Lyssa | Greek Goddess

In Greek mythology, Lissa or Lýssa (Greek Λύσσσα) was a Goddess who personified anger, rage, unbridled fury, in animals, the madness produced by rage. The Athenians wrote her name as Lýtta (Λύττα).

She was born of Nix fertilized by the ichor that poured from Uranus upon being castrated by Kronos, although Hyginus places her among the children of Aether and Gaia.

Lissa was a figure in Athenian tragedy. In Aeschylus, she appears as an agent of Dionysus sent to drive the Senades mad, and Euripides describes her with serpents on her head and sparkling eyes.

In his work Heracles relates how the vengeful Hera ordered Lissa, through her messenger Iris, to drive the hero, of whom she was a great enemy, mad. Daemon tried to dissuade Iris without any success, and against her will, she introduced herself to Heracles inciting him to kill his wife and his own children.

By her attributes, she was related to a group of Daemones: Mania, madness, Coalemos, stupidity, and Anoia, dementia. Its Roman equivalent was called Ira or Furor. Sometimes they also appeared in groups, such as the Irae and the Furores.