The River Styx is the legendary final barrier between the lands of the living and the dead. It flows through the Realm of the Dead of the Green Isles, and borders Hades under Serenia. Some say the River of Death in the Dimension of Death may even be the famed River Styx.[1]
Background
For a living being the black water of the river is lethal. It is guarded by the grim figure of Charon the Ferryman, who crosses the river Styx to take souls to bring them to Samhain in the Realm of the Dead. For those who cross there is no turning back.[2]
Charon is also a personage whose job it is to ferry souls of the dead across the river Styx to Hades. He was thought of as a silent, shrouded old man. In time, the image became synonymous with Death.
Alexander needed some water from the river Styx for the Magic paint spell.
Achilles was once taken near Hades when he was a child. He was dipped into the river Styx, all but his heel. The cold waters of the river gave him invincibility to all attacks. His entire body was protected except for his heel. He grew up to be a great warrior. During the Trojan War he was nearly unstoppable, felled only by a wound to his heel.
Behind the scenes
The River Styx is a reference to Greek Mythology, it is one of several rivers that passes through the realm of Hades, the Greek underworld (these include Phlegethon, Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Eridanos, and Alpheus).
It is very similar to the River of Death, another river that shares a similar function in the Dimension of Death.
- "Roberta's point of view was that the "Dimension of Death" was not the under world(KQ6). It was a unique and different place." -Mark Seibert, Mask of Eternity's Producer.
According to the old MOE website, the black river in the Dimension of Death was named the River Styx. The site was created near the end of the development. It seems that the river was likely known as the River Styx even up to right before the game's release (see programmer's notes in KQ8 development). However, this name was not maintained in the game itself, instead renamed the River of Death in the final release (probably to further disassociate the Dimension of Death from the Realm of the Dead). Interesting the reference on the website was never edited to include the in-game name.
- "And in order to depart from this realm, Connor must find the only way to cross the famed River Styx."
Interestingly, the all the file assets including textures related to the River of Death are named "styx", and even the programmer's notes refer to as the river Styx.