AboutSean Caruana Webster Expertise I can answer quite a few questions regarding Classical Greek & Roman Mythology. Since answers can be sent by email, I may also include descriptive pictures also to help you understand better about the character or story your query is about.
Experience I became interested in the subject from a very early age, and learnt more and more as I grew up by visiting libraries and browsing through the internet. I believe to have a very wide knowledge on the subject.
Question QUESTION: I'm writing this novel and came across some questions that i havnt been able to find the answers to yet so, I've got 3 questions for you:
1. Where were the Tartarus gates located??
2. Was Tartarus located underneath the ENTIRE earth, or in just one area(and if one area then what area)??
3. Who and what was imprisoned in Tartarus??
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions I REALLY appreaciate it!!
-Tonisha
ANSWER: Dear Tonisha,
I am very pleased you chose me to answer your question, and I will do as best as I can...
1. The brazen gates of Tartarus are located at a distance beyond Hades just as the distance between heaven and earth. It has a bronze threshold, and has triple-thick walls since it was originally a prison for supernatural beings of immense size and power. The passage between Tartarus and Hades (the Underworld) is covered by a triple-layer of night, making it a dull, creepy, gloomy abode. As for its geographical situation, I researched all my books and internet, but I found no description.
2. In this case, I also found no accurate description as to if it is as big as the entire earth, or just a section. As I explained before, it was originally a prison for supernatural creatures, thus would have to be very capacious. All information does say it was an enormous gigantic abyss or cave, about 400,000 miles deeper than the earth's crust. It took a total of 18 days for an anvil to reach from the sky to its entrance.
3. Tartarus' first prisoners were the Hekatoncheries, which were three giant brothers, sons of Uranus & Gaea, having 50 heads and 100 arms each. Their father disliked their appearance, re-opened Gaea' womb (thus creating Tartarus) and threw them there. Later, after the new gods won over the Titans, these giants were set by Zeus as wardens rather than prisoners. Later, Tartarus became a prison meant for evil humans such as Sisyphus, Tantalus & Ixion. The three Furies where set in Tartarus to perpetually torment the ghosts of these sinners, slashing them with their whips and frightening them with their screeches. You can say that it is the equivalent of what we know today as hell.
I hope I have answered your questions to the full. If you need more information regarding this subject, I will be happy and do my best to help out.
yours truly,
Sean
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QUESTION: Once again I cannot say how much I appreciate this help. You really have done a great job! :)
1. Alright so by your knowledge of Tartarus, if a titan that was imprisoned say...Cronus escaped Tartarus could he easily get through those 3 layers of night?? Or is there something in there??
2. Specifically now which Titans were imprisoned into Tartarus, and also which humans (names please)?
3. Can the titans use their powers in Tartarus??
4. What did Tartarus look like inside?
Sorry for all the questions, <:)
ANSWER: I am most happy to have satisfied you, and not at all bothered in any way to answer any other questions regarding this favourite subject of mine. Now, as for your next set of questions...
1. Any creature, be it human, titan or any other, once inside Tartarus, can kiss sunlight goodbye! There is NO POSSIBLE WAY anyone/thing could break through the extremely thick walls, and not to mention the layers of night. A single night (such as we experience after sundown) already makes places as black as can be, not to mention an addition of two more layers!!! Since this is mythology, you can use your imagination...the bronze used for the gates themselves are already unearthly in material- unbreakable for anyone/thing.
2. First there were the afore mentioned Hekantocheries; then, during the Titanomachy, Zeus imprisoned the Titans Coeus, Crius & Iapetus, overlooked by their brothers the Hekatoncheries. As for Oceanus, Hyperion & all Titanesses, they did not participate in the war. Atlas was set to hold the sky on his shoulders. There were also Gigantes who assisted the Titans: the most famous two were Enceladus, who was buried by Zeus under Mount AEtna and Alkyoneius, who was slain and flesh-stripped by Athene.
As for humans, the most well-known were Ixion, who tried to rape Hera and was thrown in Tartarus chained to a gyrating wheel, Sisyphus who had to push a boulder up a cliff only to have to do it again after it rolled back down (this because he had a habit of spreading damaging rumors about Zeus), and last but not least was Tantalus, who was set in a pool with a bunch of juicy grapes atop his head. He was perpetually hungry and thirsty, but both grapes and water moved away from him when trying to eat or drink. This was his punishment for serving his own son to the gods during a dinner party.
3. I prefer to think that Tartarus made Titans powerless, or else no amount of power could effect Tartarus to break or become blemished in any way!
4. I think that, as a structure, Tartarus was just the same as any cave you go in: ragged irregularly shaped rocks forming a vast space below Hades. But still, since it was so dark because of the three nights...who knows what it actually looked like?
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QUESTION: Alright, so Tartarus was a deep dark cave that was used for the punishment (and torture) of bad souls and was impossible to escape?? Am I correct in this?
A few more questions,
1. Did Hades (or Persephone even) ever check on the prisoners? Like did they ever go and supervise in Tartarus??
2. What was the punishment for Cronus in Tartarus??
3.You said " The three Furies where set in Tartarus to perpetually torment the ghosts of these sinners," I am a little confused, please elaborate on what you mean by "ghosts". Like were the sinners sent there only after they died, I'm confused on this...
4. When did the Tartarus gates opened?? Were they ever opened??
Answer I would first of all like to thank you so much for your kind rating. It would help to give me an even better image to those who need to ask questions on this specific subjects!
Yes, you are right. Tartarus is a deep dark cave meant for the souls (or shades) of those who led a sinful life, with no possible way of escape, at all.
1. Tartarus needed no supervision from the King and Queen. The Hekatoncheries mentioned before had that task, given to them by Zeus, whom they willingly obeyed since he had saved them from it. It was already impossible to escape Hades since it was guarded by the gruesome frightful Cerberus, let alone even concidering escaping Tartarus, which had, if you remember, an impermeable triple-layer of night.
2. Cronus has many different versions of later life after the Titanomachy. Some simply say he was imprisoned in Tartarus without a specific explanation of punishment. Others say he was imprisoned in the cave of Nyx (the goddess of night), and others say he was simply deposed by Zeus, who was then reuinted with him and made king of Elysium. Cronos was later mistakenly made as personification of time, since his name was written as 'Kronos' and not 'chronos'.
3. Yes, only souls/ghosts/shades (call them what you like) ever entered Tartarus (except in the case of supernatural beings such as the Titans). The Furies were three serpent-haired, bitch-faced sisters who tormented the souls in Tartarus, and human beings on earth. Never did any live human being enter Tartarus.
4. I am not certain they do open. Since ghosts can go through them, I prefer to think that the gates only acted as a seperator between Hades and Tartarus. Also, I prefer to think that ghosts can pass through the gates to GO IN Tartarus, but are not able to GET OUT of them in the same way, which is why I prefer to say they did not open. But you can say they did if you like...I have not yet come across such information.
if you have more questions, fire away. My email address is oceanblueeyes87@hotmail.com... I may also supply pictures if you like.
