The Story of Aether
Aether was the primordial god of the upper air. According to Hesiod, he was the son of Erebus, the darkness, and Nyx, the night, and the brother of Hemera, the day. He embodied the pure, shining light of the heavens.
The Greeks saw a difference between two kinds of air. Aer was the misty lower air near the ground that mortals breathed, while aether was the bright, clean air high above the clouds, where the gods lived. In some Orphic tellings, Aether was a much greater figure, one of the first principles from which the cosmos began.
Aether had no temples or cult, and few myths about him survive. Later philosophers such as Aristotle treated aether as a fifth element, the pure substance of the stars and heavens. The word lived on for centuries in science and poetry, and it is the root of the English word ethereal.
Aether's Family Tree
Wife of Aether
Children of Aether
Frequently Asked Questions About Aether
Who is Aether in Greek mythology?
Aether is the primordial god of the upper air, the pure, bright air above the clouds that the gods were thought to breathe.
Who are Aether's parents?
Aether is the son of Erebus and Nyx, and his sister is Hemera, the day.
What is the difference between aether and air?
The Greeks saw aer as the lower, misty air near the ground and aether as the shining upper air of the heavens. Later philosophers treated aether as a fifth element.
