Caerus: Personification of Opportunities
Caerus or Kairos is known as the god of opportunity, favorable moments, and luck in Greek mythology. He is believed to be in control of letting things happen at the right moment, hence representing opportunity. Continue reading as we discuss facts and information about the god Caerus.w
Caerus, the God of Opportunity
Caerus was described as the god that creates what is convenient and appropriate at the right time and at the right place. He represents a favorable occasion, but sometimes, it could be a dangerous or critical moment or even an opportunity. During the Hellenistic age, the term was also defined as “time” or even at times “season.”
Caerus is the youngest of the divine sons of Zeus, and his Roman equivalent was Tempus or Occasio. Caerus fell in love with the goddess Fortuna, also known as Tyche in Greek mythology.
Caerus’ Appearance and Representation
Caerus was depicted as a youthful and good-looking god who never ages. He was always shown standing on tiptoes while running and having winged feet to fly. He was shown holding a scale that balanced on a sharp edge and a razor. He appeared to have a single lock of hair hanging down his forehead and was bald at the back.
These attributes show very interesting detail. It is said that the lock of hair on his forehead indicates the instantaneous nature of time; we can only grasp it when the god is approaching in our direction. However, the moment is gone after he passes by and cannot be re-captured, just like time. A fleeting opportunity, if not grasped quickly, would be instantly lost.
Caerus’ Pronunciation and Meaning
Although “Caerus” has different pronunciations in different countries and languages, it was commonly pronounced as “keh-ruhs.” Caerus’ name meaning was “the opportune, right, or supreme moment”
Caerus’ Statue
In Sikyon, Greece, the famous statue of Caerus that was built by Lysippos can be found. It was believed to be one of the most beautiful in Ancient Greece. While in Athens’ stadium, archaeologists believe that there was a fountain dedicated to Caerus where people pay tribute to the god before they enter the stadium in order to increase their luck. There was also an altar of Caerus built near the entrance of the stadium at Olympia, an “opportunity” is considered a divine concept and not just a mere allegory.
Caerus and Tyche
Fortuna, the goddess of chance or lot in Roman mythology, was later identified as Tyche, the goddess of fortune and prosperity in Greek mythology who grants enormous favors to mortals and governs their city’s destiny.
She was not only worshipped by Greeks but also Romans. She is the daughter of Aphrodite and Hermes, but on other accounts, her parents were Oceanos and Tethys, Prometheus, or Zeus. She is the lover of Caerus.
She often appears winged, wearing a crown with flowy hair, and carrying a cornucopia representing plentiful gifts of fortune and a scepter that symbolizes authority. In other illustrations, she is shown blindfolded and has different instruments, signifying uncertainty and risk.
Cronus, the Personification of Immortal Time
Cronus, in Greek mythology, also called Cronos or Kronos, is a Titan who personified eternal and immortal time. He is also known as Aeon, meaning eternity. He is in control of the chronology of the gods’ immortality. He is the king and youngest of all the Titans yet is represented as an elderly man with a thick gray beard.
Cronus is usually illustrated with a scythe or a sickle, which is the instrument he used to castrate and dethrone his father. A festival in Athens called Kronia is held every twelfth day of the Attic month of Hekatombaion to commemorate Cronus as a patron of harvest.
Cronus was the son of Uranus, the sky, and Gaea, the Earth. He was the husband of Rhea and their children were the first of the Olympians. He ruled during the mythical Golden Age and became the king of the skies after he dethroned his father, obeying the request of his mother, Gaea. From that time, the world became a place ruled by Titans, the second divine generation, until Cronus was overthrown by his son Zeus and put in Tartarus for imprisonment.
According to Greek mythology, Cronus dreaded a prophecy that one of his children will remove him from his throne. To ensure his safety, he swallowed each one of his children as soon as they were born.
His wife, Rhea, became unhappy at the loss of her children, and instead of letting him swallow Zeus, she tricked Cronus into swallowing a rock. When Zeus matured, he revolted against his father and the other Titans and banished them to Tartarus. This myth is an allusion to time because while it is able to create, it is also able to destroy at the same time. Every second that ends begins a new one.
Caerus and Cronus
Caerus and Cronus mean “time” in ancient Greek but in different contexts. Caerus was defined as the opposite of Cronus. Caerus does not bother about the chronological order of time, calendars, or even the clock. He was represented as the god of opportune time. He represented something that was not defined by time but rather something indeterminate, a convenient experience or moment, like when something special happens. It is qualitative in nature.
Meanwhile, Cronus is the quantitative form of time, representing time as an order, sequence, or something that can be measured and is always moving forward, which can be considered cruel at times. We live according to his rhythm. Cronus’s time follows the order in which events occur. Caerus, on the contrary, is concerned with the quality of how we spend the moment during that special time.
Cronus and Chronos
The creation of Chronos, the primordial time god, a figure of Orphism, was inspired by Cronus.
Hence, Chronos is the personification of time in later literature and pre-Socratic philosophy. He was often confused with the Titan Cronus because of the similarity in their names.
Chronos is depicted as a man spinning the zodiac wheel. He is also portrayed as an old man personifying the suffocating and destructive aspects of time. He is also comparable to the deity Aion, which symbolizes cyclical time.
Conclusion
Caerus is a god who personifies opportunity. The illustration of how he is depicted should be something we can learn from, as we should always be ready when the opportunity approaches; otherwise, it will be too late, and the right time may pass us by.
- Caerus was portrayed as a young and beautiful god in love with Tyche.
- Caerus’ name means the “supreme moment.”
- In ancient Greek, Caerus and Cronus mean “time.”
- Cronus is the inspiration for Chronos.
The moment of luck, the right moment at the right time or season seldom grants us a second chance. This makes Caerus a very interesting god worth knowing more about.
