Eos: The Disappointing Goddess of Dawn

Eos: the Greek goddess of dawn, the daughter of Hyperion and Theia, and the sister of Helios and Selene. Sounds impressive, right? Not so fast. Let’s take a closer look at this so-called goddess.

Eos is depicted as a beautiful young maiden with rosy fingers and golden robes, driving a chariot across the sky to herald the coming of the day. But let’s be honest, that’s not exactly a difficult job. Anyone can predict when the sun will rise. What we want to know is, what else can she do?

Well, not much, it seems. According to mythology, Eos fell in love with a mortal named Tithonus and asked Zeus to grant him immortality. Zeus obliged, but Eos forgot to ask for eternal youth as well. So poor Tithonus ended up living forever but aging painfully, eventually turning into a shriveled old man whom Eos kept locked in a chamber.

Really, Eos? You go to all the trouble of making a special request to Zeus and you forget the most important part? What were you thinking? And don’t even get us started on the fact that you effectively imprisoned your own lover. Not exactly a shining moment, is it?

The fact is, Eos is a bit of a one-trick pony. She may be able to predict the sunrise, but what else can she do? Helios at least gets to ride his chariot across the sky all day, and Selene gets to shine bright at night. Eos just shows up at dawn and disappears. Talk about anticlimactic.

So, sorry Eos, we’re not impressed. You may be a goddess, but you’re definitely not living up to your potential. Maybe you should take a lesson from your siblings and find a way to add some excitement to your job. Or at least request immortality and youth for your lovers next time.