Greek Afterlife Myths

Since ancient civilizations people have been trying to explain what goes on after death. Throughout history, many cultures have had different theories about what happens. Two distinguished ideas of where people go after death are the underworld and Hell. The idea of the underworld came from the Greeks and Romans. A few famous works by the Greeks and Romans that talk about the underworld are The Iliad, The Aeneid, and, The Odyssey. A famous work that discusses Hell is Dante's Inferno. Hell is an accepted part of the Christianity religion and taught all over the world. The two beliefs are very similar but some distinct differences can be seen.

In both Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid, the heroes make the dauntless adventure into the underworld. Both of theses visits occur around the middle of the stories, and they bring information about the lives of heroes ' loved ones. The heroes also get very important information from these loved ones; information that they require to continue on their journeys. However these are not the only things that are similar about the heroes visits. The influence of the Homeric writings of the Iliad and the Odyssey on Virgil’s writings is clear - especially in Book VI of the Aeneid. Throughout this paper we will talk about the similarities that occur throughout the two poems, and how the two authors beliefs shine through. These beliefs are two very different views on the idea of death. Homer’s Iliad depicts death as something that is something souls do not enjoy. Whereas Virgil’s Aeneid depict it more as a final rest for souls – something that relieves them of the troubles of life.

When people wonder about Ancient Greece the first thing that comes to their minds is Greek mythology; gods and goddesses that have helped shape many historical events. “In ancient Greece, stories about gods and goddesses and heroes and monsters were an important part of everyday life.” (“Greek Mythology.”) The civilization showed that numerous characters and stories helped shape Greeks. The beliefs the Greeks had with mythologies was they understood the meaning behind all the characters that are known today. However, to the Greeks, they were not just characters, these were their gods and goddesses who gave them meaning and understanding of the world around them. Worshiping the gods and goddesses helped them with their religious rituals and the temperament of the weather. A famous wine-jar that was made during this time period was “Achilles killing the Amazon Queen Penthesilea, 540-530 BCE, black-figured amphora”. (Khan Academy) The civilization that they lived in grew around their worship and achievements.

The Underworld—an ultimate challenge, facing the darkest parts of human nature or dealing with death

The underworld in Greek mythology was not a lively place, for it was where all the dead souls went. When a person died, the soul would be sent to Hades, a more formal name for the underworld. "The dead would go to Hades because there was no annihilation in the Greek mythology. The dead are dead because they have a flavorless and unhappy existence".

In The Aeneid, Aeneas has his own version of what the underworld is. Hell is depicted in Book VI of The Aeneid where the Trojans sail back to Sicily where the death of Anchises is marked. Aeneas enters the underworld after meeting with Sibyl, who is a priestess at the Temple of Apollo and asks to enter so that he can visit his father. In order to enter and return from Hell, he has to find a golden branch and if it breaks off the tree with ease, then that will be his sign that he can enter. “So lift your eyes and search, and once you find it pull away the bough. It will come willingly, easily, if you are called by fate. If not, with all your strength you cannot conquer it, cannot lop it off with a sword’s edge. (6.213-217)”. A pair of doves direct him to the tree that he needs to chose the branch from and alas, he has entered into the underworld. When entering, Aeneas sees that there is a river called Acheron where the ferryman Charon transports spirits across the river, but not all souls can cross the river. Sibyl tells him that this is because those souls did not have a proper funeral and were not appreciated the way they were supposed to be. The souls that do pass have to line up in front of Minos to get

In the Odyssey, Homer describes the Underworld as an unhappy place and that "the ghost of the great hero Achilles told Odysseus that he would rather be a poor serf on earth than lord of all the dead in the Underworld" (Odyssey, 11.489–91). The underworld is another world where souls go after death which is also called the afterlife. At the moment of death the soul is separated from the corpse and is transported to the entrance of the Underworld. The Underworld itself is described as a dark and unhappy place to be. In the underworld there are five main rivers that are both visible in the living world and the underworld.

One of the most frequently debated topics in today’s society is the afterlife. This is topic is so intriguing because it is impossible for one to truly know the destination of our souls after death. A destination after death has been debated since the beginning of time. Some of its earliest examples of this are pieces of literature such as The Iliad where Homer wrote of an Underworld. By examining the common beliefs about the afterlife of different societies and times, we can also obtain a clearer idea of the common beliefs on religion and politics.

The concept of hell can be viewed as three distinct underworld concepts in the Old and New

initiation… and a regeneration to the upper world with a new identity.” (Hannan 2) Persephone’s journey also highlights that the Mesopotamian and Greek afterlifes differ in the quality of life after death. While the Greek Underworld, which shared the same name as the Greek god of death, was initially characterized as the colorless, dull wastes that mirror the Mesopotamian Underworld, as time passed, a hierarchy developed that was dictated by the actions of a person during life. The “geography” of Hades varies from source to source, but the two most common locations are Tartarus: the place of torment for the worst criminals, and the Elysian Fields: a paradise for great heroes and the best of the best.

creatures that lived throughout the universe. Charon was the ferryman for the Titans, and delivered soles to the underworld. After the Titans were imprisoned he continued to serve Pluto in the same way. His job is to ferry the dead across the river Styx, to the entrance of the underworld. When he ferried the dead Charon expected to be payed, therefore,people placed a coin on or in the mouth of the dead person, and if they do not have a way to pay they are forced to wander the shores for one hundred years. Charon is usually shown with a double headed hammer. At funerals slaves and servants dress as the Charon, and in the Roman Colosseum they would give the death blow and carry out dead bodies.

A dark, silent, formless void, a perpetual abyss without orientation, this is essentially what the Greeks believed was the origin of the world. The ancient Greeks while trying to further explain the world, invented beguiling myths (Evie). From these myths a world of human like gods and goddesses was formed (Evie). Through narratives, legends, and myths this world justified various abstract ideas, thus creating Greek mythology (Evie). A central element in Greek mythology is the underworld. The underworld is considered to be the place where one’s soul goes to after death. The underworld has played a vital role in Greek culture by serving as an incentive to live a virtuous life, which in turn has affected all aspects of Greek life.

The underworld was hidden deep in the Earth. The layout of the underworld was a section that is surrounded by 5 rivers. The river of woe, the river of lamentation, the river of fire, the river of unbreakable oath, and the river of forgetfulness. The entrance was a diamond gate that had a three headed dog, Cerberus, guarding it. In the middle of the kingdom Hades created a large castle that was filled with lots of people. Hades made a ferry at the beginning of the river of woes which was manned by Hermes and he would then take the souls of those that have died across the river to the

One of the most ancient mystery yet unsolved is the question pertaining to death and the afterlife. This mystery is one of the fundamental studies in both field of philosophy and religion. Comparing those who believe in a god-existing religion against those who don’t, we often see many differences in the answers relating to death. In the contrary, the similar answers to theist and atheist are evident strongly in two great thinkers and their works. The focus will be on Socrates’ speech in the Apology by Plato setting in 399 BCE and De Rerum Natura by Titus Lucretius 300 years later.

The Odyssey emphasizes the barren and sad nature of the Underworld, showing that the Greeks believe that death is the end of life's happiness. Odysseus' mother explains to Odysseus why he cannot embrace her: “The sinews no longer hold the flesh and bones together;/ these perish in the fierceness of consuming fire as soon as life has/left the body, and the soul flits away as though it were a dream” (Homer 6). From this statement, it can be inferred that the Greeks think that death is a great equalizer. The bad have it worse in Hell but they die like the good, feeling rather sad in not being able to live again. Virgil, however, describes the Underworld in greater detail through its sequences and in much more glorified details (Leach 120). In The Aeneid, every seat in the Underworld is a product of judgment on people's lives (121). Virgil depicts Pluto's dome, which has the roman vestibulum where official and honorable guests congregate (121). Virgil also describes the differences between the people of honor and people of sin in the Underworld. Sinners suffer in the cliff guarded by Tisiphone, where vultures eat their livers and experience numerous other forms of suffering. The Underworld also holds heroes who continually fight their legendary battles: “Here found they Tsucer's old heroic race,/ Born better times and happier years to grace./ Assaracus and Ilus here enjoy/ Perpetual fame, with him who founded Troy” (Virgil 6). Virgil is saying that