Erebos

Erebos
God of the Dead
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Erebos-bleak.png}}|250px]]
Details
Race	God Phyrexian Formerly God
Birthplace	Theros
Divinity
Abode	The Underworld
Colors

Erebos (EH-reh-bohs) is the God of the Dead on Theros. He was compleated during New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse.

Description

Birth

According to myth, when the sun first shone on Heliod, the first shadow was cast. When Heliod saw it, he feared and banished it beyond the Rivers That Ring the World, the five rivers that form a boundary between Theros and its Underworld. That shadow was Erebos, the god of death. In time, Erebos accepted his role, knowing that although Heliod had banished him, he would always stand behind the sun god.

This, however, is only Erebos' mythical origin, held by the mortals of Theros. As explained by Kruphix, gods are born from mortal beliefs, not the other way around. More precisely, Kruphix, as the god of wonder and the unknown, was the firstborn. Death came next, ultimate and inescapable. Then followed the gods of sun and sea, forest and forge. As such, Erebos was born before Heliod and is the oldest of the five major gods of Theros.

Domains

Erebos rules over death and the Underworld. Because of his origins, he is also the god of misfortune, ill fate, begrudging acceptance, envy, and bitterness. Because the dead leave their earthly wealth behind, Erebos has become associated with that wealth, as well as with the abundance of (to him, pretty but valueless) gold in his realm.

It may seem that Erebos is connected to Nyx more closely than the other gods, thanks to black's association with darkness, but this isn't the case: Erebos's realm lacks both the sun and the night.

Personality

Erebos is a jealous and tyrannical ruler, proud of his domain as lord of all that ever lived. He is an effective warden and lord of the Underworld realm. However, he is not without compassion, but his compassion is limited to feeling on behalf of others what he feels, and his acceptance of his fate means that his lieges, the dead, must accept theirs. He envies the sunlit world of the living, but only in a daydream-like way. Erebos knows that all that lives will eventually join him, which affords him a kind of satisfaction and certainty. When others suffer, it brings Erebos peace, but not glee, because the alienation and banishment of others enable them to identify with his own. He doesn't take pleasure in the suffering of others, but he sees it as a necessity in the order of Theros. Erebos creates monsters to guard his realm.

Worship

The god of the underworld is worshipped by those who exalt death, those who desire wealth, and those who pray for acceptance of their fates. The first group is the smallest but the most dangerous because they seek to bring about a confrontation between Heliod and his shadow. The second group is the largest. The final group is Erebos' favorite — those who have been cast out and who seek peace with their fate.

Signature Item

Erebos' Whip, Mastix.

Erebos wields Mastix, a golden-handled whip with an impossibly long lash. The whip is a means of inflicting pain when he must, but its more frequent function is as a snare to pull the reluctant dead into his realm.

History

After the demise of Xenagos, Heliod instructed his champion, Daxos, to remove all traces of the other gods from the great city of Meletis. The other gods, refusing to stand for such an affront, called upon their champions from the Underworld; with this, the gods were at war. And when gods clash, mortals suffer the consequences. One such consequence took the form of rifts to the Underworld from which countless monsters poured forth. Erebos was consumed by this conflict. He hated Heliod most of all, and in his rage, he neglected to keep a tight grip on the souls under his purview.

When the planeswalker Elspeth Tirel managed to defeat Heliod, Erebos took the defeated sun god and placed him beneath a giant boulder in the Underworld, where he would suffer for all eternity, or until he was forgotten by his worshippers above. As for Elspeth, Erebos gifted her his eternal gratitude — and safe passage back to the mortal realm.

During New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse, Erebos was compleated.

Inspiration

The character of Erebos is inspired by Hades, the Greek god of the underworld, dead, and riches; and Erebus, Greek primordial deity of darkness (even in their name). Erebos's whip is inspired by the snake tail that King Minos has in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy.

Trivia

• Erebos narrates the trailer for Journey into Nyx.

Gallery

• 

  Erebos, God of the Dead. Art by Peter Mohrbacher.

• 

  Erebos in Magic Duels.

• 

  Erebos, God of the Dead from Secret Lair Drop Series: Theros Stargazing.

Story appearances

Title	Author	Publishing date	Set	Setting (plane)	Featuring
Tragedy	Jennifer Clarke Wilkes	2013-10-23	Theros	Theros	Penthikos, Iroas, Heliod, Purphoros, Athreos, Erebos
I Iroan	Jennifer Clarke Wilkes	2013-11-06	Theros	Theros	Pandamator, Iroas, Heliod, Purphoros, Keranos, Anax, Erebos, Nymosyne, Arissa, Lanathos
Asphodel	Kelly Digges	2013-12-11	Theros	Theros	Maia, Purphoros, Erebos, Kadmos, Pylia
Emonberry Red	Clayton Kroh	2014-02-05	Born of the Gods	Theros	Adrasteia, Pavios and Thanasis, Purphoros, Erebos
Desperate Stand	Matt Knicl	2014-04-16	Journey into Nyx	Theros	Vinack, Aesrias, Solon, Kedarick VI, Kytheon Iora, Erebos, Athreos
Gideon’s Origin: Kytheon Iora of Akros	Ari Levitch	2015-07-01	Magic Origins	Theros, Bant	Gideon Jura, Hixus, Ristos, Drasus, Olexo, Epikos, Zenon, Heliod, Erebos, Moukir
The Promised End	Ken Troop	2016-07-27	Eldritch Moon	Innistrad	Liliana Vess, the Gatewatch, Tamiyo, Emrakul, Raven Man, Erebos

In-game references

Represented in:

• Erebos, Bleak-Hearted
• Erebos, God of the Dead

Associated cards:

• Agent of Erebos
• Anikthea, Hand of Erebos
• Boon of Erebos
• Claim of Erebos
• Dictate of Erebos
• Erebos's Emissary
• Erebos's Intervention
• Erebos's Titan
• Ordeal of Erebos
• Whip of Erebos

Depicted in:

• Drag to the Underworld
• Elspeth Conquers Death
• Ephara, Ever-Sheltering
• Ephara's Dispersal
• Extinguish All Hope
• Hero's Downfall (Clash Pack)
• Omen of the Dead
• Starfield of Nyx
• The Protector (Hero's Path)
• Underworld Breach
• Underworld Dreams (Theros Beyond Death)

Quoted or referred to:

• Black Oak of Odunos
• Divination (Born of the Gods)
• Drown in Sorrow
• Excoriate
• Fruit of Tizerus
• Inevitable End
• Lash of the Whip
• Marshmist Titan
• Scourgemark
• Thassa's Ire
• Weight of the Underworld

External links

• The Magic Creative Team (August 21, 2013). "Planeswalker's Guide To Theros, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
• Theros: Godsend, Part I
• Journey into Nyx: Godsend, Part II