Primordial Deities

The first born of the immortals, who formed the very fabric of the universe, were known in Greek mythology as the Protogenoi (protos meaning "first," and genos "born"). They were, for the most part, purely elemental beings - Uranus was the literal sky, Gaea the body of the earth, etc. A few of them were occasionally described or portrayed in anthropomorphic form, however these forms were inevitably inseparable from their native element. For example Gaea or Thalassa might appear as a woman half risen from the earth or sea.

Some deities are classed as Personified deity. These deities are entities which are personifications of elements, items, places. They differ from other deities as some argue they came into existence as mankind needed to understand them and give them human qualities. They inevitably can not be killed. You can not destroy time, or the night or the day. It is safe to say these entities, while classed as gods are unlike actual gods and exist as their form (example the air) but have taken on form to be understood by mankind

AETHER (Aither) The Protogenos of the mists of light which fill the upper zones of air. His element lay beneath the arch of heaven's dome, but high above the airs of the mortal realm. Personified deity.

ANANKE The Protogeonos of inevitability, compulsion and necessity. She was the mate of Chronus (Time) and like him was an incorporeal, serpentine being who twisted circling around the whole of creation. Personified deity.

CHAOS (Khaos) The Protogenos of the lower air. She/he filled the gap between the bright mists of the heavenly aither and the floor of the earth. From Chaos were descended the other airs: Erebus (darkness), Nyx (night), Aether (light), Hemera (day); as well as the birds. Only late classical writers describe Khaos as a primeval mixture of the elements. Personified deity.

CHRONOS (Khronos) The Protogenos of time was the very first being to emerge at creation self-formed. He was a three-headed, incorporeal being with serpentine tail, who circled the whole of creation, entwined with his consort Ananke. Personified deity.

EREBUS (Erebos) The Protogenos of the mists of darkness. His dark element was sunk into the hollows of the earth, and encircled the dismal realm of the underworld. Personified deity.

EROS The Protegonos of generation. He was known as Phanes or Protogonos, distinguishing him from the younger Eros, Aphrodite's son. He was one of the first beings to emerge at creation, and caused the universe to procreate. Personified deity.

GAEA (Gaia) The Protogenos of the earth. Mother Earth emerged at the beginning of creation to form the foundation of the universe. Gaea was one of the few Protogenoi to be depicted in anthropomorphic form, however even as such she was shown as a woman partially risen from the ground, inseperable from her native form. Personified deity.

HEMERA The Protogenos of the day, rose up from the ends of the earth to scatter the dark mists of night, spread across the heavens by her mother Nyx, and reveal to the earth below the bright shining blue of the Aether, her protogenic consort. Personified deity.

HYDROS The Protogenos of water. Together with the earth he formed the primeval Mud. Hydros was usually equated with the earth-encircling, fresh-water Titan Oceanus. Personified deity.

NESOI The Protogenoi of the islands. Their rocky forms were broken from the earth by Poseidon and cast into the sea. Personified deity.


NYX (NIGHT)
NYX The Protogenos of night, Nyx drew the dark mists of her consort, Erebus, across the heavens at night, cloaking the bright light of the heavenly aether. Her anthropomorphic form was of a woman clothed in star-spangled mantle. Personified deity.

OCEANUS (Okeanos) The Protogenos of the great earth-encircling, fresh-water river Oceanus. From his flow every river, spring and rain-bearing cloud was sprung. His anthropomorphic form was that of a horned man with the tail of a serpentine fish in place of legs. Personified deity.

OUREA The Protogenoi of the mountains. Their rocky forms were born of Gaea the Earth. Personified deity.

PHANES The Protogenos of generation, the creator-god. He was sprung from a silver egg, the seed of creation, at the beginning of time, and set the universe in order. Phanes was also named Eros or simply Protogonos (the First Born). According to some Zeus swallowed him whole o gain supremacy over the universe. Personified deity.

PHUSIS The Protogenos of nature. "Mother Nature" was one of the first beings to emerge at creation. She was related to both Gaea and Tethys. Personified deity.

PONTUS (Pontos) The Protogenos of the sea. He sprung from Gaea the Earth at the beginning of creation, when the elements of the universe were set in their proper order. Personified deity.

TARTARUS (Tartaros) The Protogenos of the great stormy pit which lay beneath the roots of the earth. He was the anti-heaven: just as the dome of heaven arched high above the earth, Tartarus arched beneath her. The Titans were imprisoned in his depths. Personified deity.

TETHYS The Protogenos of the flow of fresh-water. She was an aspect of all-nourishing Mother Nature. From Tethys and her husband Oceanus the rivers, springs and clouds drew their waters. Personified deity.

THALASSA The Protogenos of the sea or sea's surface. She was born of Aether (light) and Hemera (day). Mixing with the deep waters of Pontus (sea) Thalassa spawned the schools of fish. Personified deity.

THESIS The Protogenos of creation. She was similar to Tethys, Mother Nature's great nurse. Personified deity.

URANUS (Ouranos) The Protogenos of the solid dome of heaven, whose form stretched from one horizon to the other. He sprung forth from Gaea the Earth at the beginning of creation. Later his son Cronus, seized and castrated him, as he descended to consort with Mother Earth. Personified deity.