CHRONUS
Chronus is often confused and collated with
Kronos the Titan of time, but he was the primordial god of time. According to
the Orphic Cosmogony, he was the first to have emerged at the beginning of
creation. He was an incorporeal god, and had a serpentine form. He along with
his consort Ananke wrapped himself around the cosmic egg. When they put pressure on
the egg it split into the basic elements of the Universe, the sky, the earth,
and the sea. He had three heads, that of a man, a bull, and a lion. After the
universe was created he and Ananke circled the cosmos to facilitate the
rotation of the universe. He is often collated with the primordial god of
eternity Aion and called Chronus Aion. But Aion represented eternity and
represented the unbound or infinite nature of time. Chronus on the other hand
represented the empirical nature of time divided into the past, present, and
future. The nature of Chronus was more restrained than that of Aion, in the way
that time has been divided into units and cannot flow outside of it. The Orphic
Cosmogony often collated him with Phanes (Procreation) or Ophion from the
Pelasgian Myth.
Although most believed he self emerged at
the time of creation, some sources claim he was born of Hydros and Gaea.
His offspring included Chaos, Aether,
Phanes, Erebus, with Ananke. Gaea and Ouranos are also sometimes named his
offspring because they emerged from the world egg which he created out of
Aether. He also fathered Hemera and the Moirai with Nyx. Some sources claim he
was also the father of the Twelve Horai.
EREBUS
Erebus was the primordial deity born out of the Primeval Void, Chaos,
according to the Theogony. He was
the representation of the Underworld where the dead went immediately after
dying. He personified the darkness and deep shadows. He was the consort of Nyx
(night). Nyx would drag his darkness across the sky, bringing Night to the
world. (Guess matches are truly made in heaven or the Underworld).
The dark mists of Erebus were what encircled the earth and
filled the deep hollows. While his consort Nyx, spread his mists across the
world bringing night, his daughter spread around the brightness of the Aether
and scattered the darkness bringing about day. The ancient Greeks believed that
Erebus’ and Aether’s mists were what created day and night as opposed to the
sun. In fact, the sun and moon, and the light and darkness of day and night
were all separate entities. Erebus was often used as a synonym for the
underworld Hades.
While the Theogony states he was born of Chaos, the Oprhic Hymns
claim he was born of Chronus and Ananke.
He had three other primordial deities with Nyx – Aether, Hemera,
and Eros/Phanes. Although some sources claim he created Aether on his own.
He along with Nyx had many Daimones – Moros, Geras, Thanatos,
Ker, Sophrosyne, Hypnos, Oneiroi, Eros/Phanes, Epiphron, Eris, Oizys, Hybris,
Nemesis, Euphrosyne, Philotes, Eleos, Styx, Moirai, Hesperides, Dolos, Deimos,
Ponos, Momos, and Apate.
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