SH+2015-16+P6+The+Acheron+River

The Acheron River was written about to show a sort of checkpoint after he passes over the gates of hell. Bill Stephany identifies, "In his descent to the center, Dante passes through the Gate of Hell, crosses the River Acheron, bypasses three additional areas in the circles of incontinence and comes to city walls inside of which the most serious sins, heresy, violence, and fraud, are punished" (Stephany). He implicitly states the meaning of the river in the explanation of Dante's journey in the decent to hell. Because Dante is traveling to hell, the word is used often to emphasize the significance of the Acheron River. Stephany talks about not only the Acheron River but also other things in which Dante passed over in the journey, whether it was intentional or accidental, that had changes in the course of his journey.
 * 1. Aim- Rachael Turner **

The Acheron river is full of myths of the past, attracting both the optimistic, and the curious historians that want to learn about the effect. Though the river has been around for centuries, most of the knowledge of it is based off of myths, making tourists and fans of myths the ideal ones to visit and research. The story goes that, “Orpheus, son of the muse Calliope, was devastated by the death of his wife Eurudice. With his weeping lyre he achieved to move the king and queen of the dead, Hades and Persephone, and won himself a chance to claim the blossom of his heart back from the Kingdom of Silence. To do so, he had to cross the Acheron River, the watery border between Life and Death” ( Visit Greece). However, historians can still learn about the villagers and their relationship with the lake. Though history of the lake today is more for entertainment than historical fact, it was believed by all of the villagers in Greece. This makes finding facts hard for historians, because of all the myths blocking the facts of the river.
 * 2. Audience- All **

Back in 1472, not much was known about nature, or the world. To help explain why things happened, the greeks created gods, and mythical kingdom for the gods to rule. One of the most known belief that the greeks had is the underworld. Today, the legend of the underworld may seem far fetched to most, but back then, many Greeks believed this myth. It started when the “Roman poet Virgil called it (the river) the principal river of Tartarus, from which the Styx and Cocytus both sprang. The newly-dead would be ferried across the Acheron by Charon in order to enter the Underworld. The Suda describes the river as "a place of healing, not a place of punishment, cleansing and purging the sins of humans" ( Pargablog.com). This started the idea that the Acheron river was a bridge between the earth and underworld.The Acheron, “flowed through dark gorges and went underground in several places” (Acheron. Britannica.com), which made it mysterious, and dangerous. Many people believed that it was a bridge between the earth, and the underworld, which is why the lake was so dangerous. Though the lake hasn't made too much history, it is a popular spot for tourism, and mythical mysteries.
 * 3. History- Ashley Ala **

> The Acheron River has an impact on today’s modern culture by influencing the beliefs of many people, who even today associate the river with the underworld. An article about the mythology of the Acheron River stated, “ In Dante's //Inferno// the Acheron river forms the border of Hell. Following Greek mythology, Charon ferries souls across this river to Hell. Those who were neutral in life sit on the banks” (Wikipedia). The impact of the river remains both because ancient Greek myths and because Dante's //Inferno// associate it with Hell. The mythology surrounding the river is still passed on from generation to generation, and some people continue to think of it as demonic. The Acheron River is now a symbol of the underworld. The Acheron River has therefore made a heavy impact on today's culture.
 * 4. Cultural- Juliet Buntin **
 * // What is the modern cultural impact of the Acheron River?: //


 * __Works Cited: __**

"Acheron." //Britannica.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2015. < http://www.britannica.com/place/Acheron>

"Acheron." //Wikipedia//. N.p., 2 Aug. 2015. Web. 26 Aug. 2015. .

"Acheron River-Parga." //Pargablog.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2015. 

"Acherodas River." //Visit Greece//. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2015.    "Inferno." //Stephany, Bill//. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Aug. 2015. < http://www.uvm.edu/~wstephan/dante/infessay.htm>

Lintula, Samuli. //Acheron.// 2005. Glyki, Greece. //Wikipedia.// Web. 26. Aug. 2015. 

Doré, Gustave. //Cocytus.// 1857. Colombia University- Hamilton Hall, New York. //Columbia College.// Web. 26 Aug. 2015. 