ABSTRACT
The Elysium episode in Lucian’s True History presents a picture of the afterlife that is substantially divergent from other images of the afterlife in classical literature and cultural memory. Although superficially similar to popular ideas of Elysium or the “White Island” illustrated in the works of Hesiod, Homer, the Aethiopis, Pindar, Vergil, and Pausanias, Lucian’s Elysium accumulates every possible supernatural luxury in a parody of their opulence. The episode is heavily influenced by the works of Homer (and other katabasis narratives, whether transmitted in writing or orally) but Lucian’s Elysium is strikingly different from Odysseus’ dismal vision of the Plain of Asphodel in Odyssey 11. The parodic Elysium of the True History harmonizes with discussions of the afterlife in Lucian’s other works, which show an obvious contempt for those who believe the mythology of Hades literally, as well as for those who expect to find any material comforts in the afterlife. In sum, the True History’s Elysium episode parodies depictions of a blessed afterlife from both literature and cultural memory, with the overall message that the real afterlife will be grim and joyless.
