Greek Mythology Places

1. Mt. Olympus The home of the gods was at its peak. There was a real Mt. Olympus in the north of Greece. It probably seemed very high and remote two most of the Ancient Greeks and therefore a likely place for the gods to live. Gradually, Mt. Olympus was associated less with the actual mountain and became more an imaginary place high above Earth. No one but the gods could visit Mt. Olympus, except by special invitation.

2. Earth Earth was where humans lived. In mythical times, many weird and dangerous creatures were supposed to live there, too. Greek heroes often had to fight these monsters. The gods frequently visited Earth. They sometimes came in disguise and rewarded or punished people according to how they treated the gods. The also made friends and fell in love with humans, and some had children with them. Many heroes of Greek myths were half-human and half-god.

3. Ocean The Earth was thought to be surrounded by a stretch of water called Ocean. This was Poseidon’s kingdom.

4. The River Styx This was the river you had to cross after you died to reach the Underworld. Upon death, Hermes would lead a soul to the river where a ferry, and its boatman Charon, would take you across. He would charge one obol (an Ancient Greek coin) per soul. Only those who could pay the fare, with coins placed on their lips when they were buried, received passage

5. The Underworld Everyone went to the Underworld when they died. This was Hades’ kingdom. At the entrance to his kingdom (on the other side of the River Styx) stood a gate guarded by Cerberus, a three-headed dog, who would allow the dead to enter but never leave. There were three parts of the Underworld:

Part 1: The Asphodel Fields This was an area of the Underworld where most ordinary people went when they died. Here, they walked around as “shades,” which were shadowy versions of their earthly selves.

Part 2: Tartarus This was a place of punishment for really evil people (especially evil people received a special punishment as well). It was like a miserable dream, without sunlight or hope. It was the deepest place in the Underworld and the ultimate of prisons.

Part 3: The Elysian Fields Exceptionally good or heroic people were reserved a place in the Elysian Fields. It was a golden, blissful place of rest. *You could be sent back to Earth to live another life, but if you earned a place in the Elysian Fields three times, you were allowed to go to the Isle of the Blessed and never had to leave.