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In Greek mythology, the Asphodel Meadows or Asphodel Fields (Ancient Greek: ἀσφοδελὸς λειμών, romanized: asphodelòs leimṓn)^[1] was a section of the ancient Greek underworld where the majority of ordinary souls were sent to live after death.^[2] It was one of the three main divisions of the underworld along with Elysium, where righteous souls were rewarded, and Tartarus, where vicious souls were punished.^[2] In his Odyssey, Homer locates the Fields of Asphodel close to the Land of dreams. He further refers to them as the dwelling place of the spirits of men who have abandoned their earthly labors.^[3]

Name

The name of the land, inspired by the plant Asphodelus, appears in the literature as far back as Homer's Odyssey, where it features in Odysseus' survey of the underworld. Many ancient Greek poets and Homeric commentators understand the adjective asphodelòs to mean 'flowery', 'fragrant', or 'fertile'.^[4] According to others, the unattractive plant was chosen by the Greeks because of its ghostly gray colour which is appropriate to the shadowy atmosphere of the underworld.^[5]

A different proposal explains the name of the land as 'field of ashes' basing it on sphodelos or spodelos, an alternative version of the name^[6] that could be related to "σποδός", spodós ('ashes', 'embers').^[7]^[8]

Later depictions

The Asphodel Meadows is most probably where the souls of people who lived mediocre lives remain.^{[citation needed]} Its relationship to other places in the Greek afterlife remains uncertain.

For later Greek poets the very ancient pre-Homeric association of the asphodel flower with a positive form of afterlife as well as the enlarged role of Elysium as it became the destination of more than just a few lucky heroes, altered the character of the meadows. Greek poets who wrote after Homer's time describe them as untouched, lovely, soft and holy. Such an evolutionary change is quite common: "Like most cultures throughout human history, both ancient and modern, the Greeks held complex and sometimes contradictory views about the afterlife".^[9]

Edith Hamilton suggested that the asphodel of these fields are not exactly like the asphodel of our world, but are "presumably strange, pallid, ghostly flowers."^[10] Others have suggested, in 2002, that they were actually narcissi.^[11]

References

^ ἀσφόδελος. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project.
^ ^a ^b Westmoreland, Perry L. (2006). Ancient Greek beliefs. San Ysidro, CA: Lee and Vance Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-9793248-1-9. OCLC 276682916.
^ Homer, Odyssey 24.11-14
^ Reece, Steve (2009). Homer's winged words : the evolution of early Greek epic diction in the light of oral theory. Leiden. ISBN 978-90-474-2787-2. OCLC 569990385.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Tripp, Edward (1970). Crowell's handbook of classical mythology. Internet Archive. New York, Crowell. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-690-22608-9.
^ Harper, Douglas. "asphodel". Online Etymology Dictionary.
^ σποδός. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project.
^ Amigues, S (2002). "La "Prairie d'Asphodèle" de l'Odyssée et de l'Hymne homérique à Hermès". Revue de philologie, de littérature et d'histoire anciennes. 76: 7–14. doi:10.3917/phil.761.0007.
^ Reece, Steve, "Homer's Asphodel Meadow," Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 47 (2007) 389-400.
^ Edith Hamilton. Mythology. New York: Warner Books, 1999. Ch. 1, p. 40.
^ Dweck, A. C. The folklore of Narcissus. pp. 19–29. In Hanks (2002)

Citations

Hanks, Gordon R (2002). Narcissus and Daffodil: The Genus Narcissus. London: Taylor and Francis. ISBN 0415273447. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
Anonymous (May–October 1887). "Homer the botanist". Macmillan's Magazine. 56. London: Macmillan and Company: 428–436. Retrieved 3 November 2014.

[1] ἀσφόδελος. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project.

[:0-2] Westmoreland, Perry L. (2006). Ancient Greek beliefs. San Ysidro, CA: Lee and Vance Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-9793248-1-9. OCLC 276682916.

[3] Homer, Odyssey 24.11-14

[4] Reece, Steve (2009). Homer's winged words : the evolution of early Greek epic diction in the light of oral theory. Leiden. ISBN 978-90-474-2787-2. OCLC 569990385.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[5] Tripp, Edward (1970). Crowell's handbook of classical mythology. Internet Archive. New York, Crowell. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-690-22608-9.

[6] Harper, Douglas. "asphodel". Online Etymology Dictionary.

[7] σποδός. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project.

[8] Amigues, S (2002). "La "Prairie d'Asphodèle" de l'Odyssée et de l'Hymne homérique à Hermès". Revue de philologie, de littérature et d'histoire anciennes. 76: 7–14. doi:10.3917/phil.761.0007.

[9] Reece, Steve, "Homer's Asphodel Meadow," Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 47 (2007) 389-400.

[10] Edith Hamilton. Mythology. New York: Warner Books, 1999. Ch. 1, p. 40.

[Dweck-11] Dweck, A. C. The folklore of Narcissus. pp. 19–29. In Hanks (2002)

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-{{short description|Section of the Greek underworld}}
+{{Short description|Section of the Greek underworld}}
+{{about|the section of the Greek underworld|other uses|Asphodel (disambiguation){{!}}Asphodel}}
-{{Greek myth (Hades)}}
+[[File:Colonie d' Asphodèles blancs (Asphodelus albus) - Forêt de Mervent-Vouvant.jpg|thumb|275x275px|A field of [[Asphodelus albus|white Asphodels]].]]
-The '''Asphodel Meadows''' is a section of the ancient [[Greek underworld]] where ordinary [[souls]] are sent to live after [[death]].
+{{Greek underworld}}
+In [[Greek mythology]], the '''Asphodel Meadows''' or '''Asphodel Fields''' ({{langx|grc|ἀσφοδελὸς λειμών|asphodelòs leimṓn}})<ref>{{LSJ|a)sfo/delos|ἀσφόδελος|ref}}.</ref> was a section of the ancient [[Greek underworld]] where the majority of ordinary [[souls]] were sent to live after [[death]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Westmoreland |first=Perry L. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/276682916 |title=Ancient Greek beliefs |date=2006 |publisher=Lee and Vance Publishing Co |isbn=978-0-9793248-1-9 |location=San Ysidro, CA |oclc=276682916}}</ref> It was one of the three main divisions of the underworld along with [[Elysium]], where righteous souls were rewarded, and [[Tartarus]], where vicious souls were punished.<ref name=":0" /> In his ''[[Odyssey]]'', [[Homer]] locates the Fields of Asphodel close to the [[Land of dreams (mythology)|Land of dreams]]. He further refers to them as the dwelling place of the spirits of men who have abandoned their earthly labors.<ref>Homer, ''Odyssey'' [https://chs.harvard.edu/primary-source/homeric-odyssey-sb/#24t 24.11-14]</ref>
+==Name==
+[[File:Branched asphodel 02.jpg|thumb|The plant ''[[Asphodelus ramosus]]'']]
+The name of the land, inspired by the plant ''[[Asphodelus]],'' appears in the literature as far back as [[Homer]]'s ''[[Odyssey]]'', where it features in [[Odysseus]]' survey of the underworld. Many ancient Greek poets and Homeric commentators understand the adjective ''asphodelòs'' to mean 'flowery', 'fragrant', or 'fertile'.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Reece |first=Steve |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/569990385 |title=Homer's winged words : the evolution of early Greek epic diction in the light of oral theory |date=2009 |isbn=978-90-474-2787-2 |location=Leiden |oclc=569990385}}</ref>  According to others, the unattractive plant was chosen by the Greeks because of its ghostly gray colour which is appropriate to the shadowy atmosphere of the underworld.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tripp |first=Edward |url=http://archive.org/details/crowellshandbook00trip |title=Crowell's handbook of classical mythology |date=1970 |page=105 |publisher=New York, Crowell |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-690-22608-9}}</ref>
+A different proposal explains the name of the land as 'field of ashes' basing it on ''sphodelos'' or ''spodelos'', an alternative version of the name<ref>{{OEtymD|asphodel}}</ref> that could be related to "σποδός", ''spodós'' ('ashes', 'embers').<ref>{{LSJ|spodo/s|σποδός|ref}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Amigues |first=S |date=2002 |title=La "Prairie d'Asphodèle" de l'Odyssée et de l'Hymne homérique à Hermès |url=https://www.cairn-int.info/article.php?ID_ARTICLE=E_PHIL_761_0007 |journal=Revue de philologie, de littérature et d'histoire anciennes |volume=76 |pages=7–14 |doi=10.3917/phil.761.0007}}</ref>
 ==Later depictions==
-The Asphodel Meadows is most probably where the souls of people who lived mediocre lives remain, but its relationship to other places in the Greek afterlife remains uncertain.
+The Asphodel Meadows is most probably where the souls of people who lived mediocre lives remain.{{cn|date=October 2024}} Its relationship to other places in the Greek afterlife remains uncertain.
 For later Greek poets the very ancient pre-Homeric association of the [[Asphodelus albus|asphodel]] flower with a positive form of afterlife as well as the enlarged role of [[Elysium]] as it became the destination of more than just a few lucky heroes, altered the character of the meadows. Greek poets who wrote after Homer's time describe them as untouched, lovely, soft and holy. Such an evolutionary change is quite common: "Like most cultures throughout human history, both ancient and modern, the Greeks held complex and sometimes contradictory views about the afterlife".<ref>Reece, Steve, "Homer's Asphodel Meadow," ''Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies'' 47 (2007) 389-400.</ref>
+[[Edith Hamilton]] suggested that the asphodel of these fields are not exactly like the asphodel of our world, but are "presumably strange, pallid, ghostly flowers."<ref>Edith Hamilton. ''[[Mythology (book)|Mythology]]''. New York: Warner Books, 1999. Ch. 1, p. 40.</ref> Others have suggested, in 2002, that they were actually [[narcissi]].<ref name=Dweck>{{cite book|last1=Dweck|first1=A. C.|title=The folklore of ''Narcissus''|pages=19–29}} In {{Harvtxt|Hanks|2002}}</ref>
-Some depictions describe it as a land of utter [[Neutrality (philosophy)|neutrality]]. That is, while the inhabitants were in life neither good nor evil, so they are treated in the afterlife. Other depictions have also stated that all residents drink from the river [[Lethe]] before entering the fields, thus losing their identities. This somewhat negative outlook on the afterlife for those who make little impact was perhaps passed down to encourage [[militarism]] in Greek cultures (as opposed to inaction). In fact, those who did take up arms and became heroes were rewarded with everlasting joy in the fields of [[Elysium]].
-[[Edith Hamilton]] suggests that the asphodel of these fields are not exactly like the asphodel of our world, but are "presumably strange, pallid, ghostly flowers."<ref>Edith Hamilton. ''[[Mythology (book)|Mythology]]''. New York: Warner Books, 1999. Ch. 1, p. 40.</ref> Others suggest that they were actually [[narcissi]].<ref name=Dweck>{{cite book|url=http://www.dweckdata.co.uk/Published_papers/Narcissus.pdf|last1=Dweck|first1=A. C.|title=The folklore of ''Narcissus''|pages=19–29}} In {{Harvtxt|Hanks|2002}}</ref>
-==In popular culture==
+==See also==
+* [[Donn]]
-Asphodel is a level in the 2020 video game ''[[Hades (video game)|Hades]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hades.gamepedia.com/Asphodel|title=Asphodel|website=Hades Wiki|language=en|access-date=2021-03-19}}</ref>
+* [[Iriy]]
+* [[Brittia]]
+* [[Purgatory]]
 ==References==
 {{Reflist|30em}}
-==Bibliography==
+==Citations==
 * {{cite book|last1=Hanks|first1=Gordon R|title=Narcissus and Daffodil: The Genus Narcissus|date=2002|publisher=Taylor and Francis|location=London|isbn=0415273447|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4_kH_BffGDgC|access-date=2 October 2014}}
 *{{cite journal|last1=Anonymous|title=Homer the botanist|journal=Macmillan's Magazine|date=May–October 1887|volume=56|pages=428–436|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uZBHAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA428|access-date=3 November 2014|publisher=Macmillan and Company|location=London}}
@@ Line 24: / Line 34: @@
 {{Hell}}
-[[Category:Afterlife places]]
 [[Category:Locations in the Greek underworld]]

v t e Underworlds
	Abrahamic	Christianity Abyss Hades Hell Lake of fire Limbo Outer darkness Purgatory Islam Barzakh Jahannam Sijjin Judaism Abaddon Azazel Bosom of Abraham Dudael Gehenna Sheol Tehom Tzoah Rotachat Mandaeism World of Darkness
	American	Aztec Mictlān Maya Xibalba
	East Asian	Chinese Diyu Gate of the Ghosts Youdu Shinto Yomi
	Indian	Naraka Buddhism Bardo Naraka Hinduism Naraka Patala Jainism Naraka
	Near East	Egyptian Duat Mesopotamian Irkalla Zoroastrianism Duzakh Hamistagan
	European	Norse Hel Náströnd Niflheim Niflhel Greek / Roman Asphodel Meadows Elysium Erebus Fortunate Isles Hades Orcus Tartarus Welsh Annwn Finnic Tuonela
	Others	Davy Jones's locker Hell Turkic Tamag