Greek underworld
Also known as: Underworld · Hades
- 1The Greek underworld is commonly known as Hades, named after its presiding deity.
- 2The psyche is the essential component of a person that travels to the underworld upon death.
- 3Early traditions described the afterlife as a shadowy post-existence where all souls were grouped together.
- 4Later developments in mythology introduced the concept of moral judgment and the separation of souls.
In Greek mythology, the underworld or Hades is a distinct realm where an individual goes after death.
Connections2
the destination of the katabasis journey
This is the physical and metaphysical location that the hero must enter and return from to complete the katabasis ritual or quest.
the location of her captivity
Hades is the underworld realm where Eurydice was held after her death, serving as the setting for the climax of the myth.
In Greek mythology, the underworld, often referred to as Hades, is the designated realm where individuals reside after death. The foundational belief held that upon the moment of death, a person's psyche, or essence, would separate from the physical body and be transported to this subterranean domain.
Triple Hecate and the Charites, Attic, 3rd century BCE ( Glyptothek, Munich)Wikimedia Commons: File:Hekate_Kharites_Glyptothek_Munich_60.jpgThe Rape of Persephone: Persephone is abducted by Hades in his chariot. Persephone krater Antikensammlung Berlin 1984.40Wikimedia Commons: File:Persephone_krater_Antikensammlung_Berlin_1984.40.jpgHermes Psychopompos sits on a rock, preparing to lead a dead soul to the underworld. Attic white-ground lekythos, ca. 450 BC, Staatliche Antikensammlungen (Inv. 2797)Wikimedia Commons: File:Hermes_Psykhopompos_Staatliche_Antikensammlungen_2797_n2.jpg Early mythological accounts depicted the underworld as a place where the dead were gathered together without distinction, leading a shadowy, uniform existence. As mythological traditions evolved, the concept of post-mortem judgment emerged, introducing the idea that the afterlife could be stratified based on an individual's moral conduct during their lifetime, leading to the separation of the virtuous from the wicked.