After him I saw mighty Hercules, but it was his phantom only, for he is feasting ever with the immortal gods, and has lovely Hebe to wife, who is daughter of Jove and Juno. The ghosts were screaming round him like scared birds flying all whithers. He looked black as night with his bare bow in his hands and his arrow on the string, glaring around as though ever on the point of taking aim. About his breast there was a wondrous golden belt adorned in the most marvellous fashion with bears, wild boars, and lions with gleaming eyes; there was also war, battle, and death. The man who made that belt, do what he might, would never be able to make another like it. Hercules knew me at once when he saw me, and spoke piteously, saying, 'My poor Ulysses, noble son of Laertes, are you too leading the same sorry kind of life that I did when I was above ground? I was son of Jove, but I went through an infinity of suffering, for I became bondsman to one who was far beneath me--a low fellow who set me all manner of labours. He once sent me here to fetch the hell-hound--for he did not think he could find anything harder for me than this, but I got the hound out of Hades and brought him to him, for Mercury and Minerva helped me.'

On this Hercules went down again into the house of Hades, but I stayed where I was in case some other of the mighty dead should come to me. And I should have seen still other of them that are gone before, whom I would fain have seen--Theseus and Pirithous--glorious children of the gods, but so many thousands of ghosts came round me and uttered such appalling cries, that I was panic stricken lest Proserpine should send up from the house of Hades the head of that awful monster Gorgon. On this I hastened back to my ship and ordered my men to go on board at once and loose the hawsers; so they embarked and took their places, whereon the ship went down the stream of the river Oceanus. We had to row at first, but presently a fair wind sprang up.

ὣς εἰπὼν ὁ μὲν αὖτις ἔβη δόμον Ἄϊδος εἴσω͵ αὐτὰρ ἐγὼν αὐτοῦ μένον ἔμπεδον͵ εἴ τις ἔτ΄ ἔλθοι ἀνδρῶν ἡρώων͵ οἳ δὴ τὸ πρόσθεν ὄλοντο. καί νύ κ΄ ἔτι προτέρους ἴδον ἀνέρας͵ οὓς ἔθελόν περ͵ Θησέα Πειρίθοόν τε͵ θεῶν ἐρικυδέα τέκνα· ἀλλὰ πρὶν ἐπὶ ἔθνε΄ ἀγείρετο μυρία νεκρῶν ἠχῇ θεσπεσίῃ· ἐμὲ δὲ χλωρὸν δέος ᾕρει͵ μή μοι Γοργείην κεφαλὴν δεινοῖο πελώρου ἐξ Ἄϊδος πέμψειεν ἀγαυὴ Περσεφόνεια. αὐτίκ΄ ἔπειτ΄ ἐπὶ νῆα κιὼν ἐκέλευον ἑταίρους αὐτούς τ΄ ἀμβαίνειν ἀνά τε πρυμνήσια λῦσαι· οἱ δ΄ αἶψ΄ εἴσβαινον καὶ ἐπὶ κληῖσι καθῖζον. τὴν δὲ κατ΄ Ὠκεανὸν ποταμὸν φέρε κῦμα ῥόοιο͵ πρῶτα μὲν εἰρεσίῃ͵ μετέπειτα δὲ κάλλιμος οὖρος.

Cf. GREEK WORD COURSE: Hades on-line lesson ||| HESIOD : In the beginning was Nothing, Five Generations of Men ||| PLATO : Studying Death, Ways to Hades, The Real World ||| CAVAFY : The Horses of Achilles, In the month Athyr, Perfidy, As much as you can, Finished ||| PAPATSONIS : Scheme, Hestia, Wisdom, In Rising Sound