司夜女神尼克斯 Nyx—The Goddess of Night

Nyx was the goddess of night and she dictated to men and gods alike. Her name, synonymous with Night, describes how her dark light falls from the stars. She was one of the most powerful goddesses to be talked about in Greek mythology. In ancient art Nyx was portrayed as either a winged goddess or charioteer, sometimes crowned with an aureole of dark mist, trailing stars and painting the night sky accompanied by her two sons, Hypnos and Thanatos.

尼克斯是司夜女神，她向人類以及諸神發號施令。其名字與“黑夜”同義，描繪了她的黑暗之光是如何從星空映射下來。她是希臘神話中最強大的女神之一。在古代藝術中，尼克斯被描繪成長着翅膀的女神或者司夜女神尼克斯 Nyx—The Goddess of Night戰車的御者，有時還戴着由黑暗迷霧形成的光環。她的兩個兒子修普諾斯和塔那託斯與她同行，星星尾隨着他們，為天空繪上黑夜的顏色。

Nyx lived in Tartarus which was considered both a place and also the name of her brother. It was said that she spreads around him in a triple line like a necklace. The stories say that at and above the gates of Tartarus were the sources and ends of heaven, earth and sea. And this dark-robed goddess, the giver of sleep, lived here.

尼克斯居住在塔耳塔洛斯，這既是一個地名也是她一個兄弟的名字。據説她像項鍊一樣纏繞他三圈。傳説，在塔耳塔洛斯的門口及門口上方，是天堂、大地及大海的起始。這位披着黑暗之袍的女神、睡眠的賦予者便住在這裏。

It is said that both Day and Night lived here in the same home, behind the gates of Tartarus, yet they were never there at the same time. The myths say that when one, either Night or Day, crossed the earth, the other would wait at home. Nyx resided in her home all day long, taking care of her dark-spirited children. But when the evening set in, Nyx left her home to set off for her nightly journey. On her way she met Hemera, the Day, who was returning home from her daily trip and they would greet each other.

據説，“白天”和“黑夜”住在塔耳塔洛斯門後的同一個家中，然而他們從不同時出現。神話描述當白天或者黑夜中的一個，跨越大地的時候，另外一個則會在家中等待。尼克斯白天都會呆在家中，照料她那些黑暗邪惡的孩子們。而夜幕降臨時，尼克斯便會離家，開始夜行。在路上，她會碰見赫墨拉（也就是“白天”），並互相問候。那時的赫墨拉剛結束她的白天之旅，踏上歸途。

The exact origin of Nyx is unknown. Some sources say that she is the daughter of Eros and other sources say that both she and Eros are children of Chaos. Some sources even say that Nyx is the mother of Eros and that she laid a germless egg in the bosom of Erebus and the golden-winged Eros was born (after many long ages).

尼克斯的確切出身是個謎。有些資料説她是愛神厄洛斯的女兒，也有説她和厄洛斯都是混沌之神卡俄斯的孩子。甚至有説尼克斯是厄洛斯的母親，她在厄瑞波斯的懷中孕育了一個無胚蛋卵，多年以後，長有金色翅膀的厄洛斯便出生了。

All those who favor mischief and misdeeds are said to get along great with Nyx. Many stories of treachery involve the black-winged Nyx and her dark doings. It is said that during the Trojan War, it was Nyx who protected the spies. It is also said that she is with fugitives and thieves who escape or move about in the night doing evil deeds.

據説，那些喜歡惡作劇及犯罪的人都與尼克斯相處得非常好。許多關於背叛的故事都會講述到長着黑色翅膀的尼克斯和她那些邪惡的行為。據稱，在特洛伊戰爭中，保護間諜的人是尼克斯，而且她還與四處躥跑的逃亡者以及竊賊一同為非作歹。

Yet it is sometimes said in stories that Nyx may help spare lives, such as by parting warriors. Nyx is very different from most goddesses. She can either be helpful or harmful to mankind. Nyx can bring you either sleep or death depending on the situation. Agate represents Nyx because it’s great for keeping bad dreams away. Also it can protect against stress.

在某些故事中也説到尼克斯會幫助減少生命的犧牲，例如把戰士們分開。尼克斯與大多數女神不同。她對人類可以是有益的，也可以是有害的。尼克斯會根據情況帶給你睡眠或是死亡。瑪瑙代表尼克斯，因為它對驅趕噩夢非常奏效，同時也能抗壓。

For some that experience pain in the day, night and Nyx are a welcome relief. They welcome her into their lives and their arms. For others, night is a frightening time where you never know what is lurking in the shadows or what Nyx’s children may do. For others, there is no difference in day and night and they care little for what Nyx may do, although it is said that Nyx will destroy what day has done.

對那些在白天裏飽受痛苦的人來説，夜晚和尼克斯是一種讓人欣喜的解脱。他們歡迎尼克斯走進他們的懷抱和生活。對於有些人來説，夜晚令人驚恐，因為你永遠不知道潛伏在黑暗裏的是什麼，或者尼克斯的孩子們會做出些什麼事情。而對有些人而言，白天和夜晚沒有什麼區別，他們很少關心尼克斯會做些什麼，儘管尼克斯會毀掉白天所做的一切。

Nyx is not all dark or bad tidings. Night is also the time for inspiration and it is told that the muses sing during the nighttime to the gods and to Nyx herself.

尼克斯也並不完全代表黑暗或壞消息。夜晚也是一個靈感噴發的時候。據説，繆斯女神會在夜晚唱歌給諸神和尼克斯聽。