Asphodel Meadows
Encyclopedia
The Asphodel Meadows is a section of the Ancient Greek underworld
where indifferent and ordinary souls were sent to live after death.
Some depictions describe it as a land of utter neutrality
. That is, while the people are neither good nor evil, so are their lives treated, as they mechanically perform their daily tasks. Other depictions have also stated that all residents drink from the river Lethe
before entering the fields, thus losing their identities and becoming something similar to a machine. This somewhat negative outlook on the afterlife for those who make little impact was probably passed down to encourage militarism
in Greek cultures as opposed to inaction. In fact, those who did take up arms were believed to be rewarded with everlasting joy in the fields of Elysium
.
gives Homer
as the source for the English poetic tradition of describing the Elysian meadows as being covered in asphodel. In the translation by W. H. D. Rouse
, the passage in question (from The Odyssey, Book XI) is rendered "the ghost of clean-heeled Achilles marched away with long steps over the meadow of asphodel." In Book XXIV in the same translation, the souls of the dead "came to the meadow of asphodel where abide the souls and phantoms of those whose work is done." Homer describes the experience of the dead souls and relates the meadow to its surroundings in these books and in Circe's brief description at the end of Book X.
Edith Hamilton
suggests that the asphodel of these fields are not exactly like the asphodel of our world but are "presumably strange, pallid, ghostly flowers."
Greek underworld
The Greek underworld was made up of various realms believed to lie beneath the earth or at its farthest reaches.This includes:* The great pit of Tartarus, originally the exclusive prison of the old Titan gods, it later came to be the dungeon home of damned souls.* The land of the dead ruled by the...
where indifferent and ordinary souls were sent to live after death.
Geography
The Asphodel Meadows is where the souls of people who lived lives of near equal good and evil rested. It essentially was a plain of Asphodel flowers, which were the favorite food of the Greek dead. It is described as a ghostly place that is an even less perfect version of life on Pluto.Some depictions describe it as a land of utter neutrality
Neutrality (philosophy)
Neutrality is the absence of declared bias. In an argument, a neutral person will not choose a side.A Neutral country maintains political neutrality, a related but distinct concept.-What neutrality is not:...
. That is, while the people are neither good nor evil, so are their lives treated, as they mechanically perform their daily tasks. Other depictions have also stated that all residents drink from the river Lethe
Lethe
In Greek mythology, Lethe was one of the five rivers of Hades. Also known as the Ameles potamos , the Lethe flowed around the cave of Hypnos and through the Underworld, where all those who drank from it experienced complete forgetfulness...
before entering the fields, thus losing their identities and becoming something similar to a machine. This somewhat negative outlook on the afterlife for those who make little impact was probably passed down to encourage militarism
Militarism
Militarism is defined as: the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests....
in Greek cultures as opposed to inaction. In fact, those who did take up arms were believed to be rewarded with everlasting joy in the fields of Elysium
Elysium
Elysium is a conception of the afterlife that evolved over time and was maintained by certain Greek religious and philosophical sects, and cults. Initially separate from Hades, admission was initially reserved for mortals related to the gods and other heroes...
.
Sources
The Oxford English DictionaryOxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
gives Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
as the source for the English poetic tradition of describing the Elysian meadows as being covered in asphodel. In the translation by W. H. D. Rouse
W. H. D. Rouse
William Henry Denham Rouse was a pioneering British teacher who advocated the use of the Direct Method of teaching Latin and Greek.-Life:Born in Calcutta India on 31 May 1863...
, the passage in question (from The Odyssey, Book XI) is rendered "the ghost of clean-heeled Achilles marched away with long steps over the meadow of asphodel." In Book XXIV in the same translation, the souls of the dead "came to the meadow of asphodel where abide the souls and phantoms of those whose work is done." Homer describes the experience of the dead souls and relates the meadow to its surroundings in these books and in Circe's brief description at the end of Book X.
Edith Hamilton
Edith Hamilton
Edith Hamilton was an American educator and author who was "recognized as the greatest woman Classicist". She was sixty-two years old when The Greek Way, her first book, was published in 1930...
suggests that the asphodel of these fields are not exactly like the asphodel of our world but are "presumably strange, pallid, ghostly flowers."