Also called The Graces, Aglaea, Euphrosyne, Thalia, Gratiae (Roman).
Their story
The Charites are three daughters of Zeus and the Oceanid Eurynome: Aglaea, splendour; Euphrosyne, good cheer; and Thalia, bloom. They attend Aphrodite and dress her in beauty. At Orchomenos in Boeotia they were worshipped in the form of stones said to have fallen from heaven. In Athens and Sparta other names and numbers were known.
Best times to give to them
- At feasts and celebrations
- When giving or receiving a gift
- The Charitesia at Orchomenos
What they like being given
- Flowers, especially roses
- Honey cakes
- A gift given freely
- A thank-you letter
How to honour them
- Give thanks for every gift, however small; charis means both grace and gratitude.
- Dance, sing or share a feast in their honour.
- Do a kindness and ask nothing in return.
How they can help you
- Gratitude
- Joy
- Kindness and generosity
Symbols
- roses
- myrtle
- dice
- linked hands
Sources
- Hesiod, Theogony 907-911
- Pausanias, Description of Greece 9.35, 9.38.1
More Greek spirits
- The Anemoi The four winds
- The Muses The nine daughters of Memory
- The Moirai Spinners of the thread of life
- The Horae Keepers of the seasons and order
- The Erinyes Avengers of blood and broken oaths
- The Harpies The snatchers
- The Gorgons The three sisters of the terrible gaze
- The Centaurs The wild horse-men of the hills