Greek mythology was used by the ancient Greeks as a way to explain and give meaning to the world and the natural phenomena they witnessed. The myths the ancient Greeks established were closely connected to their religion, explained where humanity had come from, and where it was going after death. The ancient Greeks understanding of death included the idea of afterlife where there was another world, known as the underworld, which souls went to after its death. The Underworld is the kingdom of the dead ruled by god Hades, and was known to be either beneath the depths or at the ends of earth. The Greeks’ comprehension of human death was that once a person had passed away, the soul would separate from the corpse in the form of a shadow taking
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The most prominent and notoriously known river was the Styx, also known as the river of hatred. The other rivers included the Acheron (river of woe), the Cocytus (river of lamentation), the Phlegethon (river of fire), and the Lethe (river of forgetfulness). The souls enter the Underworld through the entrance and carry a coin under their tongue to pay Charon, the ferryman who carries souls of the newly deceased across the rivers to the Underworld. However, Charon does not take the souls of those who had not received burial across the rivers. Cerberus is a three-headed dog with a serpent's tail that guards the entrance of the Greek underworld. Also near the entrance to the Underworld, is an area where the judges of the Underworld decide where to send each soul. The judges included Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus and they decided that a soul could be sent to Tartarus, the Asphodel Meadows, and Elysium. Tartarus is the place where wicked souls receive punishment for their crimes they committed while alive. The Asphodel Meadows was a place for ordinary souls who did not commit any significant crimes, but who also did not achieve any recognition. Elysium contained the souls of those who lead a righteous life where the inhabitants had a simple afterlife with no
The most prominent and notoriously known river was the Styx, also known as the river of hatred. The other rivers included the Acheron (river of woe), the Cocytus (river of lamentation), the Phlegethon (river of fire), and the Lethe (river of forgetfulness). The souls enter the Underworld through the entrance and carry a coin under their tongue to pay Charon, the ferryman who carries souls of the newly deceased across the rivers to the Underworld. However, Charon does not take the souls of those who had not received burial across the rivers. Cerberus is a three-headed dog with a serpent's tail that guards the entrance of the Greek underworld. Also near the entrance to the Underworld, is an area where the judges of the Underworld decide where to send each soul. The judges included Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus and they decided that a soul could be sent to Tartarus, the Asphodel Meadows, and Elysium. Tartarus is the place where wicked souls receive punishment for their crimes they committed while alive. The Asphodel Meadows was a place for ordinary souls who did not commit any significant crimes, but who also did not achieve any recognition. Elysium contained the souls of those who lead a righteous life where the inhabitants had a simple afterlife with no