Acheron is a 60 km long river located in Epirus, a region in the northwest of Greece. The river springs from the mountains at 1.986m and 1.600m, passes through a canyon and flows into the Ionian Sea.

Homer describes the water of Acheron passing into the sea, as a peaceful and ideal place.

 The name Acheron comes from the words ἄ χεα ρέων (akhea rheōn), meaning "the stream of sorrow".  The ancient tradition describes Acheron to end into Acherousia lake, a lake particular cold, with no trace of life around it.  For this reason probably, the river Acheron and it’s lake, as well as the river Styx, were considered to be the Gates of Hades, the world of dead.

In ancient Greek mythology it was believed that the god Hermes* was escorting the deceased to the shore of the river Acheron where Charon, the ferryman, was waiting with his boat. *Hermes, son of Zeus, is an Olympian god. He is the messenger of the gods and the protector of travelers. But he is also a companion of souls (a psychopomp),leading them to the underworld.

Hermes as psychopomp conducts the deceased, Myrrhine, to Hades, ca BCE (National Archaeological Museum of Athens).

 Charon ferried the newly dead souls across the river into Hades and charged them an obol, (a small coin) placed in the mouth of the deceased by his relatives.

John Roddam Spencer Stanhope - Charon and Psyche, 1883

A 19th-century interpretation of Charon's crossing by Alexander Litovchenko.

 Those who could not pay the fee, or those whose bodies were left unburied, had to wander the shores for one hundred years.  In the far side of the river was the kingdom of Hades*, king of the underworld. The kingdom was guarded by Cerberus, the three- headed dog. Passing beyond Cerberus, the shades (souls) of the deceased entered the land of dead to be judged. * Hades is the brother of Zeus and one of the 12 Olympian gods. In Roman mythology he is called Pluto.

Map based on the most generally accepted version, as described in Greek Myths

Statue of Hades and Cerberus, his dog. On display at the Archaeological Museum of Crete.

On the banks of the Acheron river stands an ancient greek temple of necromancy (oracle of death) The relatives of the deceased came here to take part in ceremonies and talk with their dead ancestors.

One of the underground tunnels of the Necromanteion, through which pilgrims would walk.

Today, the river and the surrounding area enchant with their beauty and because of the myth and the environment, many visitors are attracted, from the springs to the river mouth.

Acheron is an area of exceptional beauty and an important source of information and knowledge in the field of environmental education. Both its gorge and estuary, as well as the wider area around it, are included in the European network of protected areas Natura 2000.

For us Acheron is no more the river of sorrow but the river of joy, beauty and mystery! Acheron was the river of sorrow in ancient times. For us, today, it’s the river of joy, beauty and mystery!