Places of Greek Mythology

Mount Olympus The Gods (or Olympians) live here. No mortal can visit this place.

The Afterlife Charon is the ferryman of the dead Ancient Greeks believed in the concept of “life after death” For the ancient Greeks “life after death” was not as simple as heaven and hell. In fact, people who did good and bad deeds ALL went to the Underworld. Upon death a soul is lead by Hermes to the entrance of the underworld and the ferry across the Acheron. Charon is the ferryman of the dead Once a person dies, Charon takes them across the five rivers. Only those who can pay the fare, by placing coins over their eyes when buried, will be ferried across the rivers and receive passage into the Underworld. The rest are trapped between two worlds, in limbo.

The Five Rivers Their names were meant to reflect the emotions associated with death The Styx is the river of hatred and is named after the goddess Styx. It is said that this river circles the underworld seven times. The Acheron is the river of pain The Lethe is the river of oblivion. It is associated with the goddess Lethe, or the goddess of forgetfulness and oblivion. The Phlegethon is the river of fire. The Cocytus is the river of wailing.

Underworld The kingdom of the dead Ruled over by Hades Once you enter, you can never escape For most, life in the underworld is like a miserable dream, full of shadows, without sunlight or hope.

Hades The "gates of Hades" were guarded by the fearsome hound Cerberus, who wags his tail for new arrivals but does not allow anyone to leave.

Asphodel Meadows Where the majority of the dead would end up These individuals were said to have drank from the River Lethe to forget their previous lives. The living were meant to aspire to achieve an afterlife in the Elysian Fields, a place where heroes would spend eternity after their deaths, so the Asphodel Meadows were not described in a favorable light.

Elysium Elysium (also called Elysian Fields or Elysian Plain) was a paradise The ancient Greek’s version of heaven Only those heroes who had achieved KLEOS could live there

Tartarus The deepest region of the underworld Greek version of hell Some especially wicked characters have been imprisoned in Tartarus to be punished. Where Sisyphus must repeatedly push a boulder up a hill for eternity Where Tantalus is kept just out of reach of cool water and grapes for sharing the secrets of the gods with humans