Underground river of the dead. river styx

River Styx

Deep underground reigns relentless grim brother Zeus Hades. Rays never penetrate there bright sun. His kingdom - the world of the dead - is also called Hades or Hades.
Dark rivers flow in it. The sacred river Styx flows there, the waters of which the gods themselves swear by. Cocytus and Acheron roll their waves there; the souls of the dead resound their gloomy shores with lamentations. In the underworld flow and giving oblivion of everything earth water river Lethe. The three-headed dog Kerber, on whose neck snakes move with a menacing hiss, guards the exit. The stern old Charon, the carrier of the souls of the dead, will not be lucky through the gloomy waters of Acheront a single soul back to where the sun of life shines brightly.

Charon (Greek Χάρων - "bright") in Greek mythology- the carrier of the souls of the dead across the river Styx (according to another version - through Acheron) to Hades (the underworld of the dead). The son of Erebus and Nikta. Depicted as a gloomy old man in rags. Charon carries the dead across the waters underground rivers, receiving for this a payment of one obol (according to the funeral rite, located under the tongue of the dead). It transports only those dead whose bones have found peace in the grave. Only a golden branch plucked in the grove of Persephone opens the way for a living person to the kingdom of death. Under no circumstances will it be returned.

Styx (ancient Greek Στύξ "monster", lat. Styx) - in ancient Greek mythology- the personification of primitive horror (Greek στυγεϊν, Slav. to get cold) and darkness, from which the first offspring of life arose, and the personification of the mythical river Styx of the same name.
Daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, or daughter of Night and Erebus. According to Hesiod, Styx is the wife of Pallas, the mother of Nike, Envy, Strength and Power. Lin in forged verse reports "something similar" to Hesiod. According to the poem of Epimenides, Styx is the daughter of Oceanus and the wife of Perant, from whom she gave birth to Echidna.
During the struggle between Kronos and Zeus, Styx, before the other gods, hastened with her children (especially the goddess of victory, Nike), to help Zeus; for this, Zeus exalted Styx, making her the goddess of oaths, and her waters the pledge of oaths.
Styx lived far away, in the far west, where the realm of night begins, in a luxurious palace, the silver columns of which rested on the sky. This place was remote from the abode of the gods; only occasionally did Irida fly here for sacred water, when the gods in disputes swore by the waves of Styx. The oath was considered sacred, and even the gods suffered a terrible punishment for breaking it: the oath-breakers lay for a year without signs of life and then were expelled from the host of celestials for 9 years. Under the silver columns of the palace are meant the spray of a spring falling from a height; the seat of the goddess was where a stream formed from the falling jets. From here the waters went underground, into the darkness deep night, the horror of which was expressed in the horror of the oath.

"Hell, otherwise called a lake of fire and brimstone, is real fire, he will burn and torture the bodies of the damned both people and devils, if they are made of flesh, or only their souls. For if people have both bodies and souls, then incorporeal evil spirits will still be betrayed by fiery hell to suffer forever in such a state. And the fate of all will be the same fire

Styx is the main transition point between the two worlds

According to the myths ancient greece, the river Styx was the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. She earned her respect and unshakable authority after the battle on the side of Zeus. After all, it was her participation that had a positive effect on the outcome of the war. Since then, the gods of Olympus confirmed the inviolability of their oath in her name. If the oath was nevertheless violated, then for nine earthly years the Olympian had to lie lifeless, and after that, not dare to approach Olympus for the same amount. Only after this time, the god who violated the oath had the right to return back. In addition, Zeus tested the honesty of his allies with the waters of the Styx. He made him drink from it, and if suddenly the Olympian was a deceiver, he immediately lost his voice and froze for a year. The waters of this river were considered deadly poisonous.

According to legend, Styx goes around the kingdom of the dead - Hades - nine times and is under the protection of Charon. It is this strict old man who melts down the souls/shadows of the dead on his boat. He takes them to the other side of the river, from where they never return. However, he does this for a fee. In order for Charon to take a shadow on his boat, the ancient Greeks put a small obol coin in the mouth of the deceased. Perhaps this is where the tradition came from when burying a body to put money and other things valuable during life next to it. Meanwhile, not everyone can get to the other side. If relatives did not bury the body, as expected, the gloomy Charon does not let the soul into the boat. He pushes her away, dooming her to eternal wanderings.

If loved ones did not bury the body, as expected, the soul will have to wander

When the boat with souls nevertheless reached the opposite shore, they were met by the hellish dog - Cerberus.

Mavroneri river

Often the image of the river Styx can be found in art. The appearance of the river ferryman was used by Virgil, Seneca, Lucian. Dante in The Divine Comedy used the river Styx in the fifth circle of hell. However, there it is not water, but a dirty swamp, in which those who experienced a lot of anger during their lives wage an eternal fight on the bodies of those who have lived their whole lives in boredom. Among the most famous paintings with the transporter of souls is Michelangelo's Doomsday. On it, sinners are taken to the kingdom of Hades.

Dante used the river Styx in the fifth circle of hell in The Divine Comedy

It is also interesting that in our time, Mavroneri, also known as the "black river", is considered an analogue of the river that flowed from the underworld. It is located in the mountainous part of the Peloponnese peninsula, in Greece. By the way, scientists suggest that Alexander the Great was poisoned with this water. They base this conclusion on the fact that the Mavroneri, like the Styx, contains microorganisms that are deadly poisonous to humans, the poisoning of which is accompanied by symptoms that the great commander suffered from before his death.

According to scientists, Macedonian was poisoned by water Styx

There are also references to the deadly waters of Styx and her watchman in other cultures. For example, the Egyptians attributed the duties of a carrier to Anubis, the Lord of the Duat, and among the Etruscans, Turmas, and then Haru, acted as a carrier for some time. In Christianity, the Angel Gabriel helps to overcome the border of life and death.

The Styx is the same river of the dead that is described in Greek mythology. It is through it that a certain ferryman swims, with the help of which, for a fee, you can transfer souls there or back. What is this river famous for and what significance does it have in other cultures?

José Benlure y Gil (1855-1937). Oblivion river. Arthive

Almost all traditions have similar descriptions of the underworld. The only difference is the details and mostly the names. For example, in ancient Greek mythology, the river through which the souls of the dead are melted down is called the Styx. According to legend, she is in the kingdom of Hades - the god of the kingdom of the dead. The very name of the river is translated as a monster, or in other words, the personification of real horror. The Styx is of great importance in the underworld and is the main transition point between the two worlds.

According to the myths of ancient Greece, the river Styx was the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. She earned her respect and unshakable authority after the battle on the side of Zeus. After all, it was her participation that had a positive effect on the outcome of the war. Since then, the gods of Olympus confirmed the inviolability of their oath in her name. If the oath was nevertheless violated, then for nine earthly years the Olympian had to lie lifeless, and after that, not dare to approach Olympus for the same amount. Only after this time, the god who violated the oath had the right to return back. In addition, Zeus tested the honesty of his allies with the waters of the Styx. He made him drink from it, and if suddenly the Olympian was a deceiver, he immediately lost his voice and froze for a year. The waters of this river were considered deadly poisonous.

Styx. Engraving by Gustave Doré, 1861. Dante's Divine Comedy (1265-1321)

When the boat with souls nevertheless reached the opposite shore, they were met by the hellish dog - Cerberus.

Mavroneri river

Dante used the river Styx in the fifth circle of hell in The Divine Comedy
It is also interesting that in our time, Mavroneri, also known as the "black river", is considered an analogue of the river that flowed from the underworld. It is located in the mountainous part of the Peloponnese peninsula, in Greece. By the way, scientists suggest that Alexander the Great was poisoned with this water. They base this conclusion on the fact that the Mavroneri, like the Styx, contains microorganisms that are deadly poisonous to humans, the poisoning of which is accompanied by symptoms that the great commander suffered from before his death.

There are also references to the deadly waters of Styx and her watchman in other cultures. For example, the Egyptians attributed

Rivers Aida Styx and Acheron. - Carrier Charon. - God Hades (Pluto) and goddess Persephone (Proserpina). - Judges of the kingdom of Hades Minos, Aeacus and Rhadamanthus. - The Trinity Goddess Hekate. - Goddess Nemesis. - The kingdom of the dead by the ancient Greek artist Polygnotus. - Sisyphean labor, Tantalum's torment, Ixion's wheel. - Barrel Danaid. - The myth of the Champs Elysees (Elysium).

Rivers Aida Styx and Acheron

According to the myths of ancient Greece, the globe there were countries where eternal night reigned and the sun never rose over them. In such a country, the ancient Greeks placed the entrance to Tartarus- the underground kingdom of the god Hades (Pluto), the kingdom of the dead in Greek mythology.

The kingdom of the god Hades was irrigated by two rivers: Acheron and Styx. The gods swore in the name of the river Styx, pronouncing oaths. Oaths river Styx were considered inviolable and terrible.

The River Styx rolled its black waves through the silent valley and circled the realm of Hades nine times.

Carrier Charon

Acheron, a dirty and muddy river, was guarded by a ferryman Charon. The myths of ancient Greece describe Charon in this form: in dirty clothes, with an uncombed long white beard, Charon steers his boat with one oar, in which he transports the shadows of the dead, whose bodies are already buried on earth; Charon mercilessly repels those deprived of burial, and these shadows are condemned to wander forever, not finding rest (Virgil).

Ancient art depicted the ferryman Charon so rarely that Charon's type became known only through poets. But in the Middle Ages, the gloomy carrier Charon appears on some monuments of art. Michelangelo placed Charon in his famous work"Day of the Last Judgment", depicting Charon carrying sinners.

For transportation across the Acheron River, it was necessary to pay the carrier of souls. This belief was so rooted among the ancient Greeks that a small Greek coin was put in the mouth of the dead. obol to pay Charon. The ancient Greek writer Lucian mockingly remarks: “It didn’t occur to people whether this coin was in use in the underground kingdom of Hades, and they also didn’t realize that it would be better not to give this coin to the dead, because then Charon would not want to transport them, and they might return to the living again.”

As soon as the shadows of the dead were transported through Acheron, the dog Aida met them on the other side. Cerberus(Kerberus), having three heads. Lay Cerberus so terrified the dead that it took away from them even any thought of the possibility of returning to where they came from.

God Hades (Pluto) and Goddess Persephone (Proserpina)

Judges of the Kingdom of Hades Minos, Aeacus and Rhadamanthus

Then the shadows of the dead were to appear before the god Hades (Pluto), the king of Tartarus, and the goddess Persephone (Proserpina), the wife of Hades. But the god Hades (Pluto) did not judge the dead, this was done by the judges of Tartarus: Minos, Aeacus and Rhadamanthus. According to Plato, Aeacus judged the Europeans, Rhadamanthus - the Asians (Radamanth was always depicted in an Asian costume), and Minos, at the behest of Zeus, had to judge and decide doubtful cases.

A well-preserved painting on an ancient vase depicts the kingdom of Hades (Pluto). In the middle is the house of Hades. The god Hades himself, the lord of the underworld, sits on a throne, holding a scepter in his hand. Near Hades stands Persephone (Proserpina) with a lit torch in her hand. Above, on both sides of the house of Hades, the righteous are depicted, and below: to the right - Minos, Aeacus and Rhadamanthus, to the left - Orpheus plays the lyre, below are sinners, among whom you can recognize Tantalus by his Phrygian clothes and Sisyphus by the rock that he rolls.

Trinity Goddess Hekate

According to the myths of ancient Greece, the goddess Persephone (Proserpine) was not given an active role in the kingdom of Hades. The goddess Tartarus Hecate called on the goddesses of vengeance Furies (Eumenides), who seized and took possession of sinners.

The goddess Hekate was the patroness of magic and spells. The goddess Hekate was depicted as three women connected together. This, as it were, allegorically explains that the power of the goddess Hecate extended to heaven, earth and the kingdom of Hades.

Initially, Hecate was not the goddess of Hades, but she gave Europe blush and thus, as it were, aroused the admiration and love of Zeus (Jupiter). The jealous goddess Hera (Juno) began to pursue Hekate. The goddess Hekate had to hide from Hera under the funeral clothes and thus became unclean. Zeus ordered to cleanse the goddess Hekate in the waters of the Acheront River, and since then Hekate has become the goddess of Tartarus, the underworld kingdom of Hades.

Goddess Nemesis

Nemesis, the goddess of retribution, played in the kingdom of the god Hades almost the same role as the goddess Hekate.

The goddess Nemesis was depicted with her arm bent at the elbow, which hinted at the elbow - a measure of length in antiquity: “I, Nemesis, hold the elbow. Why, you ask? Because I remind everyone not to exceed the limits.

The kingdom of the dead by the ancient Greek artist Polygnotus

The ancient Greek author Pausanias describes a painting by the artist Polygnotus depicting the realm of the dead: “First of all, you see the river Acheron. The banks of Acheron are covered with reeds; fish are visible in the water, but these are more fish shadows than living fish. There is a boat on the river, the carrier Charon is rowing in the boat. You can't really tell who Charon is transporting. But not far from the boat, Polygnotus depicted the torture that a cruel son undergoes when he dares to raise a hand against his father: it consists in the fact that own father suffocates him forever. Beside this sinner stands a wicked man who dared to plunder the temples of the gods; a woman mixes poisons, which he must drink forever, while experiencing terrible torment. In those days, people honored and feared the gods; therefore, the artist placed the wicked in the kingdom of Hades, as one of the worst sinners.

Sisyphean labor, Tantalum's agony, Ixion's wheel

Almost no depiction of the kingdom of the dead has been preserved in the art of antiquity. Only from the descriptions of ancient poets do we know about some sinners and about the tortures they were subjected to in the realm of the dead for their crimes. For example,

Ixion (wheel of Ixion),
Sisyphus (Sisyphean labor),
Tantalum (Tantalum flour),
daughters of Danae - Danaids (barrel Danaids).

Ixion offended the goddess Hera (Juno), for which in the kingdom of Hades he was tied by snakes to a wheel that always turned ( Ixion wheel).

The robber Sisyphus had to roll in the kingdom of Hades a huge rock to the top of the mountain, but as soon as the rock touched this peak, invisible force threw it into the valley, and the unfortunate sinner Sisyphus, drenched in sweat, had to start again his difficult, useless work ( Sisyphean labor).

Tantalus, king of Lydia, decided to test the omniscience of the gods. Tantalus invited the gods to a feast, stabbed his own son Pelops and prepared a dish from Pelops, thinking that the gods would not know what a terrible dish was before them. But only one goddess Demeter (Ceres), dejected by grief due to the disappearance of her daughter Persephone (Proserpina), accidentally ate a piece of Pelops' shoulder. Zeus (Jupiter) ordered the god Hermes (Mercury) to collect the pieces of Pelops, put them together again and revive the child, and make the missing shoulder of Pelops out of ivory. Tantalus for his cannibal feast was sentenced in the kingdom of Hades to stand up to his neck in water, but - as soon as Tantalus, tormented by thirst, wanted to get drunk - the water left him. Over the head of Tantalus in the kingdom of Hades hung branches with beautiful fruits, but as soon as Tantalus, hungry, stretched out his hand to them, they rose to heaven ( Tantalum flour).

Barrel Danaid

One of the most interesting tortures in the kingdom of Hades, which the rich imagination of the ancient Greeks came up with, is the one that the daughters of Danae (Danaida) were subjected to.

Two brothers, descendants of the unfortunate Jo, Egypt and Danai, had: the first - fifty sons, and the second - fifty daughters. Dissatisfied and indignant people, incited by the sons of Egypt, forced Danae to retire to Argos, where he taught the people to dig wells, for which he was elected king. Soon the sons of his brother came to Argos. The sons of Egypt began to seek reconciliation with their uncle Danai and wished to take his daughters (Danaid) as their wives. Danai, seeing this as an opportunity to immediately take revenge on his enemies, agreed, but persuaded his daughters to kill him in wedding night husbands.

All the Danaids, except for one, Hypermnestra, carried out the order of Danae, brought him the severed heads of their husbands and buried them in Lerna. For this crime, the Danaids were sentenced in Hades to forever pour water into a barrel that had no bottom.

It is believed that the myth of the Danaid barrel hints that the Danaids personify the rivers and springs of that country, which dry up there every summer. An ancient bas-relief that has survived to this day depicts the torture that the Danaids are subjected to.

The myth of the Champs Elysees (Elysium)

The opposite of the terrible kingdom of Hades are the Champs Elysees (Elysium), the seat of the sinless.

On the Champs Elysees (in Elysium), according to the description of the Roman poet Virgil, the forests are evergreen, the fields are covered with luxurious harvests, the air is clean and transparent.

Some blissful shadows on the soft green grass of the Champs Elysees exercise their dexterity and strength in wrestling and games; others, rhythmically hitting the ground with sticks, chant verses.

Orpheus, playing the lyre in Elysium, extracts harmonious sounds from it. Shadows also lie under the canopy of laurel trees and listen to the cheerful murmur of the transparent springs of the Champs Elysees (Elysium). There, in these blissful places, are the shadows of wounded warriors who fought for the fatherland, priests who have maintained chastity all their lives, poets whom the god Apollo inspired, all who ennobled people through art, and those whose benefactions left a memory of themselves, and all they are crowned with the snow-white bandage of the sinless.

ZAUMNIK.RU, Egor A. Polikarpov - scientific editing, scientific proofreading, design, selection of illustrations, additions, explanations, translations from Latin and ancient Greek; all rights reserved.

To understand the history of the mysterious river Styx, you should plunge into mythology a little. So, in distant mythical times, the world was divided between the gods (Zeus, Hades and Poseidon) into three parts. The dungeon was dominated by the dark, and the gloomy old man Charon transported the dead souls through the Styx. The river flowed in the underworld, the entrance to which was guarded by the three-headed Cerberus, on whose neck curled

During the funeral rite, a coin was placed in the mouth of the deceased as a tribute to the god of the dungeon. It was believed that the soul that did not offer payment would be doomed to forever loiter along the banks of the Styx. The power of Hades was very great. And despite the fact that his brother Zeus was higher in rank, the god of the underworld possessed huge force. The laws in his domain were inflexible. And the order in the kingdom is indestructible and strong, so the gods swore by the waters sacred river Styx. He could not pull out anyone who fell into the underworld: Charon melted into the kingdom of the dead, but never back - to where the sun shines.

The River Styx is poisonous, but it can also grant immortality. The expression "Achilles' heel" is directly related to this river. Achilles' mother Thetis dipped her son into the waters of Styx, thanks to which the hero became invincible. And only the "heel", for which his mother held, remained vulnerable.

In reality, it does not exist. Except that in Perm they named one of the rivers that separates the city from the cemetery.