Nyx in the House of Night

understood that she was originally known as the goddess of the nighttime sky , which makes her a reasonable counterpart to Nyx. It’s interesting—if not necessarily significant—that the ancient Egyptians often depicted Nut as a sacred cow, and some of the artwork is strangely reminiscent of the black bull and the white bull (representing Light/Dark and good/evil) we learn of in Burned .
    In the House of Night series, Nyx is also associated with animals, whether it is horses (fledglings take riding lessons and horses are well cared for at the school); the cats that fill the corridors of the House of Night and become bonded to particular students; or more traditionally feared and hated creatures, such as snakes. In book two, Betrayed , Zoey says:
Correct me if I’m wrong, Damien, but aren’t snakes closely allied with Nyx? Haven’t they gotten a bad reputation because historically they’ve been symbols of female power, and men wanted to take that power away from women and make it something disgusting and scary instead?
    This is a common thread woven throughout the books: myths are re cast (pun intended!) to show us that where women have previously been maligned, the “truth” might be somewhat different. In Betrayed , Zoey also learns that the Gorgon wasn’t a monster who turned men to stone out of hatred, but was in fact a famous vampyre High Priestess whose Goddess-given gift was an affinity for earth. And in Marked , it is revealed that the Amazons weren’t man-haters at all, but simply powerful female vampyre warriors. (We get even more information on Amazon society in The Fledgling Handbook 101 .) Being matriarchal—and, by association, pro-female—doesn’t automatically mean that a culture has to be anti-men. Although vampyre society is matriarchal, male vampyres are not treated as second-class citizens. As Neferet says in the very first book, “We respect and appreciate the Sons of Night, and consider them our protectors and consorts.” Erik Night (and with that last name it was obvious that the talented young actor would become a significant figure in Zoey’s life), along with the other male vampyres in the series, is treated with a great deal of admiration (at least until he started acting like a jealous stalker with anger management issues)—and not just for his good looks.
    In Tempted , this theme of respect and appreciation for each others’ differences comes to fruition when Lenobia tells Stevie Rae: “Nyx is our Goddess. You can’t really believe there is only one deity for a world as complex as ours.” This beautifully sums up one way that world mythologies can comfortably coincide. There are as many different belief systems as there are cultures, and despite what some people might think, believing in one doesn’t mean you have to discount the rest. This is particularly well demonstrated in the House of Night during Untamed when, as I mentioned earlier, Sister Mary Angela tells Zoey: “Child, what I believe is that your Nyx is just another incarnation of our Blessed Mother, Mary.”
    Which brings us to the most important recasting P.C. and Kristin perform: that of Nyx herself. In mythology and culture, there don’t seem to be any major “cults” associated with Nyx (such as the “Cult of Demeter” in Greece or the “Cult of Isis” in Egypt), nor are there specific stories written down by the classical scholars and philosophers devoted entirely to her. She appears, instead, in more of a supporting role during other tales, standing in the wings—or the shadows—pushing her many children to center stage. By choosing Nyx as their vampyre Goddess, the Casts did something entirely smart: they chose a goddess with a relatively “clean slate” upon which to build their own mythology. The result is a truly rich and fascinating world, and I look forward to seeing where the House of Night’s incarnation of Nyx takes us next.
KAREN MAHONEY has been published alongside some of her favorite authors in paranormal anthologies like The Eternal Kiss (2009) and Kiss Me Deadly (2010). She is still in complete shock about this. Her YA novel about alchemy and dark elves, The Iron Witch , was published by Flux in the United States and is available now. She is British, but hopes that you do not hold this against her. Please visit her at www.kazmahoney.com.
    [ 1 ] Well, as “literal” as anything can truly be when it comes to mythology.

{ By Their Marks You Shall Know Them }

    Jana