Heroes in the Underworld
from Classical Mythology Hosted by Annabel Orchard
A trip to the home of the dead is a specific kind of ‘quest narrative’ carried out by Greek mythology’s greatest heroes, as a rite of passage and a demonstration of a great hero’s power. To journey to the underworld and return is the most extreme inversion of mortality which a hero can achieve, and the Greek underworld is the last, inescapable location for even great warriors like Achilles. The most renowned underworld visitors are Odysseus, who meets figures from his past and finds out what he needs to do in the future; Herakles, who retrieves Cerberus, the fierce guard of the underworld, as one of his quests; and Orpheus, a musician of such skill that he can pacify wild beasts with his music who manages to persuade the gods of the underworld to allow his dead wife, Eurydice, to return with him. This lecture investigates the heroes who visit the home of the dead, as well as exploring Greek conceptions of where the underworld was and how it appeared. Copyright 2013 Annabel Orchard, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
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