Akatabasis orcatabasis (Ancient Greek:κατάβασις,romanized: katábasis,lit. 'descent'; from κατὰ (katà) 'down' and βαίνω (baínō) 'go') is a journey to theunderworld. Its original sense is usually associated withGreek mythology andclassical mythology more broadly, where the protagonist visits theGreek underworld, also known as Hades. The term is also used in a broad sense of any journey to the realm of the dead in other mythological and religious traditions. A katabasis is comparable to anekyia or necromancy, where one experiences a vision of the underworld or its inhabitants; anekyia does not generally involve a physical visit.
One of the most famous examples is that ofOdysseus, who performs something on the border of anekyia and a katabasis in book 11 of theOdyssey; he visits the border of the realms before calling the dead to him using a blood rite, with it being disputed whether he was at the highest realm of the underworld or the lowest edge of the living world where he performed this.
The trip to the underworld is amytheme ofcomparative mythology found in a diverse number of religions from around the world.[1] Thehero or upper-world deity journeys to theunderworld or to the land of the dead and returns. The nature of thequest differs; sometimes an object or the rescue of a loved one is sought, while in other stories knowledge and secret revelations is the goal. The ability to enter the realm of the dead while still alive, and to return, is proof of the classical hero's exceptional status as more than mortal. A deity who returns from the underworld demonstrateseschatological themes such as the cyclical nature of time and existence, or the defeat of death and the possibility ofimmortality.[2]
A katabasis is arguably a specific type of the famousHero's journey. In the Hero's journey, the hero travels to a forbidden, unknown realm; a katabasis is when that place is specifically the underworld. Pilar Serrano uses the term to encompass brief or chronic stays in the underworld as well, such as those ofLazarus, andCastor and Pollux.[1]
A katabasis is in general followed by ananabasis (a going up) to distinguish itself from death; very rarely does a living hero decide to stay in the Underworld forever.
Famous examples of katabases inGreek mythology includeOrpheus, who enters the underworld in order to bringEurydice back to the world of the living, andOdysseus, who seeks to consult with the prophetTiresias for knowledge. InRoman mythology,Aeneas seeks out his fatherAnchises to learn of prophecies of his fate and that of theRoman Empire.
In the 11th book of theOdyssey, Odysseus follows the advice of Circe to consult Tiresias inHades, the land of the dead.[3] Odysseus sets out an offering of honey, milk, wine, water, and barley before slaughtering two sheep to add fresh blood to the meal. The souls of many then appear to him. The first to appear to Odysseus isElpenor, his crew member who died prior to leaving Circe's island. Elpenor asks Odysseus to give him a proper burial, and Odysseus agrees.[4] The next to appear to Odysseus is his mother,Anticlea. As Odysseus has been away fighting the Trojan War for nearly 20 years, he is surprised and saddened by the sight of her soul.[5]
Tiresias, the soul whom Odysseus came to see, next appears to him. Tiresias gives him several pieces of information concerning hisnostos (homecoming) and his life hereafter. Tiresias detailsPoseidon's anger at Odysseus' blinding ofPolyphemos (and the coming troubles as a consequence), warns Odysseus not to eat the livestock of the godHelios, and prophesies Odysseus' return home toIthaca and his eventual death at sea at an old age.[6] After Tiresias instructs Odysseus to allow the spirits he wants to talk to drink the sacrificial blood he used to find Tiresias, he is again given the chance to see his mother, and she tells him of the suffering of his family as they await his return home.[7] As his mother leaves, Odysseus is then visited by a string of souls of past queens. He first seesTyro, the mother ofPelias andNeleus by Poseidon.[8]
He next talks toAntiope, the mother ofAmphion and Zethus (the founders of Thebes) byZeus.[9] Then, he is visited byAlcmene, the mother ofHeracles by Zeus, and Heracle's wifeMegara.[10] He is also visited byEpicaste, the mother of Oedipus, andChloris, the queen ofPylos.[11] Odysseus is then visited byLeda, the mother ofCastor and Polydeuces andIphimedeia, mother of theAloadae by Poseidon.[12] Odysseus then sees a list of women whom he only briefly mentions:Phaedra,Procris,Ariadne, Maera,Clymene, andEriphyle, all also lovers of gods or heroes.[13] Next to visit Odysseus isAgamemnon, the king ofMycenae. Agamemnon tells Odysseus of his death by his wife,Clytemnestra, and her loverAegisthus. He warns Odysseus to return to Ithaca in secret and be wary of his own wife.[14]
Odysseus then encountersAchilles, who asks after the well-being of his father Peleus and his sonNeoptolemus. Odysseus reassures Achilles of his son's bravery in fighting the Trojans.[15] Odysseus then begins seeing figures of dead souls who do not talk directly to him:Ajax,Minos,Orion,Tityos,Tantalus, andSisyphus.[16] Odysseus ends his visit with Heracles, who asks about Odysseus' intention in Hades. Odysseus begins to get fearful as he waits for more heroes and leaves.[17]
Thekatabasis ofVirgil'sAeneid occurs in book 6 of the epic. Unlike Odysseus, Aeneas seeks to enter the Underworld, rather than bring the spirits of the dead to him through sacrifice. He begins his journey with a visit to theCumaean Sibyl (a priestess of Apollo) and asks for her assistance to journey to the Underworld and visit his father.[18] The priestess tells him to find theGolden Bough, and if the branch breaks off in his hands, he is fated to go to the Underworld. She also tells Aeneas to bury his dead friend and prepare cattle for sacrifice.[19] When Aeneas reaches the forest to find the golden branch, he is guided by birds to the tree, and the branch breaks into his hand. The branch, however, does not easily break off as the Sibyl said would happen to a person fated to go to the Underworld – the branch is described as "cunctantem" ("hesitant"). The implications of this have been debated by scholars – some arguing that it means that Aeneas is not as heroic as he needs to be, others arguing that Aeneas has not yet fulfilled his destiny, and several arguing that he is still a hero, with this section added purely for drama. Aeneas buries Misenus and he and the Sibyl prepare a sacrifice to enter the Underworld.[20]
Aeneas first encounters several beings and monsters as he enters: Sorrows, Heartaches, Diseases, Senility, Terror, Hunger, Evil, Crime, Poverty, Death, Hard Labor, Sleep, Evil Pleasures of Mind, War, Family Vengeance, Mad Civil Strife,Scylla,Briareus, theHydra, theChimaera, theGorgons, theHarpies, andCerberus.[21] Next, Aeneas encountersCharon, the ferryman who leads souls into the Underworld, and the mass of people who are unburied.[22] His first conversation is withPalinurus, a man of his crew who fell overboard and died on their journey. Palinurus begs Aeneas to bury him so he can enter the Underworld.[23] The Sibyl convinces Charon to carry them across the river Styx in exchange for the golden bough.[24] Aeneas encounters Minos pronouncing judgment on souls and the souls that died for love:Phaedra,Procris,Eriphyle,Evadne,Pasiphae,Laodamia,Caeneus, andDido.[25] Next, Aeneas sees heroes of battle:Tydeus, Parthenopaeus,Adrastus,Glaucus,Medon, Thersilochus,Polyboetes, Idaeus,Agamemnon, andDeiphobus.[26] The Sibyl then leads Aeneas toElysium, the place for the blessed. On the way, they pass the place for tortured souls and the Sibyl describes some of the tortured's fates.Tityos has his liver eaten by a vulture daily.Pirithous andIxion have a rock constantly hanging over them at all times. Many others face the punishment of moving rocks, being stretched, and being tied to wheels.[27] The two then enter the Estates of the Blessed, where they see a utopian land where heroes and good people reside. There, Aeneas finds his father, who tells him of the rich history of Rome to come.[28]
InOvid's poetic collection of mythological stories, he includes accounts ofkatabasis as well. In book 4, he includes an account of Juno's descent to Hades to bring her perceived justice to Ino.[29] Ovid describes Juno's path to the underworld, noting Cerberus' presence.[30] Juno seeks the Furies (Tisiphone, Megara, andAlecto) to destroy the house ofCadmus, namely Ino and her husbandAthamas. While in the underworld, Juno passes several souls who are being punished in Hades. Hades is also a person, and he needs to get rid of those souls because he needs them to fully recover (Tantalus,Sisyphus,Ixion, and theBelides).[31] When the Furies agree to Juno's request, she happily returns to the heavens, where she is purified by Iris.[32]
The next majorkatabasis in theMetamorphoses occurs in book 5 byProserpina, the daughter ofCeres, who is kidnapped byDis. As Proserpina is picking flowers, Pluto falls in love with her and decides to grab her and take her to the underworld in his chariot. Worried about her now-missing daughter, Ceres becomes distraught and searches for Proserpina.[33]
When Ceres discovers the kidnapping, she goes toJove to attempt to get Proserpina back. He agrees that she should be returned as long as Proserpina has not touched any food in the underworld. However, she has eaten pomegranate seeds, and cannot be returned to Ceres.[34] To ensure compromise between Ceres and Dis, Jove divides the year into halves and commands that Proserpina must spend equal parts of the year between her mother and her husband. From that point on, Proserpina makes annual trips to the underworld, spending half the year there.[35]
Ovid also briefly mentions thekatabasis of Hercules in book 7. Ovid is telling the etiological story ofMedea's poison forTheseus. When Hercules traveled to the Underworld to capture Cerberus as one of his12 Labours, Cerberus spread white foam from his mouths, which grew poisonous plants.[36]
Thekatabasis ofOrpheus in book 10 is the last major inclusion of the theme by Ovid in theMetamorphoses. Orpheus is distraught by the death of his wife,Eurydice. He enters the Underworld through the Spartan Gates and visits Dis and Proserpina to beg for the return of his bride. Overcome by the heartfelt song of Orpheus, Proserpina calls Eurydice to leave with her husband–on the condition that he does not look back until he reaches the exit. When he looks back, his wife disappears, and he is pained by grief for her death a second time.[37]
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