Hysminai

In Greek mythology, the Hysminai or Hysminae (Ancient Greek: Ὑσμῖναι, lit. 'Combats, Fights, Battles', from the plural of ὑσμίνη)[1] are collectively the personification of combat. In Hesiod's Theogony, the Hysminai are listed among the children of Eris (Strife).[2] Like all of the children of Eris given by Hesiod, the Hysminai are a personified abstraction, allegorizing the meaning of their name, and representing one of the many harmful things which might be thought to result from discord and strife, with no other identity.[3]

The Posthomerica of Quintus Smyrnaeus describes the images decorating the shield of Achilles, which, among others such as Eris, the Furies, and the war-goddess Enyo, also included the Hysminai, alongside Thanatos (Death):

Around him [Death] could be seen the ill-sounding goddesses of Combat [Hysminai] whose limbs dripped blood and sweat to the ground.[4]

The Roman mythographer Hyginus has "Fighting", the similar singular personification of the meaning of the Latin word pugna (fight, battle, combat)[5] as the offspring of Ether [Aether] and Earth [Terra].[6]

  1. ^ 'Hysminai' is variously translated as 'Combats' (Most 2018a, p. 21; Gantz, p. 10), 'Fights' (Hard, p. 31), 'Battles' (Caldwell, p. 42 on 212–232); compare with LSJ s.v. ὑσμίνη.
  2. ^ Hesiod, Theogony 228 (Caldwell, p. 43).
  3. ^ Hard, p. 31; Gantz, p. 10.
  4. ^ Quintus Smyrnaeus, Posthomerica 5.36.
  5. ^ The Pocket Oxford Latin Dictionary, s.v. pugna.
  6. ^ Hyginus, Fabulae pr. 3.3 (Smith and Trzaskoma, p. 95 Theogony 3).