Styx

In Greek mythology, Styx (/stɪks/; Ancient Greek: Στύξ [stýkʰs]) is a deity and a river that forms the boundary between Earth and the Underworld (the domain often called Hades, which also is the name of its ruler). The rivers Styx, Phlegethon, Acheron, Lethe, and Cocytus all converge at the center of the underworld on a great marsh, which sometimes is also called the Styx. According to Herodotus, the river Styx originates near Feneos. Styx is also a goddess with prehistoric roots in Greek mythology as a daughter of Tethys, after whom the river is named and because of whom it had miraculous powers.

Significance of the River Styx

The deities were bound by the Styx and swore oaths upon Styx. According to classical myths, the reason related for this is that during the Titan war, Styx, the goddess of the river Styx, sided with Zeus. After the war, Zeus promised every oath be sworn upon her.Zeus swore to give Semele whatever she wanted and was then obliged to follow through when he realized to his horror that her request would lead to her death. Helios similarly promised his son Phaëton whatever he desired, also resulting in the boy's death. Myths related to such early deities did not survive long enough to be included in historic records, but tantalizing references exist among those that have been discovered.

La Laguna Estigia

La Laguna Estigia (The River Styx or The Styx), also known simply as Laguna Estigia, is an 1887 Greco-Roman painting by Filipino painter Félix Resurrección Hidalgo. It is a companion-piece for Hidalgo’s other painting entitled La barca de Aqueronte. Like the La barca de Aqueronte, the La Laguna Estigia is based on Dante's Inferno, the painter pursuing the theme leading towards a “darker” and “more somber interpretation” of it.

The painting was a gold medalist during the 1887 Exposicion General de las Islas Filipinas in Madrid, Spain.

References

Styx (disambiguation)

In Greek mythology the Styx is the river that forms the boundary between the underworld and the world of the living, as well as a goddess and a nymph that represents the river.

Styx may also refer to:

Astronomy

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