In Greek mythology, the Underworld is known as the world of the dead and it is very important. So, what kind of place is this place? Can there be a similarity between pre-Ancient myths and today's world beliefs? Let's get together, we tell you and you decide.
The underground world is divided into different regions within itself. One is for the most elite mortals (like heroes), one for ordinary mortals, and the third for evil people. On the other hand, as we shall soon talk about, there are more than these main sections in the underground world.
The Geography of Hell
In the oldest myths it is stated that the underground world is located at the very end of the country of the living, just beyond the ocean. According to other myths, underground world is under the earth. The county of Death is thought to have various entrances, mostly caves and lakes.
There are some important rivers around the periphery of the scale. These rivers represent the stages through which the soul passes after it has been killed;
- Acheron: Grief Rive
- Cocytus: Crying River
- Lethe: Forgetfulness River
- Pyriphlegethon: Fire River
- Styx: Hate River
You can also witness the underground world being called "Hades". According to the Greeks, Hades was the name of the god, not the dominant one. It was believed that using Hades's name or mentioning his country would bring bad luck.
The Boat of the Dead
When someone died, Hermes took that person's soul and brought it to the underworld. In order to reach the underworld, we had to pass through the rivers mentioned above. The spirits had to hire boats carrying the measurements to cross the river. If the passenger spirit can not afford to pay for the boatman, his spirit would be condemned to wander along the coast of the river for centuries. Even after paying the price and losing money, spirits had to work; While the boatman was steering, they would row.
The ancients (prospective greeks) put a coin under their language when their loved ones died. This is the money paid to the kayakçıya be paid. If the deceased were not buried or buried as needed, they would believe that the spirit of that person would wander around the throne for centuries.
After crossing the rivers, he had to cross Kerberos, the guardian dog of Hades, before he entered the soul's underworld. It was not an ordinary dog, he was three-star and loved to eat raw meat. Its task was to prevent the souls of the underworld from entering and escaping.
After passing by Kerberos, the spirits came to a way. Here are three different ways to different regions of the underworld. At the beginning of the journey, the judges who had died against their souls were taken away. The judges usually decide which way a soul will go, where they will stay forever. Sometimes the gods intervened in these decisions. (but hades never did that.)
Elysium: Great Resting Place
This region was the site of the elite. Heroes and other extraordinary mortals were sent to this island after they were killed. Elysium is a paradise where men and women live a comfortable life after death. The fields were always lush and the sun was always on the hill. It had fun, purse-snatching, hubbub and a comfortable eternity.
Asphodel Fields: Places of Ordinary People
Most of the souls were sent here. This region of the underground world was in the middle, so neither good nor bad. Because most ordinary people are the final settlement, there was more soul here than in other regions. The souls in this place, usually carry on their activities in their old lives. There was no place for memories and feelings here, for this reason spirits acted like robots and could not show a certain personality. Asphodel had a monotonous life in his fields, there was no room for friendship and sincere connections. Nevertheless, it was much better than being in Tartaros.
Tartaros: The Real Hell
Tartaros was at the bottom of the underground world. In fact, it was so down that it was said that the distance between Tartaros and the surface was equal to that between Earth and sky. It was a dark and gloomy place, and everyone, even god and goddess, was fearful. The worst ones here have been sent for punishment, suffering forever. The Erinies were charged with imposing heavy penalties on souls sent to Tartaros. Every man made warblers by means of whips and serpents.
Try all, choose your side