When it comes to the Bible, the roles of its central figures seem obvious. God is the creator, the sustainer, the giver of life, and Satan… He’s the deceiver, the destroyer, & the murderer of mankind. 

Given that Satan is called a ‘murderer from the beginning’ in John 8:44, you’d probably assume that he’s the one responsible for claiming more lives.

But what if I told you that the text itself paints a very different picture? Because when we look past assumptions and actually count the deaths, the numbers tell a shocking story.

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For millennia, mankind has worshipped gods — beings of power, wisdom, and immortality. We’ve prayed to them, feared them, and shaped our civilizations around their stories.

But in every culture, there comes a moment when man looks up at the heavens and dares to ask: Why not me? 

So today, we’re diving into the myths and legends of different religions and cultures to confront one of humanity’s oldest—and most dangerous—questions: What happens when man tries to become god?

Let’s dive in to it.

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Most people today believe that ‘Lucifer’ and ‘Satan’ are one and the same- with both names representing the complete and total archetype of evil. In fact, this misconception runs so deep that the names are regularly used interchangeably in books, movies, and even sermons. But what if I told you that this is actually…Wrong information? Because in truth, the Bible itself never explicitly identifies Lucifer with Satan. That connection only came later, through centuries of interpretation, translation, and literature.

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Where do we go when we die?

It’s one of humanity’s oldest questions.

Across nearly every culture, every religion, and every age of human history, people have looked to the sky and wondered: What lies beyond this life? And almost universally, civilizations have imagined an idyllic realm of peace and perfection—an eternal paradise. This vision echoes through many of the world’s predominant religions, where Heaven is described as the ultimate reward, the place where suffering ends and harmony begins.

But not every depiction of Heaven is the paradise you might expect. In fact, in some traditions, Heaven isn’t endless peace at all—it’s strange, unsettling, and even exhausting. 

Today we’re going to be diving into the world’s visions of the afterlife- taking a closer look at how different cultures, religions and mythologies perceive life after death.

Let’s dive in to it.

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Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. Today’s video is the start of a new series where I’ll be reading classic retellings of Greek myths by respected authors from over a century ago. These stories come straight from the public domain, and the goal here is to give you something you can listen to while winding down, studying, or just getting lost in the world of ancient Greece.

The following is an excerpt from Myths and Legends Of Ancient Greece and Rome by E.M. Berens, published in 1880. If you’d like to read the full text, please check out the link in the pinned comment.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/22381/22381-h/22381-h.htm

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Long before the Olympians ruled from their thrones on Mount Olympus, the cosmos was shaped by older forces — vast, silent, and unknowable.

These were the Primordial Deities or Protogenoi: the first powers of existence, embodying fundamental aspects of reality itself.

And out of the first void came something deeper than shadow. A presence, not just of absence, but of power. She wasn’t the goddess of one place or domain. She didn’t rule the sea or the sky. She simply was — there before the stars, before time, before anything had a name.

Even Zeus, king of the gods, knew better than to cross her.

Because this wasn’t just nightfall.

It was Night itself.

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We’ve all seen them. Greek Statues. 

Huge slabs of muscle, perfect proportions, nearly 0 bodyfat to speak of, and a casual reminder that we’re not QUITE in the shape that we thought we were. An idealistic version of the human form — chiseled from marble, frozen in time, that still somehow judges us centuries later.

In modern bodybuilding, the physiques seen in Greek statues are often the end goal — the ultimate Grecian ideal: to look like a “Greek god” or a “Greek statue.”

But I’ve often wondered..Why?

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When people think of the Underworld, they think of Hades — the god draped in shadow, brother to Zeus and ruler of the dead, his realm carved from silence and sealed away from Olympus.

But the truth is… he wasn’t the first.

Because long before Olympus rose… before the Titans fell… before even light existed… there was something else.

A presence.

A force.

A god.

But this ‘being’ didn’t rule with a scepter or a crown… or sit on a throne.

It simply was.

 A suffocating darkness so complete… that even the gods feared it.

And while time has tried to erase it from memory — buried beneath the myths of younger, more palatable deities — its shadow still lingers.

This… is the story of the one who ruled before Hades.

The one who gave birth to death, to night, to fate itself…

The one who was the darkness.

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There are many punishments in Greek mythology…But few are as chilling — or as deserved — as the one from this particular myth.

In this tale - A king, beloved by the gods, was granted a seat at their table.

He had their trust. Their favor. Their ear.

But then… he did the unthinkable: he betrayed them.

In this story, the actions of this man were so twisted, so vile, that even the Olympians were horrified.

And for his crimes, he was given perhaps one of the greatest and most creative punishments inflicted on any being in Greek Mythology- eventually becoming a symbol of eternal punishment.

But what exactly did he do? Why did a man so privileged risk everything?

And what became of the gods who once welcomed him as their guest?

Today, we uncover the truth behind one of the most disturbing myths in the ancient world.

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When most people think of powerful Greek gods, one name tends to rise above the rest: Zeus. King of Olympus. Wielder of lightning. Slayer of Titans. The ultimate divine authority.

Or… so we’re told.

But the truth is — Zeus isn’t all that he was chalked up to be. Sure, he was powerful. Charismatic. But the most powerful god in Greek mythology?

Not even close.

He could be outwitted. He could be resisted. And in some cases, he was straight-up afraid.

And for these reasons, and more, Zeus was far from the top of the divine food chain.

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