Emily Blomquist Blomqst2 Pre-Quiz 5: Vergil’s Description of the Underworld

1. There are five rivers that make up the underworld. What is unique about all five is that they all have negative attributes that represent them. The river of woe, Acheron, is the river that Charon would use to make new souls in the underworld. This is where Styx and Cocytus came from. The Cocytus is the river that is known for wailing. Its color is pitch black and wraps around the forests of the underworld. The third river is Styx, which came from Acheron. Styx is the river of hatred and separates the earth from the underworld. The next river is Phlegethon, the river of fire known as the burning river. It is said to flow into Tartarus. The last river in the underworld is Lethe. Lethe is described as where the dead go to drink to forget their past lives in order to begin a new one. The rivers in the underworld created an atmosphere of despair but also a way for the dead to begin a new life if they desired to. 2. Mythological Characters (4): Each punishment is unique and eternal. The gods are very creative when it comes to punishments  Tityus: i. Crime: Attempted to rape Leto ii. Punishment: Vultures tear out and eat his liver every day that it grows back. His punishment lasts for the rest of his life until he dies.  Ephialtes: i. Crime: Assaulted the heavens to try and tear it down as well as remove Jupiter as their king ii. Punishment: He was sentenced to eternal torment  Sisyphus: i. Crime: Being very sneaky, he chained up Thanatos so nobody was able to die ii. Punishment: Has to roll a giant boulder up a hill and watch it roll back down. Has to repeat this for an eternity  Tantalus i. Crime: Stole ambrosia and nectar from gods. Wanted to bring it back to his people and also attempted to feed his son to the gods.