I dont think I will be finishing this anytime soon so here you go guys :DD
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When I first played Hades I had a confession scene at the Asphodel with Thanatos and it was so sweet??? and the idea of the light and sharp shadows was just perfection iny my mind. And they could blame theirs blushing on the heat in the room :D
Hades: This is my wife Persephone, and these are Persephone’s girlfriends Minthe and Aphrodite. Then there’s Hephaestus who is Aphrodite’s husband and Ares who is her boyfriend. And that’s Ares’ boyfriend Apollo and his sister Artemis, who is also the girlfriend of Athena. Oh and that’s Artemis and Apollo’s mom Leto who is dating the mother of Athena, Metis. And she’s dating Maia who is Hermes’ mother and he is dating my worker Thanatos. Hypnos, Thanatos’ brother is dating Hermes’ brother Dionysus, and The mother of Dionysus, Demeter is dating both Hecate, and Dione who is the sister of Metis- Oh and Metis is also dating Hera, who is also in a polyamorus relationship with Maia and Leto as well. Hera is also married to my younger brother Zeus, and my other younger brother, Poseidon is married to Amphitrite, and that’s my eldest sibling Hestia who is dating Iris.
The ancient Hellens believed in ghosts. Ghosts were the spectres of people who could not get a proper burial, who could not find the entrance to the Underworld, or who didn’t have the money to pay the ferryman for passage. (Side-note: Famous heroes were also often ghosts…but of a different sort. Their situation is unique.)
There were festivals that were designed to honor and essentially “deal with” ghosts. However, patron deities were always evoked to preside over them to make sure that no unnecessary haunting occurred. Most of these festivals were conduced at night and included some form of a ὁλόκαυστος (holokaustos). They were usually solemn affairs. No wine was ever offered at these events. It’s clear from what we know of these festivals that the ancient Hellens most certainly did not find ghosts to be particularly favorable entities. However, they also did not consider ghosts as “evil”. Ghosts were really just a troublesome and generally unhappy presence that had to be appeased and properly dealt with. As proof of this, there were many documented ceremonies of riddance, called ἀποποπμαί (apopompai). Roughly translated, this word means “sending away”. Unfortunately, there isn’t a single concept in the English language that conveys the practice accurately, in its entirety (the closest would be “exorcism”).
As mentioned above, there are many ways people are condemned to become ghosts after they die. But there is one way in particular that is the most offensive: if you lust for immortality, or try to cheat death (that is, to trick Thanatos. And believe me, that is ill-advised; failure is imminent and punishment is fierce). Immortality is reserved for deities alone. Therefore, those mortals who strive for it are simply not sufficiently pious and will inevitably be cursed to wander the Earth as spectres. To become a ghost is thus to have died a poor, tasteless death (and yes, that implies you can essentially “die correctly” or “die incorrectly”. To become a ghost is very much the latter).
We should remember that one of the Delphic Maxims reads: “grieve for no one” (Μη επι παντι λυπου). Although we should never rush or pursue death or try to dictate its time, we should think on death as a reward in and of itself, especially if you have lived a devotional life, a good life. Respect death. Death is not to be feared. Remember that death is nothing if not fair (even if we may disagree with the verdict); all mortal life must end. To be able to die is a reminder of who and what we are. Death marks the distinction between us and our deities. Hence, when you pity the dead or try to cheat death, you are essentially questioning and insulting the will of your deities.
![It’s a guarantee! [Commissions][KO-FI][PATREON][STREAM] [Discord]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/eb9940830b0c2263dfb60435f8dd09ac/e5b6ad375586867c-7a/s1280x1920/ef99a28c92eabf18a08a1e802c2a1cdde814784c.png "It’s a guarantee! [Commissions][KO-FI][PATREON][STREAM] [Discord]")
