The Odyssey illustrates the journey of Odysseus on his homecoming after the Trojan War. Through Homer's Iliad and Odyssey has mentioned the possible existence and access of the Afterlife through rituals as expressed by Achilles in the Iliad after he received a premonition of his cousin Patroclus after he had not completed his funeral right and could not move forward to the realm of the dead. Homer’s Odyssey Book XI raises several important themes about the presentation of the Afterlife in Greek mythology during Homeric times. In Book XI readers see another step and obstacle that Odysseus must overcome to return home. In this book Homer formally introduces The Underworld, the place where the souls of people who die end up. Homer suggests that
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Homer's Underworld was described as as the land where the dead souls go to receive a reciprocity, a life in death parallel to earthly life. The land of the dead is ruled by the god Hades. After Cronus was overthrown, Hades and his brothers Zeus and Poseidon drew lots to divide up the universe and Hades was unfortunate, resulting in his being king of the Underworld. The Underworld is filled with the shades of the dead (ghosts) the souls that reside there who gather to drink Odysseus’ …show more content…
One of them is Elpenor, a crewman who broke his neck after falling off of Circe's roof on the island of Elpenor begs Odysseus to return to Circe's island to give him a proper burial. The funeral rite is important because the dead bodies must be destroyed by fire for their souls to be able to enter the Underworld. This scene would answer the question what is the rite needed to be performed to move on to one’s resting place. This would also suggest that the Underworld has separate regions for the ones who lived wickedly and those that lived morally and honorably. Odysseus agrees to enter after weeping for Elpenor one of his own men when he did not realize was dead. He meets Achilles who is deemed king of the Underworld because of the glory he received from fighting in the the trojan war. As well as agamemnon who recounts his murder by his wife Klytamestra after he returned from the war after he found out about her affair with
Homer's Underworld was described as as the land where the dead souls go to receive a reciprocity, a life in death parallel to earthly life. The land of the dead is ruled by the god Hades. After Cronus was overthrown, Hades and his brothers Zeus and Poseidon drew lots to divide up the universe and Hades was unfortunate, resulting in his being king of the Underworld. The Underworld is filled with the shades of the dead (ghosts) the souls that reside there who gather to drink Odysseus’ …show more content…
One of them is Elpenor, a crewman who broke his neck after falling off of Circe's roof on the island of Elpenor begs Odysseus to return to Circe's island to give him a proper burial. The funeral rite is important because the dead bodies must be destroyed by fire for their souls to be able to enter the Underworld. This scene would answer the question what is the rite needed to be performed to move on to one’s resting place. This would also suggest that the Underworld has separate regions for the ones who lived wickedly and those that lived morally and honorably. Odysseus agrees to enter after weeping for Elpenor one of his own men when he did not realize was dead. He meets Achilles who is deemed king of the Underworld because of the glory he received from fighting in the the trojan war. As well as agamemnon who recounts his murder by his wife Klytamestra after he returned from the war after he found out about her affair with