Despite the geographical distance, different civilizations shared the idea of rivers as thresholds between life and death.
These waterways, sometimes real, sometimes part of mythology itself, represent transition, renewal, and spiritual protection.
River Styx and River Acheron , Greece (5th–4th centuries BC)
This river represented the boundary between the world of the living and the realm of the dead. It is associated with a river called Mavroneri in the Peloponnese, whose cold, calcareous waters, it is said, gave rise to the myth.
According to mythology, souls had to be transported by Charon, the ferryman of the underworld, who charged a coin for each trip.
The journey symbolized the definitive separation from earthly life and the entrance into the world of Hades.
The river Acheron played a similar role to the Styx. This river is located in northwestern Greece, near Epirus, and in ancient times it was believed to flow into the underworld.
The souls were carried by a ferryman, across a waterway that marked the separation between life and the underworld.
Duat River , Egypt (3100–30 BC)
This river was considered the path that the sun and souls had to travel each night to the world of the dead.
The solar boat transported Ra and the deceased through an underworld full of dangers and guardians; therefore, Egyptian funerary rituals included representations of boats in tombs, and amulets to protect the deceased during the passage through the Duat.
The river became a symbol of renewal, death, and resurrection, showing the importance of aquatic elements in the Egyptian worldview.
Apanohuacalhuia River , Aztec (14th–16th centuries AD)
According to Aztec belief, the final destination of souls after death is Mictlán.
To reach it, the deceased had to overcome nine levels, the first being the crossing of the Apanohuacalhuia River ( "place where the water is crossed" , in Nahuatl).
This deep and dangerous river represented the boundary between the world of the living and the world of the dead.
The soul could only cross it with the help of a xoloitzcuintle, a sacred dog, which served as a guide and spiritual protector; therefore, if the deceased had mistreated dogs in life, none would help him, leaving him trapped on the shore forever.
Rivers of the Mayan underworld (4th–16th centuries AD)
Xibalbá, the Mayan underworld, is an underground kingdom ruled by the Lords of Death, such as Hun Camé and Vucub Camé.
According to the Popol Vuh , the hero twins Hunahpu and Ixbalanque had to cross several rivers to reach them. Among these were the river of blood ( K'ich' ich ha' ) and the river of pus ( K'ich' saq ha' ).
These currents symbolized the pain, purification, and spiritual transformation that every soul had to experience in its journey to the underworld.
Spiritual rivers and portals of the soul , Tibet (7th–15th centuries AD)
In Tibet and in regions of Vajrayana Buddhism, rivers and lakes were believed to be symbolic portals that the soul had to pass through during its journey through the bardo , the intermediate state between death and rebirth.
According to the texts of the Bardo Thödol ( Tibetan Book of the Dead ), the soul could encounter luminous or murky currents that represented its own karmic actions.
Guardian figures and psychopomps—such as protective deities or bodhisattvas—accompanied the deceased to guide him through these spiritual waters toward a new existence or toward final liberation ( nirvana ).
Rivers of the Underworld , China (202 BC–220 AD)
In ancient times, since the Han dynasty, it was believed that the soul of the deceased had to cross rivers of the underworld to reach the spiritual realm.
Among the most frequently mentioned in funerary texts is the River of the Afterlife ( Huangquan ), which symbolized the passage between the world of the living and the world of the dead.
Funeral rituals included the construction of symbolic canals, miniature boats, and the placement of amulets or coins to ensure the safe passage of the spirit.
Sanzu River , Japan (8th–16th centuries AD)
In the Japanese Buddhist tradition, the soul of the deceased had to cross the Sanzu River.
There was also a symbolic toll to pay upon reaching its shores, hence the custom of placing coins in the coffin.
It was said that there were three ways to cross it: by a bridge, through shallow waters, or by a violent torrent, depending on the individual's actions in life. Those who had led a righteous life crossed easily by the bridge, while souls burdened with sins had to wade or be swept away by the turbulent waters.
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