wasabiroots
2. Ancient Greek
For the ancient Greek, the dead is just the dead. They would lack the sense of purpose, wit and overall would be in a sense of confusion most of the time. The appearance of the deceased would be the same as when they died.
Anyways, upon death, the soul would be led by Hermes to the Underworld ruled by the god Hades. The soul would then cross a river to enter the realm of the dead. Hades is said to be surrounded by five rivers but the most famous one is the river Styx.
There would be a ferry waiting for the soul to cross the river. But not everyone could get on it. Only those who could pay a small fee of coins would be granted access. Usually the fees would be the coins that are placed on the lips of the dead. Those who couldn’t get on the ferry, gets trapped between the underworld and the living world just wandering about being all confused.
After the ferry ride, the soul would pass through the gates to Hades. The gates guarded by Cerberus would only allow entry to Hades but not exit. So once in Hades, the soul would then be judged. And according to their past deeds, some would be sent to Tartarus a deep deep dungeon of suffering and torment OR to Elysium otherwise known as the Elysian Fields, where the souls would dwell with no worries nor responsibilities.