In Later Stories, He Was Described as a Location in Hades Jan Breughel the Younger, Aeneas and the Sybil in the Underworld, 1630s, image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum, New York This close, symbiotic relationship between Erebus and Hemera was seen by Greeks as the cornerstone of the universe, forming the basis of time, activity and eventually the seasons. He was said to create darkness with his mists or “veils of night”, and these would be burned off by Hemera every day to bring about the dawn. Another child of Erebus and Nyx was Hypnos (sleep), which he was closely associated with.Īlthough his association with darkness might make Erebus sound ominous, he was considered by ancient Greeks to be a non-threatening force existing harmoniously with light, as its founding father. Erebus was still there in waiting, reappearing to create night, or pockets of shadow during the day, and it is said he had his own lair in the far western edge of the world, where the sun set. Hemera pushed her parents away to the outer edges of the universe. Along with her brother Aether, Hemera spread the first light across the sky. Next, they birthed Hemera, the goddess of the day. Their first child was Aether, the god of light and air, who filled the space between the primordial gods Uranus (heaven) and Gaea (earth). Together, Erebus and Nyx made more primordial deities that came to found the universe. In the beginning of Greek mythology, Erebus wrapped the newly formed universe in complete darkness, before beginning to introduce elements of light, air and life.Įrebus and Nyx Had Several Children Who Breathed Life into the Universe Bertel Thorvaldsen, Nyx (Night), roundel, 1900, image courtesy of the V&A Museum, London In many myths, Erebus and Nyx were inseparable, complementing one another in their mysterious, shady activities. Erebus was the personification of deep darkness, where no light was allowed in. ![]() Primordial gods differed from the later Greek deities, as they had no human form, instead existing as a spiritual mass of swirling energy. ![]() Their brothers and sisters included Gaea (earth), Uranus (heaven), Tartarus (underworld) and Eros (love). These primordial gods were born in complementing pairs, and Erebus emerged at the same time as his sister Nyx, the goddess of night. ![]() Erebus Is a Primordial Deity Representing Darkness Erebus, Greek god of darkness, image courtesy of HablemosĮrebus was born as a primordial deity, or one of the first gods to emerge out of the swirling mass of Chaos.
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