The Romans believed that when you died you went to the
underworld. Avernus, a crater in the Campi Flegrei volcanic arc in
the western suburbs of Naples was the entrance of the underworld.
The entrance was through a cave near the lake in this crater (Lake
Avernus). Its name was derived from the Greek word for bridless. It
was said that it emitted deadly fumes and that birds flying over it
would drop dead. Despite this, settlements, villas and vineyards
were established on its shore and the lake's personification, the
god Avernus was worshipped in lakeside temples. Large baths were
built on the eastern shore and Agrippa started using it as a naval
base. Later Avernus became the name of the underworld.
The manes or di (gods) manes were the deities of the dead. They
were also regarded the souls of the dead of the family; that is,
the ancestors of the family. The lemures were shades or spirits of
the restless or malignant dead. They were the wandering and
vengeful spirits of people who were not given proper burial,
funeral rites or aware not honoured by the living. They were
associated with darkness and its dread. The Lares were good manes.
They were tutelary guardian) deities of roads, seaways,
agriculture, livestock, towns, cities and the like. They were Lares
who were protectors of the neighbourhoods and the crossroads and
lares which were protectors of the household.
