Acheron or styx?

Isis

Member
I always thought Charon ferried the dead across the river Styx, but I just read that he actually crosses Acheron. Was I mistaken all this time?
 

Enertia

Member
I think, when I was taught mythology in school, the river that the dead was ferried across was the Styx. However I have read that in ancient Greek mythology, Acheron was known as the river of pain, and was one of the five rivers of the Greek underworld. The newly-dead would be ferried across the Acheron by Charon, to enter the Underworld. Maybe some books or people got confused since the Styx runs off of the Acheron river.
 

LegendofJoe

Active Member
The river Styx was primarily known as the river of oaths.
the most severe oath a god can make is on the Styx. If he broke it, the consequences were dire.
 

Nadai

Active Member
I think, when I was taught mythology in school, the river that the dead was ferried across was the Styx. However I have read that in ancient Greek mythology, Acheron was known as the river of pain, and was one of the five rivers of the Greek underworld. The newly-dead would be ferried across the Acheron by Charon, to enter the Underworld. Maybe some books or people got confused since the Styx runs off of the Acheron river.
There were actually five rivers of the Underworld; Styx was the river of hate and seperated the living realm from the realm of the dead. Acheron was the river of woe, Cocytus was the river of lamentation, Phlegethon was the river of fire, and Lethe was the river of forgetfulness.
It is thought that Charon, the old ferry man who ferries the dead to the Underworld, crosses the river Styx where the three-headed dog, Cerberus guards, allowing all souls to enter but none to leave. This is a misconception, Charon crosses the river Acheron where also Cerebus stands his eternal guard. Charon only takes the souls across that are buried properly with a coin (called an obol) that was placed in their mouths upon burial.
If a god gave his oath upon the river Styx and failed to keep his word, Zeus forced that god to drink from the river itself. The water is said to be so foul that the god would lose their voice for nine years.
 
If a god gave his oath upon the river Styx and failed to keep his word, Zeus forced that god to drink from the river itself. The water is said to be so foul that the god would lose their voice for nine years.
oh i see, i thought they will live a mortal life for nine years, without nectar and ambrosia to taste.
now I know why these gods never lie :p
 

Nadai

Active Member
I'm not sure where I heard it, but from what I remember it was a pretty big shame for a god to have their immortality taken away, somuchso that if humans found out they could potentially attack that powerless god!
 
I'm not sure where I heard it, but from what I remember it was a pretty big shame for a god to have their immortality taken away, somuchso that if humans found out they could potentially attack that powerless god!
so true! so it really must be like a shameful experience for them.
 

Nadai

Active Member
I suppose so-I've never read a myth where a god swore on the Styx and broke their word. Even though Apollo knew his son would die, he had made an oath on the Styx and so had to keep his word:oops:
 
yeah, same with Zeus and Dionysus' mom, right? She wished to see Zeus in his god-form, Zeus knew that she would die if he does it, but he swore with the Styx, so there.
 

Nadai

Active Member
Yup. Though that was more Hera's fault since she was to one who tricked her into asking for that. But yeah-sad story that one was.
 

Alejandro

Active Member
I always thought Charon ferried the dead across the river Styx, but I just read that he actually crosses Acheron. Was I mistaken all this time?
No, you weren't mistaken, although the Styx is not the only Underworld river across which Kharon (Charon) transported the dead. In addition to the Styx and the Akheron, Kharon is also mentioned having ferried the shades of the dead across the Lethe and the Kokytos in order to get them from the entrance of the Underworld to the place of judgement at the royal court of King Haides (Hades) and Queen Persephone. Among the five main rivers of the realm, the Pyriphlegethon seems to be the only one which receives no mention of Kharon having sailed upon it, and the reason seems to be that Kharon's leaky boat was not fireproof. All the same, all five rivers made up a network of streams in the realm: the Kokytos was a tributary of the Styx and, together with the Pyriphlegethon, it flowed into the Akheron. A minor river called the Aornis (Latin Avernis) was another tributary of the Styx and, flowing mostly in the upper world in the land of the living, it drained into Lake Aornos (or Avernus as the Romans called it) in Cumae, Italy.
 
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