古希腊相信人死后的亡灵会通往冥界(或阴间)。通常而论,除非在正式且合乎体统的葬礼仪式完成之后,否则亡者的灵魂绝不会抵达冥界,便因此会作为幽灵般常常在阳间(英语:Upper World (Greek))萦绕飘荡著。冥界有各种不同的景象,并且会随着时间的推移冥界观点也跟着改变。另一方面,古希腊的墓葬揭示出当时人们的生活以及他们相信在他们死后其自身的灵魂会引渡到冥界的相关信息。
水仙平原(Fields of Asphodel)是属于那些没有犯上任何显著重大罪过的普通或者是平凡之灵魂的空间,然而同样的他们也没有实行任何高尚伟大或是受人们赞誉之功绩来保证他们可以被允许前往至福乐土。那处是平凡灵魂的地方,不属于冥界任何场域。[12]
哀悼原野
在《埃涅阿斯纪》中纪载,哀悼原野(Mourning Fields or Lugentes Campi,汉译名称还有:哀悼之地、哀悼场、哀伤的原野、伤心之原)是冥界中为那些在世间因单相思、遭受到残酷的爱情无法放下,进而戕害自己生命的灵魂所保留的一个场域,在此处那些亡灵漫步在看不到的路径上,或者是在黑暗阴郁的桃金娘树林中徘徊著:即使处在死亡中,他们依然没有忘却很久以前的悲伤。而维吉尔此书提到关于此处所驻留的亡灵有:狄多(Dido)、淮德拉(Phaedra)、普洛克里斯(英语:Procris)(Procris)、厄里菲勒(英语:Eriphyle)(Eriphyle)、帕西淮(Pasiphaë)、厄瓦德涅(英语:Evadne)(Evadne)、拉俄达弥亚(英语:Laodamia of Phylace)(Laodamia),还有凯涅厄斯(英语:Caeneus)(Caeneus)。[13][14]
Leeming, David. "Styx". The Oxford Companion to World Mythology. Oxford University Press. [2014-08-27]. (原始内容存档于2020-09-17). Retrieved 2 December 2012.
Radcliffe G. Edmonds III, "Orphic Mythology," in A Companion to Greek Mythology (Blackwell, 2011), note 58, p. 100 (页面存档备份,存于互联网档案馆); Apostolos N. Athanassakis(英语:Apostolos Athanassakis), The Orphic Hymns: Text, Translation, and Notes (Scholars Press, 1977), p. viii.
Ivana Petrovic, Von den Toren des Hades zu den Hallen des Olymp (Brill, 2007), p. 94; W. Schmid and O. Stählin, Geschichte der griechischen Literatur (C.H. Beck, 1924, 1981), vol. 2, pt. 2, p. 982; W.H. Roscher(英语:Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher), Ausführliches Lexikon der griechischen und römischen Mythologie (Leipzig: Teubner, 1890–94), vol. 2, pt. 2, p. 16.
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