Gates of Hades (theory)

From Lostpedia

Fanon Alert!
This article contains art, spin-off fiction, theories, reference and community material created by fans inspired by Lost.
It is by definition non-canon, but generally distinct from intentionally fake hoaxes or humorous fan parody material.

Given the number of references to Greek mythology, including Cerberus, Penelope, Apollo candy bar, and others, the high concept for Lost may be that the Island is the physical location of the mythical Gates of Hades, separating the living world from the world of the dead. Magnus Hanso may have discovered the gate and left a record, later discovered by his descendant Alvar Hanso, who set out to investigate the phenomenon, in an effort to master death itself. This is the true purpose of the Dharma Initiative. Numerous mysteries of the Island could be tied to outbreaks of energy between the dead world and the living, or interactions by the living with the dead.

Pros

Explains the Whispers, which often feature voices of the dead.
Explains the appearances of dead persons such as Christian Shephard, Yemi and Boone Carlyle, in person and in dreams.
Explains the Monster, which is literally Cerberus.
- Cerberus allowed the spirits of the dead to enter the Underworld freely, but did not allow anyone to leave.
- In the Underworld, Hercules asked Hades for permission to bring Cerberus to the surface. The Monster has repeatedly tried to drag people underground.
Suggests an alternative theory for what the incident was -- some kind of contact with the dead by technological means.
Explains the need for quarantine.
May explain miracles and tribulations since Hades was the catch-all afterlife with rewards and punishments and a god that liked to toy with the locals.
Difficult comings and goings:
- Persephone was trapped in the underworld for part of the year because she ate pomegranate seeds. The food of the undead bound her to Hades.
- Orpheus snuck in past Charon and Cerberus but could not leave with his wife.
- Psyche had to be aided by nature and spirits to enter Hades.
The River Styx "had miraculous powers and could make someone immortal/invulnerable."[1] This could explain apparently immortal characters such as Richard Alpert, nigh-invulnerable characters such as Mikhail Bakunin (a.k.a. Eyepatch), and in general the healing properties of The Island. It might also explain the conversation between Benjamin Linus and Charles Widmore in The Shape of Things to Come in which Widmore asks if Ben has come to kill him, and Ben replies, "We both know I can't do that."
Explains the episode title of This Place is Death, i.e. the Island may literally be Hades.
In the episode The Brig, explains Anthony Cooper's statements about the Island being Hell.
The River Styx could possibly the small river they always pass. It seems whenever they do attempt to pass, something happens.
In the Greek underworld, it was possible to travel to the real word and back, such as what Persephone did, however she HAD TO GO BACK because of her agreement with Hades. The Oceanic 6 could possibly have a similiar situation, as they "have to go back".
Infertility would be because those in the underworld are bound to the dead; therefore new life cannot be formed.
The submarine, though technological, could represent Charon, who would take the dead from the real world to the underworld. If not the submarine, then the boat possibly, such as what Desmond took to the island.
Tartarus was a deep pit in the underworld. As we saw in the episode "This Place is Death" I believe, the smoke monster (Cerberus) pulled one of the members of Rousseau's team under the temple. This temple could represent where Tartarus is.
As we sometimes see the huge fields that are on the island, this could represent the Elysian Fields, where the souls of the dead finally rest.
Ben was taken into The Temple, the actual gate, after he was shot. After this he was always going to be one of the others. The others are those that protect the gates.

Cons

Suggests that much of the plotline, namely anything that details activities of the Others, is essentially a sidestory, or a sequel to a complex series of events as yet unrevealed. This is intentional on the part of the theory author.
Glosses over the specific miracles, such as Locke being able to walk, and specific properties of the Island, such as not being able to leave.
Does not explain the mechanical sounds heard in connection with the Monster, though these sounds may be a red herring.
If the reason for the difficulty of leaving involves the Island's nature as the Gates of Hades, then why would a submarine, regardless of its technical advancement, be able to come and go?
- Can't any vessel come and go, if on the right heading? If so, the use of a submarine may just obscure time-shifts or other unusual artefacts from those travelling to the island and not yet fully initiated.
If this is the gates of Hades where are the Greek gods?
- The Greek gods would be unlikely to leave a significant group of attractive women (such as Kate) unmolested for any length of time, as they are notoriously lascivious.
Does not explain the issue of death during childbirth.
If Jacob is a ghost, how did he escape from Hades?
- Where is the river Styx?
  - According to a number of maps I've seen, can't vouch for their reliability, the island has 5 rivers, the same number as Hades. The Styx is just one of them.
  - It is possible that this is the represented by the ring of ash surrounding Jacob's cabin.
- Maybe rather than a ghost, Jacob is in fact the god of the dead