Elysian Fields (Concept)
placeParadise reserved for heroes and the virtuous dead, located at the western edge of the world or in the depths of the Underworld.
The Myth
Only the best dead go there — and even then, some chose to be reborn rather than stay in paradise forever. The Elysian Fields were ruled by Rhadamanthys and reserved for heroes related to the gods. Menelaus was promised Elysium because he married Helen, daughter of Zeus — not for any virtue of his own. Homer places it at the world's western edge, beyond Oceanus. Later sources (Virgil, Pindar) put it within the Underworld. In Orphic and Platonic thought, souls in Elysium could choose to be reborn; those who achieved Elysium three times in succession went to the Isles of the Blessed. Virgil's Aeneas meets his father Anchises there. The concept directly influenced Christian ideas of Heaven.
Symbols
Fun Fact
The Champs-Elysees in Paris is literally named Fields of the Blessed — a Parisian street named for the Greek afterlife.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Elysium
placeThe paradise at the edge of the world where heroes and the virtuous spent eternity in perfect...
Elysian Fields
conceptThe Elysian Fields were the blessed afterlife reserved for heroes and the exceptionally virtuous —...
Underworld
placeThe Underworld was the vast subterranean realm where all mortal souls went after death — a...
Isles of the Blessed
placeUltimate paradise beyond even Elysium, reserved for souls who achieved three virtuous incarnations...
Aeneas
heroAeneas was a Trojan prince, son of Aphrodite, who survived Troy's fall and became the ancestor of...
Helen
heroThe most beautiful woman in the world, daughter of Zeus. Her elopement with Paris of Troy triggered...
Helen of Troy
heroHelen was the most beautiful woman in the world, daughter of Zeus and Leda, whose abduction by...
Menelaus
heroMenelaus was the king of Sparta whose stolen wife Helen was the cause of the Trojan War — yet he...
Oceanus
titanThe great Titan who personified the vast river believed to encircle the entire world. Father of all...
Orphic Mysteries
conceptAn initiatory religious tradition attributed to the mythical poet Orpheus, teaching reincarnation,...
Paris
heroParis was the Trojan prince whose judgement of three goddesses and abduction of Helen ignited the...
Rhadamanthys
heroRhadamanthys was a son of Zeus and Europa who became one of the three judges of the dead in the...