Acheron
placeThe Acheron was the River of Woe in the underworld, which the dead had to cross — in some traditions it was Charon's river rather than the Styx.
The Myth
The Acheron was one of five underworld rivers. Some sources make it the main crossing point for the dead rather than the Styx. Its waters were filled with the sorrow of the departed. A real river Acheron in Epirus was believed to be the surface outlet of the underworld river — a nekromanteion (oracle of the dead) stood at its banks where the living could consult ghosts. Dante made the Acheron the entrance to Hell in the Inferno.
Symbols
Fun Fact
A real river called Acheron still flows in northwestern Greece — and an ancient oracle of the dead was found at its mouth.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Gaia
primordialGaia was the primordial Earth goddess, the first being to emerge after Chaos — mother of the...
Helios
godThe Titan who drove the sun chariot across the sky each day, providing light to the world. Helios...
Styx
placeThe great river that formed the boundary between the world of the living and the realm of the dead....
Aeaea
placeAeaea was the mythical island home of Circe, the divine sorceress who transformed Odysseus's men...
Arcadia
placeArcadia was both a real mountainous region in the central Peloponnese and an idealised landscape of...
Argo (Ship)
placeThe Argo was the ship built by Argus for Jason's quest — the first long-voyage ship in Greek myth,...