Penia

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Penia ( Greek  Πενία or Πενίη Penie ) in Greek mythology the goddess and personification of poverty.

She even had to steal the seed of Porus (god of abundance ) to give birth to Eros (Roman Cupid ), who was then raised by Aphrodite :

“When Aphrodite was born, the gods had a feast, and with the others also Porus, the son of Metis . But when they had dined, Penia came to beg for something, since it was going to be festive, and stood at the door. Poros then went, drunk with the nectar - for there was no wine at that time - into Zeus' garden and fell asleep in a heavy intoxication. Because of her need, Penia makes the attempt to have a child from Poros: So she lies down next to him and received the Eros. "

- Plato Symposium 203b-c. Translation by Franz Susemihl .

She was considered to be the inventor of the arts and trade. With Aristophanes she appears as the deity and creator of the hard-working, poor middle class, as with Lukian of Samosata .

There is no evidence of a cult of the Penia. According to Claudius Aelianus , she is said to have owned an altar in Gades .

Herodotus reports the anecdote that Themistocles demanded money from the citizens of Andros, pointing out that the Athenians had two great goddesses, namely Peitho ("persuasion") and Ananke ("inevitability"), to which the citizens of Andros replied, they too would have great goddesses, namely Penia ("poverty") and Amechania ("inability").

In Roman mythology , Penia corresponds to the Egestas (“poverty”), the Paupertas (“poverty”) or the Inopia (“need”).

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Aristophanes The Wealth 415-618. Lukian Timon 31f. Theocritus 21.1.
  2. ↑ Claudius Aelianus fr. 19 Hercher.
  3. ↑ Herodotus 8,111.
  4. ↑ Plautus Stichus 1, 3, 23.
  5. ↑ Plautus Trinummus Prolog. Horace letters 2,2,51.