The concept of "ether" is defined by the mythology of ancient peoples 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 eternal Darkness - were born from Chaos. From their union appeared the eternal Light - Ether, bright Day - Hemera. And the night began to replace the day, and the darkness - the light. Now Nikta lives in the very abyss of Tartarus. Every day, near the copper door that separates the realm of the dead from our world, the goddess of darkness meets with Hemera, and they go around the earth in turn.
This is how the mythology of ancient Greece describes the ether. This is the most popular version, set forth 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 Aether and Hemera gave birth to Gaia, Uranus, Tartarus and Pontus. The Latin exposition of the ancient Greek myths of Hygin tells that Ether was a product of Chaos and darkness. Some ancient authors call Aether the father of Zeus or Uranus. Perhaps this is the second name of Uranus.
Orpheus dedicated the fifth verseto the deity of Light, in which it appears in another incarnation. Mythology explains what ether is like this: a supra-peaceful place, an invisible and intangible entity that limits everything comprehensible and incomprehensible in the universe at the top. It rises above the visible world of everything living and understandable to man.
In simpler terms, this is the upper layer of air, the place where the ancient Greek gods live, the top of Olympus.
Ether is the basis of the universe
An inexhaustible source of energy for all living things - this is how the best minds of antiquity defined ether. Greek mythology has become 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 it a kind of immortal body of divine origin. The 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 move in a straight line. Hesiod in his "Theogony" also calls the ether one of the components of everything material in the surrounding world.
Many scientists and philosophers of antiquity, such as Democritus, Epicurus, Pythagoras, used the definition of "ether" in their reasoning about the structure of the universe. The Pythagoreans considered it not only one of the elements, but also a part of the human soul.
Ether in Ancient Rome
The outstanding ancient Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius gave morea definite explanation of the concept of "ether". The scientist believed that this is a material substance, only more subtle than matter familiar to the human eye. The movement of the planets, the Sun and the Earth is due to the constant movement of the ether in space. It enters the composition 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 there are similar judgments in ancient Indian legends. The mythology of India calls the ether "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 of only one of its manifestations - the primary sound, which is not perceived by human hearing and is in the sphere of subtle vibrations. Akasha is the primary non-material substance that has no form, but gives the basis for the universe and the whole variety 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 amazing that many centuries ago, thanks to intuition and instinct, ancient thinkers determined the properties of an inexhaustible source of energy, which Serbian physicist Nikola Tesla could discover only in the 20th century.
