This also meant that he was one of the oldest gods. While the Titans and Olympians were seen as largely human in appearance and character, the primordial gods were inseparable from their elemental nature. This meant that he did not have a definite form. The Primordial God of DarknessĮrebus was one of the primordial gods in Greek mythology. By establishing the first and most basic cycle, they laid the foundations for the Greek view of natural laws and proper order. Instead, these elemental beings worked in harmony with one another. Unlike many other mythologies, the Greeks did not see the god of darkness as a threatening figure to the god of light. The Greek creation story was relatively unique in that it did not immediately pair off the ideas of light and darkness or make them the same as day and night. Alongside them were born Nyx, the goddess of night, and Erebus, the Greek god of darkness. They were not the only early elemental beings, however. Emerging from Chaos, figures like Gaia, Uranus, and Tartarus laid the foundation for the world as the Greek people saw it. By understanding this fact, one can more closely understand the cosmology of the Greek world.In Greek cosmology, the first beings to come into existence were the primordial gods. As a primordial deity, Aether was of immense power, his domain extending all over the world. In the end, by understanding Aether, one can better understand Greek mythology. While mostly associated with the sky during the day, Aether nevertheless also controlled the heavenly bodies that occupied the sky during the night, such as the moon and stars. Since Hades ruled over the dark, by bringing in the light, Aether allowed mortal men and women to live without fear of the underworld and the evil creatures that called Tartarus their home. This allowed them to feel the sun on their faces and bask in the presence of the Olympic gods and goddesses.Īether was further regarded as humanity’s protector against Tartarus and Hades. Together with Hemera, Aether brought about the light each day for mortals. Nevertheless, Aether and Hemera was regarded as benevolent and protective deities in Greek religious tradition. Aether and MortalsĪlthough there were several shrines to Aether, the primordial god did not have a temple and no mortals worshipped him. It was this purest air that was controlled by Aether. The third and most pure type of air was breathed by the gods. A second type of air was breathed by mortals in the land of the living. The poorest type of air was breathed in the underworld by foul creatures. In Greek tradition, there were three types of air. Gaia became known as the mother of earth and Thalassa the primordial goddess of the oceans.Īs the god of the sky, Aether was also the god of the upper air. Of all their children, Gaia and Thalassa were the most important mythological figures. Aether and Hemera’s coupling resulted in a several of the most powerful deities in Greek mythology, including Gaia, Thalassa, Tartarus, Pontus, Aergia, and Uranus. Aether was married to his sister Hemera, the goddess of light. Owing to his status as a primordial deity, Aether was a god of much renown in the Greek pantheon. Rather, the ancient Greeks saw the sky itself as Aether. As a primordial being, Aether had no human form. According to the Theogony of Hesiod, Aether was born of Erebus, the personification of darkness, and Nyx, the goddess of the night. As a primordial god, Aether was far older than Zeus, Poseidon, and the other main gods that resided on Mount Olympus.
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