The Greek underworld is a unique realm where individuals go after death. It is where one's essence and soul is transferred. There they can reconnect with their loved ones to start a new journey. It is an amazing place that is well worth the effort. Read on to find out more about this ancient realm.
Homer's Homeric Hymn for Demeter
Homer’s Homeric Hymns consists of 33 hymns to Gods that are in Greek. These hymns are epic in beat and speak the same dialect that the Iliad (and the Odyssey). They are among the most famous pieces of ancient Greek literature.
The Homeric Hymn dedicated to Demeter focuses on the loss of Persephone, Demeter’s daughter. Cronos, Persephone’s husband, had set up an alliance with Hades. Persephone then died and the earth opened, allowing Hades to return underground.
Homer's Oedipus rex
The story of Homer's Oedipus ReX begins with Oedipus summoning the blind prophet Tiresias. Tiresias claims to have the answer but refuses speaking. Oedipus is shocked to hear this and begins to accuse Tiresias. Oedipus assumes that Creon paid Tiresias to do so.
Oedipus rex is a Greek tragedy that dates back to the fourth century BC. The play opens with Oedipus (king of Thebes) sending Creon, his servant, to Delphi to inquire about the plague affecting Thebes. The oracle reveals that the plague is due to the unsolved murders of Laius. As a result, Oedipus vows to find Laius and solve the plague.
Homer's Orpheus
In the 7th century BC, Orpheus, a Greek mythology hero, made his first appearance in Homer’s Iliad. His story ended in the ninth century CE. He was a mortal and sometimes a demigod who was married to the famous sea nymph Eurydice.
Classic examples of reincarnation stories include the Orpheus story. Homer describes in the Iliad or the Odyssey the process of rebirth. He also explains how the Moirae women function. The Orphic stories can be layered over the Homeric description the afterlife.
Homer’s Eurydice
Homer’s Eurydice is a classical Greek myth that tells the story of a mortal woman and her affair with Orpheus. The story starts in the 7th Century BCE, when Eurydice appears for the first time in Homer’s Iliad. It ends in the 9th century BCE. Eurydice was the daughter of the god Apollo and married the legendary musician Orpheus.
Eurydice was smitten with Orpheus, and the two eventually fell in love and married. Sadly, however, Orpheus broke his promise to never look back. Eurydice left him and Orpheus tried to go back into the Underworld, to plead for her life. But he arrived to find that Hades had closed the door on Hades. He was unable to sing and could not enter.