According to Greek mythology when someone dies they end up in this hellish purgatory in which they haunt the real world and suffer during the night. This fate can be escaped IF AND ONLY IF the person who has died has received a proper burial and therefore has some sort of money or valued object with them. With this, they can pay a boat man, someone who will take them from purgatory and allow them to sail on the River Styx. If they aren't given a proper burial, then they can't pay the boat man and they will be stuck in purgatory. That is why we see Patroclus haunting Earth after death until Thetis puts his name on Achilles' grave.
After the dead spirit sails on the River Styx, they can go to one of two places based on the glory and heroism they displayed in their lifetime. Ordinary folk go to an underworld that is zombielike and grim. Heros and kings go to the Elysian Fields, a beautiful utopian land that has the River Lethe--- the waters of the River Lethe allow all those who touch it or consume it to forget their lifetime. This something that many glorious heros and rulers wish for and yearn because they usually end up having seen some traumatizing things.
YOU ARE READING
In Paradisum -- Patrochilles THE SONG OF ACHILLES
FanfictionA fanmade sequel to The Song Of Achilles following the reuniting of Patroclus and Achilles in the afterlife
