The Dead In Roman Mythology

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Throughout history, mythology has maintained not only a value of importance, but also of fascination and knowledge among scholars and outside observers. This has led to an abundant amount of studies and translation of the storylines among cultures and religions. One of the most famously known strings of mythology are the Roman gods and religion. The rise of the Roman kingdom and future empire was completely centered around their beliefs, starting with Romulus and Remus, and going from there. The most curious of these events that affected their life is the underworld, or Infernal Regions. All people were believed to go there eventually, and it seemed to be a focal point of quests and journeys throughout the stories that pepper the religion so …show more content…

Interestingly, there are certain attributes and landmarks that remain constant throughout the descriptions. The rivers, the residents, the residences, Tartarus, and the tales and heroes are all shown in descriptions and layouts of the Underworld known by the Romans. The rivers Acheron, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Cocytus all diverge from the main river Styx. The river Oceanus encircles the world and marks the edge of the land of the dead. Acheron is the river of woe, and the water is seen as unclean, filthy, and slow moving. Lethe is the river of forgetfulness, and it is known that one that bathes or drinks this water forgets all that they were and all that they did. The spirits of the dead, after being judged, pass by this river and drink from it, effectively erasing their previous lives and all status from their current state. Phlegethon, or Pyriphlegethon, is the river of fire, which is sometimes depicted as flowing into the realm of Tartarus. It is paired with the idea of anger and suffering. Cocytus is a frozen river that flows off of Styx and into Acheron and is known as the river of tears. This title was given to the river because Cocytus is supposed to comprise of the tears caused by unlawful and underserved deaths. All of these rivers are representations of the emotions and factors necessary and ever present in the process of life. Anger, woe or hardship, sadness, forgetfulness, and vows are all a part of our time on earth. The Romans, being a very agrarian society along with the warlike tendencies that seemed to have a hold on their lifestyles, held these rivers in high esteem and of high importance to the everyday processes of survival and ‘life after

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