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The creek has dropped about a foot at this point and is much less turbid than yesterday. Deeper pools have a greenish translucent appearance. There are some rocks and branches with small amounts of ice beginning to form a coating layer. I’d hoped for more of this, wanted to get some good ice and water images. Perhaps tomorrow will offer more.
Hades, in Greek mythology, is both the name of the god of the underworld and his abode, the underworld. Old myths refer to Hades as dark, gloomy, and misty. It was also called Erebus, where all mortals go. Later Greek philosophy introduced the idea that all mortals are judged after death and are either rewarded or cursed. Very few mortals, including Heracles, could leave his realm once they entered.
There were several sections of the realm of Hades, including Elysium, the Asphodel Meadows, and Tartarus. Greek mythographers were not perfectly consistent about the geography of the afterlife. A contrasting myth of the afterlife concerns the Garden of the Hesperides, often identified with the Isles of the Blessed, where the blessed heroes may dwell.
Hades, unpopular among Olympians and mortals, was not portrayed as evil but as the inevitable leveling factor that all must face.
Hades ruled the dead, assisted by others over whom he had complete authority. He strictly forbade his subjects to leave his domain and would become quite enraged when anyone tried to leave, or if someone tried to steal the souls from his realm. His wrath was equally terrible for anyone who tried to cheat death or otherwise crossed him, as Sisyphus and Pirithous found out to their sorrow.
Besides Heracles, the only other living people who ventured to the Underworld were all heroes: Odysseus, Aeneas (accompanied by the Sibyl), Orpheus, Theseus, Pirithous (see note 18), and Psyche. None of them were especially pleased with what they witnessed in the realm of the dead. In particular, the Greek war hero Achilles, whom Odysseus met in Hades (although some believe that Achilles dwells in the Isles of the Blessed, said:
"O shining Odysseus, never try to console me for dying.
I would rather follow the plow as thrall to another
man, one with no land allotted to him and not much to live on,
than be a king over all the perished dead."
—Achilles' soul to Odysseus. Homer, Odyssey 11.488-491
Other than in recent television features, Hades does not seem to be the realm of a malevolent opponent to a supreme deity. There is no universal punishment laid out for mortals who enter the realm. Not the worst or the best place to spend eternity. Note that the glorious heroes have their own layer of quasi immortality preserved, separated from the common folk. The commoners get ignored, damp, unhappyness.
In the Norse world of Niflheim, mist world, the region of Hel, ruled by Hel, daughter of Loki.
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Odin threw Hel into Niflheim, and bestowed upon her authority over nine worlds, in that she must "administer board and lodging to those sent to her, and that is those who die of sickness or old age." High details that in this realm Hel has "great Mansions" with extremely high walls and immense gates, a hall called Éljúðnir, a dish called "Hunger," a knife called "Famine," the servant Ganglati (Old Norse "lazy walker), the serving-maid Ganglöt (also "lazy walker), the entrance threshold "Stumbling-block," the bed "Sick-bed," and the curtains "Gleaming-bale." High describes Hel as "half black and half flesh-colored," adding that this makes her easily recognizable, and furthermore that Hel is "rather downcast and fierce-looking.
The nine worlds were:
1. Humans: Midgard.
2. Asgardian (gods): Asgard.
3. Vanir (gods): Vanaheim.
4. Giants: Jotunheim (Ellis 1964, p. 32).
5. Light Elves: Alfheim (Ellis 1964, p. 28).
6. Dead: Hel.
7. Dwarves: Nidavellir.
8. Dark Elves: Svartalfheim
9. Muspelheim Primordial element of Fire and Fire Demons
As only the valiant mortals were plucked from the obscurity of an afterlife in Hel in order to join in eternal combat on the plains of Asgard, the great mansions were for most of human kind. The makings of a morality play are found in the legend. Consignment to Hel was less often punishment or banishment than it was consequence of life in pre-Christian Scandinavia.
This disposition of the souls of the dead is consistent with the legends and myths from the Greco-Roman cultures, eternal punishment is usually reserved for some mortal who has angered the gods and is selected for special treatment, to serve as an example. The primary result of a trip to Hel seems to be sadness, hunger, and cold.
Hell is felt to have been derived, not from “Hel” but from the Hebrew “Sheol.” “Sheol” translates as “Pit,” thus underworld. It receives both the righteous and unrighteous dead. It was not described as a place of punishment. It has more in common with Hades and Hel, serving mainly as a storehouse. Ancient Hebrews had no concept of an afterlife, no concept of eternal punishment. Sheol was simply a bleak subterranean place. Even today, many Jews do not believe in an afterlife in torment or even an afterlife of any sort. In contrast, many Jews do believe in an afterlife and some believe that reincarnation may be our next stage of existence. Any wonder that there are so many various types of Jews? We don’t even agree on what the end game is. Still, if Sheol is where we end, we could do worse.
“Hell,” once the Christians get their hands on it, becomes a whole new concept. The deity of Abraham and Isaac, inspiration for David’s psalms, vengeful in battle yet forgiving in transgression, becomes heavily interested in punishing transgression. While Adonai was willing to let other nations punish Jews who erred in behavior, the New Testament deity spins hell on earth into eternal hell.
In Christianity (and in Islam) Hell becomes a fiery place of eternal torment rather than the bleak cold warehouse of Judaism, Greek, and Norse mythos. Eternal torment is often pegged to a particular behavior so that one’s transgressions determine one’s eternal punishment. Hordes of evil creatures, demons, devils, etc., are on hand to make sure no single eon goes by without pain.
The best descriptions of Hell that I’ve seen are paintings by Hieronymus
Bosch. As with Revelation – descriptor par excellence of the final act, Bosch’s work shows the evidence of too much moldy rye bread, an eternity of torment defined by a very bad acid trip.
This is by far the worst of the possibilities we’ve brushed rapidly by.
Other major religions have concepts of a “Hell” such as the Christians propose.
I’ll continue to live my life as much as possible by the guidelines found in Judaism. The Levitical laws and customs seem to provide humanity a way to exist without resulting to wholesale slaughter; at least, on the personal level. Nations have no ethics or morality, only laws.
As we enter the winter holidays, that’s a brief tour of places we’d prefer not to visit, some far more than others.
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