Greek underworld
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| - | :"The [[Greek underworld]], [[Hades]], was ruled by the god Hades, and had five rivers that flowed through it. The rivers were: [[Acheron]], river of sadness; [[Cocytus]], river of lamentation; [[Lethe]], river of forgetfulness; [[Phlegethon]], river of fire; [[Styx (mythology)|Styx]], river of hate. The Underworld had attendants who, though not rulers, were important gods and beings. The [[Furies]] were female spirits who exacted vengeance against people who committed specific crimes. [[Keres (mythology)|Keres]] were female spirits of death and destruction. [[Persephone]] was the goddess of the underworld and the spouse of Hades. [[Thanatos]], the god of death, was said to wear dark robes." | + | :"The [[Greek underworld]], [[Hades]], was ruled by the god Hades, and had five rivers that flowed through it. The rivers were: [[Acheron]], river of [[sadness]]; [[Cocytus]], river of [[lamentation]]; [[Lethe]], river of [[forgetfulness]]; [[Phlegethon]], river of [[fire]]; [[Styx (mythology)|Styx]], river of [[hate]]. The Underworld had attendants who, though not rulers, were important gods and beings. The [[Furies]] were [[female spirit]]s who exacted [[vengeance]] against people who committed specific crimes. [[Keres (mythology)|Keres]] were female spirits of [[death]] and [[destruction]]. [[Persephone]] was the [[goddess of the underworld]] and the spouse of Hades. [[Thanatos]], the god of death, was said to wear dark robes." |
| '''Greek underworld''' (often shortened as '''Underworld''', depending on the context) is a general term used to describe the various realms of [[Greek mythology]] which were believed to lie beneath the earth or beyond the horizon. | '''Greek underworld''' (often shortened as '''Underworld''', depending on the context) is a general term used to describe the various realms of [[Greek mythology]] which were believed to lie beneath the earth or beyond the horizon. | ||
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- "The Greek underworld, Hades, was ruled by the god Hades, and had five rivers that flowed through it. The rivers were: Acheron, river of sadness; Cocytus, river of lamentation; Lethe, river of forgetfulness; Phlegethon, river of fire; Styx, river of hate. The Underworld had attendants who, though not rulers, were important gods and beings. The Furies were female spirits who exacted vengeance against people who committed specific crimes. Keres were female spirits of death and destruction. Persephone was the goddess of the underworld and the spouse of Hades. Thanatos, the god of death, was said to wear dark robes."
Greek underworld (often shortened as Underworld, depending on the context) is a general term used to describe the various realms of Greek mythology which were believed to lie beneath the earth or beyond the horizon.
This includes:
- The great pit of Tartarus, which was originally the exclusive prison of the old Titan gods, but which later came to mean the dungeon home of the damned souls
- The land of the dead ruled by the god Hades, which is variously called the house or domain of Hades (domos Aidaou), Hades, Erebus, the Asphodel Fields, Stygia and Acheron ;
- The Islands of the Blessed or Elysian Islands ruled by Cronus (According to Pindar - other accounts differ), where the great heroes of myth resided after death ;
- The Elysian Fields ruled by Rhadamanthys, where the virtuous dead and initiates in the ancient Mysteries were sent to dwell.
The five rivers of Hades are Acheron (the river of sorrow), Cocytus (the river of lamentation), Phlegethon (the river of fire), Lethe (the river of forgetfulness) and Styx (the river of hate), which forms the boundary between upper and lower worlds.
The ancient Greek concept of the underworld evolved considerably over time.
See also
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Greek underworld" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
