Greek Underworld Research Paper

The practicers of Greek mythology place a great deal of importance on the afterlife, and how you might get there. First of all, there is simply an underworld, no heaven, and no way of receiving eternal life. This is not to say the underworld does not have a hierarchy of its own. The underworld is a hopeless place, divided into three levels Elysium, Asphodel, and The Fields of Punishment. Burial is also very important in mythology, if buried incorrectly, the soul could lose certain fundamental rights in the underworld. The Greek mythological concept of the afterlife makes it seem as though death, and the things that happen to not only a physical body, but also a spiritual body is more important than life itself. In Greek mythology heaven does

The first of which is Elysium, few get the opportunity to stay here. This is the section of Tartarus the people who lived a life that had pleased the gods had the pleasure of staying at. Kronos is said to be the ruler of this glorious land (uiowa 12). Elysium although very few trod on this soil it is a very happy place. Even though the underworld is thought to be dreadful Elysium is quite the opposite. The second is The Fields of Punishment, few people went here as well, only “souls who had committed crimes against the gods would be sent here” (uiowa 9). The Fields of Punishment stand a testament to their name, many Greek stories tell of great torture here. The third, and final resting place in the underworld is called The Asphodel Meadows, this is where pretty much everyone else went, a place where indifferent souls went to finally rest after judgment. These souls did not do anything of poor enough behavior to get them sent to Fields of Punishment, and they also did not complete a task or life heroic, virtuous, or an pleasing enough to earn themselves a place in Elysium. Instead, they were cursed to walk around and forget everything that had ever happened to them. Although the underworld is typically a dark and sad place, there are different sections depending on how a life was