The Underworld (U432)

Hidden deep within the bowels of the earth and ruled by the pantheon Hades, the Underworld was the kingdom of the dead in Greek mythology, the sunless place where the souls of those who died went after death. Watered by the streams of five rivers (Styx, Acheron, Cocytus, Phlegethon, and Lethe), the Underworld was divided into at least four regions: Tartarus (reserved for the worst transgressors), the Elysian Fields (where only the most excellent of men dwelled), the Fields of Mourning (for those who were hurt by love), and the Asphodel Meadows (for the souls of the majority of ordinary people).

## Geography

The underworld is a labyrinth of dark and gloomy caverns, and is roughly the size of France in total. Hades has a special residence in the Underworld, but makes an effort to try to visit all of its corners. Surprisingly, the underworld has some resemblance of seasons due to the heat and cooling of the Earth's core. Hades used the Valley of Vulnerables as a place to brew the remaining remnant of the elixir, while using the Well of Souls as his inner sanctum.

There are some islands of independence in the Underworld, where small clans keep a private existence. (U432)

## Entrances

According to Homer, the Underworld was located beyond the earth-encircling river of Ocean, at the far western end of the world. However, some other authors inform us that there were quite a few places within the known world one could use as portals to enter the kingdom of the dead:

• A cavern near the ancient town of Tenarus. Situated at the tip of the middle promontory of Peloponnese (known back then as Cape Tanaerum, and called Cape Matapan today), the cave exists to this very day; it was through this cave that Heracles dragged Cerberus out of Hades and Orpheus tried to bring Eurydice back to the world of the living.

• The bottomless Alcyonian Lake at Lerna. Guarded by the fearsome Hydra, the Alcyonian Lake was supposedly used by Dionysus to enter the Underworld and search for his mother Semele; some even say that Hades abducted Persephone in its very vicinity.

• The volcanic Lake Avernus. Located in southern Italy near the city of Naples, Avernus was sometimes used as a synonym for the Underworld in Roman times; it is through a cave found near this lake that Aeneas descends to the Underworld.

## Rivers

By all accounts, the Underworld was a chill and shadowy place, watered by the streams of six rivers:

• The Styx. Circling the Underworld seven times, Styx was the river of hatred and unbreakable oaths; the gods are often depicted as taking vows by its waters.

• The Acheron. The river of sorrow and pain, black and deep.

• The Cocytus. The river of lamentation and wailing.

• The Phlegethon. The river of fire, possibly leading to the depths of Tartarus.

• The Lethe. The river of oblivion and forgetfulness, out of which the dead souls are obliged to drink so that they can forget their earthly lives in preparation for a possible reincarnation.

### The Picantes

The Picantes is a sixth and unique river of the Underworld in U432. It rode into a deeper part of the Underworld which was barred by a bone gate. This gate adjoined one of the entrances into the Underworld, which was guarded by Cerberus.