Greek underworld

In mythology, the Greek underworld is an otherworld where souls go after death. The
original Greek idea of afterlife is that, at the moment of death, the soul is separated from the
corpse, taking on the shape of the former person, and is transported to the entrance of the
underworld. Good people and bad people would then separate. The underworld itself—
referred to as Hades, after its patron god—is described as being either at the outer bounds
of the ocean or beneath the depths or ends of the earth. It is considered the dark
counterpart to the brightness of Mount Olympus with the kingdom of the dead
corresponding to the kingdom of the gods.The underworld is a realm invisible to the living,
made solely for the dead.
Rivers
There are six main rivers that are visible both in the living world and the underworld. Their names
were meant to reflect the emotions associated with death.

The Styx is generally considered to be one of the most prominent rivers of the underworld, and is the
most familiar. Known as the river of hatred and named after the goddess Styx, it circles the
underworld seven times. The river Styx is considered the entrance to the underworld.

The Acheron is the river of pain. According to many mythological accounts, Charon, also known as
the Ferryman, rows the dead over the Acheron, the Styx, or both.

The Lethe is the river of forgetfulness, taking its name from Lethe, the goddess of forgetfulness and
oblivion. In later accounts, a poplar branch dripping with water of the Lethe became the symbol of
Hypnos, the god of sleep.

The Phlegethon is the river of fire. According to Plato, this river leads to the depths of Tartarus.

The Cocytus is the river of wailing. The Cocytus flows into the river Acheron.

Oceanus is the river that encircles the world, and it marks the east edge of the underworld, as Erebos
is west of the mortal world.

Entrance of the underworld

In front of the entrance to the underworld live Grief (Penthos), Anxiety (Curae), Diseases (Nosoi), Old
Age (Geras), Fear (Phobos), Hunger (Limos), Need (Aporia), Death (Thanatos), Agony (Algea), and
Sleep (Hypnos), together with Guilty Joys (Gaudia). On the opposite threshold is War (Polemos), the
Erinyes, and Discord (Eris). Close to the doors are many beasts, including Centaurs, Scylla, Briareus,
Gorgons, the Lernaean Hydra, Geryon, the Chimera, and Harpies. In the midst of all this, an Elm can
be seen where false Dreams (Oneiroi) cling under every leaf.

The souls that enter the underworld carry a coin under their tongue to pay Charon to take them
across the river. Charon may make exceptions or allowances for those visitors carrying a Golden
Bough. Charon is said to be appallingly filthy, with eyes like jets of fire, a bush of unkempt beard
upon his chin, and a dirty cloak hanging from his shoulders. Although Charon ferries across most
souls, he turns away a few. These are the unburied which can't be taken across from bank to bank
until they receive a proper burial.

Across the river, guarding the gates of the underworld is Cerberus. Beyond Cerberus is where the
Judges of the underworld decide where to send the souls of the dead: to the Isles of the Blessed
(Elysium), or otherwise to Tartarus.
Tartarus

While Tartarus is not considered to be directly a part of the underworld, it is described as being as far
beneath the underworld as the earth is beneath the sky. It is so dark that the "night is poured around
it in three rows like a collar round the neck, while above it grows the roots of the earth and of the
unharvested sea." Zeus cast the Titans along with his father Cronus into Tartarus after defeating
them. Homer wrote that Cronus then became the king of Tartarus.While Odysseus does not see the
Titans himself, he mentions some of the people within the underworld who are experiencing
punishment for their sins.

Asphodel Meadows- It was where mortals who did not belong anywhere else in the underworld were
sent.

Mourning Fields- was a section of the underworld reserved for souls who wasted their lives on
unrequited love

Elysium-Most accepted to Elysium were demigods or heroes

Deities
Hades
Hades, the eldest son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea; brother of Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, and
Hestia, is the Greek god of the underworld. When the three brothers divided the world between
themselves, Zeus received the heavens, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the underworld; the earth itself
was divided between the three. Therefore, while Hades' responsibility was in the underworld, he was
allowed to have power on earth as well. However, Hades himself is rarely seen outside his domain,
and to those on earth his intentions and personality are a mystery. In art and literature Hades is
depicted as stern and dignified, but not as a fierce torturer or devil-like. However, Hades was
considered the enemy to all life and was hated by both the gods and men; sacrifices and prayers did
not appease him so mortals rarely tried. He was also not a tormenter of the dead, and sometimes
considered the "Zeus of the dead" because he was hospitable to them. Due to his role as lord of the
underworld and ruler of the dead, he was also known as Zeus Khthonios ("the infernal Zeus" or "Zeus
of the lower world"). Those who received punishment in Tartarus were assigned by the other gods
seeking vengeance. In Greek society, many viewed Hades as the least liked god and many gods even
had an aversion towards him, and when people would sacrifice to Hades, it would be if they wanted
revenge on an enemy or something terrible to happen to them.

Hades was sometimes referred to as Pluton and was represented in a lighter way – here, he was
considered the giver of wealth, since the crops and the blessing of the harvest come from below the
earth.

Persephone
Persephone (also known as Kore) was the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, and
Zeus. Persephone was abducted by Hades who desired a wife but he was helped by Zeus,. When
Persephone was gathering flowers, she was entranced by a narcissus flower planted by Gaia (to lure
her to the underworld as a favor to Hades), and when she picked it the earth suddenly opened up.
Hades, appearing in a golden chariot, seduced and carried Persephone into the underworld. When
Demeter found out that Zeus had given Hades permission to abduct Persephone and take her as a
wife, Demeter became enraged at Zeus and stopped growing harvests for the earth. To soothe her,
Zeus sent Hermes to the underworld to return Persephone to her mother. However, she had eaten
six pomegranate seeds in the underworld and was thus eternally tied to the underworld, since the
pomegranate seed was sacred there.
Persephone could then only leave the underworld when the earth was blooming, or every season
except the winter.

The Erinyes (also known as the Furies) were the three goddesses associated with the souls of the
dead and the avenged crimes against the natural order of the world. They consist of Alecto, Megaera,
and Tisiphone.

They were particularly concerned with crimes done by children against their parents such as
matricide, patricide, and unfilial conduct. They would inflict madness upon the living murderer, or if a
nation was harboring such a criminal, the Erinyes would cause starvation and disease to the nation.
The Erinyes were dreaded by the living since they embodied the vengeance of the person who was
wronged against the wrongdoer. Often the Greeks made "soothing libations" to the Erinyes to
appease them so as to not invoke their wrath, and overall the Erinyes received many more libations
and sacrifices than other gods of the underworld. The Erinyes were depicted as ugly and winged
women with their bodies intertwined with serpents.

Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus are the judges of the dead.