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Æneas
Of the Trojan heroes who survived the war, Æneas was the greatest. He would lead a group of Trojans on a journey that would eventually lead to Italy, where they founded what would eventually become Rome. But Æneas had one other fate. He would venture into the realm of Hades to visit his dead father. Virgil, the Roman poet who wrote the Aeneid, gives the best description of the underworld found in Greek and Roman Literature. (at least that I know of)
Æneas was the son of Aphrodite (the Goddess of Love). After the Trojan war, he was able to escape Troy with his father, son, and a group of loyal Trojans. His wife, sadly, could not be saved. This group stoped in Thrace and Crete to build new cities, but were warned away by bad omens. Æneas recieved instructions in a dream while on Crete to build a city in Hesperia, which is now called Italy. They began their journey westward and arrived at the island of Strophades, where the Harpies who had been chased away by the argonauts now lived. The Harpies spat curses at them and they set off once more and landed in the country of Epirus.
Here they met Andromache, a famous Trojan woman, and her Husband Helenus, who gave them advice about how best to reach Italy. Next, Æneas found a soldier of Odysseus, who had been left behind on the island of Scicily, where the Cyclopes lived. They rescued him and escaped as Polyphemus, the cyclopes whom Oddyseus had blinded, came stumbling after them.
Hera (the queen of the Gods and Goddess of marriage) decided to send a storm after Æneas, as she knew that Æneas was destined to conquer Carthage, her pet city. But Poseidon (the God of the sea) put an end to the storm and freed some of the ships that had been washed up on rocks. After the commotion, the men stopped at Carthage, in Africa. Here, the queen Dido, and Æneas shared a love affair, and everything seemed wonderful. Æneas' men were welcome, and Æneas could have easily married the Queen and become King of Carthage, as the Queen was a widow and loved him dearly. After a few months of bliss, Hermes was sent by Zeus to remind Æneas of his true fate in Italy. Reluctantly, he set forth, and as his ship departed, Dido threw herself on a funeral pyre, burning herself up.
At this point, Posiedon decided that for some reason, he wanted the ship's pilot, Palinurus, as a sacrifice before he would allow the men to reach Italy. Poseidon sent Hypnus (God of sleep) to make Palinurus fall asleep, and he fell overboard to his death.
The ships at last reached the shores of Italy, and joyfully did the adventurers leap to land. While his people were employed in making their encampment Æneas sought the abode of the Sibyl. It was a cave connected with a temple and grove, sacred to Apollo and Artemis. While Æneas contemplated the scene, the Sibyl accosted him. She seemed to know his errand, and under the influence of the deity of the place burst forth in a prophetic strain, giving dark intimations of labors and perils through which he was destined to make his way to final success. She closed with the encouraging words which have become proverbial: "Yield not to disasters, but press onward the more bravely." Æneas replied that he had prepared himself for whatever might await him. He had but one request to make. Having been directed in a dream to seek the abode of the dead in order to confer with his father Anchises, who had died just before the storm Hera had sent, to receive from him a revelation of his future fortunes and those of his race, he asked her assistance to enable him to accomplish the task. The Sibyl replied, "The descent to Avernus (a volcanic crater leading to Hades) is easy; the gate of Hades stands open night and day; but to retrace one's steps and return to the upper air, that is the toil, that the difficulty". She instructed him to seek in the forest a tree on which grew a golden branch. This branch was to be plucked off, to be borne as a gift to Persephone, and if fate was propitious, it would yield to the hand and quit its parent trunk, but otherwise no force could rend it away. If torn away, another would succeed.
Æneas followed the directions of the Sibyl. His mother Aphrodite sent two of her doves to fly before him and show him the way, and by their assistance he found the tree, plucked the branch, and hastened back with it to the Sibyl.
Æneas offered sacrifices to the infernal deities, Persephone, Hecate, and the Erinyes, or Furies. Then a roaring was heard in the earth, the woods on the hill-tops were shaken, and the howling of dogs announced the approach of the deities. "Now," said the Sibyl, "summon up your courage, for you will need it." She descended into the cave, and Æneas followed.
Follow Æneas and the Sibyl into Hades
