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Styx, etching by Gustave Doré, 1861

In Greek mythology, the "River Styx" (Στυξ) is a river which formed the boundary between Earth and the Underworld, Hades. It circles Hades nine times. The rivers Styx, Phlegethon, Acheron and Cocytus all converge at the center of Hades on a great marsh. The other important rivers of Hades are Lethe and Eridanos. Styx is guarded by Phlegyas, who passes the souls from one side to another of the river. In other versions, Phlegyas guards Phlegethon, another of the main rivers of Hades. Sometimes the ferryman is called Charon.

The gods respected the Styx and swore binding oaths by it. Zeus swore to give Semele whatever she wanted and was then obliged to follow through, resulting in her death. Helios similarly promised Phaëton whatever he desired, also resulting in his death. Gods that did not follow through on such an oath had to drink from the glass, causing them to lose their voices for nine years. According to some versions, Styx had miraculous powers and could make someone immortal/invunerable. Achilles may have been dipped in it in his childhood, acquiring invulnerability, with exception of his heel, which was held by his mother in order to submerge him. His exposed heel thus became known as Achilles' heel, a metaphor for a weak spot in modern meaning.

Styx was primarily a feature in the afterworld of Greek mythology, but has been described as a feature present in the hell of Christianity as well, notably in The Divine Comedy and also "Paradise Lost". The ferryman Charon is in modern times commonly believed to have transported the souls of the newly dead across this river into the underworld, though in the original Greek and Roman sources, as well as in Dante, it was the river Acheron that Charon plied. Dante put Phlegyas over the Styx and made it the fifth circle of Hell, where the wrathful and sullen are punished by being drowned in the muddy waters for eternity.

The adjective "Stygian" means "of or relating to the River Styx", and may also refer to anything that is dark and dismal.

Styx was also the name of the daughter of Oceanus and Tethys. With Pallas, she was the mother of Zelus, Nike, Cratos and Bia (and sometimes Eos).

Styx supported Zeus in the Titanomachia- she was the first to rush to his aid. For this reason her name was given the honor of being a binding oath for the gods.

Styx is also the name of a naiad nymph^{[citation needed]} whose river was the most holy and sacred, and to swear on it was the most holy oath a god could make. Her name meant literally Hateful. She and the goddess are often held to be the same figure.

• Soulcalibur II, one of the weapons Cervantes uses.
• Styx (band) is the name of a 1970s American rock band.
• On the Goth Punk Band I Am Ghost's Debut Album 'Lover's Requiem' they have a song entitled 'Crossing The River Styx'
• Travel In Stygian is the name of a song appearing on the heavy metal band Iced Earth's second album Night of the Stormrider
• In The Simpsons, the song “Lady” by the band Styx plays while Homer passes the river Styx, to which Homer remarks “Oh God, this truly is Hell!”
• In the Futurama episode “The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings” The devil robot sings “Where Styx is a river and not just a band”
• In the MMORPG Guild Wars, there is a region in the Domain of Anguish known as the "Stygian Veil"
• In Scrubs, Dr. Cox is complaining to Bob Kelso about how much he hates his wife's constant presence and says "I'd honestly kill myself, Bob, if I wasn't convinced that Jordan wouldn't already be there waiting for me in the afterlife. You see, typical of her, she went and signed us up for an eternal tandem bike ride all along the banks of the river Styx."
• In Myth computer game series, there are magically animated suits of armor named Stygian Knights, which, obvious enough, are of the Dark side.

• Rasā
• Sanzu River

• the Styx entry at the Theoi.Com