{"id":2473,"date":"2023-08-28T10:27:28","date_gmt":"2023-08-28T04:57:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/?p=2473"},"modified":"2023-08-28T10:27:33","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T04:57:33","slug":"what-are-the-5-rivers-of-the-underworld","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/what-are-the-5-rivers-of-the-underworld\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the 5 rivers of the underworld?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"666\" height=\"490\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/5-rivers-of-the-underworld.jpg?resize=666%2C490&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"5 rivers of the underworld\" class=\"wp-image-2474\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/5-rivers-of-the-underworld.jpg?w=666&amp;ssl=1 666w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/5-rivers-of-the-underworld.jpg?resize=300%2C221&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/5-rivers-of-the-underworld.jpg?resize=150%2C110&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 666px) 100vw, 666px\" \/><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5 rivers of the underworld<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In ancient Greek mythology, the underworld, also known as the realm of the dead, was associated with five rivers that played significant roles. These rivers were believed to flow through the realm of Hades and had specific functions related to the afterlife. Here are the five rivers of the underworld:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Acheron:<\/strong> Often considered the river of sorrow, Acheron was the river of pain and woe. It was the river that the souls of the deceased had to cross upon entering the underworld. Charon, the ferryman, would transport the souls across Acheron to the realm of the dead.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cocytus:<\/strong> Cocytus was the river of wailing and lamentation. It was associated with the cries and sorrowful sounds of the souls in the underworld. The deepest part of Cocytus was often referred to as the &#8220;Cocytus Pit,&#8221; and it was reserved for those who had committed the most heinous crimes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Styx:<\/strong> The river Styx was perhaps the most famous of the underworld rivers. It symbolized the boundary between the land of the living and the realm of the dead. It was also considered an oath river; the gods swore binding oaths by the river Styx. The waters of the Styx were said to grant invulnerability when someone, like the hero Achilles, was dipped into the river.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Phlegethon:<\/strong> Phlegethon was the river of fire. Its fiery waters flowed with an intensity that could incinerate anything that came into contact with them. This river was often associated with punishment and purification, and it was sometimes depicted as a river of lava or molten metal.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lethe:<\/strong> Lethe was the river of forgetfulness and oblivion. It was believed that souls who drank from the waters of Lethe would forget their past lives and experiences. This forgetting was considered necessary for souls to be reincarnated or to move on to the afterlife without being burdened by their earthly memories.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>These rivers were an integral part of Greek mythology&#8217;s portrayal of the afterlife and played roles in the journeys of heroes and souls alike. They are often referenced in ancient literature, art, and philosophical discussions about death and the soul&#8217;s journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read Also  : <a href=\"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/british-literature\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1981\">British Literature<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>External sources: <a href=\"https:\/\/greekreporter.com\/2022\/10\/24\/five-rivers-greek-underworld\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/greekreporter.com\/2022\/10\/24\/five-rivers-greek-underworld\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/greekreporter.com\/2022\/10\/24\/five-rivers-greek-underworld\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>5 rivers of the underworld<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAow3MbQCw:productID":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[297],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-literature"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/5-rivers-of-the-underworld.jpg?fit=666%2C490&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3033,"url":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/charles-dickenss-oliver-twist-novel-summary\/","url_meta":{"origin":2473,"position":0},"title":"Charles Dickens&#8217;s Oliver Twist Novel Summary","author":"witcritic","date":"June 10, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist Novel Summary Introduction \"Oliver Twist,\" written by Charles Dickens, is a classic novel that delves into the life and hardships of the titular character, Oliver Twist. Set in 19th-century England, the novel portrays the grim realities of the Victorian underclass and explores themes of poverty, crime,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist Novel Summary","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/image.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2467,"url":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/dante-alighieri-biography-and-the-divine-comedy-summary\/","url_meta":{"origin":2473,"position":1},"title":"Dante Alighieri Biography and The Divine Comedy Summary","author":"witcritic","date":"July 23, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Dante Alighieri Biography and Divine Comedy Dante Alighieri (1265\u20131321) Dante Alighieri (1265\u20131321) was an Italian poet, writer, and philosopher, best known for his epic poem \"The Divine Comedy.\" He is considered one of the most important figures in world literature and a cornerstone of Italian literature. Here's a brief biography\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;World Literature&quot;","block_context":{"text":"World Literature","link":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/category\/world-literature\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"dante alighieri","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/dante-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/dante-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/dante-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/dante-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/dante-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1458,"url":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/jane-eyre-by-charlotte-bronte\/","url_meta":{"origin":2473,"position":2},"title":"Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte","author":"witcritic","date":"June 23, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Jane Eyre \"Jane Eyre\" is a classic novel written by Charlotte Bronte. It was first published in 1847 and has since become one of the most famous and influential works of English literature. The story is a first-person narrative that follows the life of its titular character, Jane Eyre, from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Novels&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Novels","link":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/category\/novels\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Jane-Eyre.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Jane-Eyre.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Jane-Eyre.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1367,"url":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/edmund-spenser-life-and-works\/","url_meta":{"origin":2473,"position":3},"title":"Edmund Spenser- life and works","author":"witcritic","date":"June 16, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Early Life and Education:Career and Royal Service:Major Works:The Shepheardes CalenderBook 1: The Legend of the Knight of the Red Cross (Holiness)Book 2: The Legend of Sir Guyon, or of Temperance (Temperance)Book 3: The Legend of Britomartis, or of Chastity (Chastity)Book 4: The Legend of Cambell and Triamond, or of Friendship\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Amoretti\"","block_context":{"text":"Amoretti","link":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/tag\/amoretti\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Edmund spencer","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Edmund_Spenser_oil_painting.jpg?fit=495%2C586&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2864,"url":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/the-top-10-places-to-visit-in-agra\/","url_meta":{"origin":2473,"position":4},"title":"The top 10 places to visit in Agra","author":"witcritic","date":"February 13, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Tajmahal The top 10 places to visit in Agra : Taj Mahal: The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (reigned 1628\u20131658) to house the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Tourism in Art&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Tourism in Art","link":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/category\/tourism-in-art\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"top 10 places to visit in Agra","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image.jpeg?fit=1024%2C516&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image.jpeg?fit=1024%2C516&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image.jpeg?fit=1024%2C516&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/image.jpeg?fit=1024%2C516&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":361,"url":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/ngugi-wa-thiongo-nigerian-writer\/","url_meta":{"origin":2473,"position":5},"title":"Ngugi wa Thiong&#8217;o : Nigerian Writer","author":"witcritic","date":"August 27, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Ngugi wa Thiong'o Ng\u0169g\u0129 wa Thiong\u2019o (b. 1938) \u2022 Born in 1938 in Kamiriithu, Kenya\u2022 Formerly wrote in English and now in Gikuyu; founder editor of the Gikuyu-language journal M\u0169t\u0129iri\u2022 Has written novels, plays, short stories, critical essays and children's books\u2022 Embraced Fanonist Marxism and subsequently renounced English, Christianity, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;World Literature&quot;","block_context":{"text":"World Literature","link":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/category\/world-literature\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ngugi wa Thiong'o","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-26.png?fit=855%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-26.png?fit=855%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-26.png?fit=855%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/witcritic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-26.png?fit=855%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2473"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2475,"href":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2473\/revisions\/2475"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/witcritic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}