GRACES, THE, Greek goddesses of fertility. The name (cf. Venus) refers to the "pleasing" or "charming" appearance of a fertile field or garden. (Gr. XapLrEs, Lat. Gratiae.) The num ber varies; sometimes only one Charis is mentioned, but usually they are three, Aglaia (brightness), Euphrosyne (joyfulness), Thalia (bloom)—daughters of Zeus and Hera (or Eurynome, daughter of Oceanus), or of Helios and Aegle. At Sparta there were two, Kleta and Phaenna ; at Athens two, Auxo and Hege mone, associated with Agraulos in the ephetic oath. Frequently they are taken as goddesses of charm or beauty in general, hence as associated with Aphrodite, Peitho, Hermes; the union of Hephaestus with Charis in the Iliad is probably a mere allegory (Craftsmanship weds Beauty). In works of art they were repre sented in early times draped, later as nude female figures. In Latin the name was translated Gratiae (Graces).
See the articles in Roscher's Lexikon der Mythologie, and in Darem berg and Saglio's Dictionnaire des antiquites (with useful bibliography) .