Acheron is a 60 km long river located in Epirus, a
region in the northwest of Greece. The river springs
from the mountains at 1.986m and 1.600m, passes
through a canyon and flows into the Ionian Sea.
Homer describes the water of Acheron passing into
the sea, as a peaceful and ideal place.
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The name Acheron comes from the words
ἄχεα ρέων (akhea rheōn), meaning "the
stream of sorrow".
The ancient tradition describes Acheron to
end into Acherousia lake, a lake particular
cold, with no trace of life around it.
For this reason probably, the river Acheron
and it’s lake, as well as the river Styx, were
considered to be the Gates of Hades, the
world of dead.
In ancient Greek mythology it was believed that
the god Hermes* was escorting the deceased to
the shore of the river Acheron where Charon, the
ferryman, was waiting with his boat.
*Hermes, son of Zeus, is an Olympian god. He is the messenger of
the gods and the protector of travelers. But he is also a
companion of souls (a psychopomp),leading them to the
underworld.
Hermes as psychopomp conducts the
deceased, Myrrhine, to Hades, ca
430-420 BCE (National Archaeological
Museum of Athens).
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Charon ferried the newly dead souls across the
river into Hades and charged them an obol, (a
small coin) placed in the mouth of the deceased
by his relatives.
John Roddam Spencer Stanhope - Charon and Psyche, 1883
A 19th-century interpretation of Charon's
crossing by Alexander Litovchenko.
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Those who could not pay the fee, or those
whose bodies were left unburied, had to
wander the shores for one hundred years.
In the far side of the river was the kingdom of
Hades*, king of the underworld. The
kingdom was guarded by Cerberus, the threeheaded dog. Passing beyond Cerberus, the
shades (souls) of the deceased entered the
land of dead to be judged.
* Hades is the brother of Zeus and one of the 12 Olympian
gods. In Roman mythology he is called Pluto.
Map based on the most generally accepted version, as described in Greek Myths
Statue of Hades and Cerberus, his dog. On
display at the Archaeological Museum of Crete.
On the banks of the Acheron river stands an
ancient greek temple of necromancy (oracle of
death) The relatives of the deceased came here to
take part in ceremonies and talk with their dead
ancestors.
One of the underground tunnels of the
Necromanteion, through which pilgrims
would walk.
Today, the river and the surrounding area enchant
with their beauty and because of the myth and the
environment, many visitors are attracted, from the
springs to the river mouth.
Acheron is an area of exceptional beauty and an
important source of information and knowledge in the
field of environmental education.
Both its gorge and estuary, as well as the wider area
around it, are included in the European network of
protected areas Natura 2000.
Acheron was the river of sorrow in ancient times.
For us, today, it’s the river of joy, beauty and mystery!
For us Acheron is no more the river of sorrow but the river
of joy, beauty and mystery!