Lyssa
| Lyssa | |
|---|---|
Goddess of rage and madness | |
Lyssa depicted as a winged figure, surrounded by a nimbus and wielding a goad. Apulian red-figure kalyx-krater, c. 360–350 BC. | |
| Animals | Dog |
| Mount | Chariot |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | |
| Siblings | Thanatos, Hypnos, Erinyes, several more |
| Equivalents | |
| Roman | Ira, Rabies |
Lyssa (/ˈlɪsə/ LEE-sə; Ancient Greek: Λύσσα, romanized: Lússa, lit. 'rage, rabies'), also called Lytta (/ˈlɪtə/; Ancient Greek: Λύττα, romanized: Lútta) by the Athenians, is a minor goddess in Greek mythology, the spirit of rage, fury, and rabies in animals. She was closely related to the Maniae, the spirits of madness and insanity. Her Roman equivalent was variously named Ira, Furor, or Rabies. Sometimes she was multiplied into a host of Irae and Furores. In myth, Lyssa features in stories where she drives people insane to their doom.
The viral genus Lyssavirus, which includes the causative agent of rabies, was named after this goddess.