The Graces (Charites) were described as beautiful, young modest maidens, winning and charming, always dancing, singing, and running, or bathing in fountains decking themselves with roses, for the rose was sacred to them, as well as the goddess Aphrodite. By the aid of the Graces, all things that were pleasant and cheerful could come to mortals.

      They were sisters, but who their parents were is uncertain. There are several different opinions concerning their parentage. The first was that Zeus fathered them, and their mother was Eurynome, the Titaness who was once known as the goddess of all things. Another option could be that the parents were Helios, the sun god, and Aegle. The third option could be Dionysus and Aphrodite. The names of the three Graces were Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia. Aglaia represented Splendor and Festivity, Euphrosyne represented Cheerfulness and Merriment, and Thalia represented Bountifulness and Bloom.

ACTIVITIES:
Graces activity

KEY TEST WORDS: Incarnation of grace and beauty. Agalia was Splendor, Euphrosyne was Mirth, and Thalia was Good Cheer.

The Group Deities

The Underworld

Footnotes: In early times they were represented in art as draped figures, but in later times sparingly clothed, and occupied in dance. Their symbols were the rose, the myrtle, and dice, as a symbol of cheerful amusement. Other times they held apples or perfumed vases, or ears of corn, or musical instruments, such as the lyre, flute, and syrinx, the Panpipe.

SOURCES:
Jane Smith
Edith Hamilton's Mythology
Bulfinch's Mythology
"Manual of Mythology" by Alexander S. Murray.