How does the underworld work?

Diego

New Member
I keep reading in different places about the underworld but i get confused, how many sections are there and what are they? There is a good and evil place? and is there like a middle area?
 

RLynn

Active Member
I think that Elysium, the nice place, is separate from Hades. Hades itself is rather neutral. Tartarus is a pit in Hades, and you don't want to go there. It's probably the model for the Christian Hell.
 

RLynn

Active Member
¶Diego, the comment in your profile, "I hope this isnt a waste of time?" gives rise to some speculation. I have seen similar comments in other forums, in which the motivation for forum participation is the quest for information for a term paper (or similar school project) which is perilously near the deadline. :)
¶It is not a waste of time to subscribe to any forum, since one is not thereby obliged to "waste time" by participating. I don't necessarily attribute any of these meandering thoughts to your situation. It is merely deja vu, emanating from previous encounters. :)
¶As an afterthought, Wikipedia can be a gold mine of information (as well as misinformation).
 

Nadai

Active Member
I keep reading in different places about the underworld but i get confused, how many sections are there and what are they? There is a good and evil place? and is there like a middle area?
A similar question was posted in another thread "Tartarus" if you'd like to take a look at it...
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-Domos Aidaou(House of Hades). Hades was the land ruled by the Greek god Hades (Pluto in Roman myth). Every soul eventually found it's way to Hades and was then sent to their eternal home, good or bad. He was given the name Pluto (Ploutōn or Ploutos) because he is considered to be the god of wealth. His domain is the underground so not only does he rule over every soul that ever was and eventually will ever be, he also can lay claim to every precious resource found within the earth.
-Cerberus(Kerberos) was the guard-dog of Hades. He stood at the gates of the Underworld to prevent any souls from leaving. If any soul made the attempt, he'd tear them to shreds, but according to myth he was pleasant to anyone going in. It was said that Cerberus had three heads, lion claws, the tail of a snake and also a mane made of 50 snakes(or three manes). In one myth, Orpheus travels to the Underworld to reclaim his bride and has to get past Cerberus; he plays a song to lull him to sleep. While he sleeps, Cerberus dreams of the life he had before he was taken by Hades; he'd been a very happy and ordinary farm dog.
-Aside from Cerberus there were other monsters and gods in Hades: Persephone(queen of the Underworld), Minos(the judge who recieves the dead from Hermes), Okeanos(a river god), Caron(the boatman), Nightmares, Erebus(Darkness), Grief, Disease, Famine, Fear, Death, Agony, Sleep, Envy, Greed, Strife, Discord, and the Furies of course.
-Tartarus was the realm originally meant to hold the Titans, but later the place for all the damned souls meant to be tortured for eternity. It is said that Tartarus is as far beneath Hades as Hades is beneath the Heavens.
-Erebus was the personifaication of darkness; sometimes seen as a place and sometimes a god. From Erebus was birthed Nxy, Styx, Tanatos, and several others. It was the region souls had to walk through immediately after death. The same realm mention in the myth of Orpheus.
-Asphodel Meadows was the place for souls who lived average lives, having done an equal amount of good and bad. The place was filled with Asphodel flowers which, apparently, was a favorite food amongst the dead. Sometimes it's described as a type of limbo. No pain, but no pleasure. No fear, but no joy. No hate, but no love. No cold, but no heat...etc.
-Styx, the river of hate, was the boundary between Earth and Hades; it circled the realm of the dead nine times. Phlegethon, Acheron, and Cocytus are all said to meet in the center of Hades in a great pool also called Styx. The river Styx is what the gods swore by. If a god swore on the river Styx and broke their word Iris would fetch a cup of water from the river and the god would have to drink it and go one year without ambrosia. The water was pretty toxic and without the ambrosia they lost, I believe, their god-powers for a year or either the ability to speak. Achilles was dipped in the Styx as an infant and was granted immortality (except on his heel which his mother failed to soak).
-Acheron was the river of woe.
-Cocytus was the river of lamentation.
-Phlegethon was the river of fire.
-Lethe was the river of forgetfulness.
-The Elysian Fields was an island in Hades meant to be a place designated for heroes and those chosen by the gods to be rewarded for specific deeds. It was a place of enjoyment. Whatever pleasures they enjoyed in life they were able to enjoy in death (so if a man liked a lot of wine and women he'd get to enjoy the Elysian Fields drunk and in bed). Some myths say that Zeus later granted Cronus the pleasure of being one of the judges over the Elysian Fields along with Rhadamanthys.
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Here is a map of the supposed Underworld...
http://www.maicar.com/GML/Underworldmap.html
 

Nadai

Active Member
¶Diego, the comment in your profile, "I hope this isnt a waste of time?" gives rise to some speculation. I have seen similar comments in other forums, in which the motivation for forum participation is the quest for information for a term paper (or similar school project) which is perilously near the deadline. :)
¶It is not a waste of time to subscribe to any forum, since one is not thereby obliged to "waste time" by participating. I don't necessarily attribute any of these meandering thoughts to your situation. It is merely deja vu, emanating from previous encounters. :)
¶As an afterthought, Wikipedia can be a gold mine of information (as well as misinformation).
A safer sight in my opinion to get facts on Geek and Roman myth...I came across it when I was in school for Classical myth...
http://www.theoi.com/
 
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