Lethe (daughter of Eris)

Lethe

In Greek mythology, Lethe (Ancient Greek: Λήθη, lit. 'Forgetfulness, Oblivion')[1] is the personification of forgetfulness and oblivion. According to Hesiod's Theogony, Lethe was the daughter of Eris (Strife), with no father mentioned. Her name was also given to Lethe, the river of oblivion in the Underworld.[2]

Like all of the children of Eris, as given by Hesiod, Lethe is a personified abstraction, allegorizing the meaning of her 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 Roman mythographer Hyginus has the equivalent personification of the meaning of the Latin word oblivio (oblivion, forgetfulness)[4] as the offspring of Ether [Aether] and Earth [Terra].[5]

The meaning of the Greek lethe may have been influenced by the Greek word aletheia, meaning truth.[6]

  1. ^ Forgetfulness (Most, p. 21; Gantz, p. 10; Caldwell, p. 42 on 212–232), Oblivion (Hard, p. 31); compare with The Cambridge Greek Lexicon s.v. λήθη 6, which gives: "Lethe, Forgetfulness, Neglect".
  2. ^ Grimal, s.v. Lethe; Smith, s.v. Lethe; Hesiod, Theogony 226–227 (Caldwell, p. 43).
  3. ^ Hard, p. 31; Gantz, p. 10.
  4. ^ The Pocket Oxford Latin Dictionary, s.v. oblivio.
  5. ^ Hyginus, Fabulae pr. 3.2 (Smith and Trzaskoma, p. 95 Theogony 3).
  6. ^ West, p. 231 on 227 Λήθην; LSJ s.v. ἀλήθεια.