Greek Mythology >> Greek Gods >> Daemones (Spirits) >> Poros

POROS

Greek Name

Πορος

Transliteration

Poros

Latin Spelling

Porus

Translation

Expedience

POROS was the personified spirit (daimon) of expedience and contrivance. He was the husband of Penia (Poverty) and the opposite of Aporia (Helplessness).

In the cosmogony of Alcman Poros (Contriver) and Thetis (Creation) were the first-born deities of creation. Poros was here equivalent to Khronos (Time).

PARENTS

METIS (Plato Symposium 178)

OFFSPRING

EROS (by Penia) (Plato Symposium 178)

CLASSICAL LITERATURE QUOTES

Plato, Symposium 178 (trans. Lamb) (Greek philosopher C4th B.C.) :
"On the birthday of Aphrodite there was a feast of the gods, at which the god Poros (Expediency), who is the son of Metis (Wisdom), was one of the guests. When the feast was over, Penia (Poverty), as the manner is on such occasions, came about the doors to beg. Now Poros who was the worse for nectar (there was no wine in those days), went into the garden of Zeus and fell into a heavy sleep, and Penia considering her own straitened circumstances, plotted to have a child by him, and accordingly she lay down at his side and conceived Eros (Love), who partly because he is naturally a lover of the beautiful, and because Aphrodite is herself beautiful, and also because he was born on her birthday, is her follower and attendant. And as his parentage is, so also are his fortunes. In the first place he is always poor, and anything but tender and fair, as the many imagine him; and he is rough and squalid, and has no shoes, nor a house to dwell in; on the bare earth exposed he lies under the open heaven, in-the streets, or at the doors of houses, taking his rest; and like his mother he is always in distress. Like his father too, whom he also partly resembles, he is always plotting against the fair and good; he is bold, enterprising, strong, a mighty hunter, always weaving some intrigue or other, keen in the pursuit of wisdom, fertile in resources; a philosopher at all times, terrible as an enchanter, sorcerer, sophist."