History Characters / ClassicalMythologyProtogenoi

* SadlyMythtaken: [[VideoGame/AgeOfMythology Some]][[VideoGame/GodOfWar times]] depicted as a titan, which to most people is a loose definition of any non-Olympian ancient deity.

* DarkIsEvil / DarkIsNotEvil: Depending on the mood. Creator/{{Hesiod}} calls her "evil" Nyx while Aeschylus, Aratus, Quintus Smyrnaeus, and Statius call her "kindly" Nyx. Certainly, there's little description of her doing anything evil, save perhaps for creating her dreaded children.

* DarkIsEvil / DarkIsNotEvil: Depending on the mood. Creator/[[Hesiod]] calls her "evil" Nyx while Aeschylus, Aratus, Quintus Smyrnaeus, and Statius call her "kindly" Nyx. Certainly there's little description of her doing anything evil, save perhaps for creating her dreaded children.

** In ''Theogeny'' and ''Homeric'' myth Nyx is presented as almost a footnote, either historic or in the present respectively. Still, in the latter it was claimed Zeus didn't smite Hypnos because he feared angering his mother Nyx.

* DarkIsEvil / DarkIsNotEvil: Depending on the mood.

* ParentalIncest: [[AvertedTrope Averted]]. In a family already more inbred than even the most stereotypical American redneck family, the mother-son gods of love and sex are never shown even ''contemplating'' having sex with each other.

* MotherOfAThousandYoung: Hesiod states Nyx gave birth to over 15 deities, many of whom are fearsome. Examples include Thanatos (Death), Charon (TheFerryman of TheUnderworld), Nemesis (Revenge), Moros (Doom), Oizys (Misery), Lyssa (Mad Rage), Apate (Deceit), Geras (Old Age), but also Hemera (Day), Hypnos (Sleep), Oneiroi (Dreams), Momus (god of sarcasm), and Philotes (friendship).

* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Mother, Like Son]]: He had a lot in common with Aphrodite. Both have a dominion over love and lust, are among the most beautiful gods, aren't coy about taking their clothes off, etc.

The personification of the upper sky, that bright, glowing, pure air that gods breath; the son of Erebos and Nyx; and the the brother-husband of Hemera.

Literally designated as the first born (implying that earlier beings like Kaos, Chronos and Ananke were not born) and the personification of concepts.

* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Of concepts, new life and procreation.
* DemotedToExtra: Subverted. While other primordial deities introduced to Greek mythology from Orphic religions (Khronus and Ananke) are subject to this trope, Phanes remains a prominent deity in the cosmogeny of many accounts of Greek mythology.

A formless void that preceded the universe. Translates from Greek as emptiness, vast void, chasm, abyss. In Myth/ClassicalMythology all things came into existence from Kaos. It is among the oldest of the Protogenoi, probably the oldest. It is not clear whether it is alive or not. Arche, the other term used to name this being [[EldritchAbomination if being it is]], translates roughly as; beginning, origin, first cause/power, sovereignty, domination, ultimate underlying substance, and
ultimate undemonstrable principle. Thus Kaos is the Arche in Myth/ClassicalMythology.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: In the ''Theogony'', it is never mentioned again after creating Gaia, Tartarus, Eros, Erebus and Nyx.
* EldritchAbomination: While just about everything else in this page is also this, it fits the trope the best. Creator/{{Ovid}} described it as “a rather crude and undigested mass, a lifeless lump, unfashioned and unframed, of jarring seeds and justly named Chaos.”

* PronounTrouble: For a "creature" supposedly lacking TertiarySexualCharacteristics, and perhaps even gender, female pronouns are used a lot, though male and gender neutral one are common too.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: In ''Literature/{{Theogony}}'', it birthed Gaia, Tartarus, Nyx and Erebos.

* HumanoidAbomination: She is usually represented as a gorgeous female human, but has some eldritch vibes herself.

* AbusiveOffspring: Before the days of the Olympians, Ouranos abused Gaia, who gave birth to him [[TrulySingleParent through no male]]. When she had her children (and his, they were married as well), he would force the ugly-looking ones ''[[{{Squick}} back into her womb]]''. When Kronos defeated Ouranos with her help, she was so overjoyed the Earth became fertile for many years to come.

* AssholeVictim: Gaia [[MamaBear didn't like his actions towards their children]], and had one of the Titans, Cronus, castrate, dismember, and overthrow Ouranos. Although Ouranos is still alive after Cronus castrated him, Ouranos was sliced to so many pieces that he is effectively dead, unable to do anything.

* EvilOverlord: He was the original ruler of the world, and a total jerk.

* GroinAttack: On the receiving end of this, by his son Kronos.

* TrulySingleParent: A purely accidental example--his severed testicles ended up mixing with the ocean's foam and producing Aphrodite, making him effectively her "father". This possibly applies to the Meliae (Ash Nymphs), the Furies and the Giants too, but most accounts claim that the latter ones were born to his blood mixing with the Earth, which would make them Gaia's children as well.

* AlmightyJanitor: They serve as jailers to the Titans in the same way the Dragon Kampe was to them. By some accounts, Briareus became Zeus' gardener after ousting the Titans.

* TheLancer: Briareus/Aegaion has been described as Zeus' champion, and has come to his aid before when the eldest Olympians rebelled.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: They have more than 100 arms, and are VERY good with them.

Personification of Creation and female creation counterpart to Protogenos in some accounts. Born at the same time as Hydros. Not to be confused with Thetis, a Nymph who is
the mother of Achilles by Peleus.

* BigFancyHouse: Some accounts mention zhe has a special residence in Tartarus, where she lives alongside her children.

* GodOfChaos: Assuming it is even alive, that is.

* PrimordialChaos: TropeNamer.

A formless void that preceded the universe. Translates from Greek as emptiness, vast void, chasm, abyss. In Myth/ClassicalMythology all things came into existence
from Kaos. It is among the oldest of the Protogenoi, probably the oldest. It is not clear whether it is alive or not. Arche, the other term used to name this being [[EldritchAbomination if being it is]], translates roughly as; beginning, origin, first cause/power, sovereignty, domination, ultimate underlying substance, and

from Kaos. It is among the oldest of the Protogenoi, probably the oldest. It is not clear whether it is alive or not. Arche, the other term used to name this being
[[EldritchAbomination if being it is]], translates roughly as; beginning, origin, first cause/power, sovereignty, domination, ultimate underlying substance, and

* BlowYouAway: As the first god of the air.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: In the ''Theogony'', they never show up again after creating Gaia, Tartarus, Eros, Erebus and Nyx.

* TheOlderImmortal: If they even have sentience, which is unknown. It is usually the oldest being in the Greek Cosmology.

* PronounTrouble: For a "creature" that lacks TertiarySexualCharacteristics, and perhaps even gender, female pronouns are used a lot, though male and gender neutral one are common too.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: In ''Literature/{{Theogony}}'' where it birthed Gaia, Tartarus, Nyx and Erebos.
* TrulySingleParent: It birthed several children all on its own. Not that it had much of an option, seeing as there were no other beings to mate with it at the time... though there is an account that they produced all birds [[ParentalIncest by mating with Eros]].

A serpentine figure who represents the inevitability of things even the gods cannot change. Together with her consort Chronos, she split open a cosmic egg to create the universe. The goddesses of fate are her own children.

* DemotedToExtra: She was a larger figure in Orphic religion, which was a little different than the Classical Greek Mythology we are more familiar with.

A serpent figure who does not age, representing the concept of time. Together with his consort Ananke, he split open a cosmic egg to create the universe. The goddesses of fate are his own children. He is often confused with [[Characters/ClassicalMythologyTitans Cronus]] even in antiquity due to the similarity of their names.

* DemotedToExtra: He was a larger figure in Orphic religion, which was a little different than the Classical Greek Mythology we are more familiar with.

* RougeAnglesOfSatin: Because of the similar sound of Cronus and C'''h'''ronus (or Kronos and K'''h'''ronos), the titan Cronus become associated with Time, like the protogen Khronos. The character of Father Time is based on this overlap -- Father Time has a scythe (as would fit a harvest god) and has the idea of being succeeded by a child (the New Years baby / Zeus).
* WingedHumanoid: Despite his description, this is how he is most often depicted.

Aion is a somewhat confusing god, commonly conflated with Khronos (who by himself is commonly conflated with Cronus). This is because he is a god of Time, like Khronos. However, while Khronos represents the concept of time (AKA empirical time as divided into past present and future), Aion represents "unbound time" (AKA eternity. He is associated with the Zodiac and the orb or sphere that encompasses the universe.

* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Of eternity.

Literally designated as the first born (implying that earlier beings like Kaos, Ophioneus, Chronos and Ananke were not born) and the personification of concepts.

Personification of Creation and female creation counterpart to Protogenos. Born at the same time as Hydros. Not to be confused with Thetis, a Nymph who is

The personification of Night and daughter of Kaos, yet a few texts claim she is actually the first protogeneia.

* AllPowerfulBystander: Though always treated as a fundamental aspect of the Cosmos, Nyx's presence and significance differs heavily between myths.
** In ''Theogeny'' and ''Homeric'' myth Nyx is presented as almost a footnote, either historic or in the present respectively.

* BigFancyHouse: She has a special residence in Tartarus, where she lives alongside her children.
* BrotherSisterIncest: Crossed with GodCouple. With Erebos.

* MotherOfAThousandYoung: She gave birth to over 15 deities, many of whom are fearsome. Examples include Thanatos (Death), Charon (TheFerryman of TheUnderworld), Nemesis (Revenge), Moros (Doom), Oizys (Misery), Lyssa (Mad Rage), Apate (Deceit), Geras (Old Age), but also Hemera (Day), Hypnos (Sleep), Oneiroi (Dreams), Momus (god of sarcasm), and Philotes (friendship).

* AllPowerfulBystander: She is content to let the other gods govern the universe, with the implication she could slaughter them all on her own and take over for herself if she felt like it.

The [[MotherNature personification of earth]]. Her Roman name is '''Terra Mater/Tellus''' (the first literally means "Mother Earth"). Nowadays, as you might have guessed, she is very much worshipped by UsefulNotes{{NeoPagan|ism}}s, being thus perhaps the most well known and loved of all pagan goddesses, being the mother of humanity, gods and the universe alike.

The [[MotherNature personification of earth]]. Her Roman name is '''Terra Mater/Tellus''' (the first literally means "Mother Earth"). Nowadays, as you might have guessed, she is very much worshipped by Neo-Pagans, being thus perhaps the most well known and loved of all pagan goddesses, being the mother of humanity, gods and the universe alike.

* TrulySingleParent: DependingOnTheWriter, she conceived all of her offspring alone, without Erebos' help. Averted in other tellings, where she and Erebos had children the old fashioned way.

* {{Hermaphrodite}}:

* GreaterScopeVillain: A lot of the problems the Titans and their children would have as people can probably be traced back to his [[SarcasmMode wonderful]] parenting.

* ThePowerOfTheSun: Another possible power.

* ParentalIncest: Her male counterpart, Ouranos, with whom she gave birth to many the Titans, Cyclops, Hecatoncheires, and the Giants, was actually her firstborn. She also mated with her son Pontus, whom with she concived the minor god Phorcys.