Document belonging to the Greek Mythology Link, a web site created by Carlos Parada, author of Genealogical Guide to Greek Mythology
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Copyright © 1997 Carlos Parada and Maicar Förlag.

Chaos


Chaos.
Painting by C. Parada.


Chaos is the void which came into being before anything else. But some say that Chaos was born from Mist, and that Mist was the first to exist. Others affirm that Chaos is not a void, but a rough unordered mass of things. It is also asserted that Chaos existed from the beginning, together with Nyx, Erebus (Darkness of the Underworld), and Tartarus, and consequently they consider Chaos to be as Nyx and Erebus: one of "the powers below the ground".

It is told that during the war between the TITANS and the OLYMPIANS, the fight came to such a degree of intensity that an amazing heat seized Chaos.


Family 

Parentage (two versions)

Mates

Offspring

Notes

The first to exist
Mist (by itself)

nobody

Gaia is Earth. Some authors, when reading Hesiod's Theogony, have understood that Gaia, Eros and Tartarus came after Chaos in the sense that these are the offspring of Chaos, while others think they just appeared after Chaos. 

 


Nyx

Nyx is Night.

Eros is Love.

Erebus

Erebus is the Darkness of the Underworld.

Tartarus

Tartarus is a gloomy place in the Underworld.

The MOERAE are the three sisters who decide on human fate.

Hemera

Hemera is Day.

Aether

Aether is the Upper Sky.

BIRDS

Eros, who caused all things to mingle, consorted with Chaos and the BIRDS were created.


Genealogical Charts

Names in this chart: Aether, Chaos, Erebus, Eros, Gaia, Hemera, MOUNTAINS, Nyx, NYX'S OFFSPRING, Pontus, Tartarus, Typhon, Uranus.

(When reading Hesiod's Theogony, some have understood that Gaia "came after Chaos" in the sense that Gaia is the offspring of Chaos, whereas others think she just appeared after Chaos. The same applies to Eros and Tartarus. Nyx and Erebus remain the undisputed offspring of Chaos.)


Related sections
Sources
Abbreviations

Ari.Birds.683ff.; Hes.The.116-125; Hyg.Fab.Pre; Nonn.7.111; Ov.Met.1.1ff.; QS.3.756; Vir.Geo.4.348.


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