In
Greek mythology,
Geras was the god of
old age. It was considered a virtue whereby the more geras a
man acquired, the more
kleos (fame) and
arete (excellence and courage) he was considered to have. According to
Hesiod, Geras was a son of
Nyx.
Hyginus adds that his father was
Erebus. He was depicted as a tiny shriveled-up old man. Geras's opposite was
Hebe, the goddess of youth. His
Roman equivalent was Senectus. He is known primarily from vase depictions that show him with the hero
Heracles; the mythic story that inspired these depictions has been entirely lost.