Aether: The Primordial God of Light and the Heavens - WILD Greek Mythology

It is thanks to light that all the creatures on earth can see. Without it, we would be wandering this world in darkness. We can also thank light for giving us colors, or the world would be dull and gray without them. But just like everything else, too much light can have negative effects, or light is also blinding. In Greek mythology, light was personified, and his name was Aether, the primordial god of light and the upper air. Like the other primordials, Aether was both an immortal being and an earthly concept. As a concept, Aether represented light and the upper air. But as a god, Aether's entire body was covered in light. I imagine that looking at him would have been even more difficult than staring at the sun. But if you were to squint hard enough, then you could perhaps make out a man with blonde wavy hair, glowing tan skin, and a radiant smile. Aether's first mention in mythology is during the creation myth, where he and his twin sister, Chimera, the primordial goddess of the day, are the children of Nyx, the primordial goddess of the night, and Erebus, the primordial god of darkness. The twins were born right after Nyx brought night to the sky and Erebus brought darkness to the earth's surface. After being born, Aether instantly fell in love with Chimera, and as they flew through the sky together, the dark night created by Nyx was replaced with Chimera's bright day. Aether's entire body then shined with light and illuminated the entire earth, chasing away the shadows of Erebus. After spending time together as a family, Aether's parents, Nyx and Erebus, decided to make a home together in the pit of Tartarus. While they invited their children to come with them, Aether had other plans. He truly enjoyed the sky and so decided to make his home at its peak. So Aether flew to the very top of the sky and created a barrier which divided the highest point from the rest. This area became the upper air while the rest of the sky became the lower air. The upper air held air only immortals could breathe and was so far above land that if one were to drop an anvil from the upper air, it would take nine days to reach the earth. Happy with the upper air, Aether built a golden palace in the sky for himself and Chimera to share. A little while after the creation of the upper air, Aether and Chimera had a child of their own. This child was Thalassa, the primordial goddess of the sea, who instantly after being born rushed towards the earth to cover its surface with seawater. Satisfied with just one child, Aether continued to shine his light down on earth. Eventually, his wife Chimera and his mother Nyx decided to create the cycle of day and night. During the day, Chimera would fly through the sky and stay in the golden palace with Aether. But when it was time for night, Chimera would fly down to Tartarus and stay in her parents' home while Nyx flew up to the surface to bring night to the sky. Also during the night, Aether would stop shining light down on earth, allowing Erebus's shadows to dull the surface, thus creating the eternal cycle of night and day. Like most of the primordials, Aether wasn't mentioned much after the creation myth, but he was important to mythology by fathering Thalassa as well as being the first representative as a light slash sun god. He would eventually be replaced by other light and sun gods such as Hyperion, Helios, and Apollo. But it's important to know who the first was, and so he shall be remembered on this channel. Well there you have it, I give you the wild Greek mythology of Aether, the primordial god of light and the upper air. Hey, if you enjoyed my video then please give it a thumbs up. There's plenty more videos about mythology, fairy tales, and folklore on the way, so make sure to subscribe and tap the bell icon so you don't miss out. Also, if you would like me to do a video on a subject or character within mythology, please let me know in the comments. Well, that's all for now. Cheers until the next wild mythology.