Dark mythical river. River Styx

To understand the history of the mysterious river Styx, you should plunge into mythology a little. So, in distant mythical times, the world was divided between the gods (Zeus, Hades and Poseidon) into three parts. The dungeon was dominated by the dark, and the gloomy old man Charon transported the dead souls through the Styx. The river flowed in the underworld, the entrance to which was guarded by the three-headed Cerberus, on whose neck curled

During the funeral rite, a coin was placed in the mouth of the deceased as a tribute to the god of the dungeon. It was believed that the soul that did not offer payment would be doomed to forever loiter along the banks of the Styx. The power of Hades was very great. And despite the fact that his brother Zeus was higher in rank, the god of the underworld had tremendous power. The laws in his domain were inflexible. And the order in the kingdom is indestructible and strong, so the gods swore by the waters of the sacred river Styx. He could not pull out anyone who fell into the underworld: Charon melted into the kingdom of the dead, but never back - to where the sun shines.

The River Styx is poisonous, but it can also grant immortality. The expression "Achilles' heel" is directly related to this river. Achilles' mother Thetis dipped her son into the waters of Styx, thanks to which the hero became invincible. And only the "heel", for which his mother held, remained vulnerable.

In reality, it does not exist. Except that in Perm they named one of the rivers that separates the city from the cemetery.

The Styx is the same river of the dead that is described in Greek mythology. It is through it that a certain ferryman swims, with the help of which, for a fee, you can transfer souls there or back. What is this river famous for and what significance does it have in other cultures?

José Benlure y Gil (1855-1937). Oblivion river. Arthive

Almost all traditions have similar descriptions of the underworld. The only difference is the details and mostly the names. For example, in ancient Greek mythology, the river through which the souls of the dead are melted down is called the Styx. According to legend, she is in the kingdom of Hades - the god of the kingdom of the dead. The very name of the river is translated as a monster, or in other words, the personification of real horror. Styx has great importance in the underworld and is the main transition point between the two worlds.

According to the myths of ancient Greece, the river Styx was the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. She earned her respect and unshakable authority after the battle on the side of Zeus. After all, it was her participation that had a positive effect on the outcome of the war. Since then, the gods of Olympus confirmed the inviolability of their oath in her name. If the oath was nevertheless violated, then for nine earthly years the Olympian had to lie lifeless, and after that, not dare to approach Olympus for the same amount. Only after this time, the god who violated the oath had the right to return back. In addition, Zeus tested the honesty of his allies with the waters of the Styx. He made him drink from it, and if suddenly the Olympian was a deceiver, he immediately lost his voice and froze for a year. The waters of this river were considered deadly poisonous.

Styx. Engraving by Gustave Doré, 1861. Dante's Divine Comedy (1265-1321)

According to legend, Styx goes around the kingdom of the dead - Hades - nine times and is under the protection of Charon. It is this strict old man who melts down the souls/shadows of the dead on his boat. He takes them to the other side of the river, from where they never return. However, he does this for a fee. In order for Charon to take a shadow on his boat, the ancient Greeks put a small obol coin in the mouth of the deceased. Perhaps this is where the tradition came from when burying a body to put money and other things valuable during life next to it. Meanwhile, not everyone can get to the other side. If relatives did not bury the body, as expected, the gloomy Charon does not let the soul into the boat. He pushes her away, dooming her to eternal wanderings.

When the boat with souls nevertheless reached the opposite shore, they were met by the hellish dog - Cerberus.

Mavroneri river

Often the image of the river Styx can be found in art. The appearance of the river ferryman was used by Virgil, Seneca, Lucian. Dante in The Divine Comedy used the river Styx in the fifth circle of hell. However, there it is not water, but a dirty swamp, in which those who experienced a lot of anger during their lives wage an eternal fight on the bodies of those who have lived their whole lives in boredom. Among the most famous paintings with the transporter of souls is Michelangelo's Doomsday. On it, sinners are taken to the kingdom of Hades.

Dante used the river Styx in the fifth circle of hell in The Divine Comedy
It is also interesting that in our time, Mavroneri, also known as the "black river", is considered an analogue of the river that flowed from the underworld. It is located in the mountainous part of the Peloponnese peninsula, in Greece. By the way, scientists suggest that Alexander the Great was poisoned with this water. They base this conclusion on the fact that the Mavroneri, like the Styx, contains microorganisms that are deadly poisonous to humans, the poisoning of which is accompanied by symptoms that the great commander suffered from before his death.

There are also references to the deadly waters of Styx and her watchman in other cultures. For example, the Egyptians attributed

Styx- river in realm of the dead, through which, according to legend, the souls of the dead are transported by Charon. Sometimes it is described as a lake or swamp, as, for example, in Aristophanes' comedy The Frogs. Homer has the most terrible oath of the gods - to swear in the name of Styx. In another legend, Achilles was immersed in the Styx to make him invulnerable. Herodotus wrote about the existence of a stream in Arcadia, sheer off a cliff: its waters are cold as ice and leave a black mark on the stones. It was believed that this is the waters of the Styx.

Experts from Stanford University are sure that the river, which, according to legend, flowed from the Underworld, still exists in the mountainous part of the Peloponnese peninsula, but is now known as the Mavroneri.

The arguments of scientists are based on the assumption that Alexander the Great was poisoned with water taken from the Styx. The results of the analysis of the Mavroneri waters indicate that it contains microorganisms that are deadly poisonous to humans, the poisoning of which is accompanied by symptoms that the great commander suffered from before his death. It is curious that even in ancient times they thought that the waters of the Styx were poisonous. Flavius Arrian and Plutarch report that Alexander the Great was poisoned by water from the Styx sent to him in the hoof of a mule, although Pausanias does not mention this fact.

Styx river in Hades.

Hephaestus, when he forged the sword of Dawn, tempered it in the waters of the Styx. According to Hesiod, the river Styx was a tenth of the entire stream, penetrating through the darkness into the underworld, where Cocytus flowed into the Styx; the remaining nine parts of the stream surrounded the earth and the sea with their meanders. Poets also mention the Stygian Marshes in Hades.

According to one of the ancient legends, the famous hero Achilles received his invincibility due to the fact that his mother, the goddess Thetis, dipped him into the waters of the sacred Styx.

In historical times, the river Styx was seen in a stream near Nonacris, it was said that Alexander the Great was poisoned by this water.

According to the myths of ancient Greece, there were countries on the globe where eternal night reigned and the sun never rose over them. In such a country, the ancient Greeks placed the entrance to Tartarus - the underground kingdom of the god Hades, the kingdom of the dead in Greek mythology. The kingdom of the god Hades was irrigated by two rivers: Acheron and Styx. The gods swore in the name of the river Styx, pronouncing oaths. Oaths by the river Styx were considered inviolable and terrible.

To understand the history of the mysterious river Styx, you should plunge into mythology a little. So, in distant mythical times, the world was divided between the gods into three parts. The dungeon was dominated by the dark god Hades, and the gloomy old man Charon transported dead souls through the Styx. The river flowed in the underworld, the entrance to which was guarded by the three-headed Cerberus, on whose neck poisonous snakes curled.

During the funeral rite, a coin was placed in the mouth of the deceased as a tribute to the god of the dungeon. It was believed that the soul that did not offer payment would be doomed to forever loiter along the banks of the Styx. The power of Hades was very great. And despite the fact that his brother Zeus was higher in rank, the god of the underworld had tremendous power. The laws in his domain were inflexible. And the order in the kingdom is indestructible and strong, so the gods swore by the waters of the sacred river Styx. Not a single god could pull out anyone who fell into the underworld: Charon melted into the realm of the dead, but never back - to where the sun shines.

The River Styx is poisonous, but it can also grant immortality. The expression Achilles' heel is directly related to this river. Achilles' mother Thetis dipped her son into the waters of Styx, thanks to which the hero became invincible. And only the heel, for which his mother held, remained vulnerable.

And the ancient Greek poet Hesiod wrote that the river Styx was a tenth of the groundwater. The rest of the waters spread over the earth and surrounded the seas. However, the beginning and end of the Styx are unknown. This is the river of death, the treacherous river. Its direction and location is constantly changing. But at the same time, the road along the river never lasts longer than a day.

It is also believed that the river Styx kills all living things. This is water, cold as ice and corroding everything in its path. Anyone who drinks it or touches this water will perish. Glass, clay, crystal products all burst when they fall into the waters of this river. All metals are corroded by the water of the Styx. But everything that has divine power also has weakness. Like vinegar corrodes pearls, or how goat's blood dissolves a diamond. According to one version, the water of the Styx cannot corrode only a horse's hoof.

In addition, in ancient times it was considered the most terrible punishment to be cursed by the waters of the Styx. And no matter how many interpretations, invariably one is a poisonous and dangerous river that flows underground and symbolizes primal fear and darkness.

In ancient times, it was thought that its waters were poisonous. Flavius Arrian and Plutarch report that Alexander the Great was poisoned by water from Styx sent to him in the hoof of a mule, although Pausanias does not mention this fact. In the composition, the hero, together with Charon, crosses the river Styx to the kingdom of the dead. the shore of the living is full of light, and on the shore of the dead the hero sees centaurs, dragons, harpies, birds with female heads and other monsters of the underworld.

Sources: www.grekomania.ru, world-of-legends.su, zaumnik.ru, fb.ru, otvet.mail.ru

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Styx is the main transition point between the two worlds

According to the myths of ancient Greece, the river Styx was the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. She earned her respect and unshakable authority after the battle on the side of Zeus. After all, it was her participation that had a positive effect on the outcome of the war. Since then, the gods of Olympus confirmed the inviolability of their oath in her name. If the oath was nevertheless violated, then for nine earthly years the Olympian had to lie lifeless, and after that, not dare to approach Olympus for the same amount. Only after this time, the god who violated the oath had the right to return back. In addition, Zeus tested the honesty of his allies with the waters of the Styx. He made him drink from it, and if suddenly the Olympian was a deceiver, he immediately lost his voice and froze for a year. The waters of this river were considered deadly poisonous.

If loved ones did not bury the body, as expected, the soul will have to wander

When the boat with souls nevertheless reached the opposite shore, they were met by the hellish dog - Cerberus.

Mavroneri river

Dante used the river Styx in the fifth circle of hell in The Divine Comedy

It is also interesting that in our time, Mavroneri, also known as the "black river", is considered an analogue of the river that flowed from the underworld. It is located in the mountainous part of the Peloponnese peninsula, in Greece. By the way, scientists suggest that Alexander the Great was poisoned with this water. They base this conclusion on the fact that the Mavroneri, like the Styx, contains microorganisms that are deadly poisonous to humans, the poisoning of which is accompanied by symptoms that the great commander suffered from before his death.

According to scientists, Macedonian was poisoned by water Styx

There are also references to the deadly waters of Styx and her watchman in other cultures. For example, the Egyptians attributed the duties of a carrier to Anubis, the Lord of the Duat, and among the Etruscans, Turmas, and then Haru, acted as a carrier for some time. In Christianity, the Angel Gabriel helps to overcome the border of life and death.

- (Greek styx). 1) a river in Arcadia, now Mavronero, known in antiquity for its cold as ice and corrosive water, bringing death. 2) in mythology, a river in the underworld, which the gods swore by. 3) the nymph of the river of the same name, the daughter of the Ocean and ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- (Greek "hateful"), in Greek mythology, a river in the realm of the dead, as well as the goddess of this river. The goddess Styx is one of the daughters of the Ocean (see OCEAN (in mythology)) and Tethys (see TEPHIS) or the daughter of Nikta (see NIKTA) Night and Erebus (see EREB). From marriage to ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

- (hated) in the myths of the ancient Greeks, the deity of the river of the same name in the kingdom of the dead. The water oath of the Styx is the most terrible ... Historical dictionary

- (Styx, Στύξ). Waters in Arcadia, which, according to the ancients, were distinguished by the property of corroding everything except horse hooves. Therefore, the Greeks called this name the main river of the underworld, encircling hell seven times. The gods swore by the Styx, and this ... ... Encyclopedia of mythology

Exist., number of synonyms: 4 deity (103) nymph (58) oceanid (20) ... Synonym dictionary

Styx- Styx, a (mythol.) ... Russian spelling dictionary

The hated river, which in Greek mythology was considered the main river of the underworld. Styx was personified in the image of the daughter of the Ocean and Tethys, who helped Zeus in his war with the Titans and was rewarded with the most terrible and ... Collier Encyclopedia

Styx- A river in the realm of the dead, through which the souls of the dead are traditionally transported by Charon. Sometimes it is described as a lake or swamp (swamp), as, for example, in the comedy of Aristophanes the Frog. In Dante, this is also a dirty black swamp in which angry ... ... ancient world. Dictionary reference.

STYX Dictionary-reference to Ancient Greece and Rome, according to mythology

STYX- The river in the realm of the dead, through which the souls of the dead are traditionally transported by Charon. Sometimes it is described as a lake or swamp (swamp), as, for example, in Aristophanes' comedy "The Frogs". Dante also has a dirty black swamp in which the "angry" ... ... List of ancient Greek names

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