Otherworldly Goods – Page 9
The subterranean political situation is intense, folks.
For those maybe confused by all this mythology, here goes: Hades is both a god (known as Pluto to the Romans, not the Disney character, but where we get the name for the dwarf planet) and the name for the Greek underworld. It comprises of three regions: Hades, Tartarus, and Elysium. If you were looking for a dead Greek hero like Achilles, head to Elysium. Kronos, the Titan who fathered Zeus and ate a few of his children, rules over that region, kinda like Hades’ vassal, I suppose. If you are looking for a particularly bad Greek figure — god, demigod, Titan, or human — go to Tartarus and take in the many ways the Fates have tortured them. (Tantalus is one such personage, and we’ll get to know more about him soon.) Everyone else goes to Hades general, the steerage class of the underworld: no one has fun, but no one gets tortured; the dead just roam around mindlessly.
The Ancient Greek view of the afterlife, like much of life itself, is not a happy vacation.
Fetch looking back as Charon drives forward.
FETCH: What was that about?
CHARON: Hades clamped down on security after the civil war broke out.
You remember Tartarus, right? Lower region of torment?
It broke away and now wants to take over the whole Underworld.
PANEL 2
Focus on Charon.
CHARON: Now, I’m just a humble ferry driver, so I might just be talking out of my hat…
But I fail to see how they can possibly unite all the different regions.
PANEL 3
Map of Hades with Styx as natural border. Regions are Hades Central, Tartarus, Elysium. Kronos in the lower corner, looking grumpy.
CHARON: All of Hades is against Tartarus, forces all over the border.
Then there’s Elysium. No way those “heroes” are gonna let a guy like Tantalus take over their fancy gated communities and golf courses.
Not if Kronos has anything to say about it.
PANEL 4
Fetch looking confused. Charon looking indifferent.
FETCH: Tantalus?! He runs Tartarus?! He’s one of the damned!
CHARON: Like I says, I’m just a humble ferry driver.
One of the things that disappointed me about the Wizard of Earthsea trilogy was how dull and empty their afterlife was. A lot like what you’ve described for Hades.
Admittedly, I have simplified things a bit. What I have called “Hades proper” is more akin to the Fields of Asphodel, or Asphodel Meadows. Wikipedia describes it as “a place for ordinary or indifferent souls who did not commit any significant crimes, but who also did not achieve any greatness or recognition that would warrant them being admitted to the Elysian Fields. It was where mortals who did not belong anywhere else in the underworld were sent.”
That where most of humanity winds up, alas, because we’re so mediocre. It’s a dispiriting view of the universe, but compared to what Eleanor, Chidi, et al. endure in “The Good Place,” it could be worse.
Egads! All I know about mythology was gleaned from watching Hercules cartoons back during the Kennedy administration.
My introduction to Greek Mythology was Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and Clash of the Titans (1981), both featuring great clay animations by Ray Harryhausen. They still have an influence on how I imagine the gods.