Aergia: The Greek and Roman Goddess of Laziness and Idleness

Aergia was the infamous goddess of idleness and laziness in Greek and Roman mythology. This goddess is also famous in many other mythologies which is why each famous mythology will surely have a god or a goddess who is similar to her. In Greek mythology, she also stood as a guard to the sleepers of the Underworld. Read ahead as we take you through the life of this goddess, her abilities, and her opposite, Horme.

Aergia and Her Origin

Aergia god was the daughter of the oldest Greek deities, Gaia and Aether. Gaia was the mother goddess in Greek mythology who gave birth to everything that came after her. She was the truest and most primordial Greek goddess to ever exist. Aether was the personification of the bright upper sky and also one of many consorts of Gaia.

She was the Greek god of laziness, as being known as the laziest goddess to ever exist in the history of any mythology hence she became the goddess of idleness. She has a nature of a sloth, the animal, this is why she is also famously known as the personification of a sloth. This goddess was a very unusual goddess in mythology because Greek deities are always shown to be great and strong while this goddess is the opposite.

Greek mythology started with Gaia and her consorts, who then gave birth to all Titan gods and everything in the world. The Titan gods then ruled the universe for a long time from Mount Orthys until Titanomachy. After Titanomachy, the Olympians rule the universe and all the gods from Mount Olympus.

Physical Appearance

Unlike most of the Greek goddesses, this one had short and manageable hair because she was the goddess of laziness and did not want to manage her hair herself. She also did not dress in extravagant clothes like the rest of them. She would only wear simple mono-tone dresses with the least decorations. A white dress with a worn-out chiton is her characteristic costume.

In spite of her minimal dressing and subtle appearance, this goddess was very beautiful. She had beautiful facial features and a slender physique. This was no surprise because all of the Greek pantheon was beautiful with attractive features. Her character and abilities in Greek mythology are surely unlike any other because no other goddess or god has ever had an ability that was so mediocre.

Aergia and Horme

The Roman god of laziness, idleness and the personification of a sloth is known as Aergia in Greek mythology, as mentioned. On the other hand, the goddess of effort and strive is known as Horme, another goddess in both  Greek and Roman mythology. These two goddesses are actually each other’s opposite in mythology. They channel opposite energies and abilities.

In Greek mythology, you can find a balance in every aspect. For every good there will be bad, for every monster, there will be a slayer, and for every god and goddess, there will be an equal opposite. The same is the case with her and Horme, who was also made a part of Roman mythology.

In The Underworld

This goddess was the personification of sloth which shows that she remained in slumber most of the time. Maybe this is the reason why she was given the duty of guarding the sleepers in the Underworld. Keep in mind that the Underworld is a horrid place in Greek mythology which was governed by Hades, the Olympian god. This place was like an afterlife and kept all the dead and destroyed characters of the mythology.

Nonetheless, this Greek goddess, in particular, was in charge of standing guard for the people that would sleep to rest in the Underworld. In the Underworld, the people who were sent for punishment were allowed to sleep for a very small amount of time. So she was to wake them up when their allotted time had ended.

In Other Mythologies

Aergia is a character that is different from most of the gods and goddesses in Greek mythology in terms of physique, abilities, and powers. Another reason that she is different from all the Greek deities is the fact that she was originally from Latin mythology where she was called Socordia or Ignavia. She was so famous in that mythology that the poets translated her into Greek mythology and made her a part of the Greek realm.

When she became part of Greek mythology and the Romans absorbed the storylines of Greek mythology along with their characters they also took in Aergia. Due to this reason, she became famous in many different mythologies, and rightfully so. She has the most ungodly characteristics and yet she is a beautiful goddess.

FAQ

What Is the God of Death’s Name?

The name of the god of death is Thanatos in Greek mythology. He was the son of Nyx, the goddess of night, and Hypnos, her brother, the god of sleep. He appeared in front of humans and carried their souls to the Underworld. He worked closely with the fates who allotted a time of death for each soul.

In different mythologies, different gods of death exist. Among them, the most famous one is Thanatos who belongs to Greek mythology.

Who Lived in the Underworld?

Every soul that is taken from the world by Thanatos, would live in the Underworld along with Hades and some other deities and guards. The Underworld is an important part of Greek mythology and exists from the start of time. After Titanomachy, when Zeus and his brothers divided the estate, Hades took the Underworld. In all of Greek mythology, Hades governs over the Underworld and has various creatures and minor deities working under him.

Conclusion

Aergia was the Latin, Greek, and Roman personification of sloth which translates to the action of being lazy and idle all the time. Here are some of the most important points from the article as a conclusion:

• She was the daughter of Gaia and Aether. Gaia was the mother goddess in Greek mythology who gave birth to everything that came after her and Aether was the personification of the bright upper sky.

• This goddess had short and manageable hair. She would only wear simple mono-tone dresses with the least decorations, which is a representation of her laziness.

• Horme was the opposite of this goddess and the goddess of effort, activity, and working. These two were polar to each other in Greek and Roman mythology.

• This lazy Greek goddess was in charge of standing guard for the people that would sleep to rest in the Underworld. So she was to wake them up when their allotted time ended.

• Roman mythology is basically Greek mythology because they absorbed all the storylines and changed most of the names of the characters to fit their culture well. But the name is the same in both mythologies.

She was an unusual deity in the Greek pantheon because of her laziness and idleness. None of the gods or goddesses before her or even after were ever given an ability so mediocre and looked down upon. Nevertheless, she was a Greek and Roman goddess. Here we come to the end of the article about her, the Greek personification of a sloth.