Charites

Not to be confused with charities.

Pictures from Pompei showing the Charites

The Three Graces is a painting by Raphael, early 16th century.

An artwork on a temple in Afrodisias, modern-day Turkey.

The Charites (/ˈkærɪtiːz/; Greek: Χάριτες, Khárites; sing. Χάρις), also known as the Graces, were girl gods in old Greek stories. One was called a Charis. They were the gods of pretty things, happy smiles, soft ways, and beauty. The writer Hesiod said there were three of them. Most stories and art show three. But some stories say there were more or fewer than three. They were close to Aphrodite, the love goddess. They were also close to spring flowers. People thought they were young girls who gave beauty to everything. They gave body beauty, smart beauty, art beauty, and good heart beauty.

Hesiod and Homer

Hesiod wrote a book called Theogony. In it he named three Graces:

• Aglaea — she meant bright light
• Euphrosyne — she meant joy
• Thalia — she meant blooming like flowers

Hesiod said their father was Zeus. Their mother was Eurynome, who was the daughter of Ocean. He said they had pretty cheeks. He said when they looked at someone, love and strong want flowed from their eyes. He said they looked very lovely. Hesiod also said Aglaea, the youngest one, married Hephaistos, the god who made things from metal.

The Graces lived on Mount Olympus. They lived with the Muses, who were goddesses of art and song, and with Himeros, who was the god of desire. In another book called Works and Days, Hesiod said the Graces helped when Pandora was born. With the Horae, who were the goddesses of the seasons, they made Pandora pretty. They put flowers on her, flower crowns on her head, and nice jewels on her. The Graces were very good at dancing, singing, and poetry. They danced and sang at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. Homer also wrote about the Graces in Iliad and Odyssey. He did not say how many there were. He did not give their names. Homer said they were with Aphrodite. In Iliad Book 5, he said they made a very pretty magic robe for Aphrodite that would never wear out. In Iliad Book 14, Hera gave one Grace named Pasithee to Sleep to be his wife. She did this so Sleep would make Zeus fall asleep and stop fighting in the Trojan War for a short time. In Odyssey, the Graces gave beauty to human people. They also helped Aphrodite. They washed her and rubbed sweet oil on her in her holy place in Cyprus.

Later stories and worship

Later, in a time called the Hellenistic time, a poet named Hermesianax added one more Grace. Her name was Peitho. She was the goddess of making people agree with you. After this time, the Graces were linked with Hecate, the moon goddess who was tied to magic and ghosts. The Graces were very close to flowers. They helped roses grow. They liked myrtle plants and all spring flowers. They were often with gods of babies and growing things. This may be because they helped at the births of Aphrodite and Pandora. People in many Greek places worshipped the Graces. This was very strong in south Greece and in Asia Minor. In Orchomenus in Arcadia, they had a big party every year for the Graces. It was called the Charitesia. A writer named Pausanias said people there linked the Graces with falling stars. In different cities, the Graces had different names. In Athens, they were called Auxo and Hegemone. In Sparta, they were called Kleta and Phaenna. These were local goddesses who became part of the bigger Grace group. In Athens, from about the 3rd century BCE, the Graces and Aphrodite were linked to Demos, who stood for the people. There was even a stone altar with writing about this.

In pictures and statues

The Graces can be not easy to know in art because they do not hold special items. Most of the time, artists show them as three beautiful young women. They are dancing or walking in a line. They were shown in old Greek and Roman art. You can see them on pots, carved stone, coins, and even on the throne of Zeus at Olympia. They are on the famous Francoise Vase from about 570 BCE. They are shown at the wedding of Thetis and Peleus. There is also a marble stone carving made about 470 BCE by a man named Sokrates. In it, the three Graces stand in a row and hold hands. At first, in Greek art, they wore clothes. Later, artists showed them with no clothes. In the Hellenistic time, artists first made statues of three women standing close without clothes and holding each other. The Romans and later artists copied this many times. In the Renaissance time, artists loved to paint and carve the Graces. In a painting called Birth of Venus from 1486 by Botticelli, one Grace stands on the right. She is ready to give Venus a cloth to cover her body.