But
where do the men go once they died ?
Underworld awaits them, a kingdom ruled by Hades, an Olympian god. One important thing :
Greek Hell is not like the Christian one, a fiery place filled with
tortured torturers, reserved for criminals and heretics.
No, the Greek Underworld is a place for all humans who have passed away, and the precise destination of a soul depends of its life. We will see the stages of progression in this dismal world :
The funeral:
The first crucial step to access the Underworld is a correct burial. It is necessary to bury the deceased and place a coin in his mouth (obolus). Those who are not buried properly are condemned to wander on Earth for decades, or to be stranded in front of the Archeron river.
Indeed, to cross this river, Charon, an old ferryman, must take them (at the cost of an obolus) to the gates of the Underworld.
The gates of the Underworld :
Once at the gates, the dead can no longer retreat, at the risk of being attacked by Cerberus, a terrible giant black dog with three heads, scolding breath and snakes around the neck.
Once you get trough the gate, you can “admire” the landscape of this desolate place :
Everything is the opposite of life on the surface: The night is eternal, it's cold, humid, dark. Only withered trees decorate the ground. The shadows of most people wail as they wander this place, frustrated with their ghastly condition...
The Rivers :
The underworld is crossed by 5 magical rivers: Archeron, Charon’s river; Phlegeton, river of fire; Cocyte, rivers of lamentation; the Lethe, river of Forgetfulness and finally the famous cold Styx.
It is on this river that the gods take an oath. If they break their word, they lose their divine privileges for a decade !
The suzerains of the Underworld :
Sinister deities are installed in the heart of this grim place.
There is Hades, god of the Underworld, considering shadows as his subjects; and his wife Persephone, who’s also the daughter of the goddess of agriculture.
There are the Furies, three old women, Alecto, Tisiphone and Megaera, called the Eumenides (benevolent) so as not to attract their anger. They torture some convicts by whipping them with snakes.
The harpies, a mix between old hags and vultures, also live here. These monsters sometimes take souls or children straight to the Underworld, and punish men by stealing or defecating on their food.
The Moirai fix the fate of each person: Clotho spins the thread on her distaff, Lachesis reels it to give them their lifespan and Atropos cut it to complete the life of the person.
Finally, the deceased will have to confront the three judges of the Underworld:
Minos, King of Crete, judges the false defendants. Aeacus, son of Zeus, judges the criminals known for their crimes, and finally Rhadamantus, son of Zeus too, takes care of those who have hidden their misdeeds.
Their terrible judgment fixes the fate of the dead, being sent to the Elysian Fields if he behaved well or was heroic;or in Tartarus if he was a terrible criminal, and staying here in the Asphodel Meadow otherwise.
The Elysian Fields :
The Greek equivalent of paradise. Valorous warriors, city founders, pious priests, and talented artists are gathered here, their dedication mankinds allow them to stay here. These fields resemble an improved version of the terrestrial grass fields, with fresh springs, beautiful vegetation, a mild and perfect climate ...
Residents know neither work nor the pain. They can play sports, dance or sing, or just rest.
However, this world is quite illusory, it is a non-real and material world, and for some characters like Achilles, reality, although sometimes cruel, remains preferable to this tasteless illusion. He will rather be a living enslaved peasant than the king of the Elysian residents.
The Tartarus:
The Greek equivalent of Hell. Convicts undergo torture or endless labor to punish them for their atrocious crimes.
It’s a dry, windy and dark desert surrounded by bronze grids. The tortured are tormented there for eternity: Traitors, tyrants and vile criminals will end here sooner or later.
Tantalus, for having served his son at the table of the gods, is condemned to eternal hunger and thirst while the water and the fruits are constantly retreating when he tries to approach them.
Sisyphus, for having deceived death twice, is condemned to push a rock at the top of a mountain, while this rock descends after each climb.
Ixion, for his perjury, his murder and his affront to Zeus, is condemned to the flaming wheel that never stop its race.
The giant Tityos, after attacking Apollo and Diane’s mother, is forced to lye on the ground, while is liver being eaten by vultures. His liver is obviously reconstituted after each bird meal !
The Danaïdes, 49 sisters who killed their husbands together, are condemned to fill a bottomless barrel for eternity.
No, the Greek Underworld is a place for all humans who have passed away, and the precise destination of a soul depends of its life. We will see the stages of progression in this dismal world :
The funeral:
The first crucial step to access the Underworld is a correct burial. It is necessary to bury the deceased and place a coin in his mouth (obolus). Those who are not buried properly are condemned to wander on Earth for decades, or to be stranded in front of the Archeron river.
Indeed, to cross this river, Charon, an old ferryman, must take them (at the cost of an obolus) to the gates of the Underworld.
The gates of the Underworld :
Once at the gates, the dead can no longer retreat, at the risk of being attacked by Cerberus, a terrible giant black dog with three heads, scolding breath and snakes around the neck.
Once you get trough the gate, you can “admire” the landscape of this desolate place :
Everything is the opposite of life on the surface: The night is eternal, it's cold, humid, dark. Only withered trees decorate the ground. The shadows of most people wail as they wander this place, frustrated with their ghastly condition...
The Rivers :
The underworld is crossed by 5 magical rivers: Archeron, Charon’s river; Phlegeton, river of fire; Cocyte, rivers of lamentation; the Lethe, river of Forgetfulness and finally the famous cold Styx.
It is on this river that the gods take an oath. If they break their word, they lose their divine privileges for a decade !
The suzerains of the Underworld :
Sinister deities are installed in the heart of this grim place.
There is Hades, god of the Underworld, considering shadows as his subjects; and his wife Persephone, who’s also the daughter of the goddess of agriculture.
There are the Furies, three old women, Alecto, Tisiphone and Megaera, called the Eumenides (benevolent) so as not to attract their anger. They torture some convicts by whipping them with snakes.
The harpies, a mix between old hags and vultures, also live here. These monsters sometimes take souls or children straight to the Underworld, and punish men by stealing or defecating on their food.
The Moirai fix the fate of each person: Clotho spins the thread on her distaff, Lachesis reels it to give them their lifespan and Atropos cut it to complete the life of the person.
Finally, the deceased will have to confront the three judges of the Underworld:
Minos, King of Crete, judges the false defendants. Aeacus, son of Zeus, judges the criminals known for their crimes, and finally Rhadamantus, son of Zeus too, takes care of those who have hidden their misdeeds.
Their terrible judgment fixes the fate of the dead, being sent to the Elysian Fields if he behaved well or was heroic;or in Tartarus if he was a terrible criminal, and staying here in the Asphodel Meadow otherwise.
The Elysian Fields :
The Greek equivalent of paradise. Valorous warriors, city founders, pious priests, and talented artists are gathered here, their dedication mankinds allow them to stay here. These fields resemble an improved version of the terrestrial grass fields, with fresh springs, beautiful vegetation, a mild and perfect climate ...
Residents know neither work nor the pain. They can play sports, dance or sing, or just rest.
However, this world is quite illusory, it is a non-real and material world, and for some characters like Achilles, reality, although sometimes cruel, remains preferable to this tasteless illusion. He will rather be a living enslaved peasant than the king of the Elysian residents.
The Tartarus:
The Greek equivalent of Hell. Convicts undergo torture or endless labor to punish them for their atrocious crimes.
It’s a dry, windy and dark desert surrounded by bronze grids. The tortured are tormented there for eternity: Traitors, tyrants and vile criminals will end here sooner or later.
Tantalus, for having served his son at the table of the gods, is condemned to eternal hunger and thirst while the water and the fruits are constantly retreating when he tries to approach them.
Sisyphus, for having deceived death twice, is condemned to push a rock at the top of a mountain, while this rock descends after each climb.
Ixion, for his perjury, his murder and his affront to Zeus, is condemned to the flaming wheel that never stop its race.
The giant Tityos, after attacking Apollo and Diane’s mother, is forced to lye on the ground, while is liver being eaten by vultures. His liver is obviously reconstituted after each bird meal !
The Danaïdes, 49 sisters who killed their husbands together, are condemned to fill a bottomless barrel for eternity.
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