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Greek

Elysium

01Identity

Elysium in Greek tradition

The gods promised to convey Menelaus to Elysium instead of letting him die. The land lay at the western edge of Oceanus, where snow and winter's cold did not reach. Rhadamanthus dwelt there. Later tellings placed immortalised people and heroes there, including Peleus, Cadmus, and Achilles.

At first, Elysium was a paradise for heroes and an alternative to entering the House of Hades. In one telling, the Isles of the Blessed shone with sunlight, breezes, golden flowers, and groves. Their inhabitants lived free from toil. In another, Elysium lay within the Underworld, apart from the gated region of Tartarus, where sinners suffered. Roseate light filled it, and it had its own sun and stars, shady groves, and grassy, well-watered meadows. Its residents sang, danced, feasted, and took part in sport.

Top questions

The quick answers

  • What is Elysium?

    Elysium is a Greek being.
    Source

    Source

    • Tales About the Mythology of Greece and Rome
    • Classical Mythology a to Z
    • The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)
02The names

The names Elysium answers to

Elysion

Greek form of the name

SourceTales About the Mythology of Greece and Rome

Elysian Fields

The blessed afterlife realm

SourceClassical Mythology a to Z

Elysian Plain

The Elysian afterlife plain

SourceClassical Mythology a to Z

Isles of the Blessed

A related abode of the blessed dead

SourceThe Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World's Classics)

03Who it is

Elysium, and where the myths place it

Appears in

The myths across MythSource where Elysium features, each on that figure’s page.

The film

The Underdrawing video on Elysium embeds here once it publishes.