Underworld Myths

Descent into the underworld is common in mythologies worldwide. The underworlds of antiquity were dark, shadowy realms, like the Mesoamerican Xibalba or the Greek Hades; they were not places to be entered lightly, or places to be escaped from easily. Historically a katabasis (‘going down’) has been undertaken successfully by only a handful of mythological figures (Thury and Devinney 612).

There is a wealth of possible reasons as to why the descent motif is as prevalent as it was. Leeming theorises that it may be because in the traditional hero’s journey, this descent can represent ‘a return to Mother Earth in preparation for rebirth into a higher divine state’ (98). To descend into the depths of the realm of the dead and return unscathed is

However, it is because of their life-giving abilities that their presences in these tales are assured to be ripe with metaphor and symbolism. This is what separates heroines from the heroes; the life-giving ability of females grants them a symbolic power that no man can truly attain. Represented as innately feminine, but also as mothers and protectors, women of the underworld have places in myth that are rich with meaning, both to the societies that worshipped them and to those that study them now.

The myth of Demeter and Persephone is an ancient one, described in detail in The Hymn to Demeter. This Hymn, used in the Eleusinian Mysteries, follows the female perspective of a mother losing her daughter in an arranged marriage.

Demeter and Persephone are central characters in their myth because as goddesses of the harvest, they are the best suited to the roles. Women are a direct part of the cycle of life and death; it is logical that this mortal truth would be echoed in the gods. A male character could not take their places in this myth since men are not as intimately linked to life and

As an example of a heroic woman in the underworld, one can look to the myth of Cupid and Psyche. Psyche is a mortal affected by divine intervention. As a heroine, she is unusual amongst female protagonists because she acts just like a male hero. It is not unusual to see female characters in Greek myths perform traditionally male activities; goddesses like Artemis or Athena, for example, are defined by them. This is not the case for Psyche. She has no extraordinary skills and is known exclusively for her beauty, yet she acts as boldly as any hero when confronted with a series of impossible obstacles.

It is important to remember that Psyche is not a hero, but a heroine. She has to learn how to be a heroine through her hero’s journey; she must be guided by outside forces until she is capable enough to complete Venus’ tasks without direct assistance. Her final task, retrieving a box of Proserpine’s beauty from Hades, she completes on her own.

Psyche is a different aspect of the female protector. She puts her self before others and reunites herself with her true love through her own sheer effort, therefore acting as her own protector and knight in shining