Horae

The Horae (first generation)

The Horae, also called the Horai, were goddesses in Greek stories. One of them was called a Hora. They were the goddesses of the seasons and the hours. Later, people also saw them as the goddesses of order and justice. They were the daughters of Zeus and Themis. There were usually three of them, but in different old books their names and even their number were not always the same. They were close to the Graces, the Fates, and the goddess Aphrodite. They guarded the gates of Olympus, which was the home of the gods. They were kind and good. They brought good things to the gods and to people. They were linked to everything good and beautiful in nature. In art, they were shown as three pretty young girls. They carried food and plants from the different seasons. The English word "hour" comes from the ancient Greek and Latin word "hora."

The old poet Hesiod wrote in his book Theogony that Zeus married Themis and she gave birth to the Horae. He said their names were Eunomia, Eirene, and Dike. Eunomia meant good order and law. Eirene meant peace. Dike meant justice. Other old writers also used these three names. But some writers gave them other names, like Carpo, Auxo, and Thallo. Carpo meant fruit, Auxo meant growth, and Thallo meant blooming. Some writers even gave names like Europia, Pherusa, and Orthosie. So their names were not always the same in every old story. The Horae were seen as the goddesses who gave the seasons. The poet Homer called them weather gods of Olympus. Three of them were linked to the seasons. Thallo was the Hora of spring. Auxo was the Hora of summer. Carpo was the Hora of autumn. The seasons were shown like a dance of the Horae. The Muses sang while Apollo played music on his lyre. The Hora of spring, Thallo, went each year with Persephone when she came up from the underworld to the Earth. This showed that spring had come. Spring carried flowers. Summer carried corn. Autumn carried grapes and other fruit. The Horae were linked to flowers, fresh air, and sweet smells. Even things that do not move seemed lovely because of them. They helped fruit and flowers grow by pouring life-giving water on them. Because they helped growing things, they also protected young people and baby gods.

The Roman poet Ovid wrote in his book Metamorphoses that Helios, also called Phoebus, sat on a green jewel throne. Around him stood Day, Month, Year, and the Horae. Spring stood there with flowers, Summer with corn, Autumn with grape juice, and old Winter. At first, the Greeks mostly counted three seasons: spring, summer, and autumn. They saw winter as a time of sleep and death. Later, people added a Hora for winter.

In later times, the Horae were also seen as goddesses of order and justice. Just as the seasons move in order, people and cities also need order. Hesiod said they gave peace, justice, and good laws. Eunomia cared for good rule in the state. Dike protected fairness and people. Eirene made sure there was peace on Earth. Eirene was seen as the most happy and gentle one.

The Horae stood at the gates of Olympus. They let in those who were allowed to enter. They welcomed gods coming back from great tasks and saw them off when they left. In the Iliad by Homer, the Horae opened the gates for Hera. When they opened the gates, thick dark clouds could be seen. They also cared for time. Every morning they put the sky horses on the chariot of Helios. Every evening they took the horses off after the sun went to rest.

Horae Media

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  Dionysus leads the Horae. Dionysus carries his thyrsus, and the middle Hora hold ears of wheat. Neo-Attic Roman relief, c. 50–25 BC.

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  Edward John Poynter - Horae Serenae (detail), 1894

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  Roman marble reliefs of two female figures who may be Horae, 1st-century BC, Acropolis Museum in Athens.

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  Apollo with the Hours by Georg Friedrich Kersting (1822)