Myth of Er: the story on HearLore

Judges And Lottery Tokens

Er arrived at an awe-inspiring place with four openings into sky and ground. Judges sat between these openings and ordered souls which path to follow. Good souls went up into the sky while immoral ones went below. Er approached the judges but they told him to remain listening and observing. He would report his experience to humankind. Clean souls floated down from the other opening recounting beautiful sights. Those returning from underground appeared dirty, haggard, and tired. Each soul had to pay a tenfold penalty for all wicked deeds committed when alive. Murderers, tyrants and other non-political criminals were doomed to remain by the exit unable to escape. After seven days in the meadow the souls traveled farther. They reached a shaft of rainbow light brighter than anything seen before. Another day brought them to the Spindle of Necessity.

The Wheel Of Fate

Several women including Lady Necessity her daughters and the Sirens stood near the spindle. Souls except for Er organized themselves into rows. Each received a lottery token. The first soul chosen was a man who had been rewarded in the sky. He hastily chose a powerful dictatorship without knowing its terrors. Upon further inspection he realized he was destined to eat his own children. Many preferred a life different from their previous experience. Animals chose human lives while humans often chose the apparently easier lives of animals. Each soul was assigned a guardian spirit to help through life. They passed under the throne of Lady Necessity then traveled to the Plane of Oblivion. The River of Forgetfulness flowed there. Each soul drank some water in varying quantities. As they lay down at night each soul lifted up into the night in various directions for rebirth. Er remembered nothing of the journey back to his body. He opened eyes on the funeral pyre early morning able to recall the afterlife.

Who is Er in the Myth of Er?

Er is a man named Er, son of Armenios from Pamphylia who died in battle and revived on his funeral pyre ten days after death. He serves as the narrator of Plato's account which concludes Book 10 of the Republic.

What happens to souls after they die according to the Myth of Er?

Judges order good souls up into the sky while immoral ones go below where they pay a tenfold penalty for wicked deeds. Souls eventually travel to the Plane of Oblivion where they drink water from the River of Forgetfulness before rebirth.

When does the event involving Er occur in Plato's Republic?

The story appears at section 10.614 through 10.621 of Plato's Republic as part of Socrates' dialogue with Glaucon. The revival takes place two days after his body remained undecomposed among the dead.

Why did Er remember the afterlife while other souls forgot it?

Er did not drink the waters of Lethe so his account was preserved for humankind unlike other souls who drank varying quantities of forgetfulness. He opened his eyes on the funeral pyre early morning able to recall the entire journey back to his body.

How is the Spindle of Necessity described in the text?

The spindle has a hook shaft fixed near the top and a whorl on the other end used to spin the shaft. Eight orbits sit on the whorl creating perfect circles that hold stars Saturn Jupiter Mars Sun Venus Mercury and Moon.

Myth of Er.

Judges And Lottery Tokens

The Wheel Of Fate

Soul And Consequence

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