Enyo (1)

One of the Graiae (the Gray Sisters); a daughter of Keto (Ceto) and Phorkys (Phorcys).

Enyo and her sister, Pemphredo, were gray from birth; they shared one tooth and one eye between them; they played a crucial role in the story of Perseus when he was on his quest to kill and behead the Gorgon, Medusa.

Athene (Athena) and Hermes advised Perseus to consult the Graiae in order to find out the location of the nymphs who could supply him with the Cap of Hades (to make him invisible), winged sandals (to allow him to fly) and a bag called a kibisis (to carry Medusa’s severed head); Perseus stole the tooth and eye of the Graiae and refused to give them back until they assisted him.

The Graiae are the sisters of the Gorgons and the Hesperides; later descriptions of the Graiae include Deino as one of the sisters.

In The Iliad, Enyo is depicted as warlike and accompanying Ares into battle. The two contrasting characterizations of this goddess, warlike and comely, seem to totally contradict one another.

• Theogony, line 272
• Iliad, book 5, lines 333 and 592