Student created example of a digital book project. This book compares views of the afterlife in Greek mythology and Catholicism.

1. Greek Mythology
&
Roman Catholicism:
Afterlife Edition

2. Catholicism and Greek Mythology are quite different from each other.
Even so, they have some similarities in their beliefs on the afterlife. Like
Catholicism, Greek Mythology believes there are three places souls may
end up. Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell in Catholicism, and Elysium, The
Asphodel fields, and Tartarus in Greek Mythology. Each of these places
have their similarities and differences within each religion.
One key difference between Catholicism and Greek Mythology, is the
belief in an underworld. In Greek Mythology, the Underworld is Hades’
realm. Every souls goes to the Underworld after death. There is a three
headed dog, Cerberus guarding the entrance and a ferryman, Charon,
who takes the dead across the River Styx (the barrier between the mortal
world and the Underworld). Hades rules this land, and has different Gods,
Goddesses, and creatures among him. There are three, once mortal,
judges that decide a soul’s eternal resting place in the Underworld. Both
religions have specific views on the afterlife, but this will focus on the
three places each religion believes souls may rest after death.
*The following views of the afterlife are from different resources, but none are the
official doctrines of either religion.

3. Many people are familiar with Heaven. This is the
place where the righteous people go after they die. In
Catholic teaching, they are united with the one true
God for eternity. The person’s Faith on Earth is
fulfilled. If people live according to what Jesus did on
earth, they will be rewarded with life in heaven.
Catholics strive for this, and must do works on Earth
to show their Faith and to act as penance for their sin.
There is no teaching about what heaven looks like.
People simply do not know. This is only part of the
mystery of the afterlife in the Catholic faith. Heaven
is the place for the righteousness, the people pure
and clean of heart, who are able to see God.

4. In many religions, there are places for
the just after they die. Similar to
Heaven for Catholics, in Greek
Mythology, Elysium is for the those
who do good in their lives. This is a
beautiful area of the Underworld for
the good. Originally it was just for
immortal gods and heroes. Then it was
known as the resting place for the
blessed people who had died. It is a
place of eternal paradise for all who
had a righteous life. Also part of
Elysium, the Isle of the Blessed, is for
the Catholic ―Saint‖ equivalents who
have gone above and beyond to be
great people on Earth.

5. *Penance: (ˈpnəns)
ɛ
In the Catholic faith, Purgatory is basically
the step before Heaven. Some people may
think it’s a place for the people who weren’t
good, but weren't bad. It’s similar to
that, but not exactly. People are judged and
sent to Purgatory to be cleansed of sin. They
must suffer the effects sin left them with
before they died. Heaven is a place for the
perfect, so they must be cleansed of all sin
before Heaven. Once in Purgatory, the souls
are helpless. They cannot repent or do
*penance for their sin. They rely on the
prayers of those on Earth to help them reach
Heaven. All souls in Purgatory are
guaranteed Heaven, but no on knows how
long someone may be suffering to get to
paradise.
—n
1. voluntary self-punishment
to atone for a sin, crime, etc
2. a. feeling of regret for
one's wrongdoings
3. Christianity:
a. a punishment usually
consisting of
prayer, fasting, etc, undertake
n voluntarily as an expression
of penitence for sin
b. a punishment of this kind
imposed by church authority
as a condition of absolution
Penances in Catholicism are
done after Reconciliation as
acts to make up for sin. This
cannot be done in
Purgatory, so the Church
teaches that everyone should
always be ready.

6. The asphodel Fields in Greek
Mythology are actually quite
different than Purgatory. In the
Asphodel Fields, souls wander
aimlessly for all eternity, as
opposed to it being a temporary
resting place for purification like
Purgatory. This place is for the
souls who did not do good or bad
in their lives. It is a grey
existence, and some depict it as
a grey field. Life here isn’t
great, nor is it painful, but it is
slightly worse than Earth.
In the novel, Percy Jackson and
the Olympians: The Lightning
Thief, Rick Riordan compares The
Asphodel Fields to a silenced
crowd. ―A football field packed
with a million fans. Now imagine
a field a million times that
big, packed with people and
imagine the electricity has gone
out, and there is no noise, no
light, no beach ball bouncing
around over the crowd.
Whispering masses of people
waiting for a concert that will
never start.‖

7. *Lucifer
In Catholicism, Hell is the worst
possible place. After defying God, and
falling into disgrace, *Lucifer was cast
out of Heaven and into Hell. The devil
resides in Hell and prowls about the
Earth tempting people to sin. When
people fall for his evil and sin on Earth,
but do not repent, they may go to Hell.
If their sins are severe and they have no
intention of union with God, they will
spend eternity in punishment here.
These people are forever separated and
unable to see God. The Catholic Bible
depicts Hell as an inferno, the fiery
realm of the devil.
Isaiah 14:12 ―How you are
fallen from heaven, O
Lucifer, son of the
morning! How you are cut
down to the ground, You
who weakened the
nations!"
Revelation 12:7 "Now
war arose in
heaven, Michael and his
angels fighting against
the dragon. And the
dragon and his angels
fought back.‖

8. Tartarus, in Greek Mythology, is
fairly similar to Hell. Tartarus is
the place where the wicked go
after they die. Those who do
bad, and were terrible people
will end up here. Some
describe it as a giant pit,
taking days to travel down.
Originally, Tartarus was only
the place where the evil
*Titans are locked away. Later
it came to be known as a
tortuous place for all evil souls.
Here, the worst of villains can
be made to undergo
challenges, pain, and suffering
based on the severity of their
The Titans were primordial being
and the ancestors of the Gods. One
infamous Titan, Kronos or
Cronus, was the father of
Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon. The
Titans were evil, and knowing the
power of his children, Kronos
ingested them. The Gods made
their way back out and raged war
on the Titans, defeating them.
They were then cast into Tartarus
where they were locked up.

9. -Gil, N.S.10 Gods and Goddesses of The Underworld: Main
Greek Gods and Goddesses of the underworld. About.com.
About.com. 2012. Web. 8 Nov. 2012.
- Elysium
- Asphodel Fields
- Tartarus
-Riordan, Rick. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The
Lightning Thief. New York. Disney – Hyperion Books, 2005.
Print.
- Description of The Asphodel Fields