The Traditional Stories

RunningHead:EssayonMythology EssayonMythology NameoftheStudent: NameoftheUniversity: AuthorNote: 1EssayonMythology WithinthetextsoftheGreekmythologies,theunderworldtakesontheformofan otherworldwherethesoulsseekresortafterdeath.ItistheoriginalGreeknotionaboutafterlife. ThedescriptionofunderworldinGreekmythologyprovesthatitislocatedwithintheoutermost boundariesoftheoceansorfarbeyondthedepthsofearth(Benitez).Ithasbeenviewedasbeing thedarkcounterpartofthebrightnessembodiedbyMountOlympus,andhasbeenregardedtobe theabodeofthedead,correspondingthekingdomwhereGodresides. Mythicalstoriesarethetraditionalstorieswhichhavebeenpassedongenerationafter generation.Someofthestoriesdealwithtalesofgreatimportancelikefoundationofacertain nation,whileotherepicstalkaboutthejourneysofheroeswhichmostlyexemplifythestoriesof theircourageandstrengthinthefaceofadversesituations(Burton).DantesInfernoisapoem whichhadoriginallybeenpublishedinItalianandwhichnarratesthejourneyofDantethrough HellortheUnderworldasitisknowninGreekmythology.Thepoemisstructuredinawaythat informsDanteabouttheorganizationofUnderworldandthewaysinwhichpeoplewhohave committedsinshavebeenpunished.DantereceivesguidancefromVirgil,thegreatpoetwho takesonthetaskofleadinghimthroughhell. "Midwayuponthejourneyofourlife Ifoundmyselfwithinaforestdark, Forthestraightforwardpathwayhadbeenlost." -CantoI,DanteAlighieri. TheGreekpeoplehadastrongfaiththatafterdeathaparticularjourneytakesplaceinto somethingwhichtheyknewastheafterlife.Theyhadthefaiththatdeathdidnotmeana completeendinitself.Thoughtheybelievedthatthesoulexistsevenafterdeath,theythought thattheconceptofafterlifewasmeaningless.Whenapersonreachedtheunderworld,even 2EssayonMythology thoughtheiridentityexisted,itwasnotofanyworthsinceitlackedthepreviousstrengththatit hadwhileitwasalive.Thefactthatthesoulscontinuedtoexistintheunderworldwasviewedas aremembranceofthatpersonbeingaliveatacertainpointoftime,eventhoughthesoulstill continuedtolive,itdidnotremainactivewithoutthebody. DantesInfernodepictshowthepeoplebelongingtodifferentprofessionswithinthe microcosmicsocietyhaveallgatheredtogetherinthesameplace,toreceivepunishmentfortheir worsthumanlytraits.Fromtheordinarypeople,totheclergymen,thelovers,thepeoplewho wagedwar,thepoliticiansaswellasthescholarshaveallbeengatheredinthesameplacefora fatethatisgoingtobebestowedonallofthemirrespectiveoftheirpreviousprofessions.Inspite ofprovidingthemostbrutal,ugliestdepictionoftheUnderworldintheInferno,ithasbeen slightlyhumanizedinitsdepictionsinceitincludedpeoplefromeveryreligion,caste,creed, occupationalstatus. Thereisnogreatersorrowthentorecallourtimesofjoyinwretchedness. Danterealizesthatheisinhell,duringthetimethathewakesupallbyhimself,and petrified.IntheaforementionedlinesDanterecallshishappiertimesandmakesahintatthe wheelsoffortune.Itsignifiesthatwhenapersonisinawretchedcondition,thatpersontendsto recallthememoriesofhappiertimes.EventhoughintheGreekconceptofheaventhereisno GodorGoddesswhohasbeenpersonifiedintherealms,intheGreekmythologies,the underworldhadarulerwhohadcloselybeenconnectedwiththeeponymousGodHades.Hades, intheGreekmythologies,hasbeendepictedastheGodofDeathandthekingwhoruled underworld.Hehadbeenregardedasafigureofabsolutefearforthepeoplewhowerealive whichhasbeenevidentinthewaythepeoplebackthenwerereluctanttoswearinhisnameand hasanaversiontowardsthefacesthatweresacrificedtohim. 3EssayonMythology Tartarushadbeenreferredtoastheendlessabysswherepeoplegatheredaftertheirdeath toreceivepunishment,tortureandtormentforthesinsthattheycommittedduringtheirlifetime. Afterthedeath,thesoulsassembledintheTartaruswheretheyreceivedjudgmentfortheirsins andwherethesinnerswereconfrontedwithdivinepunishment(Hard).EvenbeforetheDivine ComedyhadbeenwrittenbyDantetheconceptofafterlifereceivealotofspeculationandthere wasasortofenigmawovenaroundit.Danteintensifiedthespeculationandfilleditwiththe creationofagruesomeaswellasbrutaldescriptionofHell,wherepeoplereceivedpunishment forthecrimesthattheycommittedagainsttheChristianGod.HisperceptionofHellhadbeen shapedbyAeneasjourneyintoDis,whichhadbeenwritteninthe6thbookofAeneidbyVirgil. DanteadoptedthebasestructurefromthepoemofVirgilanddevelopeditonhisowninhisepic narrativepoemInferno.InInferno,DantemakeshisjourneytoHellatamiddlepointofhislife, duringapointwherehefeltlostbecauseofhispersonalcrisesandhadnotbeensureofthe spiritualpaththatheshouldhavefollowed.Therefore,theunderworldthathadbeendepictedin InfernohadbeengivenapersonaltouchbyDante,whichmadeitappearmorerealistic(Dante). Throughmeyougointoacityofweeping;throughmeyougointoeternalpain;through meyougoamongstthelostpeople.-Heretheunderworldisdescribedasaplacewherethereis constantweeping,wherethereisacolossalamountofpain,andwherethedeadpeople amalgamate. Mythologyformsapartofeverycultureinthesocietywhereintalesorfablesofa specificcultureareinterpreted(Foster).Thestoriesoftenfeaturealotofaspectswhichtakes placeinordinaryhumanlivesliketheclashbetweengoodandevil,originsofhumanlives, originofplaces,sufferingaswellasdeath.Thehistoricalnarrativeswhichformapartofthe mythologicalstorieshavebeenpassedonfromthepastgenerationstothefuturegenerations. 4EssayonMythology Since,thestoriesinthemythicallegendsdealwiththemosthumaneaspectsoflife,itdoesnot loseitsrelevance.Eveninthecontemporarytales,mythicalcharactershaveoftenbeenfeatured toexemplifycertainaspectsorsignifysomemoral.Danteundertookanexplorationoftheideaof poeticjusticeinInferno,itisthispoeticjustice,theideaofthegoodwinningoverevil,the sinnersreceivingpunishmentsfortheirwrongdeeds,thatstillresonateswiththemasses.The mythologiestherefore,formsthebasisofmanysocietiessinceithelpsinprovidingan understandingofthemostordinaryandhumanelifeevents. 5EssayonMythology ReferenceList Benitez,Rick."SocratesConceptionoftheUnderworld."AspectsofDeathandthe AfterlifeinGreekLiterature(2021):123. Burton,Diana."WorshippingHades:MythandCultinElisandTriphylia."Archivfr Religionsgeschichte20.1(2018):211-227. Dante,Alighieri.Dante'sInferno.,2015. Foster,Kenelm."AnIntroductiontotheInferno."Dante.Routledge,2018.17-29. Hard,Robin.TheRoutledgeHandbookofGreekMythology:PartiallybasedonHJ RosesAHandbookofGreekMythology.Routledge,2019. Roberts,EllieMackin.UnderworldGodsinAncientGreekReligion:Deathand Reciprocity.Routledge,2020.