Fate = Underworld

Fate = Underworld?

According to the Roman and Greek Mythology, the Underworld was a place where a person goes after they die. The Underworld was known to be a dark and dreary place where the shades were kept. Odyssey and Aeneid has different ways of presenting the Underworld. Aeneid has more thorough topography of the underworld. To go to the underworld was your fate. Afterlife, going to the underworld, was also known as the journey to Hades. Hades was the king of the underworld. Upon death, the shades were lead by Hermes - Roman Mercury, son of Zeus and Maia - to the entrance of the underworld and to the banks of the Acheron. The underworld was made up of five rivers. The Acheron, the river of woe- Cocytus, the river of lamentation, Phlegethon, the river of fire, Lethe, river of forgetfulness, Styz, river of hate.

The entrance of the underworld was "a wide-mouthed cavern, deep and vast and rugged, sheltered by a shadowed lake and darkened groves; such vapor poured from those black jaws to heaven's vault, no bird could fly above unharmed" (Aeneid line 318). Imagine the inside of a place that had such a daunting entrance. Guarding the entrance is the three-headed dog named Cerberus. His main job is to allow new spirits in the underworld but never allow them to get back out. To enter the underworld you need to be brave and be a human ultimately. "you need your courage now; you need your heart" (Aeneid lines 346).

When one dies, the family would place one coin, or obol, under the deceased's tongue. This coin would pay the fare to the Charon who would ferry the dead over the Archeron River. Charon is the ferry man whos is often described as and old sulky man or as a winged demon carrying a double hammer. Those who cannot afford to pay the Charon were doomed to wonder the banks of the Archeron River for one hundred years. Also, those who weren't buried or burned and didn't have all the rituals completed were not allowed to go through the entrance. (Aeneid)

Once you are in the underworld you can go to one of the three places. This place is completely dependent on the life you lead on Earth. It depends upon the deeds that have completed on Earth. These places are decided