![]() These barriers helped to enclose the monsters and sinners imprisoned in Tartarus. Some said it was further separated from the rest of creation by the fiery river Phlegethon. Dark and grim, Tartarus was said to be far below the earth-lower even than Hades.Īccording to Homer, Tartarus was located in “the deepest gulf beneath the earth…as far beneath Hades as heaven is above earth.” Hesiod similarly located Tartarus “in the depth of the wide-pathed Earth,” so remote that “a brazen anvil falling down from heaven nine nights and days would reach the earth upon the tenth: and again, a brazen anvil falling from earth nine nights and days would reach Tartarus upon the tenth.” įar below the roots of the earth, Tartarus was surrounded by a bronze wall with iron gates. Tartarus was a primordial god but also a location. ![]() The darkness of Tartarus was sometimes emphasized through its epithets, which included words like ēeroeis, “murky.” Attributes Though technically a distinct part of the Underworld, the name “Tartarus” was sometimes used interchangeably with other names for the Underworld, such as “Hades” or “Erebus.” Titles and Epithets ![]() In addition, the female version of Aether was Aethra although objections have been raised by scholars pointing out that this is the name of one of the Oceanids (legendary oceanic nymphs) or a Titaness.The etymology of “Tartarus” (Greek Τάρταρος, translit. And lastly, the third air was Erebus, the dark fog, which was located deep under the earth and engulfed the lands of the dead.Īether and Hemera were said to be associated with gladness whereas their parents Erebus and Nyx were closely linked to sadness. The second or middle air was Chaos, the pale haze that surrounded the world of mortals. From top to bottom the first air was Aether, the high and majestic blue mist covering the mountain peaks as well as the sun, the moon, and the stars. That high part of the atmosphere is his dominion and in the old days, it was believed that only the gods could breathe his air. Aether’s standingĪether is the omnipotent divine entity that resides above the world of humans, holding that bright blue – barely visible – side of the sky. In other texts, he is the father of Uranus or the son of Erebus and Nyx, and the brother of Eros and Metis. Other sourcesĪ general opinion is that Aether seems either an easy deity to attest or a difficult one regarding his true genealogy. Aether also mated with Terra and fathered many children: Anger, Arrogance, Deception, Fear, Fight, Forgetfulness, Incest, Mourning, Lying, Oath, Pain, Quarrel, Self-indulgence, Sloth, Vengeance, Ocean, Pontus, Tartarus, Themis, the Titans, and the three Furies. Hyginus on the other hand said that Chaos and Caligo (Mist) created Aether, Erebus, Dies and Nox (Night), in which Aether and Dies were the parents of Terra (Earth), Caelus, and Mare (Sea). According to Cicero Aether and Dies (Day) were the parents of Caelus (Sky). ![]() The Romans also proposed different genealogies for Aether. Another suggestion in the Orphic Tradition states that Chaos and Chronus were the first entities, and Chronus was the father of Aether and Eros. Aether was the first primordial god, who brought forth the cosmic egg that Phanes (a mystical ancient deity that created new life) hatched from. The Orphic texts speak of Chronus (Time) giving birth to Aether, Chaos and Erebus. James Basire, 1730–1802, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons ![]()
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