PRIMORDIAL DEITIES - CHAOS

Chaos

Chaos often described as the “Goddess without myths” was the first deity to appear according to the Theogony. In Greek, Chaos refers to the “Gaping Void”. In fact, Chaos as a deity was first mentioned in the Theogony. Chaos was the primordial void out of which the Universe and all the Greek gods came into existence, although the Orphic Hymns believe Chaos came after Chronus and Ananke. No matter whether she came first or not, she was the one who contained all the elements that constitute the universe. It is said that the cosmic egg was formed in her belly that later hatched to release the Universe. Although initially she was a divine presence with both anthropomorphic and tangible qualities, her interpretation evolved as the Olympian Gods were given more importance at the expense of the earlier gods.

Ovid, in his Metamorphoses, describes her as a lifeless form and a state of the Universe, as opposed to a divine presence. His view is in conjunction with the Pelasgian Myth where Chaos was just a state of the Universe.

Other sources believe she was born of fog and moisture, and was the mother of  both night and darkness, as well as light and day.

It is believed that Chaos was one of the three airs in Greek myths, the other two being Aether of the divine beings and Erebus , the dark mists of the underworld. Chaos in this capacity was also referred to as Aer and was the air breathed by the mortals. She occupied the space between the Sky Ouranous, and the Earth Gaea. 

In Hesiod’s description of Titanomachy, the war between the Olympians and Titans, he describes how an alarming heat took over Chaos and it felt as if Ouranous and Gaea had rushed towards each other. He also believes that after suffering defeat at the hands of the Olympians, the Titans were banished to live in Chaos as opposed to Tartarus. Hesiod believed that Chaos was a place like Tartarus, and could be affected by Zeus’ thunderbolt. According to him it was a far away, gloomy place underground.

Chaos as we know by now first the primordial deity to appear (or at least one of the first ones depending on which theory you go by). She was the void out of which all the other deities appeared. She represents the lower atmosphere which surrounds the earth.

Some believe her to be a goddess of the air and a goddess of the fate. She is considered the mother of Aether, Erebus and Nyx and the Daimones (Spirits).

Of course as the first being to ever be created she had no parents, the Orphic Hymns believe she was born of either Chronus and Ananke or just Chronus.

She was said to have created Nyx and Erebus without a mate. Alternatively, she was also considered the mother of Aether, and Hemera, the Moirai, and the elder Eros or Phanes. Being a goddess of air, she was considered the mother of the birds with Eros/Phanes.

The Theogony says that Gaea, Tartarus, and Eros/Phanes came into existence after her and this is sometimes mistook to mean that they are her offspring, which they are not.