Ancient Greeks perceived death as a journey to the Underworld, ruled by Hades. Despite its association with the deceased, this realm featured lush landscapes like meadows and fruit trees. Notably, the Underworld was defined by the five rivers of the Underworld, namely Styx, Lethe, Acheron, Phlegethon, and Cocytus. Every one of these rivers had a unique function in the operation of the Underworld, with their names carefully selected to embody emotions or deities associated with death.
Styx – The River of Hatred
The river Styx, the most renowned among Greek Mythology’s rivers, forms seven encircling loops around the Underworld. Serving as the underworld’s most important river, it stands as the pivotal divide between the world of the living and the realm of Hades. Flowing from Oceanus, the world’s majestic river, Styx was thought to spring forth near Corinth according to Herodotus, and Hesiod placed its origin in the Arcadian region of Peloponnese. In Greek, “Styx” signifies hatred or abhorrence, named after the river’s nymph, the offspring of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys.
Its waters were known to obliterate anything falling within, yet it was in these very waters that Thetis, a nymph, dipped her son Achilles to grant him immortality—albeit forgetting one of his heels, a fact of legendary note.
According to the Roman poet Virgil, the River Styx originated from Acheron, the primary river of Tartarus, a dark abyss. In certain accounts of the Greek underworld, Styx serves as its entrance, while others attribute this role to River Acheron.
Homer referred to Styx as “the dreaded river of oath.” The Greek Dodekatheon deities pledged their solemn oaths by its waters. Zeus employed a golden jug of Styx’s water to mediate disputes among the gods. A false oath led to a year without nectar and ambrosia, plus nine years of exclusion from divine councils.
On the farther side of Styx, Charon disembarks with the shades of the departed, awaiting the monstrous dog Cerberus, a creature with multiple heads and a serpent’s tail. The deceased who couldn’t pay Charon’s crossing fee and those lacking proper funeral rites spent a century wandering along Styx’s shores before entering the underworld, per Virgil’s narrative.
Lethe – The River of Forgetfulness
The River Lethe derives its name from the ancient Greek term for oblivion and forgetfulness. In Greek belief, souls would drink from Lethe to erase their memories before reincarnation, ensuring they wouldn’t recall past lives. Lethe is also the goddess of forgetfulness, Eris’ daughter, and she guards the river.
Plato’s Republic first mentions Lethe as a river of Hades; the term lethe in Greek signifies forgetfulness leading to disputes. Tomb inscriptions on an ancient pendant from Southern Italy, displayed at the British Museum, caution against Lethe’s waters, urging seekers to opt for Mnemosyne’s Pool of Memory instead.
The River Lethe doesn’t correspond to a particular river in contemporary Greece. Nevertheless, Pausanias and Plutarch reference two springs, Lethe and Mnemosyne, at the oracle of the regional deity Trophonius in Boeotia, Central Greece. Devotees would consume water from these before seeking counsel from the deity. Another legend identifies Lethe as a geographical body of water located in present-day Spain.
Acheron – The River of Misery
The Acheron originates from a marshy lake known as Acherousia or Acherousian Lake, constituting one of the five rivers in the Underworld. In ancient Greek literature, it’s depicted as both a river and a lake, often seen as the gateway to the underworld.
Known as the River of Woe or the River of Misery, the Acheron sometimes takes precedence over the Styx as the primary river of the Underworld. In such versions, the ferryman Charon guides the deceased across the Acheron, accepting a meager coin for passage, a coin they were meant to be buried with, in their transition from the upper to the lower realm.
In ancient times, the Greeks practiced the custom of placing a coin either under the deceased’s tongue or alongside the container holding their ashes. These practices are traced back to ancient sources, including Homer’s works from the 8th century BC. Homer’s texts mention the Nekromanteion, situated along the banks of the Acheron. This temple of necromancy was dedicated to Hades and Persephone, and it offered a space for individuals to engage in cleansing rituals as they attempted to communicate with the departed.
Within the realm of the upper world, various rivers bear the name Acheron. Among these, the most renowned is situated in Thesprotia. This Acheron river winds through rugged terrain, carving deep gorges and at times vanishing below the surface only to reappear later, eventually flowing into the Ionian Sea. Along its course, there was believed to be an oracle of the dead, adding to its mystical aura.
Phlegethon – The River of Fire
The River Phlegethon, often referred to as the River Pyriphlegethon or Phlegyans, held a unique role in the realm of the dead. It was known as the “River of Fire” due to its association with the fires of funeral pyres. In ancient Greek beliefs, individuals who had committed the grave crimes of matricide or patricide during their lifetime were condemned to the depths of Phlegethon following their death.
Once in the Underworld, these tormented souls were caught in a perpetual cycle. They traversed between Tartarus, the realm of judgment, and Acheron Lake, via the fiery river. Their passage was marked by anguished cries and piercing screams as they beseeched forgiveness from the very victims they had wronged. Phlegethon served as a link between the realms of judgment and purification.
Tartarus, the destination of Phlegethon, held both judgment for the souls’ deeds and the prison of the Titans, ancient divine beings who had rebelled against the Olympian gods. This fiery river’s significance extended beyond mythology’s boundaries. The renowned poet Dante Alighieri drew inspiration from Phlegethon in his epic work “Inferno,” describing the nine circles of hell.
A curious aspect of Phlegethon is its connection to the myth of Persephone. Legend has it that Askalaphos, a son of Acheron, born of an underworld nymph, reported Persephone’s consumption of pomegranate seeds to Hades. In retaliation, Persephone used water from the Phlegethon to transform Askalaphos into a screech owl, a fitting symbol of the river’s fiery and haunting nature.
Cocytus – The River of Mournful Cries
The River Cocytus, also known as the River of Wailing or Kokytos, earned its name as a place of mournful cries and sorrowful lamentation. Cocytus became the destination for those who had committed various forms of homicide, except for matricide or patricide driven by intense emotions and followed by remorse. For souls denied passage by Charon due to their improper burials, the banks of Cocytus became their restless domain.
As recounted in Homer’s Odyssey, Cocytus, translating to “River of Lamentation,” constitutes one of the tributaries flowing into Acheron. Originating as a branch of the fifth river, Styx, Cocytus runs parallel to Phlegethon, the River of Fire. These two streams converge in a cacophonous waterfall, cascading into Acheron.
Pausanias speculates that Homer might have observed a cluster of dismal rivers, including the dreary Cocytus, in Thesprotia, which left such an indelible impression on him that he named the rivers of Hades after them.