Story of the Afterlife Niles Kendrick

The afterlife, in accordance to the underworld, includes manifold mythological characters and symbols in the form of the river Styx, Cerberus, Charon, and Hades itself. The journey into the underworld begins with a person's death and journey for passage into hell, as they need to fulfill certain requirements. Greek mythology suggests the feral river Styx as the insidious river leading into the underworld. On the river souls float along until they meet the requirements, gaining admittance from Charon and Cerberus. The river Styx, "literally means ëhateful' and expresses loathing of death," and many Greek philosophers believe the water to be a form of poison (Encarta). Charon, the ferryman on the river Styx, leads souls across the river on his raft into Hades, admitting passage only to those corpses, "containing a coin" (Encarta). Charon also forces those souls lacking the coin to float continuously on the river Styx for one hundred years. In Greek mythology, Cerberus, or "hellhound," a three-headed dog with a dragon like tail, keeps guard of Hades, admitting souls but letting none escape. The final characteristic of the afterlife, on the side of Hades, includes the description of Hades...