| |  | Perhaps
no story has gripped the imagination of human beings more than the legends surrounding
the Gates of Hell, which are guarded by the ferocious three-headed dog Cerberus.
Charon, the boatman, ferries lost souls across the River Styx to the netherworld,
while the three menacing, winged Furies hover overhead, forboding. Fear
of the unknown, isolation and despair find a communal connection in the artist’s
depiction of the ravages of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
After
the defeat of the Titans, the Empire of the Universe is shared by Zeus, god of
the Sky and ruler of all the gods; and his brothers, Poseidon, god of the Sea,
and Hades, god of the Underworld.
In the House of Hades, as it was called
by Homer (later simply Hades"), the god of the Underworld ruled over the
Dead, allowing none of his subjects to return to the Land of the Living. Hades
was called "Pluto" by the later Romans, and he was allowed by his brother
Zeus to abduct Persephone, the beautiful daughter of his sister Demeter, goddess
of the Harvest. Demeter was called "Ceres" by the Romans.
Seeking
her young daughter everywhere, none of the other gods will reveal Persephone's
whereabouts to her until Demeter stops all the crops of the world from growing.
Demeter finds her daughter sharing Hades' throne. It had been already decreed
by the Fates that Persephone could fully return to the Land of the Living only
if she had tasted no food in the Underworld, but she had eaten Pomegranite seeds
offered to her by Hades. Zeus then arranged a compromise: that Persephone would
live 6 months with Hades, and 6 months with her mother -- thus the alternating
seasons of Winter and Summer.
The
ferryman Charon transported the spirits across the River Styx of the Underworld
for the price of a penny, which would be left on the eyes of the deceased person
by a member of their family or a friend.
Crossing the River Styx, one
could see the bright red glow of the distant fires of Hades reflected on the roof
the cavern. |
