Dione (Titaness)

Dione (Greek Διώνη, latin and Diona ) In Greek mythology, the mother of Aphrodite. In Roman mythology, she is - equated with Venus - except in Cicero, where she is the mother of the "third " Venus.

When her parents are Uranus and Gaia, in the Libraries of Apollodorus it is called as one of the Titanides. In Hesiod she is a Oceanid, so a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, elsewhere in Apollodorus it is however among the Nereids, the daughters of Nereus and Doris called.

Regardless of the unclear origin is its close connection with the Zeus of Dodona. It seems originally the female equivalent of Zeus to have been what already witnessed her name: the Zeus, the god par excellence, Greek Dios ( Διός ) corresponds to the Dione, the " goddess ". But already in Mycenaean times it was displaced by Hera as the wife of Zeus, if not Dione and Hera are ever identical.

She was worshiped in Dodona oracle as a deity but Zeus: three old women indicated there, the flight of pigeons in the future. In the interpretation of pigeons flying and incenses and noise potions in the game seem to have been, as Philostratus writes:

Maybe it was at the Oracles also not an interpretation of pigeons in flight, but the three pigeons were the three priestesses of Dione, the " doves" ( Peliades ) were called. Accordingly, would be the " Black Dove" ( peleia melaina ), reported by Herodotus in connection with the establishment of the oracle, a ( dressed in black ) Priestess of Dione.

Whether the oracle of Dione newer than that of Zeus or is even older, is not certain. If it is older, then the cult exercise was interrupted for a long time. Archaeological two temples are covered in Dodona, a senior and a second, after the destruction of the sanctuary 219 BC elsewhere newly built temple, the allocation of Dione is however not backed up. Hypereides mentioned in any case a temple and a cult image of Dione at Dodona.

Dione's connection to the ancient oracle of Dodona cult is further confirmed by the Pherekydes it is one of the nymphs of Dodona, which brought up the Dionysus. In Euripides it is even mother of Dionysus. As the nymphs of Dodona are set with the Hyades in relationship and this, associated with the Pleiades, the daughters of Atlas, there is also a possible connection with mythological Dione, the daughter of Atlas and wife of Tantalus.

Dione appears as the mother of Aphrodite Already in Homer. To her, the wounded in the battle of Troy by Diomedes Aphrodite flees to Olympus:

But with sadness fell in Dionens lap Aphrodite; Those gallantly held the divine daughter embracing, If she stroked with her hand, and talked, so starting: Who abused you, my daughter, among the gods Special shyness, as if you had verübet public outrage?

This scene, stretched out in her mother's lap at the Aphrodite is easily wrapped both forms of falling in rich folds clothes, probably shows one of the famous Elgin Marbles, originally part of the Panathenäenfrieses at the Parthenon in Athens. Dione comforts the daughter with examples of cases in which other gods suffered injury by mortals, but threatens finally Diomedes with a curse and a hapless journey home.

Dione appears also in the company of Aphrodite in the representation of gigantomachy in the eastern third of the northern part of the giant frieze of the Pergamon Altar.