Mortals in the Underworld

Not all mortal men visit or stay in the Underworld upon their death. In this blog we'll be taking a look at the mortals that have entered the Underworld either by choice or force...

The 12th Labor of Herakles

Herakles was the son of Zeus, the King of the Gods, and a mortal woman named Alcmene. After their union, Herakles was born as a demi-god with super strength and stamina. Because he was so strong, he didn’t have to be forced to completed and labors or punishments that were imposed upon him but instead he chose to do them instead, one of these being his twelve labors to the mortal queen Omphale.

The 12th Labor that Herakles was tasked with was going to the Underworld to retrieve Cerberus, the dog of Hades that guarded the entrance to the Underworld and bring him back to the Overworld. He sought out the aid of Hermes and Athena to help him get into the Underworld and defeat the ferryman Charon. After he passed across the River Styx, Herakles then fought and defeated Hades to take Cerberus with him. But on his journey in the Underworld, he came across his friend Theseus and helped free him. Together they fled the Underworld with Cerberus in hand…

Returning the Favor…

Theseus’ journey into the Underworld occurred so that he could help return a favor to Pirithous who had helped Theseus kidnap Helen. The favor that Pirithous want from Theseus was that he wants to marry Persephone but the only way that this could occur would be if Hades, Persephone’s husband, was defeated. Together, Theseus and Pirithous fought their way into Hades palace where Pirithous made his demands for Persephone’s hand but Hades was not willing to give into their requests since Persephone is his wife. Hades told both Theseus and Pirithous to sit down so that they could talk more but as soon as the two of them sat down, they became trapped in oblivion and were stuck there for many years until Hercules came along. Theseus was able to be released from oblivion by Hercules but Pirithous was unable to leave as he had to eternally repent for his desires for Persephone.

One Last Song, One Last Dance, One Last Look…

Orpheus was a man who was considered by many to be the best musician and poet of all time. He had perfected the lyre and lived a happy life as a musician and poet until the death of his wife due to a fatal snakebite. Utilizing his musical talents, Orpheus was able to gain entrance into the Underworld. His music was able to enchant the Underworld Queen Persephone and having pity on him for losing his wife too soon, Persephone allowed Orpheus to return to the Overworld with his wife in tow but only if he was able to not look back at her until they had left the Underworld. Orpheus was able to be mostly successful in achieving this task, but it was not until the last minute when they were both almost out of the Underworld that he gave into the temptation and tried to sneak a look back at his wife. As soon as he attempted this, his wife was immediately trapped in the Underworld and was unable to leave. Orpheus would not be able to see her again until his natural death which would come to him only much later in life. If Orpheus was to die in an unnatural manner, he would be sent to other parts of the Underworld where he would not be able to be with his wife and most likely spend an eternity in damnation.