In Greek mythology, Astraeus (Ancient Greek: Ἀστραῖος, "starry") is a Titan associated with dusk, the stars, and the winds. He is the son of Crius and Eurybia and the consort of Eos, goddess of the dawn; together they father the winds and the stars of twilight. In Nonnus's Dionysiaca he also appears as an oracular god consulted by Demeter about Persephone's fate.
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I.Etymology
His name "Astraeus" (Ancient Greek Ἀστραῖος, translit. Astraîos) is derived from the Greek word ἀστήρ (astḗr) "star." Ἀστήρ itself is inherited from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂ster- "star," from *h₂eh₁s- "to burn."
II.Family
According to Hesiod's Theogony and the Bibliotheca, Astraeus is one of the children of Crius and Eurybia. Hyginus, however, wrote that he was descended directly from Tartarus and Gaia and referred to him as one of the Gigantes.
Astraeus married Eos, the goddess of the dawn. Together as nightfall and daybreak they produced many children associated with what occurs in the sky during twilight. In Hesiod's Theogony, Astraeus and Eos produce the winds — Zephyrus, Boreas, and Notus, with Eurus included as his son in later sources — as well as Eosphorus and the stars. A few sources mention another daughter, Astraea, the goddess of innocence and occasionally justice.
III.Mythology
Nonnus's epic poem Dionysiaca, written in the fifth century, is the only work in which Astraeus has a significant appearance not related to the genealogy of the gods. In it Astraeus is presented as an oracular god whom Demeter visits, concerned about her daughter Persephone's future as she began to attract admirers on Olympus. Astraeus warned her that soon enough Persephone would be ravished by a serpent and bear fruit from that union, which greatly upset Demeter.
Servius, perhaps conflating him with the Giant as Hyginus did, wrote that he took arms and fought against the gods. He is also sometimes associated with Aeolus, the Keeper of the Winds, since winds often increase around dusk.