gebal, the patron goddess of Byblos. Dione was called Mother by Aphrodite (goddess of love), which is significant because Aphrodite is a very ancient goddess.

[1] Very little information exists about these nymphs or goddesses, although at least one is described as beautiful and is sometimes associated with water or the sea. She is called a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, hence an Oceanid, a water-nymph. [4] Hesiod listed Dione among the wives of Zeus who were daughters of Tethys and Oceanus; she is described as beautiful in the "sacred books of Orpheus". Iliad—book 5, line 477—Soothing words, and with both her hands Dione gently wiped the ichor from Aphrodite's arm and her wrist healed at once, her stark pain ebbed away. 1250 BCE. In the Iliad by Homer, Dione tended Aphrodite's wounded wrist after she was stabbed by the Akhaian hero Diomedes. Get kids back-to-school ready with Expedition: Learn! Perhaps this same one was worshiped as a mother goddess who presided over the oracle at Dodona, Greece and was called the mother of Aphrodite. [9], Among the 50 Mediterranean sea-nymphs called the Nereides was one Dione, like the others a daughter of Nereus and Doris.[10][11]. Dione remains one of the more mysterious Greek goddesses. In the Iliad she is Dione (/daɪˈoʊniː/; Ancient Greek: Διώνη "She-Zeus" or δῖος dios "divine one") is the name of four women in ancient Greek mythology, and one in the Phoenician religion described in the Sanchuniathon.

Dione was variously described.

Dione sought to make Aphrodite realize that even though she was immortal, she was still subject to pain and injury. Dione is the name of four women in ancient Greek mythology, and one in the Phoenician religion described in the Sanchuniathon. In the Iliad she is mentioned as the mother of the goddess Aphrodite by Zeus; in Hesiod’s Theogony, however, she is simply identified as a daughter of Oceanus.

However, her powers seem to still remain vague. Related Questions. Iliad—book 5, line 426—In Diônê's lap Aphrodítê sank down, and her dear mother held and caressed her, whispering in her ear ... Iliad—book 5, line 440—Then said Diônê, the loveliest of goddesses: "There, child, patience, even in such distress. Many of us who live upon Olympos have taken hurt from men, and hurt each other. By extension, she also was a goddess of fertility (there are a bunch of them, actually). No particular powers of hers are mentioned in the ancient texts. Very little information exists about these nymphs or goddesses, although at least one is described as beautiful and is sometimes associated with water or the sea. The latter gave the city Byblos to Dione.

Since the partner and wife of Zeus was normally the goddess Hera, it has been conjectured that Dione is an older figure than Hera.

For Aphrodite to refer to Dione as Mother might be interpreted as a sincere gesture of respect.

[3], One of the Hyades, the rain-bringing nymphs,[7] is Dione, the daughter of Atlas and an Oceanid nymph (either Pleione or Aethra); she[8] married king Tantalus and bore him sons Pelops and Broteas, and a daughter, Niobe. 0. Bear up now, despite your heartsick grief.
Iliad—book 5, line 371—... and now bright Aphrodite fell at the knees of her mother, Dione, who gathered her daughter into her arms' fold and stroked her with her hand and called her by name ... Iliad—book 5, line 381—Dione the shining among the divinities answered Aphrodite saying, 'Have patience, my child, and endure it, though you be saddened. How many gods who hold the halls of Olympus have had to endure such wounds from mortal men, whenever we try to cause each other pain ...". Dione was called Mother by Aphrodite (goddess of love), which is significant because Aphrodite is a very ancient goddess. The exact identity of this Dione is uncertain: Sanchuniathon may have meant to identify her with Dione the Titaness. (Thought to be) Hestia, Dione, and Aphrodite, marble figures from the east pediment of the Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis. Myth, a symbolic narrative, usually of unknown origin and at least partly traditional, that ostensibly relates actual events and that is especially associated with religious belief. One source describes her as an ancient wife of Zeus. Dione could heal the other Immortals with just the touch of her hands.

Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. In fact she was on the scene so early that no-one else seems to have been around to make notes for posterity. The Official Guide to the Mythological Universe says:

Answer. Iliad—book 5, line 416—She (Dione) spoke, and with both her hands wiped the ichor from the arm (of Aphrodite); the arm was restored, and the grievous pains assuaged. Iliad—book 5, line 477—Diônê soothed her, wiped away the ichor with both hands from Aphrodítê's palm—already throbbing less, already healing.

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line 17—Fair Dione is mentioned as one of the goddesses praised by the Muses with song and dance. Aphrodite's son Aineias was in danger of being killed, so Aphrodite swooped into the fighting and tried to shield Aineias with her robe. [3] This association does not prevent her, however, from being worshipped along with Zeus as a deity of springs, making her a water-goddess. Dione (/ d aɪ ˈ oʊ n iː /; Greek: Διώνη, Diōnē) was an ancient Greek goddess, Titaness primarily known from Book V of Homer's Iliad, where she tends to the wounds suffered by her daughter Aphrodite. Since the partner and wife of Zeus was normally the goddess Hera, it has been conjectured that Dione is an older figure than Hera. Top Answer. In the chronology of the Greek Immortals, Ge (Earth) was the second Immortal to come into existence and Ouranos was Ge's son ... that would mean that Aphrodite is older than Dione. Regardless, we know without doubt that Dione was an honored resident of Mount Olympos at the time of Trojan War, i.e. For many of us who have our homes on Olympos endure things from men, when ourselves we inflict hard pain on each other.

Hesiod gives as his parents Oceanus and Tethys, which integrate the Oceanides;. Dione, in Greek mythology, a consort and, at Dodona in Epirus, a cult partner of Zeus, the king of the gods.

Dione was one of the early birds in the goddess stakes. Aphrodite was created from the blood of Ouranos (Heavens) as it mixed with the foam of the sea. However, some scholars[13] identify her with Asherah, proposing that Sanchuniathon merely uses Dione as a translation of Asherah's epithet Elat. In the Phoenician History, a literary work attributed to Sanchuniathon, a daughter of Uranus/Heaven and Gaia/Earth is called Dione and also Baaltis.

Dione was only mentioned several times in the ancient Greek texts but there is no doubt she was held in the highest esteem. Once she reached the sacred mountain, Aphrodite went to Dione. Hera had been struck in the right breast with a tri-barbed arrow by Herakles and Hades was wounded in the shoulder by an arrow from Herakles's bow. Ikhor was the juice, not blood, that flows in the veins of the gods. At that moment, Diomedes lunged at the goddess and wounded her on the wrist. What were Dione's powers?


If an, This page was last edited on 24 July 2020, at 19:06. book 5, line 370—... the fair Aphrodite flung herself on the knees of her mother Dione.

She and Zeus are called the parents of Aphrodite by some ancient sources.

Dione was a resident of Mount Olympos and even though she was not one of the twelve Olympians, she was honored by Zeus and the other Immortals. Also, Dione told Aphrodite that Herakles had done harm to the goddess Hera as well as Hades (lord of the dead). Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Who led the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece? Perhaps this same one was worshiped as a mother goddess who presided over the oracle at Dodona, Greece and was called the …

She is otherwise called a daughter of Gaia; according to worshippers of Orpheus her father is the sky-god Uranus,[3] while others identify her father as Aether.

Her offices. [5] She was one of the goddesses assembled to witness the birth of Apollo. Wiki User.