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54-527: The Elysian Fields , also called Elysium , are the final resting place of the souls of the heroic and the virtuous in Greek mythology and religion. Elysian Fields may also refer to: Elysium The Elysian Fields were, according to Homer , located on the western edge of the Earth by the stream of Okeanos . In the time of the Greek poet Hesiod , Elysium would also be known as the " Fortunate Isles ", or

108-463: A Phrygian princess and seduced him, only to later reveal herself and inform him that they would have a son named Aeneas; Aphrodite had warned Anchises that if he told anyone about her being the mother of his child, Zeus would strike him down with his thunderbolt. He did not heed her warning and was struck with a thunderbolt, which in different versions either blinds him or kills him. The principal early narrative of Aphrodite's seduction of Anchises and

162-626: A festival to be held in honor of the deceased Anchises. Rituals are performed and sacrifices made at the tomb of Anchises. On the ninth day, Aeneas holds funeral games for his father that consist of a boat race, foot race, mock battle, boxing, and archery. After the funeral games, the Trojan women who have grown tired of traveling set fire to the ships. Even though most ships are saved by Jupiter , Aeneas loses heart and contemplates staying in Sicily. The ghost of Anchises appears, telling Aeneas that he

216-564: A home in Italy, and so the Trojans head toward Italy. Italy is far away, and the Trojans must make many stops. Anchises dies in Sicily before the Trojans make it to Italy. Anchises is mentioned in Book 5 after the Trojans leave Carthage. Storms force them to stop in Sicily, and Aeneas recalls that it has been a year since his father died, who had been buried with great honor. Aeneas declares for

270-405: A mortal who survives the relationship. She then details how their son will be raised by nymphs until he is five years old, at which time she will bring Aeneas to him. Then she leaves, warning him not to reveal that she is the mother of his child or Zeus will smite him. The Aeneid by Virgil describes the journey of Aeneas after the fall of Troy. Anchises, the father of Aeneas, is a character in

324-402: A painless flame appears on Ascanius' head. Anchises notices this and prays to Jupiter for a sign that they must leave. Just then they hear thunder and see a falling star. This convinces Anchises to go willingly with Aeneas. Aeneas carries Anchises on his back, Anchises carries their household gods, and Ascanius walks beside his father as they all flee Troy. Creusa was following behind them but

378-563: A place where heroes have continued their interests from their lives. Others suppose it is a location filled with feasting, sport, song; Joy is the "daughter of Elysium" in Friedrich Schiller 's " Ode to Joy ". The poet Heinrich Heine explicitly parodied Schiller's sentiment in referring to the Jewish Sabbath food cholent as the "daughter of Elysium" in his poem "Princess Shabbat". Christian and classical attitudes to

432-417: A tract of woodland. Anchises is mentioned in Book 6 when Aeneas voyages to the underworld. When Aeneas finds his father in the underworld, they have a tearful reunion. Aeneas tries to hug Anchises, yet he is unable. Aeneas then observes swarms of people gathered around a river. He asks his father about the river and those surrounding it. Anchises replies that the people are his future descendants and that

486-586: A war against the heavens, which will enable the victors to "ascend to [their] destiny... to the Elysian fields". Mary Chapin Carpenter 's 2004 album Between Here and Gone includes a track titled "Elysium". The lyrics describe a drive that Carpenter and her former husband Timmy Smith took on the day they met and fell in love. Elysian Beach in Antarctica and Elysium Mons on Mars are named after

540-520: A wiseman, And feel like I'm in Elysium.") Miguel de Cervantes ' Don Quixote describes Dulcinea del Toboso as "beauty superhuman, since all the impossible and fanciful attributes of beauty which the poets apply to their ladies are verified in her; for her hairs are gold, her forehead Elysian fields". In John Ford's 1633 tragedy 'Tis Pity She's a Whore Giovanni seals his requited love for his sister Annabella, stating "And I'de not change it for

594-488: Is convinced that she is a goddess, a grace, or a nymph. She convinces him that she is a Phrygian princess and that Hermes brought her there to marry Anchises. Anchises is overcome with desire for her and declares that he must have her immediately, and the two of them make love. After they have sex, Aphrodite puts Anchises into a deep sleep and dresses herself. When she is finished dressing, she wakes him up and reveals herself to him. When Anchises realizes her identity, he

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648-520: Is descended from Silvius, a member of the Caesarian line descended from Ascanius. He further describes that the Romans will prosper. Aeneas sees Marcellus and asks Anchises about his identity. Anchises states that he is Marcellus, who will hold great promise for the Romans but die too young and thus cause them great grief. Finally, Anchises leads Aeneas through the gates of horn and ivory and out of

702-519: Is described as: These are two in number, separated by a very narrow strait; they are ten thousand furlongs distant from Africa, and are called the Islands of the Blest. They enjoy moderate rains at long intervals, and winds which for the most part are soft and precipitate dews, so that the islands not only have a rich soil which is excellent for plowing and planting, but also produce a natural fruit that

756-658: Is in Act II when Papageno is feeling very melancholy because he does not have a sweetheart or wife and he is drunk singing the song "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" (A Girl or a Wife). The 2012 opera " Dolls of New Albion ", written by Paul Shapera , and its sequels, reference Elysium as an afterlife somewhat accessible to the living, though the living in Elysium are hunted by horrid creatures who guard Elysium. In David Gemmell 's Parmennion series ( Lion of Macedon and Dark Prince ) and his Troy trilogy, his characters refer to Elysium as

810-472: Is killed during the escape. As they leave Troy they meet up with other fleeing Trojans. Anchises is mentioned in Book 3 while Aeneas continues his tale of how the Trojans came to be in Carthage . Anchises serves as a leader and advisor for the fleeing Trojans. After leaving Troy, the refugees make their way to Thrace and then to Delos . In Delos, Apollo tells them that they must make their new home in

864-532: Is mentioned as the abode of the blessed in the lower world; mentioned in connection with the meeting of Aeneas with the shade of Anchises in the Elysian Fields. With such affection did Anchises' shade reach out, if our greatest muse is owed belief, when in Elysium he knew his son. In the Renaissance , the heroic population of the Elysian Fields tended to outshine its formerly dreary pagan reputation;

918-416: Is plentiful and wholesome enough to feed, without toil or trouble, a leisured folk. Moreover, an air that is salubrious, owing to the climate and the moderate changes in the seasons, prevails on the islands. For the north and east winds which blow out from our part of the world plunge into fathomless space, and, owing to the distance, dissipate themselves and lose their power before they reach the islands; while

972-480: Is terrified and full of regret and says that no good comes from sleeping with a goddess. Aphrodite comforts him by telling him that she will bear him a son by the name of Aeneas , who will be respected among the Trojans and whose offspring will prosper. To further comfort Anchises, she goes on to tell him about two relationships: the relationship between Zeus and Ganymede , and the relationship between Eos and Tithonus . Both relationships are between an immortal and

1026-466: Is there, nor heavy storm, nor ever rain, but ever does Ocean send up blasts of the shrill-blowing West Wind that they may give cooling to men. The Greek poet Hesiod refers to the "Isles of the Blest" in his didactic poem Works and Days . In his book Greek Religion , Walter Burkert notes the connection with the motif of far-off Dilmun : "Thus Achilles is transported to the White Isle and becomes

1080-611: The Odyssey describes fair-haired Rhadamanthus dwelling there. "The Isle of the Blessed" is also featured in the 2nd-century comedic novel A True Story by Lucian of Samosata . The word Elysium derives via Latin from the Ancient Greek Ēlysion (pedion) "Elysian (field)", ultimately of unknown origin. Eustathius of Thessalonica associated the word Elysion ( Ἠλύσιον ) with ἀλυουσας alyousas (itself from

1134-522: The Fate of Atlantis DLC of the 2018 video game, Assassin's Creed Odyssey . In the first part of this DLC, The Fields of Elysium , the misthios travels to Elysium which is ruled by members of the precursor civilisation known as the Isu which were then worshipped as the gods of the Greek pantheon. In 2021, the video game Honkai Impact 3rd added a roguelike gameplay mode called Elysian Realm. The player follows

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1188-596: The "Hall of Heroes". In Masami Kurumada 's mythologically themed Saint Seiya comic books, the Elysium is the setting of the final chapters of the Hades arc. In it, the Saints, the warriors of Athena 's army, traverse the Underworld to defeat its ruler, the ruthless Hades and rescue their kidnapped goddess. The Saints discover that the only way to kill Hades is to destroy his true body, which has rested in Elysium since

1242-465: The "Isles (or Islands) of the Blessed", located in the western ocean at the end of the earth. The Isles of the Blessed would be reduced to a single island by the Theban poet Pindar , describing it as having shady parks, with residents indulging in athletic and musical pastimes. The ruler of Elysium varies from author to author: Pindar and Hesiod name Cronus as the ruler, while the poet Homer in

1296-538: The American presidency, and "No.10 Downing Street" the British prime minister. Elysium and Elysian are also used for numerous other names all over the world - examples include Elysian Fields, Hoboken, New Jersey ; Elysian Park, Los Angeles ; Elysian Valley, Los Angeles, California ; Elysian, Minnesota ; and Elysian Fields, Texas . In Siegfried Sassoon 's Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man , Sassoon writes "The air

1350-522: The Elysian Fields borrowed some of the bright allure of paradise . In Paris , the Champs-Élysées retain their name of the Elysian Fields, first applied in the late 16th century to a formerly rural outlier beyond the formal parterre gardens behind the royal French palace of the Tuileries . After the Renaissance , an even cheerier Elysium evolved for some poets. Sometimes it is imagined as

1404-399: The Elysian Fields, as is the aforementioned avenue des Champs-Élysées . Anchises In Greek and Roman mythology , Anchises ( / æ n ˈ k aɪ s iː z / ; ‹See Tfd› Greek : Ἀγχίσης , translit.   Ankhísēs ) was a member of the royal family of Troy . He was said to have been the son of King Capys of Dardania and Themiste , daughter of Ilus , who

1458-528: The Greeks kidnapped them so as to take advantage of their powers. (13.651–659) His daughters asked to be freed, and thus they were turned into white doves. (13.667–674) Anchises is briefly mentioned a couple of times in Book 14. First, in 14.82-84: "And fleeing that new city in the sands, Aeneas once again returned to Eryx , the royal residence of his true friend Acestes ; here, at Anchises' tomb he honored his father with gift offerings." This makes reference to

1512-520: The Ruler of the Black Sea , and Diomedes becomes the divine lord of an Adriatic island". And they live untouched by sorrow in the islands of the blessed along the shore of deep-swirling Ocean, happy heroes for whom the grain-giving earth bears honey-sweet fruit flourishing thrice a year, far from the deathless gods, and Cronos rules over them Writing in the 5th century BCE, Pindar's Odes describes

1566-479: The afterlife are contrasted by Christopher Marlowe 's Doctor Faustus saying, "This word 'damnation' terrifies not me, For I confound hell in elysium." In Shakespeare 's Twelfth Night when Viola says "My brother he is in Elysium", she and Elizabethan audiences understood this as Paradise . In Mozart 's The Magic Flute Papageno compares being in Elysium to winning his ideal woman: "Des Lebens als Weiser mich freun, Und wie im Elysium sein." ("Enjoy life as

1620-444: The ages of myth. The Saints then invade Elysium, which Kurumada depicts as described in Greek mythology, and carry on their mission after a difficult battle with the deity. In the novel, This Ruler , the story takes place at Elysium Hills High School. It is a reference to the mythology that surrounds American education and in particular high school. It also alludes to the teenagers, in the book, being Greek heroes. Elysium appears in

1674-515: The beautiful plains in the neighborhood of Memphis which contained the tombs of that capital city of Egypt. He further intimated that the Greek prophet Orpheus composed his fables about the afterlife when he traveled to Egypt and saw the customs of the Egyptians regarding the rites of the dead. Elysium as a pagan expression for paradise would eventually pass into usage by early Christian writers. In Dante 's epic The Divine Comedy , Elysium

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1728-633: The best to come: A life of pleasure in Elyzium". The term and concept of Elysium has had influence in modern popular culture; references to Elysium can be found in literature, art, film, and music. Examples include the New Orleans neighbourhood of Elysian Fields in Tennessee Williams ' A Streetcar Named Desire as the déclassé purgatory where Blanche Dubois lives with Stanley and Stella Kowalski. New Orleans' Elysian Fields also provides

1782-693: The birth of Aeneas is the Homeric Hymn (5) to Aphrodite . According to the Bibliotheca , Anchises and Aphrodite had another son, Lyrus, who died childless. He later had a mortal wife named Eriopis , according to the scholiasts , and he is credited with other children beside Aeneas and Lyrus. Homer , in the Iliad , mentions a daughter named Hippodamia , their eldest ("the darling of her father and mother"), who married her cousin Alcathous. After

1836-619: The character of Raiden Mei as she visits the Realm, known as the underworld where the memories of the last thirteen Flame-Chasers of the Previous Era rest. Elysian fields are mentioned in "West of the Fields", a song on R.E.M.'s debut album Murmur (1983). US heavy metal band Megadeth have a song called "Elysian Fields" on their 1994 album, Youthanasia , which is from a Christian perspective. The singer/writer, Dave Mustaine details

1890-745: The defeat of Troy in the Trojan War , the elderly Anchises was carried from the burning city by his son Aeneas , accompanied by Aeneas' wife Creusa , who died in the escape attempt, and small son Ascanius . The subject is depicted in several paintings, including a famous version by Federico Barocci in the Galleria Borghese in Rome . The rescue is also mentioned in a speech in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar when Cassius attempts to persuade Brutus to murder Caesar . Anchises himself died and

1944-514: The end, to the tower of Cronus, where ocean breezes blow around the island of the blessed, and flowers of gold are blazing, some from splendid trees on land, while water nurtures others. With these wreaths and garlands of flowers they entwine their hands according to the righteous counsels of Rhadamanthys, whom the great father, the husband of Rhea whose throne is above all others, keeps close beside him as his partner In Virgil 's Aeneid , Aeneas , like Heracles and Odysseus before him, travels to

1998-652: The epic. Even though Anchises is dead for most of the epic, he still makes multiple appearances in it, oftentimes to advise Aeneas. Anchises' first major appearance comes in Book 2. He is mentioned while Aeneas is telling Dido about the fall of Troy. During the fall of Troy, Aeneas makes his way home to save Anchises, his wife Creusa , and his son Ascanius. At first Anchises refuses to go with Aeneas and tells Aeneas to leave without him. Aeneas refuses to leave Anchises and declares that they will all die in Troy. Creusa argues with Aeneas over his decision and while they are arguing

2052-725: The fields of Elysium". In Spring and All , William Carlos Williams describes a dying woman's "elysian slobber/upon/the folded handkerchief". The Champs-Élysées in Paris is French for "Elysian Fields". The nearby Élysée Palace houses the President of the French Republic , for which reason "l'Élysée" frequently appears as a metonym for the French presidency, similar to how "the White House" can metonymically refer to

2106-532: The funeral games Aeneas held for his deceased father Anchises in Book 5 of the Aeneid . And in 14.116-118: "Aeneas did as he was told and saw the underworld's formidable resources and his ancestral spirits and the shade of that great-spirited and venerable man, [his] father Anchises." This makes reference to the Aeneas' journey into the underworld, where he meets with the specter of his late father Anchises, in Book 6 of

2160-418: The happy souls reside. In groves we live, and lie on mossy beds, By crystal streams, that murmur thro' the meads: But pass yon easy hill, and thence descend; The path conducts you to your journey's end." This said, he led them up the mountain's brow, And shews them all the shining fields below. They wind the hill, and thro' the blissful meadows go. In the Greek historian Plutarch 's Life of Sertorius , Elysium

2214-548: The original home of their ancestors. Anchises misinterprets this to mean Crete , so the Trojans head for Crete. There they establish a city, but they are soon overwhelmed by a plague. Anchises instructs Aeneas to seek out the Delian oracle. Before Aeneas does, he is visited in his dreams by their household gods who inform him that they are in the wrong place and must go to Italy. Aeneas tells Anchises of this dream. Anchises realizes that Apollo must have meant for them to establish

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2268-500: The reward waiting for those living a righteous life: The good receive a life free from toil, not scraping with the strength of their arms the earth, nor the water of the sea, for the sake of a poor sustenance. But in the presence of the honored gods, those who gladly kept their oaths enjoy a life without tears, while the others undergo a toil that is unbearable to look at. Those who have persevered three times, on either side, to keep their souls free from all wrongdoing, follow Zeus' road to

2322-447: The river is called Lethe . He expands that after suffering and being cleansed in the underworld, souls that are meant to be reincarnated go to the river Lethe to forget their memories so that they can be reincarnated. Anchises then shows Aeneas some of his descendants and discusses their deeds. He first mentions his son Silvius who will be born from Aeneas and Lavinia but after Aeneas is dead. Anchises then tells him of Romulus who

2376-538: The second-act setting of Elmer Rice 's The Adding Machine and the musical adaptation . In his poem "Middlesex", John Betjeman describes how a few hedges "Keep alive our lost Elysium – rural Middlesex again". In his poem An Old Haunt , Hugh McFadden sets an Elysian scene in Dublin 's St. Stephen's Green park "Very slowly solitude slips round me in St. Stephen's Green. I rest: see pale salmon clouds blossom. I'm back in

2430-595: The south and west winds that envelope the islands sometimes bring in their train soft and intermittent showers, but for the most part cool them with moist breezes and gently nourish the soil. Therefore a firm belief has made its way, even to the Barbarians, that here is the Elysian Field and the abode of the blessed, of which Homer sang. Diodorus, in his first book, suggested that the Elysian fields which were much celebrated in ancient Greek poetry, corresponded to

2484-554: The story of the daughters of Anius . The story begins by briefly describing that Aeneas, Anchises, Ascanius, and other Trojan refugees fled Troy, traveled to Antandros , then to Thrace, and finally arrived in Delos. (13.623–631) Once in Delos, Anchises asks Anius, the king and a priest of Apollo, about his children. (13.639–642) Anius describes that his daughters received the ability to transform that which they touched into grain, wine, and olive oil, but this gift only caused them misery as

2538-458: The underworld. This is the last major appearance of Anchises. Anchises makes a few brief appearances in Ovid 's Metamorphoses . He is first mentioned in Book 9. After youth was restored to Iolaus by Hebe , other gods and goddesses ask that it also be restored to their loved ones. (9.418-450) Venus asks that youth be restored to Anchises. (9.424-425) Anchises is mentioned again in Book 13 in

2592-629: The underworld. Virgil describes those who will travel to Elysium, and those who will travel to Tartarus : Night speeds by, And we, Aeneas, lose it in lamenting. Here comes the place where cleaves our way in twain. Thy road, the right, toward Pluto's dwelling goes, And leads us to Elysium. But the left Speeds sinful souls to doom, and is their path To Tartarus th' accurst. Virgil goes on to describe an encounter in Elysium between Aeneas and his father Anchises . Virgil's Elysium knows perpetual spring and shady groves, with its own sun and lit by its own stars: solemque suum, sua sidera norunt . In no fix'd place

2646-401: The verb ἀλύω alyō , "to be deeply stirred from joy") or from ἀλύτως alytōs , synonymous of ἀφθάρτως ( ἄφθαρτος , "incorruptible"), referring to souls' life in this place. Another suggestion is from the stem ελυθ- elyth- , itself from ἔρχομαι ("to come"). In Homer's Odyssey , Elysium is described as a paradise: to the Elysian plain...where life is easiest for men. No snow

2700-643: Was Elysian with early summer". Its use in this context could be prolepsis , as the British countryside he is describing would become the burial ground of his dead comrades and heroes from World War I . Elysium is referenced in the Schiller poem which inspired Beethoven 's " Ode to Joy " ( 9th symphony , 4th movement) - notably in the excerpt used as the European Anthem . Elysium is also referenced in Mozart's opera Die Zauberflöte ( The Magic Flute ). It

2754-496: Was able to escape her powers and to put her in her place, he caused her to lust after the handsome mortal Anchises. Aphrodite first happens upon Anchises on the hills of Mount Ida, where he is grazing his cattle. Anchises is described as having the beauty of an immortal. Aphrodite goes to Cyprus and bathes. Then she returns to the Troad disguised as a mortal, and finds Anchises alone in a hut. When Anchises first sees Aphrodite, he

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2808-678: Was buried in Sicily many years later. Aeneas later visited Hades and saw his father again in the Elysian Fields . Homer's Iliad mentions another Anchises, a wealthy native of Sicyon in Greece and father of Echepolus. The Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite details how Aphrodite seduced Anchises. It begins by describing how only the three virgin goddesses ( Athena , Artemis , and Hestia ) are immune to Aphrodite's powers. She has made gods and goddesses fall in love with mortals. Not even Zeus

2862-435: Was sent by the god Jupiter who saved the ships. He encourages Aeneas to continue his journey, informing him that he should leave the weary Trojans in Sicily and take the strongest with him to Italy. Anchises also instructs Aeneas to visit him in the underworld. Aeneas follows Anchises' advice and leaves Sicily, but before departing, he establishes that Anchises' tomb should be attended to by a priest and it should be designated

2916-518: Was son of Tros . He is most famous as the father of Aeneas and for his treatment in Virgil 's Aeneid . Anchises' brother was Acoetes , father of the priest Laocoön . He was a mortal lover of the goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman goddess Venus ). Zeus made her fall in love with Anchises while he was herding sheep at the foot of Mount Ida . One version is that Aphrodite pretended to be

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