The Greek Underworld is the place where the souls of the deceased end up. In Greek mythology it is also known as “the kingdom of Hades”. Hades, in sharing the world with his brothers, was given the Underworld and reigns over it. It is a kingdom invisible to the living and has several different areas. The Champs Elysees, the Islands of the Blessed, Erebus and Tartarus are the most important. Join us in Supercurious to meet the best-known beings of the Greek underworld.
Beings of the Greek Underworld
When we talk about the underworld, a dark place full of torture always comes to mind. In many of the beliefs it is located in the depths of the earth, with nothing and full of terror, without any type of color, the concept of which is always associated with death. This is how the Greeks saw the underworld, the kingdom of the dead where Hades reigned, becoming the god of the underworld. On this occasion we will talk precisely about this Greek god, as well as some other historical figures who have passed through this place.
1. Hades
Hades was the monarch of the dark world of the underworld. He was one of the little-known Greek gods despite the fact that he had great importance in the history of Greek mythology. It is because the Greeks were very afraid of mentioning death, since it could mean an invocation of it.
For this reason, not much is known about Hades, only that he is the brother of Zeus mostly. Little is it known that he obtained the domains of the underworld after finishing off with Zeus and Poseidon with the Titanomachy. After the distribution of the kingdoms, where Zeus obtained the heavens and Poseidon the seas, Hades was quite apart from the affairs of mortals, since they were not of his interest.
It is important to highlight that, Although Hades ruled in the realm of the dead, he was not the god of death as such. That role was fulfilled by Thanatos, who was one of the many children of Nyx, one of the main deities associated with the night.
2. Persephone
Daughter of Zeus and Demeter, Persephone is the wife of Hades and reigns with him within the Greek underworld. She was kidnapped by Hades when he was collecting flowers in Enna (Sicily), which led to a tireless search by her mother to find her. This brought as a consequence that she was completely unconcerned with the land and its fruits. Product of the risk that nature would never prosper, Zeus ordered the restitution of Hades.
However, by inadvertence or provocation of the god himself, Persephone broke her fast by consuming seeds of the fruit of the pomegranate, and as a consequence he had to remain forever in the Greek underworld. In the same way, they were able to find a solution so that he could visit his mother for part of the year, and the rest be with Hades, which gives rise to the cycle of the seasons.
The marriage of Hades and Persephone, for its part, is one of the few where both fulfill the same functions, in addition to having the same importance in the Greek world. On the other hand, Persephone is always linked to a concept subject to change and a life cycle, but the truth is that she has nothing to envy her wife in terms of her dark presence.
3. Charon, one of the beings of the underworld
He was a boatman for Hades, son of Erebo and Nyx. charon andHe was in charge of transporting the souls in his boat through the Acheronte. In order to pay the amount he demanded, he became culture in Greece bury corpses with a coin in its mouth.
He always described himself as an old man with a white beard, very thin and with a very bad character. Furthermore, he was in the habit of choosing at his own expense those who would go aboard the boat from all the crowd that gathered on the shore of the Acheron. One of the best descriptions of him is given by Virgil:
“A hideous boatman watches over these waters and rivers, Charon, terribly filthy, whose long gray hair falls carelessly from his chin, his gaze fixed and flaming, his dirty cloak hangs knotted over his shoulders. He himself pushes the boat with the pole and directs the sails and transports the dead in a rusty skiff, old already, but it is the fresh and vigorous old age of a god. (Aeneid VI, 298 and ss).
4. Cerberus
It was a three-headed monster, with a snake tail and an immense number of reptilian heads on its back, being one of the most chilling beings of the Greek underworld. His role in the Greek underworld or Hades was to be a guardian of the gate of the kingdom. Therefore, it prevented the entry of the living and prevented the exit of the dead. This does not mean that he could never be mocked in different ways, such as:
- Orpheus, using his musical notes.
- Hermes, using water from the Lethe River.
- Aeneas, with honey cakes made with narcotics.
- Psyche, also with cakes made with honey and numbing substances.
5. The three judges of the underworld
Radamantis was one of the three judges of the underworld, son of Zeus and Europa, brother of Minos and Sarpedon, and was king of Crete. He had an important role in the forms of government of many Greek cities, since his code was an example of many civilizations. Also, He was always recognized as a pure and judicious being, which earned him the role of judge of the underworld.
Minos, for his part, was one of the most remembered kings of Crete and husband of Pasiphae. He was known to be a good lawgiver thanks to the contact he maintained with Zeus every nine years of his reign on Mount Ida. In various versions, he came to have the final decision in the court of souls.
Last but not least, we have Aeacus, father of Peleus and grandfather of Achilles. He was king of Aegina and famous for his broad sense of justice. so much so He was appointed as judge of the underworld along with the Cretans Minos and Radamantis.
6. Theseus, hero who is part of the beings of the Greek underworld
Within the Greek world, Theseus was one of the most important heroes in history. His most recognized act was when he defeated the Cretan minotaur, although his passage through the underworld was some time after this daring.
Theseus, along with his most faithful companion, Pirítoo, were convinced to only marry daughters of Zeus. For his part, Theseus chose Helen of Troy and kidnapped her when she was just a girl. However, Pirítoo had a higher goal: to kidnap Persephone herself and make her his wife. To achieve her goal, they both descended into the underworld to kidnap her.
But, the plan did not go as they wanted. Although Persephone received them with open arms and a huge banquet, as soon as they sat down, they remained attached to the seats. Thus, it was the goddess of the underworld who captured them. It was not until the arrival of Hercules that Theseus could be saved, but Pirítoo did not suffer the same fate and is still serving the punishment.
7. The Erinyes or Furies
The Erinyes or Furies are beings of the Greek underworld from the blood spilled from Uranus on Gea. They are known to be spirits of vengeance who did their work fairly against those who commit murders or other serious crimes, especially if they appear in the family nucleus. It was not until Virgilio arrived that it was defined that there were 3, and he was followed by dante:
- alectoknown as “the implacable”, penalized moral crimes, such as anger, arrogance, and, in general, the hubris.
- Megarait was “the jealous one”, who punished the infidels.
- tisiphone“the avenger”, was the one who gave justice to murders or blood crimes.
With these last 3 we finish with some of the most outstanding beings of the Greek underworld. Of course, there are many more, but we decided to address the ones that most influence the kingdom of Hades. Leave us in the comments if someone is missing!