Editing Nyx (section)

=== Orphic literature ===
==== An ancient theogony? ====
Several passages from early authors, which seem to be [[Orphic literature|Orphic]] in influence, have been taken as evidence of the existence of an "old" or "ancient" Orphic theogony, in which Night was one of the earliest figures.<ref>Bernabé 2004, pp. 72&ndash;3, p. 73 on fr. 64, p. 74 on fr. 65; Bernabé and Casadesús, pp. 295&ndash;6; Bernabé 2007, [https://www.jstor.org/stable/30032220?seq=30 p. 128]; Brisson 1995, pp. 3&ndash;4, I pp. 390&ndash;2, III pp. 38&ndash;9, IV pp. 2876&ndash;7; Calame, pp. 236&ndash;7; see also West, pp. 111&ndash;2.</ref> The earliest of these is a passage from [[Aristophanes]]' comedy ''[[The Birds (play)|The Birds]]'' (414 BC), which presents a parody of a cosmogony, often considered to have been derived from an Orphic theogony.<ref>Brisson 1995, pp. 3&ndash;4, I pp. 390&ndash;1, III pp. 38&ndash;9, IV pp. 2876&ndash;7; Bernabé 2004, p. 73 on fr. 64; Bernabé 2007, [https://www.jstor.org/stable/30032220?seq=30 p. 128]; see also West, p. 111. For discussions of whether Aristophanes' source is an Orphic theogony, see Betegh, pp. 148&ndash;9; Chrysanthou, pp. 301&ndash;3; Meisner, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA89 89], [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA92 92&ndash;4]. Chrysanthou, p. 303 suggests that his source is Epimenides, but says it is "more probable that [he] has in mind an Orphic Theogony", while Betegh, p. 149 states that it is most likely he "created a comic pastiche of different theogonies".</ref> Night is described as one of the first beings to come into existence, alongside Chaos, Erebus and Tartarus, and lays a "wind-egg" from which Eros is born:<ref>Brisson 1995, pp. 3&ndash;4. The meaning of the term "wind-egg" here is not clear; see Meisner, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA89 89&ndash;90]. Bremmer 2008, [https://books.google.com/books?id=YTfxZH4QnqgC&pg=PA415 p. 15] (following Dunbar) states that it likely indicates that Night gives rise to the egg pathogenetically.</ref>
{{blockquote|text=In the beginning were Chaos and Night and black Erebus and broad Tartarus, and no Earth, Air, or Sky. And in the boundless bosom of Erebus did black-winged Night at the very start bring forth a wind egg, from which as the seasons revolved came forth Eros the seductive, like to swift whirlwinds, his back aglitter with wings of gold.<ref>[[Aristophanes]], ''[[The Birds (play)|The Birds]]'' [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/aristophanes-birds/2000/pb_LCL179.117.xml 693&ndash;9 (pp. 116, 117)] [= Orphic fr. 64V Bernabé (I pp. 73&ndash;5) = [https://archive.org/details/orphicorumfragme00orphuoft/page/80/mode/2up?view=theater fr. 1 Kern]].</ref>}}

A passage from [[Euripides]]' play ''[[Hypsipyle]]'' (performed c. 411–407) also makes reference to Night and other early deities, seemingly containing traces of an early Orphic theogony:<ref>Bernabé 2004, p. 74 on fr. 65; Calame, p. 232; Chrysanthou, p. 305; Bremmer 2011, p. 5; see also West, p. 112.</ref>
{{blockquote|O mistress ... of the gods ... inscrutable (light) ... first-born (in) mist (or heaven) ... Erôs willed, when (Night) ... and was nurtured then ... family of gods ...<ref>[[Euripides]] ''[[Hypsipyle]]'' [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/euripides-dramatic_fragments/2008/pb_LCL506.305.xml fr. 758a.1103&ndash;8 Collard and Cropp, pp. 304, 305] [= Orphic fr. 65V Bernabé (I pp. 75&ndash;7) = [https://archive.org/details/orphicorumfragme00orphuoft/page/80/mode/2up?view=theater fr. 2 Kern]].</ref>}}

Several modern scholars have interpreted these fragments as evidence of an early Orphic theogony in which Night featured as one of the first deities. According to [[Luc Brisson]], the cosmogony which Aristophanes parodies came from a work which he calls the "ancient version" (''la version ancienne''), which he sees as the earliest Orphic theogony. In this work, he believes that Night is, by herself, the first being to exist (a position she loses in later Orphic theogonies), and that she produces an egg from which comes Eros (as she does in Aristophanes' parody), from whom all things arise.<ref>Brisson, pp. 3&ndash;4, I pp. 390&ndash;2, III pp. 38&ndash;9, IV pp. 2876&ndash;7.</ref> {{ill|Alberto Bernabé|es}} similarly sees these fragments as alluding to an "ancient" theogony (''priscae Orphicae theogoniae'') which centred around the birth of Eros from an egg, produced by "Chaos-Night".<ref>Bernabé 2004, p. 72; Bernabé and Casadesús, pp. 295&ndash;6; Bernabé 2007, [https://www.jstor.org/stable/30032220?seq=30 pp. 128&ndash;9].</ref>

==== Eudemian Theogony ====
Night seems to have been considered the first deity in the earliest known Orphic cosmogonies.<ref>Edmonds, p. 228.</ref> The oldest Orphic theogony in which Night is known to have appeared is the [[Eudemian Theogony]] (5th century BC),<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA1 p. 1].</ref> which receives its name from the philosopher [[Eudemus of Rhodes]], a student of [[Aristotle]], who spoke of an Orphic theogony in one of his works; this theogony was later referred to by the Neoplatonist [[Damascius]], in his ''De Principiis'' (''On First Principles''), using Eudemus as his source.<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA87 p. 87]; Orphic fr. 20 I Bernabé (I p. 35) [= [[Eudemus of Rhodes|Eudemus]] fr. 150 Wehrli = [[Damascius]], ''De Principiis'' 124].</ref> The only piece of information known for certain about this theogony is that it started with Night;<ref>Edmonds, p. 228; Betegh, p. 146.</ref> as Damascius writes:
{{blockquote|text=The theology described in the Peripatetic Eudemus as being that of Orpheus is silent about the entire realm of the intelligible for it is completely inexpressible and unknowable by the method of exposition and narration: it made its start from Night, from whom also Homer begins, although he did not make his genealogy continuous.<ref>[[Damascius]], ''De Principiis'' 124 [= Orphic fr. 20 I Bernabé (I p. 35)]. The translation used here is that given by Betegh, p. 146.</ref>}}
[[Aristotle]] similarly refers to earlier authors who attributed a primordial role to Night, presumably commenting upon the same text as his pupil.<ref>Bernabé 2008, p. 35 on fr. 20.</ref> In his ''[[Metaphysics (Aristotle)|Metaphysics]]'', he makes reference to theologians "who make Night parent of all",<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA94 p. 94]; Fowler, p. 13; Orphic fr. 20 II Bernabé (I p. 35) [= [https://archive.org/details/orphicorumfragme00orphuoft/page/94/mode/2up?view=theater fr. 24 Kern] = [[Aristotle]], ''[[Metaphysics (Aristotle)|Metaphysics]]'' 1071<sup>b</sup> 26]. The translation used here is that given by Fowler.</ref> and describes Night as being one of the deities who are placed as "the first" by "the ancient poets".<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA94 p. 94]; Orphic fr. 20 IV Bernabé (I p. 35) [= [[Aristotle]], ''[[Metaphysics (Aristotle)|Metaphysics]]'' 1091<sup>b</sup> 4]; see also Orphic fr. 20 III Bernabé (I p. 35) [= [[Aristotle]], ''[[Metaphysics (Aristotle)|Metaphysics]]'' 1072<sup>a</sup> 7].</ref> In addition, the Byzantine author [[John the Lydian]] writes in his ''De Mensibus'' that "three first beginnings of generation sprouted out, according to Orpheus: Night, Ge, and Ouranos",<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 p. 95]; Orphic fr. 20 V (I p. 35) [= [https://archive.org/details/orphicorumfragme00orphuoft/page/98/mode/2up?view=theater fr. 28a Kern] = [[John the Lydian]], ''De Mensibus'' 2.8].</ref> a passage which scholars have seen as referring to the Eudemian Theogony.<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 p. 95].</ref> Because of this, it has been proposed that Night, presumably on her own, is described as the mother of Uranus and Gaia in the work;<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA95 p. 95]; Alderink, [https://archive.org/details/creationsalvatio0000alde/page/36/mode/2up?view=theater p. 37, table 3].</ref> West takes this further, claiming that Night is the mother of Uranus and Gaia, and that they are the parents of Oceanus and Tethys, who produce the Titans.<ref>West, pp. 117&ndash;9. West takes this genealogy from [[Plato]], ''[[Timaeus (dialogue)|Timaeus]]'' [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/plato-philosopher_timaeus/1929/pb_LCL234.87.xml 40e (pp. 86, 87)] [= fr. 21 Bernabé (I p. 36) = [https://archive.org/details/orphicorumfragme00orphuoft/page/88/mode/2up?view=theater fr. 16 Kern]], which contains the same sequence of generations, excluding Night. West explains the absence of Night from the passage by arguing that in the ''Timaeus'' "night cannot be a god, being merely something produced by the earth's shadow and a unit of time".</ref>

==== Derveni Theogony ====
In the [[Derveni Theogony]] (4th century BC), an Orphic poem known through the commentary on the work found in the [[Derveni papyrus]],<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA1 p. 1].</ref> Night appears to have been the first deity;<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA37 p. 37]; Bernabé 2018, p. 350; Brisson 1995, I pp. 399&ndash;400; cf. West, p. 86, who considers Phanes the first deity.</ref> according to Bernabé, she exists eternally before the creation of the cosmos, at a time when the universe sits in a state of "cold and passive darkness".<ref>Bernabé 2018, p. 350.</ref> In a surviving line from the poem, quoted in the Derveni papyrus, she is described as the mother of Uranus:<ref>Bernabé 2018, p. 350; Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA70 p. 70].</ref>
{{blockquote|Ouranos, son of Night, who was the first to become king<ref>Orphic fr. 10 I Bernabé (I p. 21) [= [[Derveni papyrus]], col. 14.6 (Kouremenos, Parássoglou, and Tsantsanoglou, pp. 133)]. The translation used here is that given by Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA70 p. 70].</ref>}}
It is unclear, however, whether or not there was a father, and, if there was, what his identity was: Bernabé argues that Night produces him without a partner (though this view has been criticised),<ref>Bernabé and Cristobal, p. 88 argue that the use of the matronymic ''Οὐρανὸς Εὐφρονίδης'' ("son of Night") in reference to Uranus precludes the existence of a father; Almqvist, p. 87, however, is sceptical of this.</ref> while other scholars have suggested that Aether may have been the father,<ref>Betegh, p. 336.</ref> or Phanes.<ref>Almqvist, p. 88.</ref> [[Gábor Betegh]] also adds Gaia as the offspring of Night in the poem, alongside Uranus.<ref>Betegh, p. 336.</ref>

In the poem, Night was called the "immortal nurse of the gods" (as quoted in the Derveni papyrus),<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA82 p. 82]; Orphic fr. 6 I Bernabé (I p. 16) [= [[Derveni papyrus]], col. 10.9&ndash;12 (Kouremenos, Parássoglou and Tsantsanoglou, pp. 80&ndash;1)].</ref> and in its narrative she nurtures and gives shelter to the young Zeus.<ref>Betegh, p. 207</ref> Later in the work, after Zeus overthrows his father Cronus and becomes king, he consults Night on how he can consolidate his rule.<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA68 p. 68].</ref> She is described as she "who knows all the oracles", and delivers a prophecy to him from within her shrine (''adyton''); several reconstructed lines from the work describe this:
{{poem quote|And Zeus [... came to the cave, where]
Night sat, immortal nurse of the gods, knowing all oracles
... to prophesy from the innermost shrine.
She prophesied all that it was permitted him to achieve,
how he would hold the lovely seat in snowy Olympus.<ref>Bernabé 2007, pp. 104&ndash;5; Orphic fr. 6 Bernabé (I pp. 16&ndash;7).</ref>}}
After Zeus receives this prophecy from Night (and one from his father Cronus), he apparently swallows either the phallus of Uranus (or, as other have suggested, the body of Phanes).<ref>Meisner, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA69 69], [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA71 71]. Bernabé 2007, pp. 107&ndash;8 and Betegh, p. 121 see it as Uranus's phallus which Zeus swallows, while West, pp. 86&ndash;8 takes it to be the body of Phanes.</ref>

The role which Night plays in the Derveni Theogony has been compared to that which [[Gaia]] plays in Hesiod's ''Theogony''.<ref>Edmonds, pp. 228&ndash;9; Almqvist, p. 87; Betegh, p. 168; West, p. 87; Santamaría, p. 375.</ref> It has pointed out that both are described as the mother of Uranus, and occupy a similar position at the beginning of creation, with Gaia being the second being to exist in the ''Theogony''.<ref>Betegh, p. 168; Almqvist, p. 87. Gaia is described as coming into existence after only [[Chaos (mythology)|Chaos]], and produces Uranus without a father; see [[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'' [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0020.tlg001.perseus-eng1:104-138 117], [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0020.tlg001.perseus-eng1:104-138 126&ndash;7].</ref> In addition, following the creation of world, rather than becoming rulers themselves, both deities remain present and occasionally offer guidance and assistance to younger generations.<ref>Edmonds, p. 228&ndash;9.</ref> The prophecy which Night delivers to Zeus, which causes him to swallow Phanes, has been compared to the prophecy Gaia and Uranus report to Zeus in the ''Theogony'', which leads him to swallow his wife [[Metis (mythology)|Metis]].<ref>West, pp. 87&ndash;8; Betegh, p. 146. For the prophecy delivered by Gaia and Uranus, see [[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'' [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0020.tlg001.perseus-eng1:886-900 886&ndash;900].</ref> In the ''Theogony'', Zeus is also given to Gaia after his birth, which has been connected to the role Night plays in nurturing the young Zeus in his infancy.<ref>Betegh, p. 146; see also Almqvist, p. 87. For Gaia being given the newborn Zeus, see [[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'' [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0020.tlg001.perseus-eng1:453-491 479].</ref>

==== Rhapsodies ====
In the longest Orphic poem, the [[Rhapsodies (Orphic literature)|Rhapsodic Theogony]], or Rhapsodies (1st century BC/AD),<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA1 p. 1].</ref> though the first deity to exist is [[Chronos]], several fragments appear to assign a primordial role to Night.<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA205 p. 205].</ref> Several writers describe the elemental mass from which Chronos emerges as dark and shadowy in nature,<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA178 p. 178].</ref> while the Byzantine author [[John Malalas]] reports that in Orpheus it is "gloomy Night" who "[comes] first",<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA178 p. 178]; Orphic fr. 107 I Bernabé (I pp. 115&ndash;6). In Orphic fr. 97T Bernabé (I pp. 104&ndash;5), Malalas similarly states that Night exists in the beginning, alongside Chronos, Aether, and Chaos. See also Orphic fr. 107 III Bernabé (I p. 116).</ref> and Damascius similarly refers to Night as the "first being".<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA206 p. 206]; Orphic fr. 112 II Bernabé (I p. 121).</ref> When the god Phanes springs from the cosmic egg created by Chronos, there emerges a bright light, at which point Night is the only one who looks upon him.<ref>Orphic fr. 123 I Bernabé (I pp. 128&ndash;9). According to Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA195 p. 195], Night is "the only one who can handle looking at him", while West, p. 70 states that he is "invisible except to Night".</ref> Phanes then creates the cosmos, doing so from within the cave of Night;<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA208 p. 208].</ref> a passage from the Rhapsodies states that "these things are what the father made in the misty cave", and the Neoplatonist philosopher [[Hermias (philosopher)|Hermias]] describes Phanes as being seated in the "shrine of Night".<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA208 p. 208]; Orphic frr. 163 (I p. 153) [= [https://archive.org/details/orphicorumfragme00orphuoft/page/162/mode/2up?view=theater fr. 97 Kern]], 164 II (I p. 154) [= [https://archive.org/details/orphicorumfragme00orphuoft/page/168/mode/2up?view=theater fr. 105 Kern]] Bernabé.</ref> Damascius similarly records that the two deities live together, while [[Proclus]] refers to the couple as the "two rulers in the sky ... seated eternally in the innermost shrine".<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA208 p. 208]; Orphic frr. 148 IV (I p. 145) [= [https://archive.org/details/orphicorumfragme00orphuoft/page/164/mode/2up?view=theater fr. 98 Kern]], 164 I [= [https://archive.org/details/orphicorumfragme00orphuoft/page/166/mode/2up?view=theater fr. 104 Kern]] Bernabé.</ref> In the poem's narrative, Night is both the consort and his daughter of Phanes,<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA168 p. 168]; Betegh, p. 141; Orphic fr. 147 I Bernabé (I p. 144).</ref> and, by him, becomes the mother of Uranus and Gaia.<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA169 p. 169]; Orphic fr. 149 I Bernabé (I p. 146); see also Orphic fr. 174 I Bernabé (I p. 158), which calls Uranus the son of Night. The relationship between Uranus and Gaia is described as the first marriage, while that between Phanes and Night is not; see Betegh, p. 119; West, p. 71.</ref> She is described as the second ruler of the gods, being preceded in this role by Phanes, and followed by her son Uranus.<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA168 pp. 168&ndash;9]; Orphic frr. 98T I (I p. 105), II (I pp. 105–6), V (I p. 106), 174 (I p. 158) Bernabé. West, pp. 234&ndash;5 characterises the reign of Nyx as "entirely eventless".</ref> Proclus relates that Phanes passes on his rule to Nyx by giving her a sceptre which he created himself, handing it on to her willingly, and that after her own time as ruler, she too passes on the sceptre voluntarily, giving it to her son Uranus.<ref>West, p. 71; Chrysanthou, p. 360; Orphic frr. 98T III (I p. 106), IV (I p. 106), 168 I (I p. 156) Bernabé.</ref> When Phanes gives her the sceptre, he seemingly also confers upon her the gift of prophecy.<ref>Chrysanthou, p. 311; West, p. 71.</ref>

Proclus reports that Night is called the "immortal nurse of the gods" in the Rhapsodies, as she is the Derveni Theogony,<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA205 p. 205]; Orphic fr. 112 I Bernabé (I p. 121).</ref> and Damascius similarly refers to her as the "nurse of all things".<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA206 p. 206]; Orphic fr. 112 II Bernabé (I . 121).</ref> In the poem's narrative, she is described as raising her grandson [[Cronus]],<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA206 p. 206]; Orphic frr. 182 I (I p. 166), II (I p. 166) Bernabé.</ref> though West suggests that she may have nurtured all of the Titans.<ref>West, p. 87.</ref> According to Hermias, the young Zeus is reared in the cave of Night by the nymphs [[Amalthea (mythology)|Amalthea]] and [[Adrasteia]], the latter of which protects the child by standing at the door of the cave, clanging cymbals.<ref>Meisner, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA208 208], [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA216 216]; Orphic fr. 209 I (I pp. 181–2), fr. 211 (I p. 183) Bernabé.</ref> Once Zeus reaches adulthood, Night delivers several prophecies to him, presumably from this same cave.<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA208 p. 208].</ref> During the reign of Cronus, she prophesies to Zeus that he will become the fifth king of the gods,<ref>Brisson, V p. 61; West, p. 72; Orphic fr. 219 Bernabé (I p. 188).</ref> and advises him on how he can overthrow his father. She directs him to use a "trick through honey", and then wait until Cronus is standing "under trees with high foliage, drunk with the works of loud-buzzing bees", before binding him.<ref>Meisner, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA207 207], [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA216 216&ndash;7]; Edmonds, p. 234; Orphic fr. 220 Bernabé (I p. 189).</ref> After becoming king, Zeus returns to Night, and asks her how he can solidify his rule, to which she responds:<ref>Meisner, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA206 206], [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA221 221]; Brisson 1995, V p. 62; cf. West, p. 72, who places this during the same consultation in which Night advises him to bind Cronus.</ref>
{{poem quote|Surround all things with unspeakable aither, and in the middle
place the sky, and therein the boundless earth, and the sea,
and therein all the constellations, which the sky has surrounded.
But when you have stretched a firm bond over everything,
suspend a golden chain from the aither.<ref>Orphic fr. 237 Bernabé (I pp. 197&ndash;9). The translation used here is that given by Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA221 p. 221].</ref>}}
After hearing this advice, Zeus consumes his ancestor Phanes, and, in doing so, takes in the entire creation, which he contains in his stomach.<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA222 p. 222].</ref> Following this, Zeus keeps Night as his advisor, and it is on her recommendation that he takes [[Nomos (mythology)|Nomos]] (Law) to sit beside him.<ref>Brisson 1995, V p. 64; West, p. 73; Orphic fr. 247 II Bernabé (I p. 216) [= [https://archive.org/details/orphicorumfragme00orphuoft/page/196/mode/2up?view=theater fr. 160 Kern]].</ref> Night also prophesies that [[Themis]], who becomes Zeus's consort, will continue to be a virgin until a son of Cronus and Rhea is born.<ref>Brisson, V p. 64; West, p. 73; Orphic fr. 251 Bernabé (I p. 218).</ref>

Several fragments from the Rhapsodies seem to refer to three separate deities named Night. Hermias reports that "three Nights have been transmitted in Orpheus", and gives them the following descriptions:
{{blockquote|He says the first [Night] prophesies, which is connected with understanding, and he calls the middle [Night] revered, which is connected with moderation, and he says the third [Night] gave birth to justice.<ref>Orphic fr. 113 Bernabé (I p. 201). The translation used here is that given by Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA201 p. 201].</ref>}}
Clémence Ramnoux interprets these three Nights as forming a "feminine trinity" around Phanes, the first being his mother, the second his consort, and the third his daughter.<ref>Ramnoux, pp. 231&ndash;3.</ref> Bernabé, in his collection of Orphic fragments, arranges passages relating to Night into three groups, interpreting the Nights as three separate deities who appear in different parts of the poem's narrative.<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA202 pp. 202&ndash;4]; Bernabé 2004, pp. 115&ndash;21, 142&ndash;54, 156&ndash;7.</ref> He sees the first Night as a primordial deity, eternal in nature, and the offspring of Chronos, and interprets this as the Night who observes Phanes at his emergence from the egg; he views her as the same figure described as the nurse of the gods, as well as the Night who prophesies, claiming that she receives the gift of prophecy from Chronos.<ref>Bernabé 2004, p. 121 on fr. 112, p. 121 on fr. 113, p. 129 on fr. 123.</ref> A passage from Proclus relates that Phanes "brings forth the Nights and, as a father, has intercourse with the middle one",<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA203 p. 203]; Orphic fr. 148 I Bernabé (I p. 145) [= [https://archive.org/details/orphicorumfragme00orphuoft/page/164/mode/2up?view=theater fr. 99 Kern]].</ref> which Bernabé sees as referring to the second Night giving birth to the third.<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA206 p. 206]; Bernabé 2004, p. 144 on fr. 147.</ref> Brisson interprets Night as the feminine aspect of the bisexual deity Phanes, who is simultaneously his mother, sister, and daughter, and argues that when he mates with Night he is copulating with this feminine half.<ref>Brisson 1997, pp. 85, 87. He claims that this explains why the relationship between Uranus and Gaia is called the first marriage; as Phanes and Night are two aspects of the same being, intercourse between them cannot be considered "marriage".</ref> Dwayne Meisner, however, rejects the idea that there were three separate Nights in the poem, and interprets Hermias's passage in terms of Neoplatonic allegory.<ref>Meisner, pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA202 202], [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA204 204].</ref> One passage from Proclus apparently describes there as being five Nights, as opposed to three.<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA202 p. 202]; Orphic fr. 113 V Bernabé (I p. 122) [= [https://archive.org/details/orphicorumfragme00orphuoft/page/164/mode/2up?view=theater fr. 99 Kern]].</ref>

==== Later sources ====
The fifth of the ''[[Orphic Hymns]]'' (2nd century AD?) is dedicated to Night, and describes her as the "mother of gods and men", who "gave birth to all";<ref>''[[Orphic Hymn]] to Night'' (3), [https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780891301196/page/6/mode/2up?view=theater 1&ndash;2 (Athanassakis and Wolkow, pp. 6&ndash;7)].</ref> in this role as a progenitor, she is addressed in the ''Hymn'' as [[Cypris]] (an epithet of Aphrodite).<ref>Ramnoux, p. 250; ''[[Orphic Hymn]] to Night'' (3), [https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780891301196/page/6/mode/2up?view=theater 2 (Athanassakis and Wolkow, pp. 6&ndash;7)].</ref> In the proem to the ''Hymns'', in which [[Orpheus]] addresses [[Musaeus of Athens|Musaeus]], she is similarly called the "oldest of all".<ref>''Orpheus to Musaeus'' (''[[Orphic Hymns]]''), [https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780891301196/page/4/mode/2up?view=theater 24 (Athanassakis and Wolkow, p. 4)].</ref> The later ''[[Orphic Argonautica]]'' (4th or 5th centuries AD)<ref>Meisner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wgJfDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA172 p. 172].</ref> also mentions "holy oracles of Night about the lord Bacchus", seemingly referring to the Rhapsodies.<ref>West, pp. 99&ndash;100; ''[[Orphic Argonautica]]'', 28 (Vian, p. 76) [= Orphic fr. 238 Bernabé (I p. 200) = [https://archive.org/details/orphicorumfragme00orphuoft/page/64/mode/2up?view=theater fr. 224T Kern]].</ref>