Hades Ruled the Underworld with Merciless Strictness<\/strong><\/h2>\nAs the ruler of the Underworld, Hades would oversee the judgement and torture of the wicked who ended up in there after death. His attention to detail when not letting a single soul escape the Underworld was legendary, and he himself would also very rarely leave. He is the most important character in Greek mythology who is not an Olympic god, who all lived in mount Olympus while he resided in his home in the Underworld.<\/p>\n
The Underworld existed deep within the earth. No sun would reach there, and five rivers flowed to the Underworld. These included:<\/p>\n
The Styx<\/strong>: the river of unbreakable oaths and hatred<\/p>\nThe Acheron<\/strong>: the river of sorrow and pain<\/p>\nThe Cocytus:<\/strong> the river of lamentation and wailing<\/p>\nThe Phlegethon:<\/strong> the river of fire<\/p>\nThe Lethe:<\/strong> the river of oblivion and forgetfulness<\/p>\nThere were also different regions in the Underworld, and the souls who went there would be divided by the severity of their sins. A panel of judges would determine the severity of their punishment, and they would be tortured by Furies, the goddess of vengeance. Depending on their level of punishment, they would go to one of the following regions of the Underworld:<\/p>\n
Tartarus<\/strong>: the deepest part of the Underworld, where the worst offenders would be sent. It was like a dungeon, with gates of iron and bronze.<\/p>\nThe Fields of Mourning: <\/strong>This region was for people who had spent their lives pursuing the love of someone who did reciprocate. It was full of the broken-hearted, who were mostly woman in the myths.<\/p>\nThe Asphodel Meadows: <\/strong>This is the region where normal souls were sent to live. Greek beliefs about the afterlife changed over time, and at some times it was believed that all people would go to the Underworld after death. If only the guilty were to go to the Underworld, this region was reserved for those who had not committed terrible crimes yet had not lived their life in a fulfilling manner.<\/p>\nThe Elysian Fields: <\/strong>This was the region of the Underworld that was pleasant, full of exceptional people, who lived lives of enjoyment in beautiful meadows.<\/p>\n