Erebus
Erebus was the personification of deep darkness, born from Chaos — his name became the word for the dark region of the underworld through which the dead pass.
The Myth of Erebus
Erebus emerged from Chaos alongside Nyx. With Nyx, he fathered Aether (light) and Hemera (Day) — darkness paradoxically giving birth to light. Erebus became identified with the dark passage between the surface and Hades proper. Charon's ferry crossed through Erebus.
Parents
Born from Chaos
Symbols
Fun Fact
Mount Erebus in Antarctica, the southernmost active volcano, was named after the ship HMS Erebus — itself named after this god of darkness.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Tartarus
🌀 primordialThe deepest abyss beneath the earth
Tartarus was both a primordial deity and the deepest pit of the cosmos — as far below Hades as earth is below heaven, the prison of the Titans and place of ultimate punishment.
Hemera
🌀 primordialPersonification of Day
Hemera was the primordial goddess of daytime, who each morning scattered the darkness to fill the world with light.
Tartarus
🏔 titanthe deep abyss, primal darkness below
A primordial deity personifying the deep abyss below Hades, one of the first beings to emerge from Chaos.
Uranus
🌀 primordialPersonification of the Sky
Uranus was the primordial sky god, born from and consort of Gaia, whose castration by Kronos separated heaven from earth.
Chronos
🌀 primordialPersonification of Time
Chronos was the primordial personification of Time itself — not the Titan Kronos, though they were often merged in later tradition.
Gaia
🌀 primordialPersonification of the Earth
Gaia was the primordial Earth goddess, the first being to emerge after Chaos — mother of the Titans, the Giants, and virtually all life in Greek cosmology.
Eros
🌀 primordialPrimordial force of desire and creation
In Hesiod's Theogony, Eros was one of the first beings to emerge from Chaos — a primordial force of attraction that drove all creation.
Nox
🏔 titannight (Roman equivalent)
The Roman equivalent of Nyx, primordial goddess of night, mother of darkness and light alike.
Phanes
🌀 primordialFirst-born god of creation
Phanes was the Orphic god of creation, the first being to emerge from the cosmic egg — a radiant, winged, hermaphroditic deity.
Pontus
🌀 primordialPersonification of the Sea
Pontus was the primordial sea god, born from Gaia without a father — the first embodiment of the deep waters.
Aether
🌀 primordialPersonification of the upper sky
Aether was the primordial god of the bright upper air that the gods breathed — distinct from the common air of mortals.
Thesis
🌀 primordialcreation, cosmic ordering
A primordial goddess of creation in Orphic cosmogony, representing the active principle of placement and ordering that gave structure to the cosmos.