Underworld And Greek Mythology
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The Underworld in the Greek mythology refers to a kingdom of the deceased, and the ruler of this kingdom is believed to be Hades. According to Greek mythology, this is the place everyone went to after their death.
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The deceased could enter the Underworld by crossing the Acheron River. The job of ferrying the deceased to the Underworld is done by Charon, and his charges to do so were an Obulos, or a small coin, which would be placed under the tongue of the deceased by his family members. However, if someone could not afford this, he was doomed to wander on the banks of this river for around a hundred years.
The Underworld was guarded by Cerberus, the three headed guard dog of Hades. It is impossible for any one to leave the Underworld because Cerberus will never allow anyone to leave.
Once inside the Underworld, the soul of the deceased has to appear before three judges, namely Rhadamanthus, Minos and Aeacus. These judges would then decide where the soul would go. It could be sent to Elysium, which was said to be a place for the blessed, or to Tartarus, which was said to be for those who were damned, or to Asphodel, which was for the rest of the people who did not go to the first two places. Basically the Underworld and the Greek mythology talk about a life after death. A life which is extremely unpleasant filled with shadows, devoid of light and hope. The Underworld has no joy, and was a place that would make the dead slowly fade away.
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