The mythology of ancient peoples defines the concept of “ether” as a kind of divine substance. One of the oldest philosophical concepts, it migrated from myths to the works of scientists and thinkers.
Mythological description
The personification of darkness - the goddess Nikta and her brother Erebus, the god of the eternal Darkness - were born from Chaos. From their union appeared the eternal Light - Ether, bright Day - Hemera. And night began to replace day, and darkness was light. Now Nikta lives in the abyss of Tartarus. Every day, near the brass door that separates the kingdom of the dead from our world, the goddess of darkness meets Gemera, and they take turns walking around the earth.
This is how ether mythology of Ancient Greece describes it. This is the most popular version described in the so-called "Mythological Library" of Apollodorus. The poem "Titanomachia", the authorship of which is attributed to the Thracian blind singer Famiris, tells that Ether and Hemera gave birth to Gaia, Uranus, Tartarus and Pontus. The Latin exposition of the ancient Greek myths of Giginus tells that Ether was a product of Chaos and haze. Some ancient authors call Ether the father of Zeus or Uranus. Perhaps this is the middle name of Uranus.
Orpheus dedicated the fifth verse to the deity of Light, in which it appears in a different hypostasis. He explains what ether, mythology is like this: a super-worldly place, an invisible and intangible entity that limits above everything that is comprehensible and incomprehensible in the universe. It rises above the visible world of all living and understandable to man.
In simpler terms, this is the upper layer of air, the place where the ancient Greek gods live is the summit of Olympus.
Ether - the basis of the universe
An inexhaustible source of energy for all living things - this is how the best minds of antiquity determined ether. Greek mythology became the basis of scientific works.
According to Plato, the greatest thinker of Hellas, the whole world was created from this substance. Aristotle introduces the concept of "ether" as the fifth element in addition to fire, earth, water and air. He considered him a kind of immortal body of divine origin. Ether became the cornerstone of his cosmological theory. It was believed that this substance had a special property: it could only move in a circle, unlike the other four elements, which could make a rectilinear motion. Hesiod in his "Theogony" also calls ether one of the components of all material in the world.
Many scholars and philosophers of antiquity, such as Democritus, Epicurus, Pythagoras, used the definition of "ether" in their discussions about the structure of the universe. The Pythagoreans considered it not only one of the elements, but also part of the human soul.
"Ether" in ancient Rome
The prominent ancient Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius gave a more definite explanation of the concept of "ether". The scientist believed that this is a material substance, only more subtle than the usual matter for the human eye. The movement of the planets, the Sun and the Earth is due to the constant movement of ether in space. It is part of the human soul as one of the material components; it is lighter than air and practically intangible.
Ancient indian performances
It is interesting that similar judgments are in ancient Indian legends. The ether mythology of India calls "akasha", but the essence of this substance remains the same: a certain substance, which is the beginning of all life. The ancient references to "akasha" speak only of one manifestation of it - the primary sound, which is not perceived by the human ear and is in the sphere of subtle vibrations. Akasha is the primary intangible substance, which has no form, but provides the basis for the universe and the whole diversity of things.
It is believed that it was the Indian theory of "akasha" that laid the foundation for such a concept as "ether" in ancient Greek philosophy and science. It is striking that centuries ago, thinkers of antiquity, thanks to inspiration and intuition, determined the properties of an inexhaustible source of energy that the Serbian physicist Nikola Tesla was able to discover only in the 20th century.