Greek Mythology Archives

The Myth

From the deepest darkness before the world was formed, Abyzou came forth. She rose from the primeval waters, from the abyss that existed before heaven and earth were divided. In that endless sea she was born barren, and from her barrenness grew envy without limit.

Abyzou wandered the world without rest or sleep. She moved silently through night and shadow, drawn to the cries of women in labor and the breath of newborn children. She was said to feel no mercy, for what she desired most had been denied her forever. Because she could not give life, she sought to take it.

When a woman lay ready to give birth, Abyzou would draw near. If she was not driven away, she strangled infants in their cradles, stole them in the night, or brought sickness upon them so that they wasted away. She whispered illness into bodies, closing throats, blinding eyes, twisting minds, and filling flesh with pain. Wherever she passed, suffering followed.

Abyzou did not walk openly among mortals. Her form was half-seen: a greenish, gleaming face framed by writhing, serpent-like hair, while the rest of her body dissolved into darkness. Sometimes she appeared with the scales or tail of a fish or serpent, for she belonged to the ancient waters. She claimed to possess countless names and shapes, changing them constantly so that none might easily command her.

In ancient times, King Solomon encountered her while binding demons to build the Temple. When she was brought before him in chains, she confessed her deeds freely, boasting that she never slept and that each night she sought children to destroy. Solomon ordered her bound by her own hair and displayed before the Temple, so that all might see the demon who preyed upon mothers and infants.

Yet Abyzou could never be destroyed. She could only be driven away.

Thus people learned to defend themselves through sacred names, seals, and charms. Her name was written on amulets, spoken aloud in childbirth, carved into metal and stone. When she was named correctly, she was forced to flee. When the names of her enemies—angels, saints, or divine protectors—were invoked, she recoiled in fury and envy.

In Egypt she was known as Alabasandria. In Byzantium she was Gylou or Gello. In each land she took a new name, but her hunger remained the same. Riders trampled her beneath their horses in sacred images. She was whipped, bound, cursed, and cast out in spells, yet always returned when vigilance failed.

Only one thing could stop her: knowledge of her names. When a woman about to give birth wore an amulet bearing those names, Abyzou was powerless. Forced by oath, she would turn away and retreat to the dark waters from which she had come.

And so Abyzou still wanders the edges of night, driven by envy, searching for life she can never possess—an ancient shadow born from the abyss, feared wherever children are born.

Tradition / Region: Greek mythology
Alternate Names: Afterthought, Late Counsel
Category: Titan god

The Myth

Epimetheus was one of the Titan sons of Iapetos, brother to Prometheus, Atlas, and Menoitios. Where Prometheus was clever and foresighted, Epimetheus was slow to consider consequences, acting first and understanding only afterward. Because of this nature, the gods named him Afterthought.

When the time came for the mortal world to be filled with life, the gods entrusted Prometheus and Epimetheus with the task. Epimetheus asked that he be allowed to distribute the gifts of survival himself, while Prometheus would later inspect his work. Prometheus agreed.

Epimetheus moved eagerly among the creatures of the earth. To some he gave great strength, to others speed. He armed some with claws, tusks, and horns, and gave thick hides and fur to those who would face cold and heat. Birds received wings, beasts received burrows, hooves, shells, or venom. To preserve balance, he ensured that prey multiplied quickly while predators were few. By the time he had finished, every animal was well equipped for life.

Only then did Epimetheus come to mankind.

And he found that he had nothing left.

Humans stood naked and unarmed, without claws or fur, without swiftness or strength, unable to defend themselves from beasts or the harshness of the world. Epimetheus was struck with terror at what he had done. He could not undo his mistake, and the appointed hour for humanity’s emergence had already arrived.

When Prometheus came to inspect the work, he saw at once the disaster. To save mankind, he climbed secretly into the workshops of the gods and stole fire, along with the arts of metalwork, craft, and skill. With these gifts, humans learned to build, to cook, to forge weapons, and to survive.

But Zeus saw the theft, and his anger was terrible.

As punishment, Zeus devised a slow and beautiful ruin for mankind. He commanded Hephaistos to shape a woman from earth, and Athena clothed her in fine garments and taught her weaving. Aphrodite gave her beauty and longing, Hermes placed cunning words and deception in her heart, and the other gods each bestowed a gift. Because of this, she was named Pandora, the All-Gifted.

Zeus sent Pandora to Epimetheus as a gift.

Prometheus warned his brother again and again: never accept gifts from Zeus. But Epimetheus did not heed him. Captivated by Pandora’s beauty, he welcomed her into his house and took her as his wife.

Pandora carried with her a sealed jar, entrusted to her by the gods. One day, moved by curiosity placed in her by divine design, she lifted the lid. From the jar burst sickness, pain, hunger, toil, madness, old age, and every misery that had never before existed. They spread across the earth and entered the lives of all mortals.

Only one thing remained inside the jar when Pandora closed it again.

Hope.

From that day onward, humans lived with suffering, yet were not entirely without comfort.

Epimetheus understood his error only after the evils had already escaped. He had failed mankind twice: first by leaving them helpless, and again by welcoming the instrument of their sorrow. Because of him, Prometheus was later chained and punished, and humanity inherited a world of labor and grief.

The poets said that Epimetheus was the father of Excuse, for he always understood too late. And so his name endured as a warning: wisdom that comes only afterward is no wisdom at all.

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Sources

Theoi.com contributors. (n.d.). Epimetheus. In Theoi Greek Mythology, from https://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanEpimetheus.html

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