Wandering Shade of Hades

The myth

For the Greeks, the soul of the dead, the psyche, went down to Hades as a strengthless shade, resembling the living person but without a body. In the Iliad, Patroclus's ghost appears to Achilles and begs to be buried quickly, for without the rites he cannot cross the river and wanders before the gates. In the Odyssey the shades must drink blood to speak, and Elpenor, dead and still unburied, begs Odysseus for a funeral. In the myth of Er, Plato says souls drink from the river of Forgetfulness on the plain of Lethe before being reborn.

Why it has this power

A Common level-2 card with 700 ATK and 800 DEF: almost strengthless, as Homer describes the shades. A Darkness Undead, it bears the Moon and Scarab constellations of night and rebirth. Its role is to serve as material for the Rite of Charon's Obol, with Charon and Lamia, to call forth Cerberus.

Did you know

In the Odyssey, Achilles says in Hades that he would rather be a poor man's servant on earth than rule over all the dead.

Connections

• In Theron, Priest of the Underworld's deck

Where to get it

• Daily Offering: 0% per pack (Common 64% per card)
• Welcome Pack: 0.97% per pack (Common 70% per card)
• Traveler's Pack: 0.88% per pack · 5.2% in the themed pack (Common 64% per card)
• Bronze Reliquary: 0.86% per pack · 5.1% in the themed pack (Common 62% per card)
• Silver Reliquary: 0.67% per pack · 4% in the themed pack (Common 49% per card)
• Golden Reliquary: 0.46% per pack · 2.7% in the themed pack (Common 33% per card)
• Daily Showcase: Shows up on about 0.69% of days · 150 gold
• Craft with card dust: 40 dust
• Crossing of Myths: Can be offered as a reward during a crossing (the card stays in the crossing deck).

Sources

1. HADES - The Underworld of Greek Mythology — Aaron J. Atsma, Theoi Project
2. Iliad, Book 23 — Homer (trans. A. T. Murray), Theoi Classical Texts Library
3. Odyssey, Book 11 — Homer (trans. A. T. Murray), Theoi Classical Texts Library