In Greek mythology, Erebus (pronounced /ˈɛrəbəs/; Ancient Greek: Ἔρεβος, romanized: Érebos, meaning "darkness, gloom") is the representation of darkness. According to Hesiod's Theogony, Erebus is the child of Chaos and the father of Aether and Hemera (Day) through Nyx (Night). In other Greek creation myths, Erebus is the father of Aether, Eros, and Metis, or he is described as the first ruler of the gods. In genealogies from Roman writers, Erebus is the father of many personifications with Nox (the Roman equivalent of Nyx). In an Orphic creation myth, Erebus is the child of Chronos (Time).

The name "Erebus" is also used to describe the darkness of the underworld, the underworld itself, or the area through which souls travel to reach the underworld. It is sometimes used as another name for Tartarus or Hades.

Etymology

The word Érebos ( Ἔρεβος ) means "darkness" or "gloom," which describes the darkness found in the underworld. It comes from the Proto-Indo-European word *h₁regʷ-os-, which also means "darkness." This word is related to words in other languages, such as Sanskrit rájas ("dark (lower) air, dust"), Armenian erek ("evening"), Gothic riqis, and Old Norse røkkr ("dark, dust").

Personification of darkness

In many Greek stories about the creation of the universe, Erebus is one of the first beings to exist. In Hesiod’s Theogony (late 8th century BC), which the Greeks considered the main account of how the gods began, Erebus is the child of Chaos, along with Nyx (Night). In the first act of reproduction, Erebus and Nyx have children named Aether and Hemera (Day), who represent the opposite qualities of their parents. The Neoplatonist philosopher Damascius wrote that Acusilaus (6th century BC) believed Chaos was the first being, followed by Erebus and Night. From this pair, Aether, Eros (Love), and Metis (Wisdom) were born. Philodemus, a philosopher, recorded that in a work called On the Gods by someone named Satyros, Erebus was one of five rulers of the gods. He was succeeded by Chaos, though some suggest this ruler might have been Eros instead. According to a hymn by the poet Antagoras (3rd century BC), Eros might have parents named Erebus and Night.

Erebus also appears in stories written by Roman authors. Cicero (1st century BC) stated that Erebus and Nox (the Roman version of Nyx) are the parents of Aether and Dies (Day), as well as Amor (Love), Dolus (Guile), Metus (Fear), Labor (Toil), Invidentia (Envy), Fatum (Fate), Senectus (Old Age), Mors (Death), Tenebrae (Darkness), Miseria (Misery), Querella (Lamentation), Gratia (Favour), Fraus (Fraud), Pertinacia (Obstinacy), the Parcae (Fates), the Hesperides (Twilight Nymphs), and the Somnia (Dreams). In Fabulae by the Roman mythographer Hyginus (1st century BC/AD), Erebus is the child of Chaos and Caligo (Mist), along with Dies (Day), Erebus (Darkness), and Aether. Through Nox, Erebus becomes the father of Fatum (Fate), Senectus (Old Age), Mors (Death), Letum (Destruction), Continentia (Strife), Somnus (Sleep), the Somnia (Dreams), Epiphron (Thoughtfulness), Hedymeles, Porphyrion, Epaphus, Discordia (Discord), Miseria (Misery), Petulantia (Petulance), Nemesis, Euphrosyne (Cheerfulness), Amicitia (Friendship), Misericordia (Pity), Styx, the Parcae—Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos (Fate)—and the Hesperides—Aegle, Hesperia, and Erythea (Twilight).

In a creation story from Aristophanes’ play The Birds (414 BC), which is often seen as a humorous version of an Orphic creation myth, Erebus is one of the first deities to exist, along with Chaos, Night, and Tartarus. At the start of creation, Night places a "wind-egg" in the "boundless bosom of Erebus," from which golden-winged Eros is born. In an Orphic creation story recorded by Damascius in De principiis (On First Principles), known as the Hieronyman Theogony (2nd century BC?), Erebus, along with Aether and Chaos, is the child of Chronos (Time), who has the shape of a serpent.

Name or region of the underworld

The name "Erebus" is used by ancient writers to describe the darkness of the underworld, the underworld itself, or the underground area through which souls of the dead travel to reach the underworld. It is sometimes used as another name for Tartarus or Hades. In Homer’s Odyssey, the souls of the dead are described as gathering from Erebus on the shore of Oceanus at the edge of the Earth. In Homer’s Iliad, Erebus is the place where the Erinyes live, and it is where Heracles must retrieve Cerberus. In Hesiod’s Theogony, Erebus is the underground location where Zeus casts the Titan Menoetius (a place that may also be called Tartarus or Hades). Later, Zeus brings the Hecatoncheires from this same place. In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Erebus refers to Hades, the home of the god Hades and his wife, Persephone. In Euripides’ play Orestes, Erebus is the home of the goddess Nyx. In later Roman writings, Ovid calls Proserpina the "queen of Erebus," and other writers use Erebus as another name for Hades.