Oftentimes at night or in the evening, they squeak at each other. It’s kind of cute, actually…I don’t actually *see* them, but obviously they’re like, right near it. And of course it made me think of Persephone and this blog
The river Acheron was the river of sorrow in the Underworld; it is located in the Epirus region of northwest Greece and was believed to be a branch of the Styx, and also into which the Cocytus and Phlegethon both flowed.
The river Styx formed the boundary between the Earth and the Underworld or Hades, which is both the name for the Underworld itself and it’s ruling God. The Styx is perhaps the most important of the rivers as the Gods themselves respected it and would swear oaths by it. Charon, the ferryman was said to transport the souls of the dead across the river to the eternal abode of the Dead, however in the original greek texts, the Acheron is the river Charon rows. Placing a coin upon the deceased would enable them to board Charon’s little boat and travel to Hades, however those that weren’t buried with these rites were said to wander the shores of the river for a hundred years.
Another important river was the Cocytus, the river of wailing, or lamentation and this is where the recently deceased who could not pay Charon for passage were condemned to wander for a hundred years.
The river Lethe caused complete forgetfulness, as it is the river of oblivion. Some Ancient Greeks believed that souls were made to drink from the river before being reincarnated so that they would not remember their past lives.
And the river Phlegethon, was the river of fire that is described by Plato “a stream of fire, which coils round the earth and flows into the depths of Tartarus.”
It is said that the goddess Styx was in love with Phlegethon, but she was consumed by his flames and sent to Hades. Eventually when Hades allowed her river to flow through, they reunited.
