Stories+from+the+Underworld

=Stories from the Underworld=

Timeline:

 * 1) Pre-abduction
 * 2) Abduction and Rape
 * 3) Life in the Underworld
 * 4) Punishment: Sisyphus
 * 5) Visitor :Orpheus
 * 6) Punishment: Ixion
 * 7) Visitor: Theseus
 * 8) Persephone's Punishment of Minthe
 * 9) Punishment: Tantalus
 * 10) Visitor: Heracles
 * 11) Hades' Mistress, Leuce
 * 12) Punishment: Danaids
 * 13) Visitor: Odysseus
 * 14) You! What is your story?

Sources for the following information include:
[|The Damned of the Greek Underworld] [|Denizens of the Underworld]

(Please note this is a working document only and some chunks of text are copy and paste from the sources mentioned)


 * The Pre-Abduction** (blog dates January- late Feb 2009)

Hades: Prior to the abduction, Hades was ruling the Underworld alone. His job entailed a number of aspects: patrolling the Underworld to ensure nobody that shouldn't (i.e. not dead) entered it; ensuring that nobody escaped; and decreeing punishments for those that had been judged wicked. He takes his work seriously, with only a tinge of remorse that Zeus and Poseiden have more glamorous work in the world. The monotony of it wears on hades, and he pines for a Queen for company

Persephone: Prior to her abduction, Persephone was being apprenticed by her mother Demeter as a goddess of the harvest. She was said in most myths to be innocent and young, and lusted after by many of the Gods.

 Hades: In his spare time, he prowls the world in hiding, and finds Persephone. He gets Zeus's permission to take her for his wife, and begins to plot the way to do this-- in his mind, it shoudl be a desirable role for her- he cannot see why anyone would not want such a role.
 * The Abduction and Rape** blog dates March 20-Apr 15


 * Life in the Underworld** blog dates Apr 15-Apr 30

//Denizens of the Underworld// [|Hades]The Lord of the Underworld. He's the head of the Underworld, and is a very autocratic ruler, a bit of an ego and a chip on his shoulder since it was his magic cap that enabled him to become invisible and secure visctory over the Titans. Drawing straws for worlds to rule, he got the short end of the draw [|Persephone]The Queen of the Underworld, and a Goddess of Spring. It seems rather odd doesn't? Death and Spring...One of the two august Goddesses. [|Hecate]The Witch-Queen! Goddess of Magic and Witch-craft. She's quite powerful, and can grant mortals anything she wants to grant them. Definately a Goddess to curry favor with. [|Zagreus] The God whom the cult of Orphism is based on. The son of Zeus and Persephone. After reading about him, read about Adonis' birth to prove that his parentage isn't all that odd in Greek mythology. (And they tormented Oedipus!) [|The Gods' Loves] Adonis, Leuce, and Minthe! Oh my. Aren't you curious about who Persephone and Hades felt lust for in mythology? [|The Helpers of Hades] Cerebrus, Charon, Ascalapus, Meneotes, and Hermes. All of these people/creatures/Gods make things far easier for Hades. An Underworld is a lot of work to manage even for a powerful God. [|Sleep, Death, and Dreams] Hypnos, Thanatos, and Morpheus. Very romantic, of course. The pre-Raphelites loved them....scary. [|The Damned]Staring Sisyphus, Tantalos, Ixion, and the Danaids. What do you have to do to be tormented in the Underworld? How does Hades (and the Judges) choose to torment people? And how did Sisyphus trick Hades, who is usually so careful about souls, into extending his life? [|The Judges]These sons of Zeus determine the fate of all those who die. Minos is a fairly intersting character. Did you know that his daughter married Dionysus? [|The Controllers of Fate] The Fates, the Keres, the Erinnyes (Furies) and Nemesis. These are the creatures that control your end...beware!


 * Sisyphus**

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Children: Euripides decided that Odysseus was the son of Sisyphus. He may have other, unimportant, children. He is the grandfather of the hero Bellerophon. (The one with the pegasus...no, it was NOT Hercules)======

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Personality: Sisyphus was a trickster! He is the trickiest king who can be found in any mythology. (He even surpasses Odysseus, who he strongly resembles). Besides that, he hates Autolycus, a fellow king, and has a knack of getting into trouble with Gods.======

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Why He's Damned: Sisyphus' irritating neighbor, Autolycus, was helped by Apollo, who gave him a wand that would change the color of the coat of a cow. So, Autolycus used this ability to steal Sisyphus's cows. Sisyphus, naturally, disliked this, but he couldn't find a way to prove it...for a while. Finally he carved SIS (for Sisyphus) on the bottom of the hooves of the cows, follow them, and confronted Autolycus. After doing that, he stole Autolycus' daughter (and married her) and returned home.======

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This was not the end. Later in time a river God, Asopus, found that he was missing his beautiful daughter Aegina. He asked Sisyphus where she was, knowing that the crafty king was known for stealing daughters. Sisyphus admitted that he did know where she was, but that he wouldn't tell Asopus where she was unless he gave Corinth a spring of fresh water. Asopus grumbled, but complied. Sisyphus then told him that Zeus had ran off with Aegina.======

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Zeus, finding that he was persued by an angry river God changed himself into a rock and Aegina into an island. Now, Asopus was angry because he had lost his daughter, and Zeus was furious because he had lost his mistress.======

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Zeus now asks Hades to have Sisyphus killed, and Hades complies. The story branches here...in the less believable, Hades goes for Sisyphus himself, and Sisyphus pretends to be honored. "Why, I'm honored! Usually Hermes comes for the dead. What have I done to gain such an honor?" and, as Hades ponders this question (Why am I here? Am I just a pawn of Zeus? Am I being treated badly. Oh my...I seem to be in chains.) Sisyphus chains him up. Other, more believable story...Thanatos comes for Sisyphus and he chains Thantos up. Either way, while tied up, no one can die, and the Fates get their strings tangled up...(This is why I think it is Thanatos. Why would Hades being captured make it so that no one can die? In most of these stories Persephone is in the Underworld, and, I assume, at least, that she could do whatever it took, did she feel so inclined, to cause people to die. She's supposed to be Hades' equal in most stories, where he grants her equality (or near equality) in exchange for being married to him...)======

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In some stories, Ares, furious that battles have just become play, threatens to remove Sisyphus' head and hide it from him if he doesn't free Hades or Thanatos. In others, Thanatos is freed by the Gods. In any case, as soon as Thanatos/Hades is freed, Sisyphus is next on the list. So...he plans...======

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When Sisypus dies, he comes to the Underworld with no coin on his tongue, and no funeral. In some stories, Hades becomes irritated that Sisyphus' wife is refusing to recognise the funeral rights, and, afraid that others will imitate her, sends Sisyphus back to teach her a lesson. In others Persephone releases him when Sisyphus tells her that he hasn't had proper funeral rights. She lets him go. (Hey! I wasn't chained up. And you got rid of either my husband or that spooky creature for a while. I have no problem letting you go).======

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Though it was implied that Sisyphus was to return promptly, he did not. When he finally died after a long life, Hades gave him a task so that he could not free himself again. Sisyphus is forced to push a heavy boulder up a hill. As soon as he gets it almost to the top, it slips down again and he has to start once again.======

Orpheus**
 * 

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Orpheus was the best musician ever, hands down. (It was even said that his music could work magic!) When he played, rocks wept, and grasses danced. He eventually fell in love with the beautiful Eurydice. Unfortunately, on the day of their wedding, Eurydice was bitten by a snake and died. Orpheus was grief stricken, and decided to bring her back. ======

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He descended into the underworld, playing so beautifully that Charon gave him passage, and Cerebrus let him pass. He finally made it to the thrones of Hades and Persephone, and began to play. (in some stories, the song is of Persephone’s abduction) He played so beautifully that tears rolled down the cheeks of Hades, and Persephone audibly sobbed. Persephone persuaded Hades to let Eurydice return to the world, on one condition--that Orpheus not look back at her until they were out of the underworld. ======

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As Orpheus walked the long path back, doubts grew in his mind. Perhaps Hades had just tricked him. Finally he could stand it no more and glanced back to see Euridice be taken back to the underworld by Hermes. No longer able to stand life, Orpheus drowned himself. His lyre still shines in the stars. (In other stories Orpheus is torn to shreds by maenads (bacchantes) for either interfearing with their rites, holding Apollo above Zeus, or some other trivial thing. Between the death of Eurydice and his own death he also founded a religion, Orphism, which held Dionysus as the supreme God.) ======


 * Ixion**

Now, most of the Gods, seeing this, want Ixion instantly killed and tormented. But Zeus remembers doing things like that, and decides that he rather likes Ixion. So, he invites the (expletive deleted) to dinner at Olympus. Now, to prove that Ixion is not only evil but really dumb, Ixion decides to seduce Hera. (Hera isn't so fond of this idea, though Ixion sees it as a way for her to get back at Zeus for his philandering). Zeus forms a clo ud Hera (which Ixion sires the centaurs upon), and, once he's done, has him flayed alive by the Furies while chanting something like "Remeber your duty to your host". **Punishment:** Ixion is on a flaming wheel that spins endlessly.
 * Why He's Damned: ** Ixion is a really horrid creature. He wants to marry a young woman, but he doesn't like her bride price. So, he lines a room with live embers and lures her parents into it. They are incinerated and Ixion takes the girl and marries her.


 * Theseus**


 * The Punishment of Minthe**

In Greek mythology, Minthe (also Menthe, Mentha, Mintho; ) was a naiad associated with the river Cocytus. She was dazzled by Hades' golden chariot and was about to be seduced by him had not Queen Persephone intervened and metamorphosed Minthe into the pungently sweet-smelling mint, which some call hedyosmus. The –nth– element in menthe is characteristic of a class of words borrowed from a pre-Greek language: compare acanthus, labyrinth, Corinth, etc.

In ancient Greece, mint was used in funerary rites, together with rosemary and myrtle, and not simply to offset the smell of decay; mint was an element in the fermented barley drink called the kykeon that was an essential preparatory entheogen for participants in the Eleusinian mysteries, which offered hope in the afterlife for initiates (Kerenyi 1967). ([|source] )


 * Tantalus**

The Gods are horrified. No one eats him, except for Demeter (who isn't thinking as she is grieving for Persephone) Athena brings Pelops back to life (replacing the eaten shoulder with a bit of ivory), and the Gods kill Tantalus.
 * Why He's Damned:** Tantalus is invited to a grand party at Olympus. He is very impressed, and, in a rash act, invites the Gods to dinner at his house. Now, once Tantalos realizes what he's done, he decides that he has nothing to serve the Gods that is good enough for them. He looks about, and tries to find something good enough, but just can't. Finally he sees his young son, Pelops, and, as Pelops is his most prized possession, decides to serve him to the Gods.
 * Punishment:** Tantalus is put into a pool with a tree full of lush fruit hanging over him. Then he is given an undying, extream thirst and hunger. And then, when he reaches to eat fruit, the fruit tree swings just out of his reach. And, when he bends to drink the water, it moves just out of his reach. This story gave us the word -tantalising- something desirable just out of reach.


 * Heracles**

Twelfth Labor: To bring Cerebrus from the Underworld Eurystheus (the guy who assigned Hercules his labors), seeing that Hercules had completed the last eleven, went for a very difficult one this time. He assigned Hercules to bring Cerebrus from the Underworld. This had a lot of tricky parts. Hercules not only has to get down to the underworld, battle a monster, and somehow make this OK enough with Hades that Hercules doesn’t end up in the Underworld forever. And to top it off, he has to have this done in a year! Before he went, Hercules wisely partook in the mysteries of Elyusis, and purified himself for killing centaurs. After this, he descended into the Underworld. Charon was so terrified by Hercules’ scowl that he let him across. (Hades had him chained for a year and a day for this offense), and when he stepped off all of the ghosts were so terrified that they fled except the ghost of Medusa and Melenger. He talked to Melenger for a while, and finally agreed to marry his sister Deinara when he returned to the overworld. Near the gates of Tartarus, Hercules found his old buddies Theseus and Peirithous fasted to chairs (read their story), and decided to pull them out. He yanked Theseus from his chair, leaving part of Theseus behind him (to this day Athenians have thin thighs), but when he tried to remove Peirithous, an earthquake started, so Hercules left him behind. (In a few stories Hercules bargains with Hades for their lives, and though Hades is willing to let Theseus go, Peirithous must stay…read story to find out why) Next he rolled away the stone under which Demeter had imprisoned Aschalapus, and then wishing to make the ghosts happy with a gift of warm blood, slaughtered one of Hades’ cattle. This did not make the herdsman, Meneote’s, very happy, and Hercules and Meneote shortly got into a fight. Hercules naturally was winning, and had shattered a few of Meneote’s ribs, when Persephone put a stop to it. She greeted Hercules like a brother (funny, I thought they were half-brother and sister) and begged him to spare Meneote, which he naturally did. Finally Hades appeared and Hercules asked for Cerebrus. Hades told him that he could have the dog if he could master Cerebrus without weapons. So Hercules gripped Cerebrus about the neck, and protected by his lion skin, strangled the dog. As he left he crowned himself with the popular (remnants of Leuce, Hades’ one time mistress), which turned white on his brow. When Eurystheus saw Cerebrus, he became so scared that he jumped into an urn and pleaded with Hercules to take him away. Not knowing what to do with him, Hercules brought him back to Hades. Hercules and Alcetis Hercules stayed a while with a friend, King Admetus. Apollo (for one of his crimes, no doubt) was forced to serve as Ademetus’s slave for a year, and Ademetus had been so kind that Apollo had agreed that if Ademetus could find someone to die for him each time it came for him to die, he could live forever. Well, this time no one really wanted to die for Ademetus. Finally his queen, Alcetis, agreed to die for her. Everyone was sad to loose such a beautiful and good woman, that Hercules decided to retrieve her from the dead. Hercules stormed into the palace of Hades and demanded the return of Alcetis. Hades, who had a cold, unloving wife, was moved by such devotion, and let Alcetis return to the world. (I wonder if Persephone was given a hard time about this…) In other stories, Hercules, with his inhuman strength, beats Hades in wrestling to allow Alcetis to return to the world. In a few other cases, Alcetis is Hercules's mother. Greek myths are so confusing! In some cases, Alcetis gets to the underworld and is imediately sent back by Persephone who doesn't believe that young, beautiful women should die for their selfish husbands. (probably also doesn't really want to hear Hades point out what a good wife Alcetis is, and how he wishes he had a good wife, or whatever) and Hades comes after here, after arguing with Persephone about it. Hercules either beats him in wresting, or they promise a pig sacrifice to him, and, deciding that fighting Hercules would not be a good idea, Hades decides that the pig spirit is worth more than that of Ademetus, anyway. (After all, what kind of jerk would force his wife to die for him?) In a few other stories, just to make things better, Alcetis, when asked why she was willing to die, claims that it's for her children as she knew that her husband's brother would hurt them or even kill them if he reigned, but they'd be safe as long as her husband was in power. There goes the good wife thing. Good thing she didn't tell that to Persephone. (In some stories, Heracles merely wrestles Thanatos who is hanging out at Alcetis' tomb to drink the blood of the sacrificed animals. Rather less dramatic) The Capture of Pylus Hercules next goes against Ares, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon with only Athena on his side. He decided to sack the city of Pylus because they were on the side of Elis, someone who apparently was not on Hercules’ side. Hercules went against Poseidon, and Athena went against Ares. (Did Hades and Hera just watch?) Hercules naturally beat Poseidon (after all, Hercules can beat up anyone) and then squared Ares. After Apollo started to heal Ares, Hercules got an arrow into Apollo’s shoulder. He then got revenge on the step-mother who had done nasty things to him by getting a three barbed arrow into Hera’s breast. In a few stories Hades is also wounded by an arrow from Hercules in a story told in //The Illiad //. 


 * Leuce**


 * The Danaids**

Parents: Danaus (their father)

Spouses: The fifty sons of Aegyptus (their cousins...there are fifty of them)

Why They are Damned: Aegyptus and Danaus were brothers and Adgyptus decided that his fifty sons would marry Danaus' fifty daughters. Apparently Danaus wasn't especially fond of the idea, and so told his daughters to kill their husbands on their wedding nights and supplied them with ruby tipped poisoned pins to stick into their hearts. All of the Danaids did so (except one, who fell in love with her husband and eloped. She went to Elysium after her death).

Punishment: The Danaids are forced to carry water in sieves from the Lethe to a bathtub which, when full (which it will never be) is to be used to cleanse their sins.


 * Odysseus**