The children of Erebus and Nyx were Aether and his sister Hemera who brought light and day. He is represented in ancient Greek art in a form similar to that of the later god, Hades. According to ancient Greek mythology Erebus and Nyx inhabited a palace in the dark regions of the Underworld. He created the shadows that filled the deep hollows of the earth. Erebus was believed to have reigned in the mysterious, gloomy Underworld where no ray of sunshine, gleam of daylight or anything healthy lived. Erebus took Nyx as his consort and became one of the first of the Immortals. At the beginning of time there was only Chaos (Air), Nyx (Night) and Erebus (Darkness).
He was one of the primeval gods who was born out of Chaos, a casual deity who ruled over confusion in the void of emptiness. The word Erebus is defined as a "place of darkness between Earth and Hades".Įrebus, the dark god of Night and Shadows In ancient Greek mythology and literature the name Erebus was also used to refer to a region of the Underworld where the dead had to pass immediately after dying, and is sometimes used interchangeably with the region more commonly known as Tartarus.