The Pallas family tree in Greek mythology is not a single, fixed lineage: the name Pallas (Πάλλας) belongs to at least four distinct figures, each with their own parentage and offspring. The most famous is Pallas, the Titan son of Crius and Eurybia, who is the father of Styx’s children and the grandfather of the goddess Nike; another Pallas is the Giant killed by Athena, and a third is the father of Athena herself in one local tradition.
Who Is Pallas in Greek Mythology?
The name Pallas appears across several independent myths, which can confuse readers because the same name is used for different characters. The most prominent figures are:
- Pallas the Titan – Son of Crius and Eurybia, brother of Astraeus and Perses. He married the Oceanid Styx and fathered Zelus (Rivalry), Nike (Victory), Kratos (Strength), and Bia (Force), according to Hesiod’s Theogony (lines 375–383).
- Pallas the Giant – One of the Gigantes, born from Gaia. In the Gigantomachy, Athena flayed him and used his skin as a shield or aegis (Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1.6.2).
- Pallas, father of Athena – In a local Arcadian or Libyan tradition, Pallas was a winged giant or a goat- or snake-like figure who tried to assault Athena; she killed him and took his name, becoming “Pallas Athena.” This version is recorded by Cicero (De Natura Deorum 3.23) and later mythographers.
- Pallas, son of Evander – A mortal youth in Virgil’s Aeneid, son of the Arcadian king Evander, who fought alongside Aeneas and was killed by Turnus. This Pallas is unrelated to the divine figures but appears in Roman epic.
Because the name was common, ancient sources sometimes conflated these characters, but the Titan and the Giant are the two most relevant to the “Pallas family tree” as usually understood.
The Titan Pallas: Parentage and Siblings
Pallas the Titan belongs to the second generation of Titans, the children of the first-generation Titans Crius and Eurybia. Hesiod’s Theogony gives the following lineage:
- Parents: Crius (son of Uranus and Gaia) and Eurybia (daughter of Pontus and Gaia).
- Siblings: Astraeus (father of the winds and stars) and Perses (father of Hecate).
- Spouse: Styx, the Oceanid goddess of the river Styx.
- Children: Zelus, Nike, Kratos, and Bia.
This makes Pallas a brother-in-law to Eos (Astraeus’s wife) and an uncle to the Anemoi (winds) and the stars. His children, especially Nike and Kratos, became Zeus’s constant companions after the Titanomachy, as they fought on his side.
Pallas’s Children: Nike, Kratos, Bia, and Zelus
Pallas’s four children are personifications of abstract concepts, and they play a specific role in Greek myth: they are the enforcers of Zeus’s will.
- Nike (Victory) – Often depicted with wings, she became a symbol of triumph and was closely associated with Athena. The famous statue of Nike of Samothrace is a later artistic representation, not a myth itself.
- Kratos (Strength) – Appears in Aeschylus’s Prometheus Bound as one of the enforcers who chains Prometheus to the rock.
- Bia (Force) – Similarly appears in Aeschylus, personifying violent force.
- Zelus (Rivalry/Zeal) – The personification of emulation or rivalry, often mentioned only in genealogical lists.
In Hesiod, these four are said to have “no home apart from Zeus” and to live always with him, which is why they are rarely given individual myths.
Pallas the Giant and Athena’s Aegis
The Giant Pallas is a different character. In the Gigantomachy, the battle between the Olympian gods and the Giants, Pallas was one of the Giants who fought against the gods. According to Apollodorus, Athena killed him, flayed his skin, and used it to cover her shield (the aegis). This act is often confused with the story of the Titan Pallas, but the Giant is clearly a separate figure. Some later writers, including the Byzantine poet John Tzetzes, said that Pallas was the father of Athena in a Libyan tradition, but this is a marginal variant.
Pallas as Athena’s Father (Local Variants)
In one unusual tradition, Pallas is named as the father of Athena. This appears in Cicero’s De Natura Deorum, where he reports that “Pallas, who is said to have been the father of Athena” is one of several possible parentages. This Pallas is described as a winged being or a giant, and in some versions he is the one who attempted to rape Athena, leading her to kill him and adopt his name. This myth is not in the mainstream Homeric or Hesiodic tradition, where Athena is born from Zeus’s head, but it reflects local cultic variations, especially in Arcadia and Libya.
Pallas in Roman Myth: Son of Evander
In Roman literature, Pallas is a mortal prince, the son of Evander, an Arcadian exile who settled on the site of future Rome. In Virgil’s Aeneid, Pallas is a young warrior who accompanies Aeneas to Italy and is killed by Turnus, the Rutulian leader. This death is a major plot point: Aeneas’s grief over Pallas drives him to kill Turnus at the end of the epic. This Pallas has no divine family tree, but his name is often included in discussions because it is the same name.
Common Confusions and Misconceptions
Readers often mix up the Titan and the Giant, or assume that all Pallas figures are the same. A few clarifications:
- Pallas and Athena’s name: Athena is often called “Pallas Athena,” but this does not mean she is the daughter of Pallas in the standard myth. The epithet likely means “maiden” or comes from the Giant story.
- Pallas and the Gigantomachy: The Titan Pallas was not a Giant; he fought for Zeus, not against him.
- Pallas and the Palladium: The Palladium was a wooden statue of Athena, not a statue of Pallas. The name is related but distinct.
- Pallas in the Iliad: Homer uses “Pallas” as an epithet for Athena, but he does not mention any character named Pallas as her father.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pallas the father of Athena?
In the standard Greek myth, no. Athena’s father is Zeus, and she was born from his head. However, a local variant recorded by Cicero and others says that Pallas was her father in a Libyan or Arcadian tradition, but this is not the mainstream version.
Who are Pallas’s children?
The Titan Pallas fathered four children with Styx: Nike (Victory), Kratos (Strength), Bia (Force), and Zelus (Rivalry). These are the only children attributed to him in Hesiod’s Theogony.
What is the difference between Pallas the Titan and Pallas the Giant?
The Titan was a son of Crius and Eurybia, an ally of Zeus. The Giant was a son of Gaia, born to overthrow the gods. Athena killed the Giant and used his skin for her shield.
Why is Athena called “Pallas Athena”?
The epithet “Pallas” is usually explained as either meaning “maiden” (from the Greek word pallax) or as a reference to the Giant Pallas she killed. The exact origin is uncertain, but it does not indicate a father-daughter relationship in the main tradition.
Is Pallas a god or a mortal?
There are both. The Titan and the Giant are divine beings, while Pallas, son of Evander, is a mortal prince in Roman myth. The name was common, so context matters.
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