Introducing the Judges of the Dead from Greek Mythology. Get to know their most amazing legends and stories that still survive.
Judges of the Dead of Greek Mythology
Within the different beliefs of Greek mythology, there is “The Court of Hades”. According to Greek mythology, Hades was located under the earth and was ruled by the god Hades and his wife Persephone; and there were the judges of the dead of Greek mythology.
The underworld is made up of the Asphodels meadows, known as the home of the dead; and Tartarus, the place where the different monsters and titans of Greek mythology are found. And between these two passages is the court of judges.
The court is formed by the kings Minos, Eacchus and Radamantis; and they were in charge of judging the dead. According to the purity of the hearts of the souls judged, they were sent to the place that corresponded to them. Many times Triptolemo is also considered as a fourth judge of the dead.
Court of Hades, home of the judges of the dead in Greek mythology
The underworld of Greek mythology, is the place considered the home of the Greek dead. It is a complete realm, consisting of the court of judgments, the Tartarus where the damned souls go, the Elysian fields where the pure souls go and the meadows where the dead are awaiting their judgment.
Inside the palace of Hades, there were the judges of the dead, consisting mainly of Minos, Eacchus and Radamantis. These kings, reached the position of judges in the underworld thanks to their actions of generosity, justice and honesty; they had when they were human. All three are sons of Zeus.
However, sometimes in Greek mythology a fourth judge called “Triptolemo” is added , because of its great relationship in its history with the mysteries of Eleusis. These judges of the underworld, were in charge of judging every soul that arrived to Hades and sent them according to their acts in life to each zone of the kingdom of Hades.
Judges of the dead in Greek mythology
1.- Eacchus
He was a great hero and king of the island Aegina, in Greece. He was one of the sons of Zeus on earth, his mother was Queen Aegina, who was the daughter of the god Asopo. This meant that Aeacus was linked to Olympus from his origins.
It is believed that Eacus was one of Zeus’ favorite sons, so much so that he wished to give him the gift of immortality, but this was not possible due to the prohibition of the Fates.
Eacchus was famous throughout Greece for his actions during his reign, among his virtues were a great sense of piety, all his judgments were right and fair. That showed him before all Greece as a wise and benevolent man; to the point that he was feared among the gods.
These actions that Eacchus had in life, made that after his death he became one of the judges of the dead in Greek mythology. He is in charge of guarding the keys of Hades and applies justice to the souls of Europeans.
2.- Minos
He was a legendary king of Crete and the Aegean islands. Son of the god Zeus and the mortal Europa; this associates him with Eacchus as a half-brother. His great deeds in the justice of his people made him very famous.
He established a regime of tribute and judiciary in many kingdoms, he also created the Cratensian constitution and is also considered the founder of naval supremacy. Throughout Greece it is believed that Minos was the creator of Cratensian hegemony and thalassocracy.
Throughout his reign Minos was a very severe man when it came to enforcing the laws, he was characterized by his virtues of prudence, wisdom and equity. This was to such an extent that after his death, he became one of the judges of the dead of the underworld. He is considered the judge of the tie-breaker.
3.- Radamantis
Also called “Radamanto or Radamante”; son of the god Zeus with Europa, which makes him the carnal brother of Minos. His reign in Crete took place before Minos, and he left as a legacy a set of law codes to the island.
The greatest virtue of Radamantis was the sense of equity before the laws, so much so that even in other kingdoms when implementing a just and very severe sentence they named it “Radamanto judgment”.
He was a very generous, honest and just king and hero; for this reason after his death he was chosen as the third judge of the dead in Hades. He was in charge of judging the Asians; besides being the leader of the Elysian Fields.
4.- Triptolemus
He was a demigod of Greek mythology, he learned the art of agriculture giving this knowledge to the Greeks. Triptolemo was strongly connected with the mysteries of the Eleusinians.
His parents were King Caeolus and Queen Metanira of Eleusis; after their death Triptolemus was also considered and became one of the judges of the dead in Greek mythology. His function is to judge all the initiates in the mysteries of Eleusis.
Conclusion
When Hermes guided the souls arriving at the Asphodels meadows, they first had to pass through the judges of the dead in Greek mythology. There they were in charge of judging the hearts of all the dead who arrived in Hades and thus kept the chain of the balance of the underworld protected.
When the souls of the dead were judged, they were divided into three parts according to the purity of their heart. The souls that were not very virtuous but not too wicked were returned to the Asphodele meadows. The pure souls were sent to the paradise of the Elysians.
In the case of the impure souls of the Greek dead, they were sent directly to Tartarus. After the death of Triptolemus, he was also considered a member of the judges of the dead in the underworld.
