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Re: The Greek View on Death
Posted By: Sam, on host 12.25.1.128
Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2000, at 10:04:40
In Reply To: The Greek View on Death posted by Kaz! on Tuesday, March 14, 2000, at 13:52:36:

> In the underworld, a person is judged by the gods and is either sent to the Elythien Feilds (not sure on spelling) or to Tartarus.

The "good" place is the Elysian fields -- but you couldn't go there unless you were at least part immortal, like Hercules, who was the son of Zeus and a human woman. An ordinary human could not go to the Elysian Fields, even if the gods cared greatly for that person. Otherwise, you went to Hades, like it or not, and became sort of a mindless shadow.

The other thing about being in Hades was that whatever thoughts and feelings you had at the time of your death, you would carry on with you for the rest of eternity. That's why it was important to the Greeks that you die comfortably around friends and family. Witness Agamemnon, who died in the Iliad (I think?) by being stabbed by his wife while bathing. When Odysseus visits the underworld in the Odyssey, he's *still* going on about how women are backstabbing traitors. It's the emotion he had at the time of his death and simply can't let it go.

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