Greek mythology tells in quite some detail about what the afterlife held for the dead in the Underworld, the domain of Hades.

The departed would be judged upon how they had lived their lives. There were either one or three judges deciding the fate of the individual; the judges being named as Rhadamanthys, Aeacus and Minos. Individuals deemed fitting of further punishment were sent to the deepest part of Hades, Tartarus. This was a place where those who had angered the gods were sent, and was prison to many of the Titans, Sisyphus and Typhon.

Those people who had lived a life that was neither good or bad was sent for eternity to the Asphodel Meadows, a grey place where individuals undertook a monotonous existence.

For those who had lived a good life though, Elysium and the Elysian Fields awaited; paradise for the Underworld. There death would be as good for the individual as life had been, and would contain all of the means of enjoyment that could be imagined. It is an area of the Underworld most closely associated with the heroes of the Trojan War. Later traditions also took into account reincarnation, and those who became bored of paradise were reincarnated. This of course made living a good and honourable life desirable.

The Greek idea of the afterlife is not exactly a pleasant one, at least for the majority; only a select few find a place in paradise. The fact that it was the military heroes who found themselves in the Elysian Fields can be taken as a sign that Greeks felt that a death fighting for the Greek states was honourable and something to aspire to. There was though less emphasis placed on death than in many other ancient cultures.

Greek mythology has more to do with life than death, and the explanation of the world. There was some emphasis on treating the dead with respect. Funeral rites were important, especially placing the obol, gold coin, in the mouth of the dead; this being the fee for Charon to enable the ferrying for the departed spirit across the Acheron. Remembrance of the dead was also important, and rituals would provide brief pleasure for those souls in the Asphodel Meadows, and prevent the dead returning to the land of the living.

Death was certainly not something to aspire to for the ancient Greeks but they were aware of what things done in their lifetimes could mean for their eternal souls.