In the novel "Dante's Inferno", why was the river Phlegethon, from Greek Mythology, referred to?
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In Greek mythology, the river Phlegethon ("[river of] fire") was one of the five rivers of the underworld. It flowed with fire that burned but did not consume fuel. In the Divine Comedy the river is made of boiling blood and is part of the seventh circle of hell, containing the shades of tyrants, murderers, robbers and those guilty of sins involving violence against others. Virgil mentions Phlegethon with the other infernal rivers in the Aeneid, Book VI, 265, 551.
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Epyon means "the devil".
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The myth of hell as it stands today is mostly based on the work Dante's Inferno. As for if it really a myth or not, that's up to your own belief system. There is no proof that any religion or religious text is right or wrong. At one point, the Roman Gods and Goddesses were considered the only dieties around, same as the Egyptians before them. Each religion has had it's own version of "Hell", and the concept continues to evolve with society. \nIf you are interested in reading more about Dante's Inferno, follow the link listed below.
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My favorite (and the longest one I know) comes from the Middle Ages, and is in Latin.  Saint Martin was travelling through France to Rome.  While on the road, he encountered the Devil, who began to tease him relentlessly.  After a few miles of this treatment, Saint Martin was so incensed that he beat Satan with his walking stick -- upon which Satan turned into a donkey.\n\nThis is why it's accurate to describe the devil as a French A**.  Just kidding.\n\nIn any case, upon his transformation, the Devil cried:\n\nSigna te signa; temere me tangis et angis;\nRoma tibi subito motibus ibit Amor.\n\nThis is a palindrome, and means "Make the sign of the cross and do it again; you vex and bother me without reason.  Soon you will reach Rome, the object of your wishes."  Seeing a ripe opportunity, Saint Martin jumped on the donkey's back and rode him to the Eternal City (and the donkey became Pope!  Just kidding).\n\nTo this you might reply: "Devil never even lived."  As for the author, he was distracted.  "God, a red nugget!  A fat egg under a dog!"  -- this is what I heard he said last.
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Hades was the Greek/roman god of the dead.  It is also used to refer to hell in Greek/roman mythology.  The Bahia took that and made that structure their 'heaven'.
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Note: These characters did not exist in the odyssey by Homer but in the Illiad.  My memory of the movie is a little faded, but I believe this is what you are referring to...\n\nArgument = Who is the fairest of the three goddesses?\n\nHera: Zeus' wife and the mother of Ares and Hephaistus. Hera supports the Greeks in the Iliad, since Paris did not choose her as the fairest goddess. \n\nAthena: The daughter of Zeus, Athena had no mother but rather sprang (fully armed) from Zeus' head. Athena supports the Greeks in the Iliad because she was not chosen by Paris as the fairest goddess.\n\nAphrodite: The daughter of Zeus, Aphrodite was born from the ocean's foam. She is the goddess of love and beauty. Paris chose her has the fairest of the three goddesses. She in turn gave Helen to Paris and (obviously) supports the Trojans in the Iliad.
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That is right for the hell spoke of in the OT. \n\nIn the NT hell is "the unquenchable fire" actually 3 different definitions in NT for hell. Greek definitions. to much to write.
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In Greek mythology, the Minotaur (Greek: Μινόταυρος, Minótauros) was a creature that was part man and part bull. It dwelt in the Labyrinth, which was an elaborate maze constructed for King Minos of Crete and designed by the architect Daedalus to hold the Minotaur. The actual historical site of Knossos is usually identified as the site of the labyrinth. The Minotaur was eventually killed by Theseus.
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yes its greek and means human..some scientists say that it comes from ano=up and thoro=look..meaning the one who looks up searching for god and has greater questions than other beings
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It has alot of cool mythological stories in it.  The battle of Troy, when Paris and Helen fell in love then the Trojan Horse,  Achilles getting shot in the the back of the leg and dying, the Sirens, the Cyclops, lots of other monsters and creatures as well.  There may be a cliff notes version I'm not sure.  But it is an awesome book.
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I think they were killed in the flood, but have you ever read (I think) in Job about the leviathan?  Sounds so much like a brontesaurus or dipladucas doesn't it?  People try to say it's a croc, but it's  nothing like a crocodile.  Also Psalms 74 says He lopped off the heads (plural) of leviathan, and made mincemeat of the dragon.  I'm not trying to make people believe anything, it's just one of the things I wonder.
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Hell isn't really discussed in Genesis, or given that much information in the Bible in general. Most of what we think of Hell comes from Dante's Inferno.
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The Iliad is a story based on facts of the time period; much like John Jake's book North and South is a fictional story based around the facts of the US Civil War.  The Greek civilization did have a large pantheon of Gods and Goddesses they worshiped and I would believe that is likely very accurately portrayed.  I believe books that are perceived by some to be holy are actually quite like the Iliad - some fact, some fiction and some tall tale.
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Here's an interesting tidbit - I love the story of Adonis and Aphrodite. When Adonis falls from his wound, his drops of blood turned to blood red anemone flowers. Well, here's the neat thing - I went on a trip to Greece and went all around the Peloponnese and up to Delphi and to Delos and Crete, etc. All around the countryside in the fields and by the roadsides, there were these little wildflowers blooming. They are scattered about in springtime and are the brightest irridescent red you've ever seen on a flower! This is what I love - finding concrete evidence that still exists today that links us to these ancient myths.
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Eh, read Dante's Inferno. :D\n\n- 16 yo Pagan
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If one looks at the original texts of the Bible (in Greek), the word "Hell" NEVER appears. In some places it says "Gehenna" or "the valley of the son of Hinnom" which is an actual place ON Earth; a place where people of Israel were actually burned. Jesus only spoke of this place metaphorically,in parables. The other way "hell" was translated was from the word "tartaros," which is Greek, or "Sheol", which is Hebrew. Both meaning "the grave."  The souls of everyone go to Sheol where they rest until the day of Judgment.  No reference to fire and eternal punishment after death in either of this translations.\n\nWhen the Bible talks about the Lake of Fire (which is NOT Hell), everyone thinks pain and suffering. But the in Semitic Middle East, fire is a symbol of GOD. Jesus said "He came to send fire on the earth and He yearned for it to be kindled." (Luke 12:49)\nObviously he is talking about fire in the sense of God, not suffering. Moreover, when the Bible talks about the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, the word "Brimstone" is translated from the word "Theion" which means "Divine." So in other words the "Lake of fire and Brimstone" should really translate into "Lake of Divine Purification"  This is not where man is destroyed, but his sin is destroyed.
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Well Pluto fits.\n\nBecause of his dark and morbid personality he was not especially liked by either the gods nor the mortals. His character is described as "fierce and inexorable", and of all the gods he was by far most hated by mortals. He was not, however, an evil god, for although he was stern, cruel, and unpitying, he was still just. Hades ruled the Underworld and therefore most often associated with death and was feared by men, but he was not Death itself — the actual embodiment of Death was Thanatos.\n\n\nor\nThe Daimones were spirits of the human condition: personifications of various states of existence, emotions, actions and morality. The Daimones of morality were divided into Agathoi (the Good, Virtues) and Kakoi (the Bad, Vices). Daimones of human action and condition were similarly classed as Agathos (Good, Favourable) or Kakos (Bad, Harmful).\n\nTheir names were simply capitalised Greek nouns: Hypnos, for example, is just the Greek word for sleep (hypnos) given a capital letter, Eros is love (eros), Nike victory (nike), and so on. The Romans translated the name-words into Latin: Hypnos becomes Somnus, from the Latin word for sleep, Eros Amor, Nike Victoria, etc.\n\nThe first section of this page lists the Daimones according to their Greek names, the second is a list of their Latin counterparts. After each there follows an English translation of the name-word. In many cases multiple terms are used to clarify a range of meanings.\n\nMost of the Daimones were pure personifications with little or no mythology. A few however were were given fuller characterisation by the poets, such as Eris, the Lady of Strife, and Hypnos God of Sleep. Others like the love-god Eros and Nike, Victory personified, achieved cult status with the dedication of minor altars and precincts in historical times.\n\nGREEK NAMES OF DAIMON PERSONIFICATIONS\n\n\nTHANATOS (DEATH)\nADEPHAGIA Gluttony\n\nADIKIA Injustice, Wrong-doing\n\nAERGIA Idleness, Laziness, Do Nothing, Sloth (Latin Socordia, Ignavia)\n\nAGLAIA Beauty, Splendour, Glory, Magnificence, Adornment\n\nAGON Contest, Struggle\n\nAIDOS Reverence, Respect, Shame, Self-Respect, Modesty (Latin Pudicitia)\n\nAISKHYNE Shame, Sense of Shame, Modesty, Honour (Latin Pudicitia)\n\nAKHOS Pain of Body, Pain of Mind, Grief, Distress (Latin Dolor)\n\nAKRATOS Pure, Absolute, Untempered\n\nALALE War-Cry, Battle-Cry\n\nALETHEIA Truth, Truthfulness, Sincerity (Latin Veritas)\n\nALGEA (pl) Pain of Body, Pain of Mind, Grief, Distress, Suffering (Latin Dolor)\n\nAMEKHANIA Helplessness, Want of Means\n\nAMPHILOGIAI (pl) Disputes, Debate, Contention (Latin Altercatio)\n\nANAIDEIA Ruthlessness, Shamelessness, Unforgivingness\n\nANDROKTASIAI (pl) Slaughter of Men in Battle\n\nANGELIA Message, Tidings, Proclamation\n\nANIA Grief, Sorrow, Distress, Trouble (Latin Dolor)\n\nANTEROS Reciprocated Love\n\nAPATE Trick, Fraud, Deceit, Guile, Treachery (Latin Dolus, Fraus)\n\nAPORIA Difficulty, Perplexity, Want of Means\n\nARAI (pl) Curses, Imprecations\n\nARETE Virtue, Excellence, Goodness, Manliness, Valour (Latin Virtus)\n\n\nEROS (LOVE)\nATE Delusion, Infatuation, Folly, Reckless Impulse, Rash Action (Latin Nefas)\n\nBIA Force, Power, Might, Bodily Strength, Compulsion (Latin Vis)\n\nDEIMOS Terror-Fear, Dread (Latin Pavor, Formido)\n\nDIKAIOSYNE Justice, Righteousness