Styx

Although she is often called The Oath River, Styx is actually an Okeanid, i.e. one of the three thousand daughters of Okeanos (Ocean) and Tethys.

The Okeanids and the Rivers are of the same parents but the Okeanids are said to be a “race apart” or a “holy company.”

Styx is also called The Hateful because she is the body of water in the Underworld over which the souls of the dead are ferried by Kharon (Charon) and by which the Immortals swear their most solemn oaths; when Zeus summoned the Immortals to help him defeat the Titans, Styx was the first to promise her aid and thus earned his eternal trust.

Zeus gave the Okeanids, Apollon and the Rivers the special obligation of having the young in their keeping.

For more detailed information on Styx I suggest that you consult the Immortals section of this site.

• Theogony, line 361
• Iliad, book 2, line 755 and book 8, line 369
• Odyssey, book 5, line 185 and book 10, line 514
• Histories, book 6, chapter 74