What primordial void existed before creation?

The story behind the answer

Chaos is correct because, in Greek mythology—especially Hesiod’s Theogony—Chaos is the primordial void, the yawning gap from which existence begins. It isn’t “disorder” in the modern sense but an empty chasm. From Chaos emerged foundational beings like Gaia (Earth), Tartarus (the Abyss), Eros (Love), Erebus (Darkness), and Nyx (Night).

By contrast, Aether is the bright upper air of the heavens, not the first state of existence, and “Inertia” and “Nihility” aren’t Greek mythic entities. Memory tip: think “Chaos = chasm,” the gaping space before creation. Once you picture a vast, empty gap, it’s easy to remember that everything in Greek myth unfolds after Chaos.