The Underworld Archetypal Theory Abby LeGear & Alexandra Arndt 4A

Definition The Underworld is a place of horror and despair. It is where all souls go when they die. In religion it is usually where all the souls go if they have not accepted a holy figure to be true, or believe in the righteous path that is taught. In greece that is where ALL souls go when they die, but there are different levels of the underworld. Throughout history, Almost every religion is based on what happens to us when we die. Do we go to a better place, or do we get banished to eternity in pain, such as Christianity’s heaven and hell? Hell/The Underworld appears constantly in mythology and literature mainly because, in the time where the Odyssey was written, text was based on religion. QUOTES: ●“The eye of the Sun can never flash his rays through the dark and bring them light,” (Homer, #175) ●“The ghost of my mother came, my mother, dead and gone now …Anticlea — daughter of that great heart Autolycus—whom I had left alive when I sailed for sacred Troy. I broke into tears to see her here, but filled with pity, even throbbing with grief, I would not let her ghost approach” (Homer, #177) ●“‘what brings you here, forsaking the light of day to see this joyless kingdom of the dead?”’ (Homer, #177)

Significance The Underworld never has a minor role no matter which tale it is involved in. Considering it is the only place greeks and romans believed people went when they died (or one of two places in later religions), they held the subject of Hell in great importance. In the Odyssey, the Underworld is a place where Odysseus pushes forward in his quest to return home. ~The Underworld holds nothing but grief and dreadful surprises for Odysseus and his men as they learn: A)Odysseus’ mother has died waiting for his return B)All of Odysseus’ crew will die C)Odysseus must slaughter all of his wife’s suitors ~Hell -during all stories it’s involved in- always contains major plot points, and determines the main course of the story and usually involves some type of foretelling of the future.

Foundational Example Hell is found in numerous ancient texts. For Christianity, hell in the Bible is a place of future punishment after death and the final destination for unbelievers. It is described in Scripture using various terms such as: -eternal fire - the lake of fire -outer darkness -the second death -a place of weeping and torment - unquenchable fire The most terrifying reality of hell is that it will be a place of complete, unending separation from God. Without God, one’s soul is condemned. The words ‘eternal’ and ‘fire’ are repeated with comparison to the underworld. ~Eternal being related to neverending, constant, and forever. ~Fire being related with pain, suffering, energy, and anger. Both terms being unusually depicted in a negative connotation.

Modern Examples Modern examples of this archetype being used in media and literature include:  The Percy Jackson Series- In these books the underworld is mentioned numerous times such as Percy (the main protagonist) traveling to the underworld to continue his quests; once to save his mother and once to bathe in the river styx. There are many more examples including the underworld in this series.  Hercules (the disney movie)- The underworld is depicted as the one-way stop for all people living that die at the time. Although there are different levels of the underworld for different classes. If you were of high class and rank, you were treated a bit more fairly than a person who was a servant or soldier.

Modern Examples (Cont’d) In both Percy Jackson and Hercules, the plot progresses through and only through the powers of the Underworld.  In Hercules, in order to save Meg, Hercules must travel to the Underworld to retrieve her soul, thus giving the character a happy ending. In addition, Hades -the main protagonist- rules the Underworld. He uses the demonic powers and inhabitants of it to halt Hercules in his heroic quest. ●In the Odyssey, the Underworld is seen as a place for Odysseus to regain his happy ending and return home (by speaking to the wise man Tiresias).  In Percy Jackson, Percy must take his quest to the Underworld in order to save his mother from Hades, thus, to get his happy ending, Percy must defeat monsters and face temptations in order to reach. ●In each example, along with the Odyssey, Hell is seen as a boundary or wall, of which the hero must cross in order to obtain a happy ending.

Perception We believe that yes, the role of this archetype HAS changed over time.  in the “olden” days people were more afraid and wary of the underworld. Seeing as most people were deeply religious, the underworld was a place to be afraid and apprehensive of.  Now (in the present) the underworld has very little meaning to people. they believe we are higher and more civilized and we know these things are not real.  While some religions still believe in the underworld or hell not very many people do. Every religion has one or two versions of where we go when we die, whereas some people believe that they simply die and cease to exist.  Hell has shaped the constant fear that comes naturally as being a human - the fear of death. While some who are religious do not especially fear death, human instinct comes with self- preservation. In the Odyssey, Odysseus passes through Hell in order to preserve his life, along with the lives of his family.

Citations -Shmoop Editorial Team. “The Odyssey Book 11 Summary.” Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov Web. 05 Nov "What Does the Bible Say About Hell?" About. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov “ The Underworld in the Odyssey." The Underworld in the Odyssey. Ethan Paige, n.d. Web. 10 Nov all images came from images.google.com