Styx (mythology)

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For other uses, see Styx.

The Greek Underworld
Residents:
Persephone Hades Minos Aeacus	Rhadamanthys Charon Cerberus
Geography:
Acheron Cocytus Tartarus Lethe Elysion	Styx Phlegethon Asphodel Meadows Erebus
Famous inmates:
Ixion Sisyphus	Tantalus The Titans
Related:
Greek mythology	Greek religion

In Greek mythology, Styx (Στυξ) is the name of a river which formed the boundary between Earth and the Underworld, Hades. It circles Hades nine times. The rivers Styx, Phlegethon, Acheron and Cocytus all converge at the center of Hades on a great marsh. The other important rivers of Hades are Lethe and Eridanos.

Styx is guarded by Phlegyas, who passes the souls from one side to another of the river. In other versions, Phlegyas guards Phlegethon, another of the main rivers of Hades.

The gods respected the Styx and swore binding oaths by it. Zeus swore to give Semele whatever she wanted and was then obliged to follow through, resulting in her death. Helios similarly promised Phaëton whatever he desired, also resulting in his death. Gods that did not follow through on such an oath had to drink from the river, causing them to lose their voices for nine years.

According to some versions, Styx had miraculous powers and could make someone immortal. Achilles may have been dipped in it in his childhood, acquiring invulnerability, with exception of his heel, which was held by his mother in order to submerge him. His exposed heel thus became known as Achilles' heel, a metaphor for a weak spot in modern meaning.

Styx was primarily a feature in the afterworld of Greek mythology, but has been described as a feature present in the hell of Christianity as well, notably in The Divine Comedy. The ferryman Charon is in modern times commonly believed to have transported the souls of the newly dead across this river into the underworld, though in the original Greek and Roman sources, as well as in Dante, it was the river Acheron that Charon plied. Dante put Phlegyas over the Styx and made it the fifth circle of Hell, where the wrathful and sullen are punished by being perpetually drowned in the muddy waters.

In ancient times the Styx was said to be the river that marked the boundary between Ukraine and Russia, near the Ukrainian town of Kerch. Ukraine was on the side representing life, Russia on the side representing death.

1 Goddess
2 Nymph
3 Popular Culture
4 See also
5 External link

[edit] Goddess

Image:Doré - Styx.jpg

Styx is also the name of a primordial goddess who represented that river, and was the only female river. She was a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. With Pallas, she was the mother of Zelus, Nike, Cratos and Bia (and sometimes Eos).

Styx supported Zeus in the Titanomachia- she was the first to rush to his aid. For this reason her name was given the honor of being a binding oath for the gods.

[edit] Nymph

Styx is also the name of a naiad nymph whose river was the most holy and sacred, and to swear on it was the most holy oath a God could make. Her name meant literally Hateful. She and the goddess are often held to be the same figure.

[edit] Popular Culture

The band Styx is named after it.
The river on which the song The River by The Tea Party takes place is the Styx and is referred to as a "she" in acknowledgement of river's female persona.
In the show Veronica Mars there is a bar called The River Styx run by the drug lord Fitzpatricks.
In The Simpsons episode, Tales from the Public Domain, Homer crosses the River Styx while in the land of Homer's tale, with the band Styx playing one of their hits, Lady, to which Homer exclaims the line, "Oh, this is truly hell!".
In the Futurama episode "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings," the Robot Devil sings that in Hell, "Styx is a river, and not just a band."
In the computer game Planescape:Torment, the River Styx has the same properties that the Greeks ascribed to Lethe, causing complete forgetfullness in anyone who drinks from the river's waters.
It is said that Captain Kaku Tomeo, commander of the aircraft carrier Hiryu after making the decision to remain on board his sinking ship, was informed that there was still money left in the vessel and was inquired as to what to do with it, to which he reportedly replied "Leave where it is, we'll need it to cross the River Styx."
In Guild Wars: Nightfall a river of souls that flows in the Realm of Torment was most definitely inspired by it.
In the game Kingdom Hearts 2, Hades says 'Styx and stones...' in response to a threat.
Californian band I Am Ghost's album Lovers' Requiem has a track called "Crossing the River Styx."
In the videogame Soul Calibur III, the character Cervantes de Leon has a pair of swords named Styx, as well as other pair named Phlegethon, obvious references to these rivers as Cervantes is a cursed pirate who died and came back from hell.
In the videogame Zork: Grand Inquisitor a mandatory quest involves passing the Styx with Charon as the oarsman. It cost two zorkmids for each trip. However, he only needs to be done once because the player can leave Hell by casting a spell.