Acheron is a river deity from Greek mythology. The river is found in the ancient Greek kingdom of Epirus, which includes portions of modern-day Greece and Albania. In Greek it was referred to as either the Potamos Akherôn or the Limnê Akherousios, which directly translates to "River of Pain" and "Lake of Pain," respectively.
In Mythology[]
According to Greek myth, the Acheron is one of the main rivers of the Underworld, and forms the outermost border of the realm of Hades. Souls traveling to the underworld are required to cross the impassable river in order to reach Hades. Their only possible way across is to pay the ferryman Charon to ferry them over. People who are not given a proper burial are left stranded- unable to pay Charon, and are forced to wander the shore of the river for all eternity.
Once a soul reaches the other shore of Archeron and entered the realm of Hades, they then must face the many-headed hound of the underworld, Cerberus.
| River deities of Greek mythology | |
|---|---|
| River gods | Achelous • Acheron • Alpheus • Asopus • Axius • Borysthenes • Cebren • Chremetes • Cocytus • Enipeus • Eridanus • Erymanthus • Euphrates • Eurotas • Ganges • Haliacmon • Hydaspes • Inachus • Indus • Istros • Lethe • Maeander • Nilus • Pactolus • Peneus • Pyriphlegethon • Scamander • Simoeis • Strymon • Tanais • Tigris |