The primordial Greek gods.
The are the first cosmic beings in Greek mythology: earth, sky, night, and the openings and depths of the universe. They precede the and . “Primordial” describes their place near the beginning of a creation account; it does not imply that every ancient account begins in the same way.
Chaos is an opening
begins the with , understood as a gap or chasm. This differs from the everyday English meaning of disorder. , Earth, follows, along with and . The poem then gives to the emerging cosmos. Reading the sequence carefully helps avoid inventing a parentage line where the poem only names a new beginning.
Earth, sky, and night become a family
is both the earth itself and a figure who bears children and makes plans. She produces , the starry sky, and their union brings the into the story. arises from and gives birth to powers including Sleep and Death. The land around human life and the experiences within it become related divine presences.
More than one beginning
Later accounts and Roman poetry offer other arrangements. ’s describes an unformed mixture, while some Orphic traditions place Time and a cosmic egg near the beginning. These accounts should be read alongside , with their differences visible. The atlas uses one main arrangement and the profiles explain where other traditions take another path.
Meet the figures
Sources and further reading
This is a modern guide. Read the ancient accounts and compare their traditions.