Elysium, among the Greeks and Romans, was the regions inhabited by the blessed after death. They are placed by Homer at the extremities of the earth, by Plato at the antipodes, and by others in the Fortunate Islands (the Canaries). They were at last transferred to the interior of the earth, which is Virgil's notion. The happiness of the blessed consisted in a life of tranquil enjoyment in a perfect summer land, where the heroes, freed from all care and infirmities, renewed their favorite sports.

Hades was originally the Greek name of the lord of the lower or invisible world, afterwards called Pluto; but in later times, as in the Greek Scriptures, it is applied to the region itself. With the ancients Hades was the common receptacle of departed spirits.