Skip to content
EntityQ617977· pop 31· linked from 545 articles

Also known as Deceit

In Greek mythology, Apate (; Ancient Greek: Ἀπάτη Apátē) is the goddess and personification of deceit. Her mother is Nyx, the personification of the night. In Roman mythology her equivalent is Fraus (Fraud), while her male counterpart is Dolus (Deception), both considered children of Nyx and Erebus according to Cicero. Her opposite number Aletheia, the goddess of truth.

Wikidata facts

Instance of
personification
Gender
female
Mother
Nyx
Said to be same as
Fraus
Show 4 more facts
name in native language
Ἀπάτη
domain of saint or deity
lie
worshipped by
Greek mythology
described by source
Pauly–Wissowa
Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

~6 min read

Encyclopedic overview

4 sections
Contents
  • Family
  • Mythology
  • Notes
  • References

In Greek mythology, Apate (; Ancient Greek: Ἀπάτη Apátē) is the goddess and personification of deceit. Her mother is Nyx, the personification of the night. In Roman mythology her equivalent is Fraus (Fraud), while her male counterpart is Dolus (Deception), both considered children of Nyx and Erebus according to Cicero. Her opposite number Aletheia, the goddess of truth.

Neoplatonic philosophers such as Proclus and Plotinus discuss Eros and Aphrodite in the sense that deception (Apate) and illusion give rise to desire a moral interpretation used as an example of allegorical reasoning, where sensory beauty and desire are described as deceptive reflections.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Apate” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.