Myth of Er
A man named Er, son of Armenios from Pamphylia, died in battle. Ten days after his death, his body remained undecomposed among the collected dead. Two days later, he revived on his funeral pyre and began to speak. This event concludes Plato's Republic at section 10.614 through 10.621. The story includes an account of the cosmos and the afterlife that greatly influenced religious, philosophical, and scientific thought for many centuries. Socrates tells this tale to Glaucon as part of a larger dialogue about justice. The word myth here means word or speech rather than modern fiction. Er did not drink the waters of Lethe so the account was preserved for us.
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.
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.
Plato introduces the story by having Socrates explain that the soul must be immortal. It cannot be destroyed according to the dialogue. Choices we make and character developed will have consequences after death. Earlier in Book II of the Republic Socrates points out gods can be tricked by clever charlatans. They welcome pious but false men of the people while rejecting truly just ones falsely accused. True characters revealed when asked to choose another life. Those who lived happy middling lives likely choose same future life out of habit not wisdom. Those treated with infinite injustice despairing of good human life choose animal souls. Philosophic life identifies types of lives emerging from experience character and fate. Success fame and power provide temporary heavenly rewards or hellish punishments. Philosophic virtues always work to one's advantage regardless of external circumstances.
The Spindle of Necessity shaped like standard Greek spindles had hook shaft and whorl. Hook fixed near top of shaft on long side. Whorl resided on other end used to spin shaft. Placed on whorl were eight orbits creating perfect circles. Orbit one held stars orbit two Saturn orbit three Jupiter. Orbit four contained Mars orbit five Sun orbit six Venus. Orbit seven Mercury orbit eight Moon described differently by Plato. Descriptions fit relative distance and revolution speed as observer saw from Earth. Only Moon revolved slightly slower than sun according to these accounts. The Fates kept rims revolving while Sirens sang their songs. This model helped explain how known celestial bodies revolved around Earth in Republic cosmology.
Some scholars connected the Myth of Er to Armenian legend of Ara the Handsome. King Ara so handsome that Assyrian queen Semiramis waged war against Armenia to capture him alive. She wanted to marry him but he died despite her orders during battle. To avoid continuous warfare with Armenians Semiramis took his body and prayed to gods. She raised him from dead or spread rumor that gods brought him back. One tradition says Semiramis prayers successful and Ara returns to life. Armen Petrosyan suggests Plato version reflects earlier form where Er rises from grave. This connection appears in studies of Indo-European and Ancient Near Eastern sources published in 2002. Other works discuss heritage of Armenian literature from oral tradition to Golden Age.
Common questions
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.
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