This morning my cell phone was kind of ruthless. First notification of the day was one that reminded me of two years ago,when my partner and I went on a two weeks trip throughout Western Continental Greece and like today we visited the Necromanteion (Necromancy) of Acheron. And then, next notification the -many- rendevouz that I had for this day.
Totally ruthless my cell phone, I tell you. Gives you the memories of past happy, relaxed times and then slaps you in the face with today's programme.

But that gave me the inspiration for today's post:

The Necromanteion of Acheron

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First thing, first. What is Acheron?
Acheron, a river in Western Greece, in Epirus, was said to be the gates of the Underworld, through which Hades carried the dead to his realm by boat. Few were the living who passed through its gates and returned to the earthly world ... Odysseus, as Homer mentions in the Odyssey, is said to have visited the Necromanteion and passed through the gates of Hades to receive an oracle from the now fortune teller Teiresias.

                                       Acheron

But many were those who visit the Necromanteion - without passing Acheron - to get an oracle from their own dead, to ask them for advice on what should be done. So, Necromanteion was the temple, where the Greeks in the ancient time. asked for prophecies. And of course it could not be built further away from the Acheron River.

                                The Necromanteion site from above

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From the first moment you enter the archeological site, you understand the reason why it was built there. On a hill, from where you can clearly see the surrounding areas, a hymn to the green nature, to the terrestrial life, there the priests had made a labyrinth to gradually lead the faithful, those who asked for omens, to an atmosphere that would make them feel as if they were in the underworld.

The faithful went through various stages of purification, fasting and prayer until they could approach the place where they would ask for the oracle. That was because they should in that state of mind to help them get in touch with the dead. They had to offer after the necessary offerings to the gods to accept their request.

                One of the clay pots where they placed their offerings on cereals and seeds.

And after going through all the stages, they entered a labyrinth-like corridor that led them to the main hall to "meet" the voices of the dead and the prophecy of the future.

                  The remains of the labyirnth-like corridor that led to the main hall

Today a narrow iron staircase leads you to the main hall where the spirits were presented to give the oracle. And as soon as you go down to this vaulted room full of arches you feel awe.

I chose the first picture to be from Greek ministry of culture, because I don't think   that mine will show in depth the sublime of the main hall

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The hall is dilmy lit, in order to feel like the faithful of the ancient times. There is a spotlight pointing to the opposite wall, where supposedly the shadows of the dead appeared to whisper their omens and prophecies to whomever asked.

If you look up at the ceiling and then lower your gaze and look around the room you will realize something unique. The room is not built, but carved in the rock,

giving the feeling of an underground tomb, a funeral room. Even the arches on its roof have been shaped with a special technique, with inlaid stones between the gaps.

            Photo taken from bottom to top focusing on the arches

But perhaps the most remarkable thing is that in this hall absolute silence reigns. No sound, nothing comes form the outside. The space is designed in such a way that no external noise is heard like a soundproofed chamber. And if you whisper something in this room, it will sound clear as if you were saying it out loud.

The faithful used to spill on the floor wine or oil, as an offering to the dead. In the back you can see the narrow staircase that leads to the surface.

Researches have shown that this is due to the very construction of the room with the arches, as the priests wanted to provoke various psychic acoustic phenomena to the mystics, in order to give them the feeling that they were going down to the underworld.

We may nowadays go back to surface from that narrow staircase, but in the ancient time there were another exit, so that the visitors leaving the hall wouldn't meet with those entering the hall. There was a necessity for absolute secrecy. No man should know what happened in that hall. Today that exit is closed.

But when you reach the surface, the sun and the sky makes you feel alive again. Hades didn't keep us in his realm, but we learned some secrets from the dead. And thus we had to we had to honor him, not like the ancients who left the jars with the goodies to the priests in honor of the god and the dead,

but wetting our feet in the river of the god Hades, the god of the Underworld, walking in its cold waters, but without reaching its gates.

And even if we took a walk in the realm of the dead, yet we honored life.

Thank you for reading.

All pictures were taken by me, except the ones that their source are mentioned.