Styx
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226039305
2008-07-16T15:39:27Z
70.121.207.185
/* Nymph */
{{redirect|River Styx||Styx River (disambiguation)}}
{{otheruses}}
{{Greek myth (Hades)}}
In [[Greek mythology]], the '''"River Styx"''' ([[Greek language|Greek]]: Στύξ) was a [[river]] which formed the boundary between [[Earth]] and the Underworld ([[Hades]]). It circles Hades nine times. The rivers Styx, [[Phlegethon]], [[Acheron]] and [[Cocytus]] all converge at the center of Hades on a great [[swamp|marsh]]. The other important rivers of Hades are [[Lethe]] and [[Eridanos (mythology)|Eridanos]]{{Fact|date=April 2008}}. Styx was guarded by [[Phlegyas]], who passes the souls from one side to another of the river. In other versions, Phlegyas guarded Phlegethon, one of the other main rivers of Hades. Sometimes the ferryman was called [[Charon (mythology)|Charon]].
The gods respected the Styx and swore binding oaths by it. [[Zeus]] swore to give [[Semele]] whatever she wanted and was then obliged to follow through, resulting in her death. [[Helios]] similarly promised [[Phaëton]] whatever he desired, also resulting in his death. Gods that did not follow through on such an oath had to drink from the river, causing them to lose their voices for nine years. According to some versions, Styx had miraculous powers and could make someone [[immortality|immortal]]/invulnerable. [[Achilles]] may have been dipped in it in his childhood, acquiring invulnerability, with exception of his heel, which was held by his mother in order to submerge him. His exposed heel thus became known as [[Achilles' heel]], a metaphor for a weak spot in modern meaning.
[[Image:Doré - Styx.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Styx, etching by [[Gustave Doré]], representing [[Dante]]'s [[Divine Comedy]] journey, 1861.]]
Styx was primarily a feature in the [[afterworld]] of Greek mythology, but has been described as a feature present in the [[hell]] of [[Christianity]] as well, notably in ''[[The Divine Comedy]]'' and also "[[Paradise Lost]]". The ferryman Charon is in modern times commonly believed to have transported the souls of the newly dead across this river into the underworld, though in the original Greek and Roman sources, as well as in [[Dante]], it was the river Acheron that Charon plied. Dante put Phlegyas over the Styx and made it the fifth circle of Hell, where the wrathful and sullen are punished by being drowned in the muddy waters for eternity.
The adjective ''Stygian'' means "of or relating to the River Styx", and may also refer to anything that is dark and dismal.
==Goddess==
Styx was also the name of the daughter of [[Oceanus]] and [[Tethys (mythology)|Tethys]]. With [[Pallas (son of Crius)|Pallas]], she was the mother of [[Zelus]], [[Nike (mythology)|Nike]], [[Cratos]] and [[Bia (mythology)|Bia]] (and sometimes [[Eos]]). Styx supported Zeus in the [[Titanomachy]] where she was the first to rush to his aid. For this reason her name was given the honor of being a binding oath for the gods.
==Nymph==
Styx was also the name of a [[naiad]] whose river was the most holy and sacred, and to swear on it was the most holy oath a god could make. Her name meant literally ''Hateful''. She and the goddess are often held to be the same figure.{{Fact|date=February 2008}}
==See also==
*[[Rasā]]
*[[Sanzu River]]
==External links==
*[http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/PotamosStyx.html Theoi Project - Potamos Styx]
[[Category:Greek mythology]]
[[Category:Locations in Greek mythology]]
[[Category:Mythological rivers]]
[[Category:Oaths]]
[[Category:Naiads]]
[[Category:Oceanids]]
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