EREBUS (Erebos) - Greek Primordial God of Darkness Translation Darkness (erebos) EREBOS (Erebus) was the primordial god (protogenos) of darkness and the consort of Nyx (Night). His dark mists encircled the world and filled the deep hollows of the earth. In the evening, Erebos' wife Nyx drew Erebos' darkness across the sky bringing night and his daughter Hemera scattered it at dawn bringing day--the first obscuring Aither (Aether), the heavenly light of the ether, the second revealing it. In the ancient cosmogonies the heavenly ether (aither) and the dark mists of the netherworld (erebos) were regarded as the sources of day and light rather than the sun. The name Erebos was also used as a synonym for the netherworld realm of Haides.

FAMILY OF EREBUS [2.1] KHRONOS & ANANKE (Orphic Fragment 54) OFFSPRING PROTOGENOI [1.1] AITHER , HEMERA (by Nyx ) (Hesiod Theogony 124, Cicero De Natura Deum 3.17) [1.2] AITHER (Aristophanes Birds 1189) [1.4] AITHER , HEMERA , EROS (by Nyx ) (Cicero De Natura Deorum 3.17) OFFSPRING DAIMONES [1.2] EROS (AMOR) , DOLOS (DOLUS) , DEIMOS (METUS) , PONOS (LABOR) , NEMESIS (INVIDENTIA) , MOROS (FATUM) , GERAS (SENECTUS) , THANATOS (MORS) , KERES (TENEBRAE) , OIZYS (MISERIA) , MOMOS (QUERELLA) , PHILOTES (GRATIA) , APATE (FRAUS) , ?

(OBSTINACIA), THE MOIRAI (PARCAE) , THE HESPERIDES , THE ONEIROI (SOMNAI) (by Nyx ) (Cicero De Natura Deorum 3.17) ENCYCLOPEDIA E′REBOS (Erebos), a son of Chaos, begot Aether and Hemera by Nyx, his sister. (Hesiod. Theog. 123.) Hyginus (Fab. p. 1) and Cicero (de Nat. Deor. iii. 17) enumerate many personifications of abstract notions as the offspring of Erebos. The name signifies darkness, and is therefore applied also to the dark and gloomy space under the earth, through which the shades pass into Hades. (Hom. Il. viii. p. 368.) Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. ALTERNATE NAMES EREBUS & THE BIRTH OF THE COSMOS I. THE COSMOGONY OF HESIOD Hesiod, Theogony 115 ff (trans.

Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) : "Verily at first Khaos (Chaos, the Gap) [Air] came to be, but next wide-bosomed Gaia (Gaea, Earth) . . . and dim Tartaros (the Pit) in the depth of the wide-pathed Earth, and Eros (Love), fairest among the deathless gods, who unnerves the limbs and overcomes the mind and wise counsels of all gods and all men within them. From Khaos (Chaos) [Air] came forth Erebos (Erebus, Darkness) and black Nyx (Night); but of Nyx (Night) were born (Aether, Bright Upper Air) and Hemera (Day), whom she conceived and bore from union in love with Erebos. And Gaia (Gaea, Earth) first bore starry Ouranos (Uranus, Heaven), equal to herself, to cover her on every side." Pseudo-Hyginus, Preface (trans.

Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "From Caligine (Mist) [was born] : Chaos. From Chaos [was born]: Nox (Night) [Nyx], Dies (Day) [Hemera], Erebus, Aether." Cicero, De Natura Deorum 3. 17 (trans. Rackham) (Roman rhetorician C1st B.C.) : "The parents of Caelus (Sky) [Ouranos (Uranus)], Aether (Upper Air) and Dies (Day) [Hemera] . . . fabled to be the children of Erebus (Darkness) and Nox (Night) [Nyx]." II. THE COSMOGONY OF ALCMAN Alcman, Fragment 5 (from Scholia) (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric II) (Greek lyric C7th B.C.) : "‘[First came] Thetis (Creation). After that, ancient Poros (Contriver) [perhaps Khronos (Chronos)] and Tekmor (Tecmor, Ordinance) [perhaps Ananke]’ : Tekmor came into being after Poros . .

. thereupon . . . called him Poros (Contriver) since the beginning provided all things; for when the matter began to be set in order, a certain Poros came into being as a beginning. So Alkman (Alcman) represents the matter of all things as confused and unformed. Then he says that one came into being who set all things in order, then that Poros came into being, and that when Poros had passed by Tekmor followed. And Poros is as a beginning, Tekmor like an end. When Thetis (Creation) had come into being, a beginning and end of all things came into being simultaneously, and all things have their nature resembling the matter of bronze, while Thetis has hers resembling that of a craftsman, Poros and Tekmor resembling a beginning and the end. He uses the word ancient for old. ‘And the third, Skotos' (Scotus, Darkness) [Erebos]’ : since neither sun nor moorn had come into being yet, but matter was still undifferentiated. So at the same moment there came into being Poros and Tekmor and Skotos.

‘Amar (Day) [Hemera] and Melana (Moon) [Selene] and third, Skotos (Darkness) as far as Marmarugas (Flashings)’ : days does not mean simply day, but contains the idea of the sun. Previously there was only darkness, and afterwards, when it had been differentiated, light came into being." III. THE ORPHIC COSMOGONY Aristophanes, Birds 685 ff (trans. O'Neill) (Greek comedy C5th to 4th B.C.) : "At the beginning there was only Khaos (Chaos, the Chasm) [Air], Nyx (Night), dark Erebos (Darkness), and deep Tartaros (the Pit). Ge (Gaea, Earth), Aer (Air) [probably Aither] and Ouranos (Uranus, Heaven) had no existence.

Firstly, black-winged Nyx (Night) laid a germless egg in the bosom of the infinite deeps of Erebos (Darkness), and from this, after the revolution of long ages, sprang the graceful Eros [the primordial Eros]." Aristophanes, Birds 1189 ff : "Aer (Air) [i.e. Aither], the son of Erebos (Erebus), in which the clouds float." Orphica, Theogonies Fragment 54 (from Damascius) (trans. West) (Greek hymns C3rd - C2nd B.C.) : "Originally there was Hydros (Water), he [Orpheus] says, and Mud, from which Ge (Gaea, the Earth) solidified : he posits these two as first principles, water and earth . . . The one before the two [Thesis, Creation], however, he leaves unexpressed, his very silence being anintimation of its ineffable nature.

The third principle [Khronos (Chronos), Time] after the two was engendered by these--Ge (Earth) and Hydros (Water), that is--and was a Serpent (Drakon) with extra heads growing upon it of a bull and a lion, and a god's countenance in the middle; it had wings upon its shoulders, and its name was Khronos (Chronos, Unaging Time) and also Herakles (Heracles). United with it was Ananke (Inevitability, Compulsion), being of the same nature, or Adrastea, incorporeal, her arms extended throughout the universe and touching its extremities. I think this stands for the third principle, occuping the place of essence, only he [Orpheus] made it bisexual [as Phanes] to symbolize the universal generative cause.

And I assume that the theology of the [Orphic] Rhapsodies discarded the two first principles (together with the one before the two, that was left unspoken) [i.e., the Orphics discarded the concepts of Thesis, Khronos and Ananke], and began from this third principle [Phanes] after the two, because this was the first that was expressible and acceptable to human ears. For this is the great Khronos (Unaging Time) that we found in it [the Rhapsodies], the father of Aither (Aether, Light) [upper air] and Khaos (Chaos, the Chasm) [lower air]. Indeed, in this theology too [the Hieronyman Rhapsodies], this Khronos (Time), the serpent has offspring, three in number : moist Aither (Aether, Light)--I quote--, unbounded Khaos (Chaos), and as a third, misty Erebos (Darkness) . . .

Among these, he says, Khronos (Chronos, Time) generated an egg--this tradition too making it generated by Khronos, and born ‘among’ these because it is from these that the third Intelligible triad is produced [Protogonos-Phanes]. What is this triad, then? The egg; the dyad of the two natures inside it--male and female--[Ouranos (Uranus) and Gaia (Gaea), Heaven and Earth], and the plurality of the various seeds between; and thirdly an incorporeal god [Phanes] with golden wings on his shoulders, bulls' heads growing upon his flanks, and on his head a monstrous serpent, presenting the appearance of all kinds of animal forms." EREBUS FATHER OF DAEMONES (DAIMONES) Pseudo-Hyginus, Preface (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "From Chaos and Caligine [were born] : Nox (Night) [Nyx], Dies (Day) [Hemera], Erebus, Aether.

From Nox (Night) [Nyx] and Erebus [were born]: Fatum (Fate) [Ker], Senectus (Old Age) [Geras], Mors (Death) [Thanatos], Letum (Dissolution) [Moros], Continentia (Continence), Somnus (Sleep) [Hypnos], Somnia (Dreams) [Oneiroi], Amor [Eros]--that is Lysimeles, Epiphron, Porphyrion, Epaphus, Discordia (Discord), Miseria (Wretchedness), Petulantia (Wantonness), Nemesis, Euphrosyne, Amicitia (Friendship) [Philotes], Misericordia (Compassion), Styx; the three Parcae (Fates) [Moirai], namely Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos; the Hesperides Aegle, Hesperie and Aerica." Cicero, De Natura Deorum 3. 17 (trans.

Rackham) (Roman rhetorician C1st B.C.) : "[If Ouranos (Uranus) is a god then] the parents of Caelus [Ouranos], Aether (Upper Air) and Dies (Day) [Hemera], must be held to be gods, and their brothers and sisters, whom the ancient genealogists name Amor (Love) [Eros], Dolus (Guile) [Apate], Metus (Fear) [Phobos], Labor (Toil) [Ponos], Invidentia (Envy) [Nemesis], Fatum (Fate) [Moros], Senectus (Old Age) [Geras], Mors (Death) [Thanatos], Tenebrae (Darkness) [Keres], Miseria (Misery) [Oizys], Querella (Criticism) [Momos], Gratia (Friendship) [Philotes], Fraus (Fraud) [Apate], Pertinacia (Obstinacy), the Parcae (Fates) [the Moirai], the Hesperides, the Somnia (Dreams) [the Oneiroi] : all of these

 are fabled to be the children of Erebus (Darkness) and Nox (Night) [Nyx].

Either therefore you must accept these monstrosities or you must discard the first claimants also." [N.B. The Greek equivalents of the Roman names have been added to the following text in square brackets. Cicero's list mostly follows Hesiod's Theogony, albeit with Latin translations of the word-names]. EREBUS THE UNDERWORLD Hesiod, Theogony 514 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) : "Zeus struck him [the Titan Menoitios (Menoetius)] with a lurid thunderbolt and sent him down to Erebos (Erebus)." Hesiod, Theogony 669 ff : "[The Hekatonkheires (Hecatoncheires)] whom Zeus brought up to the light from Erebos (Erebus) beneath the earth." Homeric Hymn 2 to Demeter 408 (trans.

Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th or 6th B.C.) : "[Hermes came] bidding me [Persephone] come back from Erebos (Erebus)." Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 12. 417 ff (trans. Way) (Greek epic C4th A.D.) : "Rose Eos (the dawn), and thrust back kindly Nyx (Night) to Erebos (Erebus)." Ovid, Metamorphoses 10. 403 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : "She [the witch Kirke (Circe)] . . .

out of Erebos (Darkness) and Chaos (Gloomy Air) called Nox (Night) [Nyx] and the Gods of Night (Di Nocti) and poured a prayer with long-drawn wailing cries to Hecate." SOURCES CHAOS (Khaos) - Greek Primordial Goddess of the Chasm of Air Translation Gap, Chasm (khaos) KHAOS (Chaos) was the first of the primordial gods (protogenoi) to emerge at the dawn of creation. She was followed in quick succession by Gaia (Gaea, Earth), Tartaros (the Pit Below) and Eros (Procreation). Khaos was the lower atmosphere which surrounds the earth--both the invisible air and the gloom of fog and mist. The word khaos means "gap" or "chasm" being the space between heaven and earth.

Khaos was the mother and grandmother of the other misty essences--Erebos (the mists of netherworld darkness), Aither (the ethereal mists of heaven), Nyx (the night) and Hemera (the day), as well as the numerous emotion-driving Daimones (Spirits) which haunted it. She was also a goddess of fate like her daughter Nyx and grand-daughters the Moirai (Moirae). As the goddess of the air Khaos was also the mother of birds, just as Gaia (the Earth) was the mother of land animals, and Thalassa (the Sea) was the mother of fish. Late classical authors redefined Khaos as the chaotic mix of elements which existed in the primordial universe, conflating it with the primal "Mud" of the Orphic cosmogony. The modern English word "chaos" derives from this.

FAMILY OF CHAOS [1.1] NONE (the first being to emerge at creation) (Hesiod Theogony 116) [2.1] KHRONOS & ANANKE (Orphic Argonautica 12, Orphic Fragment 54) [2.2] KHRONOS (Orphic Rhapsodies 66) OFFSPRING [2.1] THE MOIRAI (Quintus Smyrnaeus 3.755) [3.1] EROS (Oppian Halieutica 4.10) [4.1] THE BIRDS (by Eros ) (Aristophanes Birds 685) N.B. According to Hesiod's Theogony Gaia, Tartaros and Eros came into being after Khaos. This passage is sometimes misread, making them her offspring. ENCYCLOPEDIA CHAOS (Chaos), the vacant and infinite space which existed according to the ancient cosmogonies previous to the creation of the world (Hes. Theog. 116), and out of which the gods, men, and all things arose.

A different definition of Chaos is given by Ovid (Met. i. 1, &c.), who describes it as the confused mass containing the elements of all things that were formed out of it. According to Hesiod, Chaos was the mother of Erebos and Nyx. Some of the later poets use the word Chaos in the general sense of the airy realms, of darkness, or the lower world. Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. ALTERNATE NAMES CHAOS & THE BIRTH OF THE COSMOS Hesiod, Theogony 116 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or 7th B.C.) : "Verily at the first Khaos (Chaos, the Chasm) [Air] came to be, but next wide-bosomed Gaia (Gaea, Earth), the ever-sure foundations of all the deathless ones who hold the peaks of snowy Olympos . . .

From Khaos (Chaos) came forth Erebos (Darkness) and black Nyx (Night)." Alcman, Fragment 1 (from Scholiast on Aristophanes the Birds 14) (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric II) (C7th B.C.) : "He [Alcman] has identified Poros (the Contriver) with the god called Khaos (Chaos) by Hesiod." Alcman, Fragment 1 : "Aisa (Aesa, Fate) and Poros (the Contriver) [Poros is Khaos (Chaos), see quote above], those ancient ones, conquered them all [i.e. they were killed in battle]." Callimachus, Aetia Fragment 2 (trans. Trypanis) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.) : "When the bevy of Mousai (Muses) met the shepherd Hesiod . . . they told him of the birth of Khaos (Chaos)." Aristophanes, Birds 685 ff (trans.

O'Neill) (Greek comedy C5th to 4th B.C.) : "At the beginning there was only Khaos (Chaos, the Chasm) [Air], Nyx (Night), dark Erebos (Darkness), and deep Tartaros (the Pit). Ge (Gaea, Earth), Aer (Air) [Aither] and Ouranos (Uranus, Heaven) had no existence. Firstly, black-winged Nyx (Night) laid a germless egg in the bosom of the infinite deeps of Erebos (Darkness), and from this, after the revolution of long ages, sprang the graceful Eros (Desire) with his glittering golden wings, swift as the whirlwinds of the tempest. He mated [or fertilised] in deep Tartaros (the Pit) with dark Khaos (Chaos, the Chasm) [Air], winged like himself, and thus hatched forth our race [the birds], which was the first to see the light." Orphic Rhapsodies 66 (fragments) (trans.

West) (Greek hymns C3rd - C2nd B.C.) : "This Khronos (Chronos, Unaging Time), of immortal resource, begot Aither (Aether, Light) [upper air] and great Khaos (Chaos, the Chasm) [lower air], vast this way and that, no limit below it, no base, no place to settle. Then great Khronos fashioned from (or in) divine Aither (Aether) a bright white egg [from which Phanes was born]." Orphic Fragment 54 (from Damascius) : "United with it [Khronos (Chronos), Time] was Ananke (Inevitability), being of the same nature, or Adrastea, incorporeal . . . this is the great Khronos (Unaging Time) that we found in it [the Rhapsodies], the father of Aither (Aether) [upper air] and Khaos (Chaos, the Chasm) [lower air].

Indeed, in this theology too [the Hieronyman Rhapsodies], this Khronos (Time), the serpent has offspring, three in number : moist Aither (Light)--I quote--, unbounded Khaos (Chaos) [Air], and as a third, misty Erebos (Darkness) . . . Among these, he says, Khronos (Time) generated an egg [containing the mix of solid matter--earth, sea and sky]." Orphica, Epicuras Fragment (from Epiphanius) : "And he [Epicurus] says that the world began in the likeness of an egg, and the Wind [the entwined forms of Khronos (Chronos, Time) and Ananke (Inevitability)] encircling the egg serpent-fashion like a wreath or a belt then began to constrict nature.

As it tried to squeeze all the matter with greater force, it divided the world into the two hemispheres, and after that the atoms sorted themselves out, the lighter and finer ones in the universe floating above and becoming the Bright Air [Aither (Aether)] and the most rarefied Wind [probably Khaos (Chaos, Air)], while the heaviest and dirtiest have veered down, become the Earth (Ge) [Gaia], both the dry land and the fluid waters [Pontos the Sea]." Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 3. 755 (trans. Way) (Greek epic C4th A.D.) : "The Moirai (Moirae, Fates), daughters of holy Khaeos (Chaos)." Pseudo-Hyginus, Preface (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "From Caligine (Mist) [was born] Chaos; from Chaos [was born]: Nox (Night) [Nyx], Dies (Day) [Hemera], Erebus, Aether." Virgil, Georgics 4. 345 ff (trans.

Fairclough) (Roman bucolic C1st B.C.) : "Among these [the nymphs] Clymene . . . from Chaos on was rehearsing the countless loves of the gods." Oppian, Halieutica 4. 10 (trans. Mair) (Greek poet C3rd A.D.) : "Thou [primordial Eros] art the eldest-born among the blessed gods and from unsmiling Khaeos (Chaos) didst arise with fierce and flaming torch and didst first establish the ordinances of wedded love and order the rites of the marriage-bed." CHAOS THE LOWER AIR Khaos (Chaos) was the earth-bound lower air. Its heavenly counterpart was the shining aither, and beneath and around the edges of earth lay the dark mists of erebos. Hesiod, Theogony 699 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or 7th B.C.) : "[The War of the Titanes (Titans) :] [Zeus] came forthwith, hurling his lightning . . .

flame unspeakable rose to the bright upper air: the flashing glare of the thunder--stone and lightning blinded their eyes for all that there were strong. Astounding heat seized Khaos (the Chasm) [the Air] : and to see with eyes and to hear the sound with ears it seemed even as if Gaia (Gaea, Earth) and wide Ouranos (Uranus, Heaven) above came together." Hesiod, Theogony 813 : "And beyond, away from all the gods, live the Titanes (Titans), beyond gloomy Khaos (Chaos) [Air]." Ibycus, Fragment S223B (from Scholast on Aristophanes, Birds) (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric III) (Greek lyric C6th B.C.) : "He uses khaos (void) instead of aeros (air) here, as does Ibykos (Ibycus) : ‘he flies in the alien void (khaos).’" Bacchylides, Fragment 5 (trans. Campbell, Vol.

Greek Lyric IV) (C5th B.C.) : "In the limitless void (khaos) he [the eagle] plies his fine-feathered plumage before the blasts of the west wind." Aristophanes, Clouds 264 ff (trans. O'Neill) (Greek comedy C5th to 4th B.C.) : "[Comedy-Play :] Sokrates (Socrates) : Give heed to the prayers. (In an hierophantic tone) Oh! most mighty king, the boundless Aer (Air) [Aristophanes names air both Aer and Khaos], that keepest the earth suspended in space, thou bright Aither (Aether, Upper Air) and ye venerable goddesses, the Nephelai (Nephelae, Clouds)." Aristophanes, Clouds 627 : "[Comedy-play :] By Anapnoe (Respiration), by Khaos (Chaos, Void), by Aer (Air) [i.e. three names for the same entity]." Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 2. 549 ff (trans.

Way) (Greek epic C4th A.D.) : "[Eos the Dawn grieving her son Memnon declares that she will no longer rise :] ‘I will to blind night leave earth, sky, and sea, till Khaeos (Chaos) and formless darkness brood o'er all.’" Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy 14. 1 : "Then rose from Okeanos (Oceanus) Eos (the Dawn) the golden-throned up to the heavens; Nyx (the Night) into Khaos (Chaos) sank." Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica 4. 104 (trans. Mozley) (Roman epic C1st A.D.) : "Orion fell by the cruel virgin's [Artemis'] shaft and now fills Chaos [i.e. the air, Orion is a constellation]." Statius, Thebaid 3. 483 ff (trans.

Mozley) (Roman epic C1st A.D.) : "Mysterious is the cause, yet of old has this honour [of prophetic omen] been paid to the birds, whether the Founder of the heavenly bode thus ordained, when he wrought the vast expanse of Chaos into the fresh seeds of things." Nonnus, Dionysiaca 41. 82 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) : "Before all Khthon (Chthon, Earth) [Gaia], milling out from Helios (the Sun) the shine of his newmade brightness upon her all-mothering breast . . . Beroe first shook away the cone of darkling mist, and threw off the gloomy veil of Khaos (Chaos) [Air]." Suidas s.v. Khaos (trans.

Suda On Line) (Byzantine Greek lexicon C10th A.D.) : "Khaos (Chaos, Space) : Also the air (aer), according to Aristophanes in the Birds : ‘You shall not grant passage to the smell of the (burning sacificial) thighs through your foreign city and the space (khaos).’ Also ‘even Zeus is older than Khaos,’ in the very ancient writers. And Ibykos (Ibycus) (writes): ‘he flies about in someone else's space (khaos).' And again: 'He fools around and spouts nonsense at us in vain, that even Zeus lived earlier than khaos.’" CHAOS THE GLOOM OF THE NETHERWORLD Khaos (Chaos) was sometimes equated with Erebos, the darkness of the underworld. Ovid, Metamorphoses 10. 30 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C.

to C1st A.D.) : "[Orpheus peititions the gods of the underworld to return his Eurydike (Eurydice) :] By these regions [the Underworld] filled with fear, by this huge Chaos, these vast silent realms, reweave, I implore, the fate unwound too fast of my Eurydice." Ovid, Metamorphoses 10. 403 ff : "She [the witch Kirke (Circe)] . . . out of Erebos (Darkness) and Chaos (Gloomy Air) called Nox (Night) [Nyx] and the Gods of Night (Di Nocti) and poured a prayer with long-drawn wailing cries to Hecate." Seneca, Hercules Furens 1100 ff (trans. Miller) (Roman tragedy C1st A.D.) : "Let the heavens hear his mighty groans, let the queen of the dark world [Persephone] hear . . . let Chaos re-echo the outcries of his grief." Seneca, Medea 9 : "Thou chaos of endless night [i.e.

the underworld], ye realms remote from heaven, ye unhallowed ghosts, thou lord [Haides] of the realm of gloom." Seneca, Medea 740 : "Funereal gods, murky Chaos and shadowy Dis' [Haides'] dark dwelling-place, the abysses of dismal Mors (Death) [Thanatos], girt by the banks of Tartarus." Seneca, Oedipus 570 ff : "[The seer Teiresias (Tiresias) performs necromancy :] The whole place was shaken and the ground was stricken from below . . . blind Chaos is burst open, and for the tribes of Dis [Haides] a way is given to the upper world." Seneca, Phaedra 1238 : "Yawn, earth; take me, dire Chaos, take me; this way to the shades is more fitting for me--my son I follow." CHAOS THE PRIMORDIAL MIX OF ELEMENTS Khaos (Chaos) was later identified with the primordial mix of elements--earth, water, fire and earth--described in the Orphic Theogonies as the primal "Mud".

Ovid, Metamorphoses 1. 1 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : "Ere land and sea and the all-covering sky were made, in the whole world the countenance of nature was the same, all one, well named Chaos, a raw and undivided mass, naught but a lifeless bulk, with warring seeds of ill-joined elements compressed together. No Titan [Helios the Sun] as yet poured light upon the world, no waxing Phoebe [Selene the Moon] her crescent filled anew, nor in the ambient air yet hung the earth, self-balanced, equipoised, nor Amphitrite's [the Sea's] arms embraced the long far margin of the land. Though there were land and sea and air, the land no foot could tread, no creature swim the sea, the air was lightless; nothing kept its form, all objects were at odds, since in one mass cold essence fought with hot, and moist with dry, and hard with soft and light with things of weight.

This strife a God (Deus) [perhaps Khronos (Chronos) or the primordial Eros], with nature's blessing, solved; who severed land from sky and sea from land, and from the denser vapours set apart the ethereal sky; and, each from the blind heap resolved and freed, he fastened in its place appropriate in peace and harmony. The fiery weightless force of heaven's vault flashed up and claimed the topmost citadel; next came the air in lightness and in place; the thicker earth with grosser elements sank burdened by its weight; lowest and last the girdling waters pent the solid globe. So into shape whatever god it was reduced the primal matter and prescribed its several parts. Then first, to make the earth even on every side, he rounded it into a mighty disc, then bade the sea extend and rise under the rushing winds, and gird the shores of the encircled earth." SOURCES Chaos Chaos See More Chaos Pictures > Chaos was, according to Greek mythology, the origin of everything, and the first thing that ever existed. It was the primordial void, the source out of which everything was created, including the universe and the gods.

The first primordial deities that emerged out of Chaos were Gaea (earth), Tartarus (underworld) and Eros (love), while later Erebus (darkness) and Nyx (night) also popped out. According to Hesiod, Chaos was also a place, much like Tartarus and the Heavens later, beyond which the Titans lived. Chaos Is also called Chaos, Haos, Khaos, Arche. Chaos - The Creation of the World in Greek Mythology Chaos Sounds Chaos, the primeval state of existence According to the Hesiod's Theogony (around 700 BC), in the beginning there was Chaos as a primeval state of existence. Chaos was the primal emptiness- a dark, silent, formless and infinite oddity with no trace of life. Out of Chaos, Mother Earth Gaea first came to existence. Full of life and power, Gaea created high mountains, low lands, rivers, lakes and seas. Soon Chaos created Tartarus, the embodiment of the Underworld who built his home deep below the World of Gaea. Gaea and Tartarus united and created Typhoeus (Typhoon), an appalling, fire breathing dragon with hundred heads.

Then, love appeared out of Chaos, in the form of Eros. Eros was the most handsome of all greek gods and invincible by nature. Chaos also gave birth to Erebus, the symbolization of the dark silence, and Nyx , the embodiment of the night. With the intervention of Eros, Erebus and Nyx united and Nyx created Aether (the Atmosphere) and Hemera (the Day). Erebus *** Erebus and Tartarus In ancient Greek mythology and literature the name Erebus was also used to refer to a region of the Underworld where the dead had to pass immediately after dying, and is sometimes used interchangeably with the region more commonly known as Tartarus. The word Erebus is defined as a "place of darkness between Earth and Hades". Erebus, the dark god of Night and Shadows Who was Erebus? He was one of the primeval gods who was born out of Chaos, a casual deity who ruled over confusion in the void of emptiness. At the beginning of time there was only Chaos (Air), Nyx (Night) and Erebus (Darkness). Erebus took Nyx as his consort and became one of the first of the Immortals .

Erebus was believed to have reigned in the mysterious, gloomy Underworld where no ray of sunshine, gleam of daylight or anything healthy lived. He created the shadows that filled the deep hollows of the earth. According to ancient Greek mythology Erebus and Nyx inhabited a palace in the dark regions of the Underworld. He is represented in ancient Greek art in a form similar to that of the later god, Hades. The Children of Erebus The children of Erebus and Nyx were Aether and his sister Hemera who brought light and day. Their many offspring also included some of the dark gods and goddesses of the Underworld including Doom (Moros), Old Age (Geras), Divine Retribution (Nemesis), Death and Sleep (Thanatos and Hypnos), Strife (Eris), Charon , the Fates, the Keres and other personifications.

Erebus and the Dynasties of Greek Gods According to mythology, Erebus and the Ancient Greek gods and goddesses consisted of three major dynasties from different generations: The First generation of Ancient Greek Gods were the Primordial deities, to which Erebus belonged The Primordial, or Primeval, gods were those that existed at or from the beginning of time and resided within the region of the universe known as the Elemental Chaos The Second generation were the Titans The Third generation of were the famous Olympian gods Erebus Family Tree The god Erebus was worshipped as the great god of darkness and shadows and was the consort of Nyx. Erebus supplanted Chaos and to become the most powerful of the primordial gods. Erebus and Nyx created Aether and Hemera and many dark gods and goddesses of the Underworld. Aether and Hemera eventually supplanted Erebus and Nyx. Each dynasty of Greek Gods overthrew the previous generation. The following Ancient Gods Family Tree details and clarifies the relationship between Erebus and the first primordial generations of gods and goddesses.

The Children of Erebus - Family Tree and Genealogy Erebus, the dark god of darkness and shadows was the father of many of the Gods of death and darkness.

The children and genealogy of Erebus and Nyx are detailed in the following family tree: Erebus and Nyx Family Tree and Genealogy The Children of Erebus, the god of darkness and shadows Short descriptions of the children of Erebus and his consort Nyx are detailed below, for comprehensive information about these deities refer to the Greek Gods section: Nemesis was the goddess of revenge awarding to each individual the fate which his actions deserve Charon the Ferryman was the grim old boatman who ferried souls across the River Styx to the Underworld Hecate was the goddess of witchcraft, spectres and was called the the ï¿½Queen of Ghostsï¿½ Hypnos was the God of sleep who brought nightmares Eris was the goddess of quarrels, feuds and disagreements Oizys personified distress, worry and anxiety Momus, the twin of Oizys and the evil-spirited god of blame and unfair criticism Geras personified loathsome old age Lyssa was the goddess of mad rage and frenzy Epiphron was the god of caution and frugality Morpheus was a a winged daemon, the god of dreams and father of the Oneiroi, the gods of dreams Moros was

 the god of impending doom Thanatos was a god of Death who was hated as the enemy of mankind, whose hard heart knew no pity The Family of Erebus - Greek Gods Family Tree and Genealogy The family members and genealogy of this primordial god can be established via the Greek gods family tree, providing an overview of the relationships between Erebus and the principle Greek gods and goddesses.

The Greek Gods Family Tree Erebus Interesting information and Facts about the Greek god Erebus, the Greek god of darkness and shadows Stories and Legends in Greek Mythology associated with the ancient Greek god Erebus Facts and information about the Gods and Deities of the Ancient World for schools and kids Greek god of darkness & shadows Greek God Chaos [ ? ]Subscribe To This Site Greek God Chaos The Greek god Chaos (also spelled Khaos) was, in fact, a personification of the void, of the empty space In his Theogony, Hesiod says: "In truth at first Chaos came to be...". For him, Chaos was "a gaping chasm". It is not known whether it was created or it had always existed. Out of it all the gods, the men and the things arose. Immediately after Chaos, the "wide-bosomed Gaia" (Earth) appeared - we don't know whether she appeared by herself or was the offspring of Chaos. Hesiod also says that the children of Chaos are Erebus (the personification of darkness and shadow) and Nyx (the goddess of night).

It is Ovid, in his Metamorphoses, who calls Chaos "a rough, unordered, mass of things" and this is the meaning of the word "chaos" that we know today. It's clear then why we can't answer to the question: "How did the greek god Chaos look?" In this painting we can see a possible representation of the primordial Chaos: Greek World of Chaos *** Picture of Chaos The World of Chaos The word 'Chaos' came to mean the name of the first, primordial god and also as a term to describe the place of origin for the universe. Chaos, as the place of origin, existed when all things lay in a great confused mass. The Earth did not exist. The land, the sea, and air were all mixed up together so that the earth was not solid, the sea was not fluid, nor the air transparent. There was no sun or moon. The World of Chaos was a dark place of waste where cold, hot, moist and dry were all in conflict. The World of Chaos was a place of total confusion where light was heavy and soft was hard.

Chaos the Elemental Deity Over this shapeless mass reigned a careless deity called Chaos, whose personal appearance could not be described, as there was no light by which he could be seen. Chaos was a purely elemental being without a physical form. Chaos was the first god who formed the very fabric of the universe. He created Nyx, the goddess of the dark. From Nyx and Chaos came the first divinities who emerged self-formed at the beginning of the creation of Earth who would create 'Order out of Chaos'. Order out of Chaos - The Primordial Gods, the Immortals The primeval gods were the basic components of the universe which were emerged at the time of creation and helped to create 'Order out of Chaos'. These primeval gods were inseparable from their native elements. The first divinities who emerged from Chaos included the Darkness, Night, Light, Day, Earth, Air, Sea, Sky, Fresh Water, Underworld, Procreation and Time. The primordial gods are depicted as a place or a realm and had genders assigned to them. They were also described as a race of giants.

The most famous of these primeval gods, or Immortals , were: Chaos Nyx , the dark goddess of Night and wife of Chaos Erebus , son of Chaos and Nyx, darkness and the Underworld. He supplanted Chaos and married his mother Nyx Aether & Hemera : Erebos and Nyx had many children including Aether (Light) and Hemera (Day) who dethroned their parents, and seized the supreme power. Aether & Hemera created Eros, Tartarus, Ponus and Gaia Eros (male), procreation The primeval Eros is also referred to as Phanes which distinguishes him from the later god Eros who was the son of Aphrodite Pontus (male), the sea Tartarus (male), the abyss beneath the Underworld Gaia (female), the Earth Mother who created Uranus Uranus (male), the sky and the heavens Gaia and Uranus together became the parents of twelve gigantic children - the Titans. The giant race of Titans Order out of Chaos - The Titans The Titans were born from the union of Gaia with Uranus and were the first born of the immortals.

The names of the first generation of 12 Titans were: Male Titans: Oceanus, Hyperion, Coeus, Cronus, Crius and Iapetus Female Titanides: Mnemosyne, Tethys, Theia, Phoebe, Rhea and Themis Other primeval gods who brought order out of Chaos included Clymene (daughter of Oceanus), Hydros (water and mud), Nesoi (female, islands) and Ourea (Mountains). Cronus and Uranus Chaos and the Greek Gods Family Tree A 'family tree' of the Greek Gods and Goddesses explained 'who was who' and what relationships they had with each other. The Greek Family Tree shows Chaos as the originator of the Universe. The word 'Chaos' came to mean the name of the first, primordial god and also as a term to describe the place of origin for the universe. Mythical World of Chaos for kids We hope that you have enjoyed discovering interesting information and Chaos. A fast educational resource for homework help containing interesting facts about Chaos. Fascinating information to increase your knowledge about the World of Chaos and the Immortals.

Chaos Legends and mythology about the World of Chaos for kids Fast information and interesting about Chaos for kids Educational resource for teachers, homework help for children and kids Interesting mythical facts about primeval gods for kids Bringing order out of chaos

Question: In Greek mythology, who is the son of Chaos and the god of darkness?
Answer: Erebus