MOROS OLETHROS - Greek God or Spirit of Doom (original) (raw)

Greek Mythology >> Greek Gods >> Daemones (Spirits) >> Moros

Translation

Doom, Destined-Death

MOROS was the personified spirit (daimon) of doom--the force which drove man towards his fated death. Moros' siblings Thanatos and Ker presided over the physical aspects of death--Ker was the bringer of violent death and deadly illness, while Thanatos represented a more gentle passing.

Aeschylus describes how Prometheus saved mankind from misery by taking away foresight of his own doom (moros) and replacing it with false hope (elpis).

PARENTS

[1.1] NYX (no father) (Hesiod Theogony 211)
[1.2] EREBOS & NYX (Hyginus Preface, Cicero De Natura Deorum 3.17)

ALTERNATE NAMES

Translation

(Day of) Death

CLASSICAL LITERATURE QUOTES

Hesiod, Theogony 211 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) :
"And Nyx (Night) bare hateful Moros (Doom) and black Ker (Violent Death) and Thanatos (Death), and she bare Hypnos (Sleep) and the tribe of Oneiroi (Dreams). And again the goddess murky Nyx, though she lay with none, bare Momos (Blame) and painful Oizys (Misery), and the Hesperides . . . Also she bare the Moirai (Fates) and the ruthless avenging Keres (Death-Fates) . . . Also deadly Nyx bare Nemesis (Envy) to afflict mortal men, and after her, Apate (Deceit) and Philotes (Friendship) and hateful Geras (Old Age) and hard-hearted Eris (Strife)."

Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 250 ff (trans. Weir Smyth) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) :
"Prometheus : Yes, I caused mortals to cease foreseeing their doom (moros).
Chorus : Of what sort was the cure that you found for this affliction?
Prometheus : I caused blind hopes (elpides) to dwell within their breasts.
Chorus : A great benefit was this you gave to mortals."
[N.B. This is presumably a reference to Pandora's jar--a curse concocted by Zeus to punish mankind for the theft of fire. Prometheus seems to be saying that he was the one who stayed Hope inside the jar, when the other evils escaped.]

Aeschylus, Suppliant Women 412 ff :
"Nor yet might we surrender you from these seats of sanctuary [i.e. the Argives do not dare surrender the suppliants seeking refuge at the altars to their enemies], and bring upon ourselves the dire, abiding vengeance of the all-destroying god (theos panôlethros) [i.e. Olethros, Spirit of Doom], who, even in Haides (the realm of the dead), does not set his victim free."

Aeschylus, Fragment 199 (from Plutarch, Life and Poety of Homer 157) (trans. Weir Smyth) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) :
"A man dies not for the many wounds that pierce his breast, unless it be that life's end keep pace with death, nor by sitting on his hearth at home doth he the more escape his appointed doom (peprômenon moros)."
[N.B. The word moros is not personified here but the passage provides a clear picture of the concept.]

Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 8. 324 ff (trans. Way) (Greek epic C4th A.D.) :
"So man to man dealt death; and joyed the Keres (Fates) and Moros (Doom), and fell Eris (Strife) in her maddened glee shouted aloud, and Ares terribly shouted in answer, and with courage thrilled the Trojans, and with panic fear the Greek."

Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 2. 480 ff :
"Sore distressed with dust and deadly conflict were the folk. Then with a sudden hand some Blessed One swept the dust-pall aside; and the Gods saw the deadly Keres (Fates) hurling the charging lines together, in the unending wrestle locked of that grim conflict, saw where never ceased Ares from hideous slaughter, saw the earth crimsoned all round with rushing streams of blood, saw where dark Olethros (Destruction) gloated o'er the scene."

Pseudo-Hyginus, Preface (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) :
"From Nox (Night) [Nyx] and Erebus [were born] : Fatum (Fate) [i.e. Moros], Senectus (Old Age) [Geras], Mors (Death) [Thanatos], Letum (Dissolution), Continentia (Moderation), Somnus (Sleep), Somnia (Dreams), Amor (Love)--that is Lysimeles, Epiphron (Prudence), Porphyrion, Epaphus, Discordia (Discord), Miseria (Misery), Petulantia (Wantonness), Nemesis (Envy), Euphrosyne (Good Cheer), Amicitia (Friendship), Misericordia (Compassion), Styx (Hatred); the three Parcae (Fates), namely Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos; the Hesperides."

Cicero, De Natura Deorum 3. 17 (trans. Rackham) (Roman rhetorician C1st B.C.) :
"Their [Aether and Hemera's] brothers and sisters, whom the ancient genealogists name Amor (Love), Dolus (Guile), Metus (Fear), Labor (Toil), Invidentia (Envy), Fatum (Fate) [i.e. Moros], Senectus (Old Age), Mors (Death), Tenebrae (Darkness) [i.e. the Keres], Miseria (Misery), Querella (Complaint), Gratia (Favour), Fraus (Fraud), Pertinacia (Obstinacy), the Parcae (Fates), the Hesperides, the Somnia (Dreams): all of these are fabled to be the children of Erebus (Darkness) and Nox (Night) [Nyx]."

SOURCES

GREEK

ROMAN

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A complete bibliography of the translations quoted on this page.