It was invisible to the living and only Heroes like Heracles could visit it. The Underworld was an extremely important place to the ancient Greeks since it was where all the souls or spirits of the dead stayed and were cared for. He, with the help of his sister Nyx, filled out the empty places in the Earth with dark mists. According to various sources, the other gods created Earth first after which Erebus completed the creation of the Underworld. Creator of the UnderworldĮrebus was also the ruler of the underworld until the Olympian god Hades took over. The Role of Erebus in Greek MythologyĪs the god of darkness, Erebus had the ability to cover the entire world in shadows and complete darkness. His main symbol is the crow since the dark, black colors of the bird represents the dark of the Underworld as well as the god’s emotions and powers. Depictions and Symbolism of ErebusĮrebus is sometimes portrayed as a demonic entity with darkness radiating from within himself and terrifying, monstrous features. Throughout history, Erebus has very rarely been mentioned in the classical works of the ancient Greek writers which is why he never became a famous deity. It was often used to describe negativity, darkness and mystery and was also the name of the Greek region famously known as the Underworld. The name ‘Erebus’ is believed to mean ‘the place of darkness between the Underworld (or the realm of Hades) and earth’, originating from the Proto-Indo-European language. Some sources state that Dolos (the daimon of trickery), Oizys (goddess of grief), Oneiroi (personifications of dreams), Momus (personification of satire and mockery), Eris (goddess of strife) and Philotes (goddess of affection) were also his offspring. Nemesis – the goddess of revenge and divine retributionĭifferent sources state varying numbers of Erebus’ children that differ to the list mentioned above.Styx – the goddess of the River Styx in the Underworld.Charon – the ferryman whose duty it was to carry the souls of the deceased over the Rivers Acheron and Styx into the Underworld.They were also known as the ‘Nymphs of the West’, the ‘Daughters of the Evening’ or the Atlantides. Hesperides – the nymphs of the evening and the golden light of sunsets.There were three Moirai – Lachesis, Clotho and Atropos. The Moirai – the goddesses of destiny. Aether – the god of light and the upper sky.He had several siblings including Gaia, (the personification of the earth), Eros (the god of love), Tartarus (the god of the underworld) and Nyx (the goddess of the night).Įrebus married his sister Nyx and the pair had a number of children who were also primordial deities with important roles in Greek mythology. Erebus’ OriginsĪccording to Hesiod’s Theogony, Erebus (or Erebos), was born of Chaos, the first of the primeval gods preceding the universe. However, he did father several other primordial deities who became famous in Greek mythological tradition and literature. Due to this, not much is known about him. He was a primordial god, identified as one of the first five in existence.Įrebus never appeared in any myths of his own nor of others. In Greek mythology, Erebus was the personification of darkness and the shadows.
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