REPRESENTATIONS OF THE AFTERLIFE
Representations of the Afterlife
In both Greek and Roman mythology, death was a rather complex process basically because it was believed that the Underworld was an actual, physical place where souls lived in afterlife (Department of Greek and Roman Art 2000, 64). There are divergent accounts pertaining to the actual location of the Underworld in Greco/Roman myths. Some attributed it to being “beyond the vast Ocean” (Odyssey’s tale), while others gave “the center of the earth” following the scientific proof that the world was not flat (Dillon 2009, 141). Both the Greeks and Romans believed that the path to the Underworld was gloomy and shrouded in total darkness. The entrance to the Underworld (home of afterlife) was habitually painted as the Grove of Persephone, having black poplars as well as barren willow trees. Cerberus, the fiercest Greco/Roman monsters, was said to guard the gates of the Underworld. Different accounts claimed that Cerberus had anywhere from three to fifty scary heads, covered by serpents and often dribbled black venom.
The representation of afterlife together with the rituals and ceremonies relating to burial existed in ancient Greek by the sixth century B.C. In Odyssey, the underworld is represented as deep beneath the earth Hades, his wife Persephone, were said to reign over numerous drifting crowds of the shades of all those who had died (Plato 1965, 165). It is described as a unhappy place as evidenced by words of the ghost of the former great hero Achilles who confesses to Odysseus that instead of being lord of all the dead in the underworld, he would prefer to be a poor serf on earth.
In Plato’s The Myth of Er, the resurrected warrior recounted of his experience of the world beyond – the afterworld. He said that when his soul departed from his body he travelled with great company to a mysterious region having two openings adjacent to each other in the earth. There were judges in between who sent to righteous to the right (heaven) and the unjust to the left (hell). Those who came back from the sky opening recounted beautiful sights along with wondrous feelings (Plato 2008, 156). However, those returning from down the earth looked dirty, haggard, and cried when they recounted their awful experience where they had to pay tenfold penalty for their sins whilst alive. Tyrants, murderers and non-political criminals remained underground to be punished forever. The Greek believed that the soul is immortal, and the choices we make and character we form while still alive will have implications in the afterlife (Department of Greek and Roman Art, 2000, 3).
According to the Roman mythology, the Underworld was ruled by Pluto whereas Hades was the ruler in Greco myth. Once in the Underworld, the deceased faced some five rivers that streamed through Hades. The first four rivers represented ‘affliction’, ‘lamentation’, and ‘fire’. The fifth river, the Styx, was of great fascination and significance in the Greek mythology (Plato 1965, 78). It had nine loops and surrounded the entire Underworld. The Roman believed the soul of the deceased went underground to the river Styx. A fee called the ferryman Charon was needed to cross the river otherwise one would wander for eternity. The Roman placed a coin in the mouth of dead person so as to pay for the Charon. It was believed that the soul of a body that had not been properly buried and lacked a coin was made to wander for a century before being let to cross the river (from the mythological story of Arenas). Those who crossed reached the house of Hades, where they were passed judgment and their fates made clear (Plato 2008, 74). The wicked of all were condemned to the lowest region of hell, Tartarus, while the best were taken to Elysian Fields. Those not very good nor very bad stayed in Hades houses in some sort of limbo.
In summary, the ancient myths of the Greeks and Romans pertaining to death and afterlife showed their belief that depraved souls and sinners would ultimately pay for their crimes and sins. As such, it was the fear of the mythical torture, eternal damnation, humiliation and pain that inspired most people to live righteously (Dillon 2009, 8). The Greco/Roman myths attest that afterlife was regarded as the only place society could meticulously punish those who defied the universal ideals while they were still alive.
Bibliography
Department of Greek and Roman Art. 2000. “Death, Burial, and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece”. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dbag/hd_dbag.htm\ (accessed July 19, 2012)
Dillon, M. J. 2009. The Afterlife of the Platonic Soul: Reflections of Platonic Psychology in the Monotheistic Religions. Leiden: BRILL.
Plato. 2005. Timaeus. Maryland: Arc Manor LLC.
Plato. 1965. Timaeus. North Carolina: Forgotten Books.
