Known as “the river of wailing”, the Cocytus is described by Plato as a branch of the Styx that flows into the Acheron and is specifically associated with leading murderers to Tartarus. The Cocytus River has a similar role to the Pyriphlegethon. Plato claims that the Pyriphlegethon leads the damned to Tartarus, an abyss of torture. Flowing into the Acheron is the Pyriphlegethon, the river of blazing fire. Many necromantic rituals take place on the Acheron, and in some cases, it is described as a lake instead of a river. The Acheron is known as “the river of misery”, and is sometimes used in replacement of the Styx as the river the dead are brought over. The other rivers have their own special themes as well. Some texts refer to it as the “river of hatred.” It is the only river in the underworld mentioned in Homer’s Iliad, and it is later described as the river on which the dead entered the underworld. The most common of these is the river Styx, which is the river on which gods swear oaths. The underworld is filled with many rivers, including the Acheron, Styx, Pyriphlegethon, Cocytus, Lethe, and Oceanus. In addition to darkness, water also plays an important role in the underworld. Although there are many physical descriptions of this place, it is generally understood that the underworld is an invisible realm that cannot be easily seen or accessed. It is also located somewhere around the periphery of the Earth, either at the ends of the ocean or somewhere inside the Earth. In these texts, the underworld is described as dark and without any sunlight. There are several descriptions of the underworld throughout Greek mythology. But what involvement did he have with the dead, and what was the underworld like for them? Did any other Greek myths heavily rely on such a dark and mysterious place? A Glimpse into the Underworld It was believed that after death, an individual’s soul leaves his body and goes to the underworld, thus leaving his body behind.īeyond the dead, the underworld was also the home of Hades, known as the god of the underworld. The Greek underworld is one of three realms that make up the cosmos. One of the most fascinating concepts of Greek mythology is that of the underworld.

Download free hades mythology